Lorraine Roth personal files series

Lorraine Roth personal files series

Scope and content: Roth’s filing system made no distinction between personal and research files. This series was created by the Archives during processing from files identified as being of a predominantly personal nature. The series includes biographical materials, family papers, and documents relating to Roth’s education, mission and service in Honduras and Costa Rica, travel, employment, congregational memberships, people and current issues of interest, awards and recognitions. Correspondence files of a predominantly personal nature are filed here; however, many of her genealogy research files also contain correspondence of a personal nature. The files in this series have been clustered in approximate chronological and topical order.

Note:  Items from some files were withdrawn by the Archives during processing in 2014.Withdrawn items are noted underneath the file name. Some whole files were withdrawn during processing. For a list of withdrawn files, see Hist.Mss.1.117.5/95.

1.       Lorraine Roth biographical materials
Note: File formerly classified as Hist.Mss.1.117.1/3 “Roth biographical materials”

2.       Sydney and Violet Roth papers, 1923-1976

3.       General personal correspondence,  1952, 1954-1959, 1965, 1967-1969, 1972-2012

4.       Personal correspondence with Violet Roth, 1974-1975

5.       Personal correspondence from Europe with Katie Swartzentruber, 1985

6.       Personal correspondence from Dennis and Connie Byler in Spain, 2008-2010

7.       Personal correspondence with Wil and Ana Loewen, 2007-2011

8.       Personal correspondence with Susan (Roth) Jantzi

9.       Personal correspondence with Ellen (Martin) Moyer, 1947-1950, 1952, 1956

10.   Personal correspondence with Nicole (Anstaett) Hommel, 1992-2010

11.   Personal correspondence from Kitchener-Waterloo House Church members

12.   Ottawa correspondence
Note: Contains Roth’s letters to individuals in government and the media on various issues of concern.

13.   Bible School handiwork, c. 1940

14.   Miscellaneous old letters and speeches, 1945-1949

15.   Ontario Mennonite Bible School, 1945; Rockway Mennonite School, 1950/51

16.   Rockway Mennonite School, 1950-1996

17.   Rockway Mennonite School Alumni Association

18.   Personal ledger, 1951-1960

19.   Goshen College, 1953/54, 1957/58, 1963/64

20.   Letters sent from Goshen, 1953/54

21.   Letters received from home, 1953/54

22.   Letters home, 1961/62

23.   Letters to and from Goshen, 1963/64

24.   Term papers
Note: Includes “A history of the East Zorra Amish Mennonite Church” by Lorraine Roth, [1953/54?]

25.   Seminary, 1962/63 (second semester), 1963/64

26.   Goshen College and seminary, social and religious, 1957/58

27.   Women’s Missionary and Service Auxiliary seminary project, 1957/58
Note: The following was removed: Daily prayer guide for missions, relief and home activities of the Mennonite Church (1 May 1957-30 Apr 1958). A copy is located in the Milton Good Library.

28.   Certificates and diplomas

29.   Goshen college alumni correspondence and reunions

30.   Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities correspondence, 1954-1963

31.   Mennonite Central Committee
Scope and content: File includes various MCC information of interest to Roth, as well as correspondence re her possible service in Guatemala in 1976 and the Mennonite Alcohol Survey, 1977. The following were transferred to the Archives (see XIV-1): “MCC Peace Section Task Force on Women in Church and Society Report,” #21, #22 (1978), #24 (1979), #30 (1980).

32.   Honduras church and neighboring countries, 1954 –1984

33.   Correspondence with Abner Gonzalez, Norman and Grace Hockman and others (Honduras), 1969-1973

34.   Letters home from Honduras, 1957-1961

35.   Letters from home following trip to Honduras (furlough time), 1961-1962

36.   Letters received in Honduras, 1962-1963

37.   Honduras Mennonite Church
Note: Includes reflections by Roth on her experience with the Church, written in 1988

38.   Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities publicity materials, 1956-1961, 1964-1974
Scope and content: South America predominant

39.   Report on observation of non-Mennonite mission schools in Honduras, 1956

40.   Spanish Magazines, correspondence
Note: The following were withdrawn. Copies are located in the Milton Good Library: El Discipulo Cristiano (Feb 1962, Jan 1966,Oct 1966, Apr-Jun 1972, Jul-Sept 1972); Ecos Menonitas, Apr 1977; Boletin: Seminario Evangelico Menonita de Teologia (Mar 1965, Nov 1965, May 1966)

41.   Costa Rica correspondence, 1955

42.   Diary of trip to Honduras and Costa Rica

43.   Articles re experience in Central America (proposed)

44.   Articles re experience in Central America (published)

45.   Mayas of Central America and Mexico

46.   Songs, illustrated

47.   Talks and object lessons, Spanish and English

48.   Central America Flora and Fauna

49.   Literature and tracts, Spanish

50.   Articles sent in re life and witness in Honduras 

51.   Mission station correspondence,  1959 – 1962

52.   Honduras Mission Council meetings

53.   Form letters from Canadian missionaries in various countries, 1956/57

54.   Honduras publicity, 1954-1962
Scope and content:  Form letters and published letters.

55.   Letters home (some form letters), 1959-1960

56.   Correspondence from Goshen and home,  Jan-Jun 1958

57.   Letters home, 1957-1958
Note: Roth notes “with furlough between”

58.   Letters home, 1956

59.   Letters from Honduras and Costa Rica

60.   Honduras form letters

61.   Correspondence re school in Honduras, 1956-1960,1964

62.   Honduras Publicly 1956- 1962
Scope and content: Letters and pamphlets

63.   Mission correspondence, 1954-1955

64.   Legal documents and correspondence re Honduras

65.   Talks after return from Honduras, 1962, 1963

66.   Travel in Latin America, 1950s-1960s

67.   Honduras and Costa Rica, various clippings and correspondence, 1950s -1960s

68.   Descriptions of experiences in Honduras

69.   Honduras reunion correspondence, 2007, 2010

70.   Travel correspondence, Europe and Central America, 1952-1962

71.   Correspondence from persons met on trip to Europe and the Holy Land, 1952-

72.   Letters received in Europe, 1952

73.   Letters sent from Europe, 1952

74.   European tour and Mennonite World Conference, 1952

75.   Boat travel to Europe, 1952

76.   Slide descriptions of European trip, 1969-1970

77.   European correspondence, general, 1969-1970

78.   Waterloo Lutheran University employment, 1970-1976
Note: Routine correspondence withdrawn

79.   Christian education, 1960s

80.   Hillcrest Mennonite Church, 1968-1978
Note: Minutes of congregational and church council meeting were removed. Copies are located in V-2 Hillcrest Mennonite Church.

81.   Mennonite World Conference trip (Wichita, Kan.), 1978

82.   Issues
Note: Containing clippings from various sources of contemporary issues of personal interest to Roth: World issues; Aboriginal/Quebec; Middle East; Nicaragua; Hurricane Mitch; Literature and literacy; September 11, 2001 and its aftermath; Non-resistance/pacifism; Swiss-Mennonite reconciliation/Tauferjahr 2007; Nickel Mines Amish school shooting; the Amish;  Miscellaneous

83.   37 Ahrens Street West, Kitchener, 1982
Scope and content: correspondence and other records re Kitchener Heritage House designation

84.   Sam Steiner, 2008, 2010

85.   Wanda Roth Amstutz and Doug Amstutz

86.   Prayer Partners

87.   Devotional and inspirational clippings

88.   Lorraine Roth  Appreciation Day, 18 Apr 1993 (oversize document box and 1.117.7.2)

89.   Mennonite Historical Society of Canada Award of Excellence, 2010

90.   Mennonite Aid Union and Mennonite Mutual Aid memberships

91.   Clippings file on people of interest
Scope and content: Predominantly friends, family, Mennonites in service or leadership positions

92.   “Revisiting the 50s” event, 1992
Scope and content: Documents from a reunion event bringing together local people involved in Mennonite mission and service work in the 1950s

93.   “Women’s life stories” retreat, 1992
Note: The following was withdrawn: Women’s Concerns Report (May-June 1992). Issue includes an article by Roth, “Serving in a mission field.” A copy is located in the Milton Good Library.

94.   Trip to Sarasota, Florida, 2005

95.   Conrad Grebel University College
Note: Includes correspondence re the disposition of Roth’s files and books. Also includes: a list of files that were withdrawn during processing in 2014 and either transferred to other collections within the Archives or not kept; poster and program for Lorraine Roth Reading room funrdaising dinner, 2011.