Accession 2002-031 (filed with 2011.018), 2011.018
Title and Physical Description
Henry Goerzen’s collection on conscientious objectors. — [ca. 1939]-2005. — 16 cm of textual records. — 149 photographs
Administrative/Biographical History
Henry D. Goerzen was born in Didsbury, Alberta. With his family, he maintained a grain farm in the Didsbury area. He was a lifelong member of Bergthal Mennonite Church and is active in Mennonite denominational activities. He was an historian and collector of historical materials. For over twenty-five years he was the Archivist of the Conference of Mennonites in Alberta (now Mennonite Church Alberta). In the 1990s he participated in a project to interview and collect the reminiscences of Mennonite men who had been conscientious objectors (C.O.’s) during the Second World War. Many of the stories were published in: Alternative service for peace in Canada during World War II, 1941-1946 / edited by A.J. Klassen. – Abbotsford, B.C. : Mennonite Central Committee (B.C.) Seniors for Peace, 1998.
Scope & Content
The collection consists of of several overlapping files of research notes, interviews and photographs of conscientious objectors, lists of Conscientious Objectors in various camps, records of reunions and conferences, essays by or about Conscientious Objectors, and photographs.
Source of Acquisition
Gift by Henry D. Goerzen
Notes
Accession 2002-031 (filed with 2011.018), 2011.018
Last updated August 2014 – Jim Bowman
File List
File 1 File containing Interviews and Research Notes. This file includes background research material and also copies of interview reports written later. It provides some more detailed information about individual Conscientious Objectors than the later written reports. The file includes a numbered list. The numbers, however, are incomplete and based on numbers assigned in the later written reports. This file includes the following:
-Introduction by Henry Goerzen entitled “Canada and its involvement in W. W. II. Copies are also included in other files. There is considerable duplication of material in the first three files
#5 Jake Neufeld
#7 Aron Friesen
#9 George Schmidt
#10 Isaac Wittenberg
#11 Dave (John) Heidebrecht
#13 Frank Bergen
#14 Cornie Friesen
#16 Elmer Burkholder (told by Willard Burkholder)
#19 John Gossen
#21 Jacob Wiens
#22 John Siemens and “The Last of the Mennonite Coal Mines Durmheller Area”
#23 Dave Ratzlaff
#24 Claude Klassen
#25 Daniel Loewen
#26 Carl Henry Brown
#27 George Brown
#28 Edward Regehr
#29 Peter Klassen
#30 Jacob J. Doerksen
#31 Harry Stauffer “World War Years II Sept 1, 1939-May 1945”
#32 John Esau
#33 Norman Levi Weber
#34 Peter Heidebrecht
#35 Peter Unger
#36 Joseph Wayne Kauffman
#38 Ernest Neufeld
#39 Nina Neufeld
#40 C. J. Ramer
#41 Agatha Hiebert
File 2. File containing Interview Reports, written originally in coil bound scribblers. A list is provided but not all items are included.
#1A “Canada and W. W. II,” listed but not included in this file. It was apparently the same document as the first item in the previous file.
#1 Gordon Dyck
#2 John and Beth Siemens (missing)
#3 Alfred Toews (missing)
#4 Peter Wiens
#5 Jake Neufeld
#6 Dave Schmidt
#7 Aaron Friesen
#8 Reuben Ratzlaff
#9 George Schmidt
#10 Isaac Wittenberg
#11 David John Heidebrecht
#12 David Goerzen
#13 Frank Baergen
#14 Cornie Thiessen
#15 Jake Willms
#16 Elmer Burkholder
#17 Dietrich Dyck
#18 John F. Dyck
#18b Isaak “Ike” Neufeld (poem and story by Henry Goerzen)
#19 John Gossen
#20 John Wiebe
#21 Jacob Wiens
#22 John Siemens, “The last of the Mennonite Coal Mines in Drumheller Valley”
#23 Dave Ratzlaff
#24 Claude Klassen
#25 Daniel Loewen
#26 Carl Henry Brown
#27 George Brown
#28 Edward Regehr
#29 Peter Klassen
#30 Jacob J. Doerksen
#31 Ernest Neufeld, Mina Neufeld
File 3. This file contains xerox copies of much of the material in File 2, but with the addition of copies of the 142 photographs and a selection of documents pertaining to conscientious objectors.
#1A Canada and its involvement in W. W. II.
#1 Gordon Dyck
#2 John Siemens (missing)
#3 Alfred Toews (missing
#4 Peter Wiens
#5 Jake Neufeld
#6 Dave Schmidt
#7 Aaron Friesen
#8 Rueben Ratzlaff
#9 George Schmidt
#10 Isaac Wittenburg
#11 David John Heidebrecht
#12 David Goerzen
#13 Frank Baergen
#14 Cornie Friesen
#15 Jake Willms
#16 Elmer Burkholder
#17 Dietrich Dyck
#18 John F. Dyck
#18b Isaac Neufeld (interfiled material)
#19 John Goosen
#20 John Wiebe
#21 Jake Wiens
#22 John Siemens
#23 Dave Ratzlaff
#24 Claude Klassen
#25 Daniel Loewen
#26 Carl Henry Brown
# 27 George Brown
#28 Edward Regehr
#29 Peter Klassen
#30 Jacob J. Doerksen
–Unnumbered interspersed Interview with Ernest Neufeld
–Unnumbered interspersed Interview with Mina Good and Ernie Neufeld
#31 Harry Stauffer
#32 John Esau
#33 Norman Levi Weber
#34 Peter Heidebrecht
#35 Peter Unger
#36 Joseph Wayne Kauffman
–Interview with C. J. Ramer by Leonard Gross
–This file also contains xerox copies of 142 photographs of conscientious objectors and conscientious objector camps. which are filed separately (accession 1011-018) with the photographs and have also been included in the MAID program. This file also contains identifying information about the photographs that is not available elsewhere.
–This file also contains copies of twelve documents related to conscientious objectors.
File 4 Negatives and xerox copies of Conscientious Objector camp photos with some identifying information. This is the same collection of photos as in File 3.
File 5 List of men in camps. – 1942-1943.
File 6. The Beacon. Newsletter published in work Camps in British Columbia, 1943, Vol 2, No. 2 and Vol 2, No. 7.
File 7. The Beacon, , 1943, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, No. 4 and Vol. 2, No. 8, donated by P. Heidebrecht (Accession 2003.005)
File 8 Correspondence, Jake Kreuger to C.O. Book Project Committee. – 1994.
File 9 Henry Goerzen’s notes. – 1990-1995. – Information from C.O.’s.
File 10 Reunions of C.O.’s. – 1990-1991. – Includes identified group portrait of Camp Geikie Reunion, 1991. For photos of 1995 Conscientious Objector Celebration, Campbell River, BC, 1995, see accession 2002.020 in Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta fonds.
File 11 Conference ” Remembering and Celebrating Alternative Service in World War II”. – 1995.
File 12 Material collected by Daniel Loewen. – 1940-1946. – Correspondence with Department of War Services.
File 13 Material from Harry Stauffer. – 1942-1946. – Correspondence with National Selective Service.
File 14 Material from Harold Lauber – National War Services. – 1942-1946.
File 15 Reminiscences. “The Last of the Drumheller coal miners. The Story of Jacob J. Hiebert.
File 16 Reminiscences. “The Life of Peter Heidebrecht.”
File 17, Reminiscences. A. A. Wiens, “Anfang des Mennonitischen Selbstschutz.”
File 18 Essay by Andrew Friesen, “Encountering Canadian Society. The Second World War Conscientious Objectors of Alberta.”
File 19 Essay by Menno Klassen, “Canadian Conscientious Objectors in the Second World War.”
File 20 Essay by Royden Loewen. “A People of Peace in a World at War.”
File 21 Henry Goerzen’s article “Women and Peace”. – [ca. 1995].
File 22 Membership in Mennonite churches and membership in the military / Helmut Harder. – 1996.
File 23 Project Ploughshares. – 1982-1985.
File 24 Project Habbakuk. – 1943-2005.
File 25 Sam Martin – Remember conscientious objectors [handbill]. – 1987.
File 26 Peter Goetz “Western Art” pen and paper sketches by a conscientious objector.
File 27 A mixed collection of news clippings about conscientious objectors, collected by Henry Goerzen.
File 28 (Received as part of Accession 2019.020) but containing notes and draft of Henry Goerzen’s interviews with Alberta Conscientious Objectors.
File 29 Photos of seven men – Isaak Peters, John Neufeld, Paul Schmidt, Pete Wiens, ????? Ed Regier, Jake Friesen. The time, place and event at which these pictures were taken is not given.
Notes
Accession 20111.018
See also John Heidebrecht fonds, MHSA Accession 1023.008