Historical note

Helen Kornelsen was born on 17 September 1920 in Alexanderthal, Molotschna, South Russia to Johann Kornelsen (1884-1974) and Katharina Janzen (1895-1956) and immigrated to Canada with her parents in 1930 settling in Watrous, Saskatchewan. From 1948-1986, she was a missionary to India with the Commission on Overseas Mission, General Conference Mennonite Church. After returning to Watrous, she was very active with genealogy and family history research. She did extensive research on one of the first Russian Mennonite missionaries to India, John F. and Susanna (Schowalter) Kroeker.

Scope and content note

This fonds consists of correspondence and documents collected in the course of researching the life and history of missionary John F. Kroeker (1871-1932?) his wife, Susanna (Schowalter) Kroeker (1874- ) and their descendants. Correspondence includes exchanges with Mennonite archives and historians in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Newton, Kansas. There is also extensive correspondence with Jean Hege in France.

Index terms

Subject terms

Creators

Adjunct descriptive data

Finding aids

Inventory file list available

Related material in other repositories

Johann F. Kroeker fonds, Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies (Winnipeg)

Related material in this repository

John F. and Susanna (Schowalter) Kroeker fonds (Volume 5431)

Notes

Language

Some German

Arrangement

Described by Alf Redekopp, October 2009, Updated by Conrad Stoesz June 14, 2013.

Restrictions on access

None to access

Other notes

Acc. No. 09-052

Volume 5430

1. Attempts at Kroeker genealogy / H. Kornelsen
2. Correspondence with Jean Hege with many accompanying documents related to Susanna (Schowalter) Kroeker. – 2000-2006.
3. Lilli (Kroeker) Friesen (1906-1987) journal translation. The pages in this file are a translation of a journal book belonging to the daughter of missionary Johann F. Kroeker in which she had copies of letters received from her mother Susanna (Schowalter) Kroeker dated 1935; and, letters from her sister Susi (Kroeker) Martens (1901-1942), dated 1940; plus, one entry by Lilli, dated 1951, marking the return of Lilli’s husband Peter after 10 years of exile.
4. Miscellaneous: Correspondence with GCMC COM personnel including Erwin H. Rempel, Newton, KS, COM historian Tina Block Ediger, Peter H. Rempel, Winnipeg, and Keith L. Springer, professor of history, Bethel college. – 2000. Also, correspondence with Galen Horst-Martz, Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust in Pennsylvania, Tillie and Lubin Jantzen, Hesston, KS and Alf Redekopp, Director, Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg.
5. Completed articles:

1. The John F. Kroeker Story / Helen Kornelsen (2 pages)

2. Die Geschichte von John F. Kroeker / Helen Kornelsen (2 pages) translated by Ingrid Janzen Lamp for Der Bote (2000).

3. Ninety Years of Lost History Recovered / Helen Kornelsen (7 pages)

4. Die Haupt Arbeiten der Familie Kroeker in der Mission in Janjgir, Indien von 1900 bis 1909 [a report given at the 100th anniversary celebration of COM in the Bethel College Mennonite Church, 26. Nov. 2000] / Lubin W. Jantzen. (3 pages)

5. John F. and Susanna Kroeker Story: Missionaries to India 1900-1909 / Tina Block Ediger (2000) (16 pages)

6. Anna Kroeker Friesen / Helen Kornelsen (4 pages) (plus obituary from May 2009--3 pages).

7. An Update on the Life of John F. And Susanna Schowalter Kroeker, General Conference Mennonite Missionaries to India 1900-1909/ Tina Block Ediger. -- 2000.

6. Photocopies of photographs of the Kroekers plus sketch of Geisberg castle (1711-1940) (i.e. photograph documentation) [Where are the original photographs?]
7. Excerpts from the Petkau Buch (pp. 83-91) containing the story of Johann F. and Susanna Kroeker and the descendants of their daughter Maria Kroeker (1905-1965) who married Johann Petkau (1908-1943).
8. Letter to the Mennonite Historian regarding photo identification of Johann F. Kroeker. -- 2001.