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Ontario Mennonite History The Role of Shoebox Historians This talk was presented to the Ontario MHSO fall meeting on Oct. 19, 2013 at Rouge Valley Mennonite Church, Mennonite Markham, Ont. by George Reesor. any of us have experienced History Mit—the discovery of an old box, or perhaps an old shopping bag filled with documents from an earlier era. Its contents may include letters, church periodicals, newspaper or some other THE similar document. Many of these items likely were stored away by parents, NEWSLETTER grandparents or even great-grandparents. FOR THE Each item was set aside for a reason. Letters were treasured contacts with MENNONITE loved ones in faraway places at a time when methods of communication were Letters to Bishop Christian Reesor were HISTORICAL extremely limited. Church periodicals published by the Pennsylvania Folklore carried inspirational articles and news Society of Ontario in 2009. SOCIETY OF items including birth and death notices. Newspapers generally appear to have ONTARIO been kept because of events or local or Fortunately, Thomas was sufficiently national significance. Let me tell you astute to have filed copies of his own about the three most significant items responses, which adds tremendously which have come across my desk, each to the value of this body of material. being a personal letter collection. In 2008 the letters were scanned and, VOLUME XXXII In the 1990s, I received a package along with other related material, were NUMBER 1 of letters from my cousin Ruth Baker published in book form. • Reesor who had carried out considerable The second collection appeared on research on our grandfather, Thomas October 28, 2000, at the annual meeting JUNE, 2014 Reesor. These letters had been written of the Pennsylvania German Folklore • to Thomas from the Reesor settlement Society, again supplied by Cousin Ruth. ISSN 1192-5515 in Northern Ontario with which he was She handed me an old wooden box which deeply involved and which bears his contained hundreds of letters and other name. documents, most of which were written Many of us are familiar with the in German. They were addressed to tragic stories of the Mennonite refugees my great-grandfather, Christian Reesor who fled oppression in the Soviet Union who had served in the Markham area as during the 1920s. The Reesor settlement minister from 1863 and as bishop from near Hearst was but one of a number of 1867 to his death in 1915. The box also attempts to re-establish these unfortunate contained a significant number of items people in permanent homes. While a for Grandfather Thomas, including number of books about the settlement 88 letters from preacher Frank Hurst have been published, it was abundantly of Ephrata, Pennsylvania. The Frank apparent that the letters constituted a Hurst collection now rests in the capable significant source of primary material hands of Amos B. Hoover of the Muddy which described the daily struggles Creek Farm Library by whom they were of pioneer life and cast light upon the published in 2006. unending number of pressing issues My first exploration of the box which demanded constant attention. proved to be almost overwhelming ~ Continued on page 2 ~ Page 2 a large collection of correspondence County. Approximately one month from Reesor, Ontario, addressed to my later, on March 8, 1882, Jacob Lehman grandfather. I was completely taken by of Mahoning County states, “The surprise as I had no prior knowledge Brubachers appear to feel at home and of a second collection. The letters had pleased to be here.” Thus we have two been folded and stuffed into several 1882 references to an event which is pasteboard boxes. On the side of one box recorded as having occurred in 1883. was written, “For Leonard Freeman or There are many, many references to Noah Martin. Please preserve.” Noah difficult issues which confronted church passed away in 1990 and it was one of leaders and how they were dealt with. Noah’s children who passed the boxes There is ample evidence of the agonizing along to Clare. The mystery of how George Reesor and distressing process of attempting they originally found their way to the to find acceptable resolutions. The as many questions began to surface. Waterloo area remains unsolved. correspondence from Reesor comments Where had it come from? How had it The second collection from Reesor with regularity on a sharp controversy been preserved? Then the story began spans a longer time period, from 1924 regarding ownership of the railway to unfold. Christian Reesor had used and contains only 130 letters plus many siding which simmered nastily for many the box to preserve correspondence additional documents. Hopefully this years until finally it was resolved. received from family and friends, collection also will be placed in the Minister Christian Risser of especially after he entered the ministry. new Mennonite Archives of Ontario Brunnerville, Penn., having been of Following his death, his son, Thomas at Conrad Grebel University College, a very conservative viewpoint, often continued using the box for the same with scanned copies being forwarded to lamented the disturbing prevalence purpose. After Thomas died in 1954, Leamington. of pride and drift within the church. a family auction was held in the back In addition to these three collections Following his ordination to the office yard of the homestead. Ruth’s husband, of letters, there have been many other of bishop at the age of 71 in 1896 he Lorne Reesor, an avid stamp collector, items including several boxes of wrote, “Now this office was placed and purchased the letters for the value of newspapers and periodicals and stacks entrusted upon me. How it will go I know the stamps. The box remained with of old books, Bibles and hymnbooks. A not. At the present time people are so the family for some 46 years, even number of large envelopes contain family liberal that I am nearly discouraged.” It though they had lived in four different genealogy information, order of age and is said that one Saturday afternoon when homes! Ruth acknowledged that, since dates of birth and death of siblings in a a neighbour called he found Christian she had been unable to read the letters, particular family. There are collections seated at the table, tears streaming down several times she had considered simply of old photos and postcards, many of his face as he prepared a sermon for the disposing of them! which definitely have historical value. following Sunday morning. Then began a captivating eight- An occasional invoice or bill of sale has Frany Hoffman, a single lady who year process of translating, contacting been preserved. With each of these items lived with her parents two miles north of families of the writers for additional comes the question, “What is its value?” Heidelberg, Ont. corresponded regularly information, and searching for persons As noted earlier, each item was set aside with Bishop Jonas Martin of Goodville, who possessed the ability to read the for a reason. Of what value is it today? Pennsylvania. In a letter printed in the old Gothic script. Most were written in The letter collections especially book, The Jonas Martin Era, dated Sept. High German, Pennsylvania German contain much information of significant 26, 1909, she provides a detailed and or a combination of both. Challenging value. First, they provide a reliable graphic description of the turbulent times hand-writing and creative spelling gave basis for establishing dates and the and the divisive issues which weighed rise to many bewildering problems. occurrence of events. For example, in A so heavily upon Bishop Paul Martin. Yet something akin to an obsession Brief History of Mennonites in Ontario, She writes, “The enemy is so great and to pry open this window on the past L. J. Burkholder states that Abraham strong that one can hardly see how the drove the task forward. In 2009 the Brubacher, a minister at Mosa, Ont., poor bishop can survive.” He was being entire collection was published by the moved to Ohio in 1883 because of his accosted from all sides during the 1909 Pennsylvania German Folklore Society conservative leanings. Two letters from drainage ditch controversy to the point of Ontario. Ohio call the 1883 date into question. that, in Frany’s words, “The poor bishop Approximately three years later I On Feb. 5, 1882, Abraham Lehman does not know what to do.” She closes received a phone call from Clare Frey, of Williams County, Ohio, inquires by instructing Bishop Jonas to, “Put this a friend from Elmira, who inquired about an Abraham Brubacher who paper in the fire so no one else sees it as to whether I would be interested in had moved from Canada to Mahoning so that no trouble occurs because of it.” ~ Continued on page 4 ~ Page 3 MHSO Fall Meeting Story and photos by Barb Draper The fall meeting of the Menno- ing we only saw the Reesor pioneer joining the Mennonite Conference nite Historical Society of Ontario was cemetery from a distance. of Ontario. They called themselves held on October 19, 2013 at Rouge In 1804, Christian Reesor and his Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church. Valley Mennonite Church where family moved from Chambersburg, In 1986 it amalgamated with Cedar George Reesor talked about the joys Pa. to Markham Township, coming Grove Mennonite Church to form and challenges of dealing with collec- with five Conestoga wagons. His son the Rouge Valley Mennonite Church. tions of historical documents. Lorne Peter purchased four plots of land The old Reesor church was shared be- Smith also talked about his Hoover along Steeles Avenue for his four tween Steeles Avenue and the Reesor ancestors and some of the early sons.
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