George Reesor

Classification scheme:

Hist.Mss.1.307

Title: George E. Reesor fonds

Dates of creation: 1859-2009, 2021

Physical description: 34 cm of textual records

Biographical sketch: George Edward Reesor (1933-2021 ) was born to Amos Reesor and Anna (Barkey) Reesor in Scarborough Township, York County, Ontario. In 1957 he married Anna Kathryn Weaver of Columbiana, Ohio; they had three children—Mary Louise, Ernest, and Dale Edwin. George Reesor was the grandson of Old Order Mennonite minister, Thomas Reesor, and great-grandson of Old Order Mennonite bishop, Christian Reesor.

George grew up in the Markham-Waterloo Mennonite conference as a member of the Reesor Mennonite Church, but became a charter member of the Steele’s Avenue Mennonite Church in 1964. A farmer by vocation, George was always deeply interested in Mennonite history, partly because of the significant role his grandfather had in the Mennonite community. Many of Reesor family papers came into the possession of George in the course of time.

George is a long-time member of the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario, and served on its board for many years. He also is a member of the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society of Ontario.

George Reesor authored four books:

Conversations with my parents (2006), a memoir of his parents based on conversations after they moved to a retirement home;
Thomas Reesor and the Reesor settlement in Northern Ontario (2008), including a presentation made by George to the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society of Ontario, and reproductions of letters to Thomas Reesor from settlers in Reesor, Ontario;
Over mountains and valleys: letters received by Bishop Christian Reesor of Markham from members of the Mennonite communities in Indiana, Manitoba, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario and Pennsylvania during the period 1859 to 1915 as organized and translated by his great grandson George Reesor (2009), reflecting issues within the Mennonite community in those years and especially including the formation of the Old Order Mennonite communities in North America, and
Conversations with my children (2012), a memoir by George Reesor of his life.

The first, second and fourth titles were printed in limited editions by Reesor; Over mountains and valleys was published by the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society of Ontario. Copies of all are in the Milton Good Library.

Custodial history: Donated to the Archives by George Reesor ca. 2010

Scope and content: The George Reesor fonds consists primarily of the original letters published in Over mountains and valleys, along with the draft translations of those letters. There is also one folder on the Reesor settlement in Northern Ontario.

The records are divided into three series: 1) Original correspondence (mostly in German holographic script) reproduced in translation in Over mountains and valleys (1859-1915); 2) Draft translations from German to English of the letters (2003-2007); 3) Reesor Settlement (1926-1927, 2000).

Notes: For photographs related to George Reesor search the Mennonite Archival Image Database.

For additional information on the Reesor family, see also the Christian Reesor and Thomas Reesor collections. See also monographs donated by George Reesor in the Milton Good Library.

Original archival description created 2017 by Sam Steiner and updated 2022 by Laureen Harder-Gissing

File list:

Series 1: Original Correspondence from Over Mountains and Valleys

Assiniboia, Manitoba, 1877-1894, 1913, 1943, 1949)
Daniel Burkholder (Hahnstown, Pennsylvania), 1884-1894
Amos Cressman (New Hamburg, Ontario), 1878-1881
Henry and Lizzie Eby (Salunga, Pennsylvania), 1886-1904
Misc. from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, 1880-1888
Christian Gayman and Jacob Gayman (Cayuga, Ontario), 1869-1896
Benjamin Horning (Knauers, Pennsylvania), 1881-1886
Jacob L. Huver (Salunga, Pennsylvania), 1887-1896
Letters from Indiana-Michigan, 1877-1909
Abraham and Elizabeth Lehman (Durbins Corners, Ohio), 1866-1888
Milton Lehman (Milton Grove, Pennsylvania), 1880-1886
Jacob Lehman and Christian Lehman (East Lewistown and Columbiana, Ohio), 1867-1895
Jacob Lehman to Christian Burkholder, 1869
Samuel Lesher and others (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania), 1859-1914
Henry E. Longnecker (Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania), 1884-1892
Abraham and Elizabeth Martin (Waterloo, Ontario), 1870-1901
David Martin (Woolwich, Ontario), 1875-1892
Ezra Martin (St. Jacobs, Ontario), 1914-1915
Levi and Barbara Martin (St. Jacobs, Ontario), 1892-1904
Paul Martin (St. Jacobs, Ontario), 1890-1914
Moses and Tobias Martin (Heidelberg, Ontario), 1882-1905
Jacob Mensch (Skippack, Pennsylvania), 1881-1906
Tilman Moyer (Jordan, Ontario), 1866-1872
Samuel D. Moyer (Clinton, Ontario), 1875
New York (Clarence, Erie), 1874, 1880
Peter and Maria Nissley (Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania), 1881-1886
Ohio, Miscellaneous, 1875-1910
Pennsylvania, Miscellaneous, 1883-1909
Christian Risser (Brunnerville, Pennsylvania), 1885-1904
Freeman, Isaac, Abraham Rittenhouse, Joseph Wismer (Niagara Peninsula, Ontario), 1874-1907
Elias and Hannah Schneider (Waterloo, Ontario), 1876-1887
Menno and Lehe Shantz (Waterloo, Ontario), 1899-1904
Daniel Steckle, Samuel D. Moyer (Hay Township, Ontario), 1867-1893
Moses and Lydia Weber (Waterloo, Ontario), 1891-1915
Waterloo, Miscellaneous, 1869-1905
Jacob Weaver, David Weaver (Mahoning County, Ohio), 1877-1895
Misc. and special letters, 1853-1879
Appendix A & B
"Church Ordnungen (rules) compiled and written by Bishop Jakob Hochstetter near Manheim, Lancaster Co.", 1849
"Discipline of the Lancaster Conference and how to apply it", ca. 1881, 1892

Series 2: Draft Translations of correspondence in Over Mountains and Valleys

Translations for files 1-6 (above)
Translations for files 7-14 (above)
Translations for files 15-19 (above)
Translations for files 20-26 (above)
Translations for files 27-31 (above)
Translations for files 32-37, and appendices (above)

Series 3: Reesor Settlement

Folder includes 1980 presentation by George Reesor on the Reesor settlement, stories told at a 2000 reunion at the Reesor settlement, and photocopies of several letters to and from Thomas Reesor from 1926-1929