IX-13-2.1
Mennonite
Central Committee
Photograph
Collection
Russian
Relief and Emigration to
6 Boxes (3 Gray, 2 Oversize Gray, 1 File in
Mapcase Drawer)
Introduction
These
photographs were deposited into the Archives by Mennonite Central Committee,
These
photographs focus on two activities of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) from
1919-1938. The first is providing relief
to Europe after World War I, 1919-21, and aid to fellow Mennonites in Russia,
1920-25. Many of the photographs are
found in the book Feeding the Hungry:
Russia Famine, 1919-1925, by P. C. Hiebert and Orie O. Miller, 1929, which
tells the story of MCC's relief efforts in Russia. The book was published by Mennonite Central
Committee, Scottdale, Pennsylvania.
The
second activity is MCC helping Mennonites emigrate from Russia, 1921-29, and
settle in Brazil, Canada, Paraguay and USA, 1921-32. Included are photographs of trips to South
America to visit the Mennonite settlements there by Orie O. Miller in 1931 and
by Harold S. Bender in 1938. A secondary
source on this emigration is In the Name
of Christ: A History of the Mennonite Central Committee and Its Service,
1920-1951, by John D. Unruh, 1952.
Published by Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania.
The
photographs were organized into subject headings, placed into mylar sleeves and
acid-free files and boxes by two Goshen College students, Lance Yoder and
Angela Showalter, in 1992-93.
Historical Sketch
Mennonite
Central Committee began in September of 1920 in response to a desire to
coordinate Mennonite relief efforts to fellow Mennonites in Russia. Up to that time, Mennonites contributed aid
to Europe through a variety of agencies.
Some gave through the Friends Service Committee, and others with the
Near East Relief. The Red Cross also was
a recipient of Mennonite aid activities.
The
initial meeting of the various Mennonite aid agencies took place at Prairie
Street Mennonite Church of Elkhart, Indiana.
The meeting produced the first executive body of the Mennonite Central
Committee. The meeting elected Levi
Mumaw of Scottdale, Pennsylvania as representative of the Mennonite Church, H.
H. Regier of Mountain Lake, Minnesota from the General Conference Mennonites,
and P. C. Hiebert of Hillsboro, Kansas, from the Mennonite Brethren.
The
new organization moved quickly to organize food and supply distribution to
Russia. Initially, the group was unable
to work out of Russia, and based its operations in Constantinople, Turkey, in
1921. By December of 1921 the feeding
operations had started in Russia. The
operation quickly expanded, and in May of 1922 the American Mennonite Relief
(AMR) was feeding 25,000 people on a daily basis in South Russia.
The
years 1921-1932 also saw emigration to the United States (1921-22), Canada
(1923-29), and Brazil and Paraguay (1929-34).
Most of the groups had a stopover point somewhere in Europe before making
the journey to another continent.
Historical Sketch by Lance Yoder, Goshen College
July 23, 1992
Inventory Listing
Russian
Relief and Emigration to Paraguay, 1919-1938
Box
1 (Gray)
1/1 Introduction
/ Provenance of Photos
1/2 Bender,
H. S., Assorted, 1920s-40s
1/3 Brazil
- Mennonite Settlements, 1938
1/4 Brazil
- Mennonite Settlements, undated
1/5 [open
file]
1/6 Canada
- Emigration to Paraguay, 1921
1/7 Holland
- Relief Committee, 1929-31 (1)
1/8 Holland
- Relief Committee, 1929-31 (2)
This photograph file is found in Box
5 Oversize Gray (5/1)
1/9 Mennonite
Central Committee - Picture Puzzle, undated
1/10 Paraguay
- Fernheim Colony, 1930-32
1/11 Paraguay
- Mennonite Settlements, 1938
1/12 Paraguay
- Mennonite Settlements, undated
1/13 Paraguay
- Miller, O. O., 1931 (File 1)
Includes
photographs from Brazil. Negatives #'s
1,255-1,290.
1/14 Paraguay
- Miller, O. O., 1931 (File 2)
Includes
photographs from Brazil. Negatives #'s
1,291-1,326.
1/15 Paraguay
- Miller, O. O., 1931 (File 3)
Includes
photographs from Brazil. Prints.
Box
2 (Gray)
2/1 Russia
- Agriculture, 1922-25
2/2 Russia
- Book, Feeding the Hungry
Was
published by MCC in 1929.
2/3 Russia
- Book, Photo Identification, 1929
2/4 Russia
- Book, Photos Used, 1929
2/5 Russia
- Daily Life, 1922-25
2/6 Russia
- Emigration to Brazil, 1930
2/7 Russia
- Emigration to Canada, 1923
2/8 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay (1)
Emigrants
in Germany, 1929-30, headed for Brazil and Paraguay.
2/9 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay, (2)
Scrapbook, 1929-30,
given to "The Mennonites in the United States" from "The
Refugees at Camps Moeln, Hammerstein and Prenzlau, Germany, 1929-1930."
(35 photographs) Includes photographs of
life in Russia, emigration out of Russia, and the stay in Germany.
This scrapbook is
found in MCC Mapcase Drawer 10, and labeled as Box 4/1, Oversize File.
2/10 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay (3)
Photographs
of ships going to Brazil and Paraguay, 1930
2/11 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay (4)
Passengers
on ship going to Paraguay, 1930
(Photo
#393, original found in folder 2/10)
This
large photograp is found in Box 5 Oversize Gray
(5/2)
2/12 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay (5)
Village
Transport Groups, 1930-32
2/13 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay, (6)
Group
Pictures of Transport Group I, 1930-32
Includes
Transport List of group to Paraguay, 15 March 1930.
This
photograph file is found in Box 5 Oversize Gray
(5/3)
2/14 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay, (7)
Group
Pictures of Transport Group II, 1930-32
This
photograph file is found in Box 5 Oversize Gray (5/4)
2/15 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay, (8)
Group
Pictures of Transport Group II, Children Only, 1930-32
This
photograph file is found in Box 5 Oversize Gray (5/5)
Box
2 (Gray) (Continued)
2/16 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay, (9)
Group
Pictures of Transport Group III, 1930-32
This
photograph file is found in Box 6 Oversize Gray (6/1)
2/17 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay, (10)
Group
Pictures of Transport Group IV, 1930-32
This
photograph file is found in Box 6 Oversize Gray (6/2)
2/18 Russia
- Emigration to Paraguay, (11)
Emigrants
in France, 1932
2/19 Russia
- Emigration to U.S.A., 1921
2/20 Russia
- Famine, 1920-25
2/21 Russia
- Personnel of MCC, 1920-25
Box
3 (Gray)
3/1 Russia
- Relief, 1922-23
Photographs
from D. R. Hoeppner
3/2 Russia
- Relief - Children, 1922-25
3/3 Russia
- Relief - Kitchens, 1922-25
3/4 Russia
- Relief - Supply Sites, 1922-25
3/5 Russia
- Relief - Tractors, 1922-23 (1)
3/6 Russia
- Relief - Tractors, 1922-25 (2)
This
photograph file is found in Box 6 Oversize Gray (6/3)
3/7 Russia
- Schools, Mennonite, 1922-23
3/8 Switzerland
- Relief, 1920
3/9 Syria
- Armenian Refugees, 1919-20
3/10 Turkey
- Women's Home, 1921-22
________________________________________________________________________
Box
4 (Oversize File)
Located
in MCC Mapcase, Drawer 10
Photographs
found in these boxes have been listed above
Box
5 (Oversize Gray)
Found
on Shelf next to Gray Boxes
Photographs
found in these boxes have been listed above
Box
6 (Oversize Gray)
Found
on Shelf next to Gray Boxes
Photographs
found in these boxes have been listed above
Name and Subject Tracings
Name
and subject tracings for the card catalog were done only for the photographs
collected by Orie O. Miller in his involvement in the Russian Relief
(IX-1-2). Included among these
photographs were the ones used in the book Feeding
the Hungry (1929).
Agriculture
Armenia
Bender, Harold S.
Books - Feeding the Hungry, 1929
Children
Emigration and Immigration
Family
Near East Relief
Personnel
Refugees, Armenian
Relief
Russia
Switzerland
Syria
Turkey
Individual
Photograph Index
The
photographs in this collection have also been included in the "Finding Aid
for Individual Photographs." They
are numbered #301-434, and #1,001-1,326.
Inventory by:
Lance
Yoder, History Practicum, Goshen College, July 23, 1992
Angela
Showalter, Work/Study Student, Goshen College, July 2, 1993
Updated
by Dennis Stoesz, August 28, 1996
File: "IX130201.doc"
Mennonite
Church USA Archives-Goshen, 1700 S. Main St., Goshen, Indiana 46526