Historical Committee

Hist Mss 1-171
Guy F. Hershberger (1896-1989) Collection
Papers, 1925-1989
108 Boxes (55 Gray, 3 Long Green, 50 Large)

       Series and Box Listing                                            Page 1    
       Biographical Sketch                                                Page 3
       Administrative Information                                        Page 4
       Inventory Listing                                                      Page 5-154
       Name and Subject Tracings (Archives Card Catalog)  Page 155

    SERIES LISTING                                    BOX NUMBERS

                                   Inventory Boxes 1-39

I.  Autobiographical / Biographical                             1-2    Gray
                                        
II.  Correspondence                                                  3-16    Gray

III.  Community-Related Scholarly Interests               17-20    Gray
    A.  Mennonite Mutual Aid
    B.  Rural Life Association
    C.  Fulton County, Ohio, Study
    D.  "Community" Concerns

IV.  Social Concerns                                               20-23    Gray
    A.  Indiana-Michigan Conference:
        Survey of Labor Relations, 1945
    B.  Church-State Issues
    C.  United States Elections, 1960 and 1964
    D.  Extremism
    E.  War, Peace and Nonresistance:                     23-29    Gray
        (Materials Gathered as a Result of GFH's
Course, W. P. and N. -- Much of which Came
Together in the Early 1950s)
    F.  United States Draft Law, 1967
    G.  CPSC (The Committee on Peace and
Social Concerns), and Committee
on Economic and Social Relations
    H.  Capital Punishment (1959-67)
    I.  California Labor Concerns (1974)
    J.  New Call to Peacemaking

V.  Mennonite Organizations                                    29-39    Gray
    A.  Study Conferences
    B.  Goshen College, and Associated Mennonite
Biblical Seminaries
    C.  Mennonite Industry and Business
Associates (MIBA), and Mennonite
Economic Development Associates (MEDA)
    D.  Glencroft Materials
    E.  Mennonite Organizations and Conferences

VI.  Manuscripts and Other Writings:                         40-55    Gray
    A.  Manuscripts and other Writings of GFH            56-58    Long Green
    B.  Manuscripts of Others, with GFH Notations
    C.  Manuscripts of Others, without GFH Notations

VII.  "Called to Maturity" Project                                59-62    Large
    A.  Called to Maturity Project, leading to the
Publication of a Small Book, for East Union
    B.  Called to Maturity:  Discrete GFH Unit:
Interpretive Ideas of Others, and
GFH Interpretive Fragments
    C.  Discrete Unit of GFH Research Fragments,    
re "Called to Maturity"
    D.  Research Notes, and other Interests:  (Units
of Materials Gathered by GFH (1980s)
    E.  Research Notes:  Bibliographical Listings

VIII.  Data Files                                                       62-65    Large
    A.  Data Files, 1920s-1960s
    B.  Data Files, 1950s-1960s (with some, earlier)
    C.  Data Files, 1970s-1980s

IX.  First World War Materials                                   65, 65b, 66-67 Large
    A.  GFH's First World War Projected Manuscript
(Never Completed), and Notes
    B.  Correspondence
    C.  Publications
    D.  Documents                        
    E.  Organizational Data                    
    F.  Interviews and Questionnaires
    G.  Jacob C. Meyer Materials
    H.  Individual Files
    I.  First World War:  Relief Notes
    J.  First World War:  Research Notes

X.  Quaker Research                                                68-78    Large
    A.  Guy F. Hershberger's Dissertation
    B.  GFH Research Notes on Quakers
    C.  Data Files
    D.  Microfilms
    E.  Photographs (Placed in GFH Photo Coll.)
    F.  Published Sources

XI.  Guy F. Hershberger Pamphlet Coll. (& Books)      79-87    Large

XII.  Newsletters, Journals, and Books                       88    Large
    A.  Newsletters and Journals
    B.  Books (of Special Significance to GFH)
    C.  GFH "Peace Library" Volumes

XIII.  Addendum                            
    A. Burkholder, J. L., 1959-72 Etc.                        89a & 89b     Large
    B.  Books
        Books of special significance to Hershberger    90    Large
        Books, Good Library                                       91    Large
        Pamphlets and Some Books                           92    Large
        Books, Articles clipped                                   93    Large
    C. Peace Library                                                94-108 Large
        Volumes from the GFH Collection which were intended to be placed in the Peace Library of the Good Library)

    Born in Kalona, Iowa, Guy F. Hershberger (b. December 3, 1896; d. December 29, 1989) began teaching history at Goshen College in 1925, where he was head of the Peace Society.  He served as chairman of the (Mennonite Church) Committee on Economic and Social Relations (Industrial Relations) 1939-1965 and was author of numerous books on issues of war, nonresistance and social concerns.  He was an editor on the board of the Mennonite Historical Society, the Mennonite Quarterly Review (MQR) and Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History (SAMH).  He served as MQR editor, 1963 - 65.  Hershberger was the leading interpreter of Anabaptist-Mennonite history, with a view to applying this tradition of faith and history for his day, attempting to make it practical within the current social and political context(s).

    Collection processed by Elizabeth Bauman (Boxes 1-57) and Inventory completed May 1976.  Additional segments given by Guy F. Hershberger and accessioned Elizabeth Bauman, Sharon Klingelsmith, Mary Amstutz, Rachel Shenk, Bryan Kehr, Marilyn Voran, and J. Kevin Miller, 1977-88 (Boxes 58-82).  Inventory updated with additional files through to November 2, 1988.  Project Director, Leonard Gross.

    Upon Hershberger's death in 1989, additional materials were deposited into the archives.  The whole collection was then reorganized and processed, listed by Leonard Gross, with assistance from Angela Showalter, Eric Russell and Esther Cender, 1991-96.   The correspondence files were transferred from green to gray archival boxes.  Project Director, Leonard Gross.  Inventory completed February 18, 1998 (Boxes 1-88).

    "Hershberger had earlier turned over materials to the Archives at various times, stating that such were no longer current for his purposes (e.g., his First World War collection, and half of his Quaker materials).  He held on, consciously, to those materials, however, that he felt would feed into the one major project he was hoping to complete in his lifetime, namely, "Called to Maturity."  These specific units of material (and others as well) have been retained, below, in their original groupings, in order to preserve GFH's thought as well as possible, in this, his last planned, but unfinished project, which in effect was to be an attempt at interpreting the Mennonite scene since ca. 1860.  (Approximately 35 percent of the GFH Collection had been added during Hershberger's life; about 65 percent, after his death.)" - Leonard Gross, February 18, 1998.

    Some additional materials were deposited and placed into the addendum by Dennis Stoesz from 2001-03:  Boxes 89a and 89b, and Boxes 90-108.  Inventory of collection edited by Helen Hostetler and Dennis Stoesz, May 24, 2006.  Project Director, Dennis Stoesz.

August 22, 2006 / Posted on Internet by Dennis Stoesz
May 24, 2006 / Update by Helen Hostetler
File: “HM1-171 Guy F Hershberger 2006-05-24.doc”
Mennonite Church USA Archives-Goshen, 1700 S. Main St., Goshen, Indiana 46526

Back to Personal Collections Index