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Historical Committee


Hist. Mss. 1-663
John S. Steiner, 1912-1990

Papers, 1893-1990
Froschauer Bible, 1744
3 Boxes (2 Long Gray, 1 Oversize)

Introduction


Copies of the Eastern Ohio Church registers, 1893-1948, were deposited into the Archives by John S. Steiner, Goshen, Indiana, in 1983. The rest of the collection, including the autobiography, 1990, church correspondence, 1956-83, and the Froschauer Bible, 1744, were deposited by J. Kevin Miller, a grandson, Goshen, Indiana, in 1991-1993.

Inventory Listing


Box 1 (Long Gray)

Eastern Ohio (Midway, Leetonia, North Lima) Church Records, 1893-1948

Eastern Ohio Church Register, 1893-1897
Photocopies of a Church Register reflecting the life of the Midway, Leetonia, and North Lima Mennonite congregations, Columbiana and Mahoning Counties, Ohio. Churches were known as the Nold, Metzler and Bixler Churches in 1893.

Records include list of members (164 in 1893), baptisms, membership by confession of faith, membership by letter, marriages, deaths, ordinations, list of bishops, ministers and deacons, visiting ministers, explusions and members reclaimed, and communions.

Original book belonged to Jonas Cullar and it was at some point given to David C. Steiner. Both were from Columbiana, Ohio. Book was borrowed by John S. Steiner, and copies were made for the Archives. 35 photocopied pages.

Eastern Ohio Church Register, 1918-1948
"Membership Record of the Mennonites meeting at North Lima, Midway, and Leetonia up to 1948."

Includes an alphabetical listing of members as of about 1918, as found on the first 17 double size pages of this register. List includes approximately 600 members. "These baptismal records were reconstructed around 1918 from memory, when it was found that C.O.s [Conscientious Objectors] need to substantiate their own church membership with the Mennonites -- hence, the need for baptismal records (which up to that time were not kept, probably a tradition stemming from persecution days, when such lists would have been dangerous to have around)." Leonard Gross, Archivist, September 29, 1983.

Eastern Ohio Church Register, 1918-1948 (continued)
From page 17 through to page 32, members are listed chronologically as they joined the church from 1920- 1948. , through baptism, confession of faith or by letter. Information includes name of person, address, how they were received into the church, date of joining the church, date of birth (if known), and remarks (if applicable).

Sketches, by John S. Steiner, 1990
Autobiography written by Steiner on his life and family. Includes some genealogy and photographs as well. 87 pages.

Genealogies are on Rickert, Steiner and Whittmer Families, as well as on A. J. Steiner, Daniel Steiner and Rudolf Thut. Genealogical charts are on John and Gertrude (Hoover) Lehman family, Steiner Family I, Bear Family, Peter Blosser Family, Burkholder Family, Huber (Hoover) Family, Metzler Family, Nissley Family, Ziegler Family, Culp Ancestry, Harvey Metzler ancestry, Steiner Family II and Jacob Wittmer.

Mennonite Church Polity, 1944
Used by John S. Steiner. Includes a customized marriage ceremony put together by Steiner and pasted in back of book.
Sermon notes, ca. 1966-76
Includes two marriage ceremonies, 1966, 1976

Church and Conference records and correspondence, 1956-1983
Steiner served as minister of the Pleasant View Mennonite Church from 1956-1965, and continued to serve as its bishop from 1957 through to January 1, 1982. Steiner also became bishop over Tri-Lakes Mennonite in 1960 and Roselawn Mennonite in 1973. Upon retirement as a guidance counselor from Fairfield High School in 1975, Steiner was asked to serve as conference minister of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. This he did for three years, 1975-78. Steiner had a cardiac arrest in fall 1978, and resigned as conference minister on January 1, 1979.

Pleasant View Mennonite, 1956-63
Mostly church bulletins
Pleasant View, Budget and Finances, 1960-63
Tri-Lakes Mennonite, 1961-62
An outgrowth and mission of Pleasant View Mennonite.
Pleasant View Mennonite, 1968-77
Roselawn Mennonite, 1974-76
Pleasant View Mennonite, 1981-83

Box 2 (Long Gray)

Conference Minister, 1976-78 (1)
Conference Minister, 1976-78 (2)
Bristol Area Minister's Council, 1976
Central Area Minister's Council, 1977

Box 3 (Oversize)

Froschauer Bible, 1744
J. Kevin Miller, Goshen, Indiana, retains ownership of this Bible.

Background to and loose items in Bible, 1744
File includes a brief note on onwership of the Bible. Loose items in file include a unsigned handwritten German letter, apparently sent to the editor of Herald der Wahrheit.

Note also indicates the existence of two other Bibles, a 1536 Froschauer Bible which was given to the Mennonite Historical Library, Goshen College; and a second edition of the Froschauer Bible (1744 ?), which was given to the Mennonite Historical Library, Bluffton College.

All items in this folder were found loose in the Bible.

Photocopied illustrations, 1777/1778
File contains large photocopies of illustrations taken from a Martin Luther German Bible, 1777/1778, including the title page of the Bible, the title page of the New Testament. Illustrations include a pharisee, Solomon's temple, an ordinary priest, an explanation of Moloch, the tower of Babel, the ark of god, the high priest, the first page of the first book of Moses (Genesis), Noah's ark and the flood, and the holy of holies. These photocopied items were found loose in the 1744 Bible.

Froschauer Bible, 1744
This is a reprint of the 1536 Bible as printed by Christoffel Froschauer at Zurich. The reprint was printed in Strassburg in 1744.

Ownership of Bible included a Reist from Switzerland, and a Barbara (Thut) Steiner, who passed it on to her son A. J. Steiner, then passed on to son John S. Steiner, and then passed on to grandson J. Kevin Miller.

Word of explanation on inside of front cover, as written in Gothic handwriting, and in German language: "Dieses Buch gehoerte meiner Muters Gros Gros Vater Reist von der Schweiss."

Word of explanation from A. J. Steiner, on ownership of Bible and partial translation of title page, as indicated on a handwritten single sheet taped in Bible after Title page:
"This book belonged to mother's (Mrs. C. P. Steiner) (Bishop John Thut's daughter Barbara) great-great grandfather Reist of Switzerland. The other part of the old testament with the new. Christoffel Froschauer, to the Christian Reader. Grace & Peace from God. from A. J. Steiner, North Lima, Ohio."

Name and Subject Tracing


Autobiography
Bible, German Froschauer, 1744
Bixler Mennonite Church
See Midway Mennonite Church, 1825-
Church records and registers
Columbiana-Mahoning Mennonite District, 1815-1948
See also Midway Mennonite Church, 1825- , Mahoning
County, Ohio
See also Leetonia Mennonite Church, 1828- ,
Columbiana County, Ohio
See also North Lima Mennonite Church, 1835- ,
Mahoning County, Ohio
Cullar, Jonas
Froschauer Bible, 1744
Froschauer, Christoph, -1564
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, 1854-
Leetonia Mennonite Church, 1828- , Columbiana County, Ohio
Metzler Mennonite Church
See North Lima Mennonite Church, 1835-
Midway Mennonite Church, 1825- , Mahoning County, Ohio
Mennonites - Switzerland
Mahoning County, Ohio
Nold Mennonite Church
See Leetonia Mennonite Church, 1828-
North Lima Mennonite Church, 1835- , Mahoning County, Ohio
Oberholtzer Mennonite Church
See Midway Mennonite Church, 1825-
Pleasant View Mennonite Church, 1936-
Reist from Switzerland
Roselawn Mennonite Church, 1950-
Steiner, Barbara (Thut) (Mrs. Christian P.)
Steiner, David C., 1905-1986
Steiner, John S., 1912-1990
Tri-Lakes Mennonite Church, 1961-



May 3, 2004 / Reformatted by Kathryn Yoder
October 6, 1997 / Dennis Stoesz
Mennonite Church USA Archives - Goshen, 1700 S. Main St., Goshen, IN 46526

 

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