Master's Theses

Department

History

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

The story of the Mennonites of Kansas during World War I has never been told. This account should be of interest both as an incident in general Mennonite history and as an episode in the social history of the United States, for it demonstrates many of the problems of incorporating a minority group into the broader society. For source material the author has drawn largely upon the material at the Bethel College Historical Library at North Newton, Kansas. This library has a large manuscript collection, most valuable of which was the correspondence of many of the most influential Mennonite ministers. Bethel Library also holds records of church conferences, diaries of Mennonites who were called into the military service, and printed material on each Mennonite church. Additional holdings which concern the Mennonites during World War I include microfilmed records of the Department of State, Bureau of Immigration, Attorney General, and Provost General. The author is indebted to the many people who have assisted him, especially Dr. John F. Schmidt, Dr. Cornelius Krahn, and James C. Juhnke of Bethel College. The author also acknowledges the following individuals who provided source material for the thesis: Mrs. Jess Smucker of Sterling, Henry B. Koehn of Montezuma, Ferdinand Schroeder of Goessel, C. E. Spurlock, and Ura Hostetler of Harper.

Keywords

Mennonites, Religion, Homesteading, Frontier & pioneer life, Kansas--History, Settlers, Military personnel

Advisor

Dr. Leo E. Oliva

Date of Award

Fall 1967

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Rights

© The Author(s)

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