©Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Last updated August 29, 2007)

Cornelius G. Stoesz fonds. - 1920-1984; predominant 1937-1970. - 37 cm of textual records and approximately 60 frames of microfilm.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Cornelius G. Stoesz (1892-1976) was born in the Steinreich area south of Horndean, Manitoba to Cornelius Stoesz (1869-1925) and Anna Giesbrecht (1873-1896). Bishop Abraham Doerksen of the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church baptized him in 1912. He married Elizabeth Giesbrecht (1893-1947), daughter of William Giesbriecht in 1913. This marriage resulted in 12 children.

Cornelius G. Stoesz was a councilor for the Rural Municipality of Rhineland in the 1930s and also was on the Bergfeld school board for a number of years. He served in the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church as a Vorsänger (Song leader). In 1937 he was ordainded as a minister in the Rudnerweide Gemeinde, later known as Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference.

After his first wife died Cornelius G. Stoesz married Susie Heinrich (1899-1952) in 1947. In 1952 he married Widow Aganetha Reimer nee Heinrichs. In 1959 Cornelius and Aganetha retired to the village of Plum Coulee, Manitoba, where he died in 1976.

CUSTODIAL HISTORY:

The C.G. Stoesz family via Dennis Stoesz donated most of the records in this collection in June 1982. Cornelius C. Stoesz, son of Cornelius G. Stoesz was the executor of the estate who made the materials available to the Mennonite Heritage Centre. Some other photocopied materials were collected by David and Trudy Schellenberg of Winkler for the Christain Heritage Library.  The interview was donated along with the Jake Peters Sommerfeld Mennonite Church collection.

SCOPE AND CONTENT:

This fonds contains primarily sermons by CorneliusG. Stoesz (1892-1976) and his father Cornelius W. Stoesz (1869-1925) Other material includes personal financial records, church reports, bulletins, and membership lists. Three series have been identified in this collection. 1) Cornelius G. Stoesz sermon material 2) Church documents collected by Cornelius G. Stoesz 3) Cornelius W. Stoesz sermons.

NOTES:

Most of the material is original material written in Gothic German handwriting.
Accession nos. 82-62, 97-150, 07-061.
Location: Volumes 3273-3275, 2121-1; 5267-58; microfilm 182, 183.
Finding Aid: Series description and inventory file list.
Description updated by Sharon H.H. Brown, December, 2002 and Conrad Stoesz August 29, 2007.
Related Material: David M. Stoesz fonds, A.D. Stoesz fonds. Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church fonds.

SERIES DESCRIPTION:

Sermon material. - 1939(?)-1969. - 32 cm of textual records.

This series consists of approximately 250 sermons and sermon notes that C.G. Stoesz created in his office as minister in the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church. The early years he wrote out his sermons and read them. Later he preached from only notes.

Location: 3273:4,5,7,10; 3274:1-28; 32751-4.

Church records. - 1937-1978, photocopied 1982. - 4 cm of textual records.

This series consists of church bulletins, conference meeting bulletins, a few reports, a license to marry people, a travel diary, a membership book and a list or worship services conducted.  Also included is a transcript of an interview with C.G. Stoesz conducted by Norman Friesen in 1978.

Location:3273:6,8,9,11; 3275:5-7; 5267:58.

Cornelius W. Stoesz Sermons. - 1920, photocopied 1984. - 1 cm of textual records and approximately 60 frames of microfilm.

This series consists of sermons written by the father of C.G. Stoesz , a minister of the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church in Manitoba

Location:3273:1-3; microfilm 182, 183.