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Historical Committee


Hist. Mss. 1-30 (SC Long)
Christian Esch, 1819-1882
Sermon Manuscript, 1849-1882
3 Folders (Small Collection Long)

Historical Sketch

1819 Christian Esch was born August 26, at Dorsterhof, Lorraine, and was orphaned when his parents died in 1824. Lived with a Guengerich family until 1837.

1837 Emigrated to Partridge settlement, Illinois, USA

1846 Married Anna Garber (1827-1898) on August 20

1852 Ordained minister at Partridge Mennonite (later called Metamora Mennonite Church), Illinois

1867 Ordained bishop

1888 Died May 25, Worth Township, Woodford County, Illinois

Source: Steve Estes and Paton Yoder, Proceedings of the Amish Ministerrs’ Meetings, 1862-1878 (Mennonite Historical Society, Goshen, Indiana, 1999), page 320. Harry F. Weber, History of Mennonites of Illinois (1931), page 604.  Birth year updated by Tom Esch, 2007.

Administrative Information

The Christian Esch Sermon manuscript was donated to the Mennonite Archives by Mrs. Walter E. Yoder, 1508 South 8th Street, Goshen, Indiana, on April 3, 1950.

Some summary transcriptions and translations of the funeral sermons was done by Nelson Springer, Mennonite Historical Library, Goshen College, in 1950. George Unger, Goshen, Indiana, transcribed and translated the sermons found in the manuscript in 1994 – this work was done for Steve Estes of Illinois.

Inventory Listing

File #1 (Small Collection Long)

Sermon Manuscript, 1849-1882, bound ledger, measuring 12 3/4" x 8", pages not numbered, includes 147 pages including front and back cover. Includes about 17 sermons in it, include six of which are funeral sermons.

Inscription on third page [after counting cover and inside cover page as page one and two] is "Received November 3rd, 1849, Forty-Five Dollars, of Christian Esch and left Peter Garbers Note as security for $45.00. [Signed] A. K.? Robinson. [Also signed in red pencil] "Walter E. Yoder"

Fourth page: Tillie Baumruch, began work 6th April, recieved [sic] for rubbers $1.50.... lost 4 day to Chicago.....

Seventh to eleventh pages: [in Gothic handwriting] "Den Die soellen hat in Dienster Zeit den Frig uebe die....

Twelfth to Seventh page: [in Gothic handwriting] "Grabreden" [Funeral Sermon]. "Am Grabe eines ungewarthet [?] schnell abgerufenen Juenglings." [At the burial of a youth who was called unexpectedly suddenly]

Eighteneth to Twenty-eighth pages. "Am Grabe eines durch lange Leiden vollendeten jungen Mannes" [At the burial of a young man who had suffered long –literally who completed long suffering.]

Twenty-Ninth to Thirty-Two pages. "Am Grabe einer Glaubigen Gattin und Mutter" [At the burial of a believing wife and mother]

[Etc. through to Ninety-Seven]

Starting from the back of the book (and turning entire manuscript book upside down), entries are includes on pages 145, 144, 143, 141, 139, 137, 136, 135, 127 and 123. It starts out as "Im Jahr 1849 ...." and includes entries for 1849-1869.

File #2 (Small Collection)

Transliteration and Translations (English) of Sermon Manuscript, 1994.

Includes a transliteration of the sermons found in this manuscript, as completed by George Unger, Goshen, Indiana, 1994, for Steve Estes, Metamora, Illinois. 41 pages

Includes an English translation of the sermons found in this manuscript, as completed by George Unger, 1994, for Steve Estes, Metamora, Illinois. 39 pages.

File #3 (Small Collection)

Undated manuscript, Gothic handwriting, German language, 4 pages, no author given. Note included with it: This file was found in close proximity to Hist. Mss. 1-30, Christian Esch Manuscript Sermon Collection, January 21, 1985. [Uncertain if manuscript has anything to do with Esch, but it is cataloged with Esch collection until a time when manuscript can be identified]


March 15, 2004 / Posted on Web by Kathryn Yoder
March 8, 2004 / Inventory of collection by Dennis Stoesz
File: "Hm1-030.doc"

Mennonite Church USA Archives-Goshen, 1700 S. Main St., Goshen, Indiana 46526

 

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