Newsletter from the Moravian Archives, Bethlehem PA Voices from the Vault
Issue 1 October 2004
Special points After Six Months of interest: An Epistle from Paul • New title for newsletter. It was on the first day of Wall fell and little did I March 2004 that I started • Archives’ oldest book know that only a few years my new job as the archivist was written by an oppo‐ later I would be working of the Moravian Archives in nent of the Hussite there! After completing my movement. Bethlehem. Since then, I Ph.D. I trained to become have met many of you and I • Jablonski Papers are an archivist at the State am looking forward to inventoried. Archives School in The getting to know many more • New archival software in Hague. At that time I was of the Archives’ Friends in use in Bethlehem ar‐ asked to come to Herrnhut the near future. Let me chives. to become archivist at the explain a bit about myself. • Volunteers help empty Unity Archives. Living in a My name is Paul Peucker vault. country where people grew (which is in fact a German up under such different name, pronounced poiker). circumstances and seeing I was born and raised in the was my introduction to the challenges of the post‐ Moravian community of archival research. After communist era were very Zeist in the Netherlands. studying the relevant interesting experiences. I While studying history at records in the Zeist learned a lot at the Unity the University of Utrecht I archives I traveled to Archives and I hope to be chose to write my thesis on Herrnhut, Germany, where able to take advantage of Heerendijk, the first I learned about the wealth my experience here in European Moravian of information kept there Inside this issue: Bethlehem. The first step is settlement outside of in the Unity Archives. That to improve the ‘infra‐ Herrnhut. This experience was still before the Berlin (Continued on page 2) Spotlight 2 Jablonski 3 “Voices from the Vault...” Papers The vault is the center of that can only be opened by 3 our facility. Here we store the archives’ staff. Opening Computer the unique and irreplace‐ these doors and sharing the software able manuscripts and books contents of this vault is one that document the history of the things I would like to Work in Pro‐ 3 of the Moravians in North accomplish. This desire is gress America. The vault is cli‐ the inspiration for the new mate controlled, has a fire title of our newsletter: Moveable 4 suppression system and has ‘Voices from the Vault’. Shelving two impenetrable doors Page 2 Voices from the Vault
After Six Months (cont.) structure’ of the archives. cataloguing. This is all prevent further damage. After the recent renovation necessary to initially protect Making our collections of the gallery, it is now time our irreplaceable holdings accessible is of course very to install a computer net‐ and then to begin to time‐consuming. Therefore, work, to upgrade the tele‐ catalogue these holdings. an assistant archivist has to phone system, to replace the The next step will be the be hired and the assistance photocopier, to maximize cataloguing phase. We will of many volunteers and storage space in the vaults, have to create inventories of interns will be needed. As a to renew the environmental the individual collections and Friend of the Archives you control system in the vaults to catalogue our library hold‐ will understand that only that has already out‐lived its ings. Eventually the archives’ with your continuing support initial life‐expectancy by finding aids will be accessible will the Moravian Archives be many years and to find over the internet. During this able to meet the challenges sophisticated computer process we will be able to that await us. I look forward software for records identify items that need to to working with you! management and library be restored in order to
Spotlight: the oldest book Probably the oldest holding who somehow acquired it within the Moravian Archives from Germany; in October is an incunable printed in 1835 he gave it to his friend, “Nider is 1472 by Johannes Bämler in Charles F. Seidel (1778‐ mostly Augsburg, Germany. Books 1861). Seidel, a Moravian printed before the year 1500, minister, later donated the known for when book printing was in its incunable to the Museum of earliest period, are referred the Young Men’s Missionary his works on to as incunables or ‘cradle Society of Bethlehem in witchcraft” books’ and are extremely October 1843. At some point valuable. This book is a col‐ thereafter, the book was lection of German language placed in the Moravian sermons by the Dominican Archives. friar Johannes Nider (ca. 1380‐1438) with the title: ‘Die 24 goldenen Harfen’. Nider, who must have held these sermons in Nuremberg between 1425 and 1429, is mostly known for his works on witchcraft. He was also an opponent of the Hussite movement. The earliest known owner of this copy was George Kloss, medical doctor and book collector Bethlehem Moravian minister Charles Seidel from Frankfurt/Main (1787‐ donated the incunable to the Young Men’s 1854). The next owner was Missionary Society in 1843. Johan Allan of New York, Issue 1 Page 3
The Jablonski Papers The Moravian Archives holds a out Europe. It also contains a Moravian book collector William collection of papers relating to draft of a letter he sent to Gunn Malin, ignorant of the Daniel Ernst Jablonski (1660‐ Zinzendorf in 1730. A few of the criminal source of the papers, 1741), grandson of Jan Amos papers relate to other family bought the Jablonski papers and Comenius. Jablonski was a re‐ members, like his son Paul Ernst had them sent to America. When formed minister at the court of Jablonski and his granddaughter the Malin library was placed in the King of Prussia while he was Amalia Dorothee Jablonski. Al‐ the Moravian Archives, the also bishop of the Polish branch though this is a valuable collec‐ Jablonski papers came with it. of the Unitas Fratrum. When he tion for the Moravian Archives, According to the present archi‐ ordained David Nitschmann to its origin is connected with the vist in Halle, Dr. Jürgen be the first bishop of the Re‐ shady activities of a 19th cen‐ Groeschl, his archives still holds newed Moravian Church he tury German manuscript dealer. nine of Jablonski’s letterbooks, passed on the episcopate from The papers were originally part dating from 1692‐1712; 146 the Ancient Unity to the Re‐ of the Francke Archives in Halle. letters from Paul Ernst Jablonski Portrait of Daniel Ernst newed Unity. In this collection In the 1850's M.A. Pribil from to his father are also still pre‐ Jablonski, attributed to we find a letterbook in which Berlin took thousands of letters served there. A new inventory of John Valentine Haidt. Jablonski kept drafts of letters from these collections and sold the Bethlehem Jablonski papers (Unity Archives in Herrnhut) he sent to theologians through‐ them on the free market. The is now available.
Augias: cleaning up the stables Sometimes archivists feel as computer program used in ware it will be possible to if they are confronted with a archives facilities. The catalogue the holdings of the “It will be mess comparable to the sta‐ Herrnhut Unity Archives has Bethlehem archives accord‐ possible to bles of the mythological King been using Augias since 1996. ing to modern, international catalogue the Augias. These stables, con‐ The Moravian Archives de‐ archival standards. In the Bethlehem taining an immense herd of cided it made sense to use near future a computer will archives cattle, had not been cleaned the same software as the be placed in the reading according to in 30 years. It was Heracles Herrnhut archives, so that room so that researchers who was called upon to do catalogue entries can easily themselves can make use of modern, this job within one day. The be exchanged between the all the search possibilities international makers of an archival soft‐ two institutions. We are the the automated catalogue archival ware package named their first American users of the offers. standards” product after King Augias. In English version of Augias. Germany this is the standard Thanks to this archival soft‐ Work in Progress Because processing and de‐ * Records of the Moravian scribing the archives’ hold‐ Church in the Eastern West ings is our most urgent pro‐ Indies, previously catalogued ject, we will continue to by Lothar Madeheim keep you informed about (information on index cards ongoing cataloguing work: being transferred into the computer system) * Painting collection (almost complete) * Daniel Ernst Jablonski Pa‐ pers (1692‐1809) (complete) * Church registers (in‐ progress) Newsletter from the Moravian Archives, Bethlehem PA
41 W. Locust St. Bethlehem, PA 18018‐2757
Hours: Monday through Friday, Upcoming Events at the Archives 8:00 am—4:30 pm ‘Origins and Use of Brass Music in the 18th Century Moravian Church’, a Phone: 610‐866‐3255 lecture by Paul Peucker on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Fax: 610‐866‐9210 Email: [email protected] Bethlehem Area Trombone Choir
November 16, 2004, 7:30 pm (in the gallery of the archives)
Please call (610) 866‐3255 to reserve your seat www.moravianchurcharchives.org ———
2005 Friends’ Day—March 13, 2005
Support the archives by German Script Course—June 6—17, 2005 becoming a Friend of the Moravian Archives. Send your check to the address above.
Moveable Shelving When our present facility at 41 tied. Beginning in October West Locust Street was com‐ everything will be packed in pleted in 1977 the two vaults boxes and temporarily stored in were only partially filled. Over the reading area of the ar‐ the years the shelves have chives. The holdings will be steadily filled until a point was replaced in the vault upon com‐ reached where free vault space pletion in December. was no longer available. Thanks to a generous donation from Between October and Decem‐ former board member Carter ber the reading room will not Litchfield (1980‐1990) it is now be accessible to researchers possible to completely renovate and the time archives staff can the smaller of the two vaults, commit to visitors and to an‐ almost doubling the storage swering requests will be quite space by installing moveable limited. The renovated vault shelving. With this compact will be designated as the book method of shelving no aisle vault; all books now stored in space is left between the the larger vault will be trans‐ ferred into the second vault. shelves. When a specific shelf Contents of the smaller vault are placed in 600 boxes and tempo‐ This procedure will create has to be accessed the shelves rarily stored in the reading room. are moved apart by turning a needed space in the main vault wheel so that a corridor opens for the immediate future. Even‐ up. In order to install this new tually moveable shelving will shelving system, the second also be necessary for the main vault must be completely emp‐ vault.