Historical Committee Hist. Mss. 1-673 Alvin J. Miller Collection Papers, 1874, 1912-1977 7 Boxes (5 Gray, 1 Long, 1 Mapcase) Biographical Sketch 1883   Alvin J. (A.J.) Miller was born December 11, 1883 in Grantsville, Maryland.  His father, Joel J. Miller, was a minister and bishop in the Amish Mennonite Church.  His mother, Savilla Beachy, was a descendant of pioneer settlers in southwestern Pennsylvania.  A.J. Miller received a B.A. degrees from Goshen and Columbia Colleges. 1915-1954  He taught classes in education and psychology at Kent State University from 1915-1954, but he took several leaves of absence to join in various humanitarian efforts.     1919 Miller engaged in relief work in France, Crimea, and Constantinople with the American Friends Service Committee and the Red Cross.  1921-1926  He served in the American Relief Association and also with American Mennonite Relief in Russia where he helped establish nearly 150 soup kitchens to feed the hungry.  Miller's experiences in Russia are documented in the book Feeding the Hungry (Box 1, Folder 8) 1927-1930 Miller assisted Maxwell Kratz and colonization committees in placing Russian Mennonite refugees onto Canadian farms.  Miller was responsible for selling second mortgage Farm Lien Bonds to American Amish and Mennonite buyers to raise money for the venture. 1981 He died on November 9, 1981 near his home in Grantsville, Maryland.  Throughout his life, A.J. Miller continued to travel and teach Administrative Information     Processed by Ann Wenger, July 3, 1995 Inventory Listing Box 1 (Gray) 1/1     Alvin J. Miller Promotional Flyer 1/2    Correspondence re Alvin J. Miller, November 12 & 13, 1981 1/3    American Consulate Passport Document, December 1, 1921 1/4    Licenses to sell Farm Lien Bonds, 1927, 1928, 1930 Box 1 (Gray) (Continued) 1/5    Alvin J. Miller, Faculty Record, Kent State University, May 4,1939 1/6    Program, Somerset Co. (PA) Sunday School Association Convention, June 13, 1934 1/7    Miller, Alvin J. "Relief Work in Revolutionary Russia," Mennonite Life.  July, 1962. 1/8    Hiebert, P.C. Feeding the Hungry: Russia Famine, 1919-1925.  Mennonite Central Committee: 1929. 1/9    Personal Correspondence, November 27, 1926 - 1942 1/10    Correspondence - to "home folks", July 30, 1910 - July 3, 1929 1/11    Correspondence ,Personal, from Olen L. Miller, March 2, 1930 1/12    Correspondence re A.J. Miller's Personal Finances, August 9, 1921-August 31, 1933 1/13    Correspondence from A.J. Miller, 1927-1929, 1947 1/14    Correspondence from A.J. Miller to Rodney Landreth (Stroud & Co.), July 31, 1929 - July 14, 1930 1/15    Correspondence from A.J. Miller to J.C. Marsh (Federal Bond & Share), November 21, 1927 - November 23, 1929 1/16    Correspondence, General, 1921-1947 1/17    Correspondence from the American Friends Service Committee, June 28, 1927 1/18    Correspondence from the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization, September 9, 1927 - December 4, 1930 1/19    Correspondence from the Federal Bond & Share Company, September 6, 1927 - December 10, 1928 1/20    Correspondence from P.C. Hiebert September 24, 1926 - August 11, 1927 (also found in other parts of the collection) Box 2 (Gray) 2/1    Correspondence from the Intercontinental Company, Ltd., December 19, 1928 - March 28, 1933 2/2    Correspondence from Maxwell Kratz, May 20, 1927 - July 9, 1929 2/3    Correspondence re National Trust et al vs. Intercontinental et al., November 8, 1933 2/4    Correspondence from the Mennonite Central Committee, September 21, 1926 - June 2, 1972 2/5    Correspondence from Orie O. Miller, July 2, 1927 2/6    Correspondence re the Russian Mennonites and the Farm Lien Bonds, December 17, 1928 - February 17, 1932 2/7    Correspondence from various organizations, October 31, 1922 - June 1, 1931 2/8    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., 1928 2/9    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., January - April, 1929 2/10    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., May - August, 1929 2/11    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., September, 1929 Box 2 (Gray) (Continued) 2/12    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., October - December, 1929 2/13    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., January - March, 1930 2/14    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., April, 1930 Box 3 (Gray) 3/1    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., April 2, 1930 3/2    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., April 7, 1930 3/3    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., May - June, 1930 3/4    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., May 9, 1930 3/5    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., June 12, 1930 3/6    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., July, 1930 3/7    Correspondence from Stroud & Co., August - December, 1930 3/8    Correspondence (German), November 6, 1921 - January 8, 1930, 1938, 1969 3/9    Correspondence (German) from Franz Isaak, January 10 - March 1, 1929 3/10    Correspondence (German) from Cornelius F. Klassen, July 9, 1928 - June 30, 1944 Box 4 (Gray) 4/1    Correspondence (German) from Cornelius Martens, February 13, 1928 - April 5, 1929 4/2    Correspondence (German) from J. Rempel, February 27 - June 7, 1928 4/3    Papers (German), August 27, 1926 & undated 4/4    Telegrams, April 31, 1927 - October 31, 1930 4/5    Telegrams from Alvin J. Miller, July 9, 1929 - October 24, 1929 4/6    Returned Mail, December 16, 1929 4/7    Letters to & from persons other than Alvin J. Miller, November 16, 1923 - March 2, 1935 4/8    Notes, ca. 1919-1942 4/9    Addresses 4/10    Letterheads 4/11    Published Pamphlets (English & German):     Horsch, John Worldly Conformity in Dress., Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale: 1926     Herald der Wahrheit. July, 1954. 4/12    Published Pamphlets (German):     Seid eurer Vaeter wert!. January, 1925     Janzen, Jacob,  Erzaehlungen aus der Mennoniten-Geschichte     Stobbe, L. Montau - Gruppe. 1918     Mannhardt, H. G. Die Danziger Mennonitengemeinde. 1919 4/13    National Service Handbook, 1917 4/14    Legal Practice Concerning Religious Objectors Against War. ca.1927 4/15    Pamphlets from World Peace Foundation, April, 1911 - July, 1912 Box 4 (Gray) (Continued) 4/16    Program for the General Conference of Mennonites in France in Reconstruction, June 13-15, 1919. 4/17    Publication about French Background, ca. 1918 4/18    Service (published by American Friends Service Committee), July - August, 1919. 4/19    Reconstruction (published by the Society of Friends), May 1919-May, 1920 4/20    American Friends Service Committee Bulletins, 1921 4/21    American Friends Service Committee Newsletters, 1921-1926 Box 5 (Gray) 5/1    American Friends Service Committee Locations 5/2    Dein Reichtomme, January - July, 1926 5/3    Unser Blatt, September 1926 - September, 1927 5/4    Mennonite Central Committee Treasurer's Report, March 1, 1927 5/5    Notebook with record of contributions for Russian Mennonites, 1874-1875 5/6    Permission Letter from the Indiana - Michigan Mennonite Conference to sell Farm Lien Bonds 5/7    Request from Maxwell H. Kratz for an update on the situation in Russia, October 25, 1928 5/8    Confirmation Slips towards purchases of Farm Lien Bonds, 1929-1930 5/9    Report of Special Committee of Investigation of Mennonite Colonization Board, September 25, 1926 5/10    Indenture of Mortgage and Trust Deed, November 27, 1926 5/11    Intercontinental Company, Ltd. Farm Lien 7% Gold Bonds Information, July 8, 1929 5/12    The Gospel Call of Russia, January, 1930 5/13    Clippings of articles re the Soviet Union by Harry Sacher, The Baltimore Sun, October 16, 1930 - October 21, 1930 5/14    Intercontinental Company, Ltd. Letter re Farm Lien Bonds, February 26, 1931 5/15    Printed Matter re Russian Mennonites, 1930-1933 5/16    List of Expenses, November [1929?] 5/17    Receipts, 1921-1930 5/18    Receipts, 1938 5/19    Materials from the Reichsparteitag (the annual National-Socialist Party Conference), 1938 5/20    Newsletter re Mennonite Central Committee Relief Work in Germany, 1940-1941 5/21    Travel Brochures - Austria, 1934 5/22    Travel Brochures - France 5/23    Travel Brochures - Germany 5/24    Travel Brochures - Russia 5/25    Travel Brochures - Switzerland 5/26    Materials re the Friendship Study Tour to the Soviet Union, May 18, 1934 5/27    Programs, 1903, 1912 Box 5 (Gray) (Continued) 5/28    Published Materials, 1912-1939 Box 6 (Long) 6/1    Personal Information Document, Berlin, 1926 6/2    The Epistle from London Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, 1919 6/3    Notes about Russian Relief work, 1920 - ?, written sometime after 1929 6/4    Receipts, Hotel d'Angleterre, 1926-1927 6/5    Correspondence from Allrussischer Mennonitischer Landwirtschaftlicher Verein, May 4 & August 26, 1928 6/6    Farm Lien Bonds, List of Buyers, December 10, 1929 6/7    "Statement of the Movement of Mennonites from Russia to Canada" from the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization 6/8    Der Ost-Europa Markt, December 1, 1929 6/9    Bulletins re French Education (French), 1937-1938 6/10    Bourses Nationales D'Enseignement, April, 1938 6/11    Friends of Europe Information Service Bulletin, December 21, 1939 6/12    Jordan, Max "Die reichsten Maenner der Welt" 6/13    Life magazine (Special Issue On the U.S.S.R.), March 29, 1943 6/14    Cumberland Evening Times, December 5, 1977 6/15    Artifact, Mennonite Disaster Service Button 6/16    Cuts for Alvin J. Miller Promotional Flyer Box 7 (Mapcase) 7/1    Maps of Europe and Maryland (see Mapcase) Subject Tracings: -American Friends Service Committee -Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization -Intercontinental Company, Ltd. -International Relief - France -International Relief - Russia -Klassen, Cornelius F. -Kratz, Maxwell -Mennonites - Russia -National Socialism -Russia - Emigration and Immigration -Stroud & Company, Inc. June 1, 2004 / Updated by Helen Hostetler Hist. Mss. “1-673.doc” Mennonite Church USA Archives-Goshen, 1700 S Main St., Goshen, Indiana 46526 Back to Personal Collections Index

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