Harold & Wilma Good Library: CORE 176: Amish &amp; Mennonites in American History (Gollner Spring 2024): Where do I find primary sources?

Mennonite and Amish Digital Archives

Anabaptist Mennonite Digital Library
This digital library includes the main “mainstream” Mennonite magazines, such as the Gospel Herald (1908-1998) and The Mennonite (1998-2020). It is the Internet Archive "umbrella" collection of things that MHL/AMBS and several others have digitized--you will need to have a topic in mind before you look here, best with a certain date or timeframe, and then comb through the periodicals. For example: what did Mennonite magazines write about the Vietnam War? About 9/11?
Civilian Public Service During Wartime
Eastern Mennonite University did some digital interviews of Mennonite CPS men that are part of the Library of Congress's Veteran's History Project:

Goshen College Record Digital Newspaper Collection This link opens in a new window
Digital online archive for past issues of the Goshen College Record student newspaper.
Plowshares Digital Archive for Peace Studies This link opens in a new window
Peace studies primary documents, including minutes, diaries, correspondence, pamphlets, newspapers, and periodicals ranging in date from 1700s to present

World War 1 Oral History Collection
In 1968 the Schowalter Foundation of Newton, Kansas, provided a grant to support an oral history collection at Bethel College dealing with conscientious objection, especially by Mennonites, during World War I. The collection includes approximately 300 interviews, or, in some cases, attempted interviews. The largest number of interviews was collected in Kansas, but other states with substantial numbers of interviews include California, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Virginia. The collection has little from the northern Indiana area (Goshen and Elkhart). The largest number of interviews came from persons of General Conference Mennonite background, but members of the Mennonite Church, Mennonite Brethren, Amish, and other Mennonite groups are represented.
Digitization of Gospel Herald and The Mennonite
A partnership of Mennonite-related library and archive organizations is providing free online full text versions of significant Mennonite denominational publications.
Gospel Herald (1908-1998) was the denominational magazine of the Mennonite Church (more info).
The Mennonite (1885-1998) was the denominational magazine of the General Conference Mennonite Church (more info).
The Mennonite (1998-) is the denominational magazine of Mennonite Church USA.
Online Anabaptist-Mennonite Library
In 2012, GAMEO transferred its online library (then called the Anabaptist Mennonite Ethereal Library) containing the full texts of significant Mennonite confessions of faith and position statements on a variety of issues. These valuable sources can now be found here. A few early confessions of other faith groups are also included.
These full-text documents represent a variety of Mennonite denominations over an extended period of time. Thus you will find statements that may not agree with one another because they come from Mennonite groups with differing emphases, or because these emphases have changed over time.
The documents are arranged in chronological order within their categories.
MAID Mennonite Archival Information Database
Browse digital archives collected by Mennonite archives and historical societies.

Historical Newspapers

AAS Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new window
This collection of historical American newspapers can serve as a great place to find primary sources on historical events. It contains 5 separate collections that cover 1691-1877.

Catholic News Archive
Search full text of a number of Catholic newspapers including The Catholic Worker, the National Catholic Reporter and more.
Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
Elephind.com
Search the world's historical newspaper archives.

New York Times This link opens in a new window
Here is information on the various New York Times Archives that are available: Archive FAQ
Your free GC subscription gives you access to articles from 1851 to today.
NewsBank This link opens in a new window
Find diverse international perspectives on topics related to controversial issues, the environment, health, literature, business, economics, criminal justice and more from a variety of current and retrospective news media including newspapers, image editions, web-editions, trade journals, newswires, broadcast transcripts, blogs, periodicals, video content. Includes 144 Indiana news sources, along with approximately 12,000 other sources from around the world.

NewspaperARCHIVE - Indiana
This is a database covers Indiana history from 1800 to 2017 and is available through Goshen Public Library, which you have access to as a GC student. Your Goshen Public Library barcode is the same as your GC ID barcode. To learn more, visit this website: https://libraryguides.goshen.edu/GPL

Local Newspapers

Elkhart Truth
2007-12-29 to present
Available through NewsBank

Goshen College Record Digital Newspaper Collection This link opens in a new window
Digital online archive for past issues of the Goshen College Record student newspaper.

Goshen News
2007-11-01 to present
Available through Newsbank
South Bend Tribune
1994-01-01 to present
Available through Newsbank

Resources at the Mennonite Church USA Archives

Important note: In order to access items that are marked as digital, you will need to Mennonite Church USA Archives at archives@mennoniteusa.org. While these digital files are not available publicly online, they will be able to get you access to a specific collection.

Race:

LeRoy Bechler Papers(HM1-723): Transcribed interviews with James Lark (digital)
Bethesda Mennonite Church(St. Louis): Anniversary publications (digital)
Daily Demonstrators Oral History Interviews: interview transcriptions (digital)
Cross Cultural Youth Convention Recordings (digital, but no transcripts)
Minority Ministries Council Reunion Oral History Recordings (digital, but no transcripts)
Ethan and Shirley Good Collection on Choctaw Indian Missions, Inc.(HM1-1010, hard copy)
Miscellaneous Minority Ministries Council Records(digital)
MBM Home Missions Records re: Lawndale Mennonite Church (digital, miscellaneous)
African American Mennonite Association Records(digital, miscellaneous)
Hispanic Mennonite Convention Records(digital, miscellaneous)
John Powell Papers, documents related to AFRAM (digital, miscellaneous)

LGBTQ:

Mennonite Church Welcome Committee Records 1998-2000(I-6-17, hard copy)
Willis Breckbill Papers(HM1-994) – Joint Listening Committee for Homosexual Concerns, Report, 1992 (digital)
Rachel Waltner Goossen – oral history interviews with LGBTQ leaders (new accession, digital but no transcripts)

Education:

Mennonite Board of Education High-Aim Records(V-14, hard copy)

Women/Gender:

Ethel Yake Metzler Women in Ministry Conference Collection(HM1-796, hard copy)
Mennonite Church Committee on Women in Leadership Ministries Records1982-1988 (I-6-18, hard copy)
Carolyn Holderread Heggen Papers (HM1-50, hard copy)
Women’s Missionary and Service Commission, Monthly Letter, 1921-1926 (digital)

Immigration:

Robert J. and Ellene Miller Peace Activism Papers (HM1-942, hard copy)
Gladys Widmer Papers (HM1-675, hard copy, a few documents digitized)

Environment/Creation Care:

Mennonite Environmental Taskforce Report, 1995 (digital)

Politics/Peace Witness:

John D. Zehr Papers, Mennonite Attitudes on Voting Survey, 1966 (HM1-343, hard copy)
Christian Peacemaker TeamsAnnual Reports, 1994-2003 (digital)
Mennonite Research Foundation WWI Draft Questionnaires (digital)
Nold/Yoder Collection, John Brenneman petition to Abraham Lincoln, 1862 (digital)

Congregations:

William Wickey Papers (re: church conflict, HM1-716, hard copy)
Kidron Mennonite Church, Ohio (all digitized)

Westward expansion:

J.M.T Miller Correspondence, circa 1870s (new accession)

Other:

Partly Dave Coffee House Records (affiliated with AMBS) (miscellaneous digital)
Jacob Sudermann Papers, miscellaneous documents related to Hilda Sudermann winning Betty Crocker contest in 1950 (digital)
International Guest House Records, Washington, D.C. (new accession, all digitized)