Brethren in Christ in World War I and World War II

Title: Brethren in Christ in Ontario in World War I and World War II oral history project

Dates of creation: 1991, 1996, 1999, 2015, 2016

Physical description: 14 audio cassette tapes ; 9 compact discs ; 1 cm of textual material

Administrative history: In 1996, M. J. (Mary Jane) Heisey conducted oral history interviews of Brethren in Christ members in Ontario on their nonresistant practice during the the First and Second World Wars. Heisey used the interviews for her Ph. D. dissertation "Seeking community: Brethren in Christ nonresistance and American society, 1914-1958" (Syracuse University, 1998).

Her research trip to Ontario was funded in part by Peace and Social Concerns (Mennonite Central Committee Canada) and the Board for Ministry and Missions (Canadian Conference of the Brethren in Christ Church). MCC Canada requested that copies of the taped interviews, questionnaires and dissertation be deposited in the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Resource Centre in Kitchener, Ontario.

Custodial history: Received from M.J. Heisey by the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Resource Centre in 1999. Received from the Resource Centre by the Mennonite Archives of Ontario in 2012.

Scope and content: Contains questionnaires and forms used by Heisey to gather information on Brethren in Christ individuals in Ontario. Also contains taped audio interviews with 17 of these individuals. All would have had direct experiences of the Second World War, and some had family stories related to the First World War. Most were born in the 1920s.

Notes:
All tapes have been digitized by the Archives in .wav and .mp3 format. Files are stored in an external hard drive in the Archives; reference copies on CD in .mp3 are located with the fonds.
Original description created by Laureen Harder-Gissing in 2016.

File list: 

1. Correspondence from M.J. Heisey, 1999
2. Questionnaire on Brethren in Christ nonresistance: World War I through the early 1950s

• Arthur W. Heise 
• Rowena (Winger) Heise 
• Russell Heise
• Anna (Heise) Reesor 
• John C. Reesor 
• E. Morris Sider 
• Erma Jean (Heise) Sider 
• Harvey Sider 
• D. Leone (Dearing) Sider 
• Lewis B. Sider 
• Gordon Stickley 

3. Interview on Brethren in Christ nonresistance: World War I through the early 1950s (forms only)

• Harold M. Heise 
• Lewis B. Heise 
• Verna Mae (Winger) Heise 
• Verna Winnifred (Heise) Heise 
• Merlin Marr 
• Naomi Ruth (Heise) Marr 
• Gladys (Sollenberger) Stickley 
• Harvey B. Stickley 
• Harold B. Wideman
• Walter Winger
  Note: Includes "A personal perspective on statement on militarism: a call to peacemaking in a militaristic world" by Walter Winger, Aug 1991

4. Taped interviews

1. Walter Winger, 31 Oct 1996
2. not used
3. Harold B. Wideman, 29 Oct 1996
4. Dorothy Sherk, 29 Oct 1996
5. Harold Heise and Verna (Winger) Heise; Louis Heise and Verna (Heise) Heise, 28 Oct 1996
6. Lester Fretz, 30 Oct 1996
7. E. Morris Sider and D. Leone (Dearing) Sider, 11 Nov 1996
8. Dorothy (Myers) Sider, 30 Oct 1996
9. Harvey Stickley and Gladys (Sollenberger) Stickley, 20 Oct 1996
10. Ross Nigh, 31 Oct 1996
11. Lela (Swalm) Hostetler
12. Merlin Marr and Naomi (Heise) Marr, 30 Oct 1996

5. Interview indexes
Interviews 1, 3, 5 were indexed by Menke Meijer in 2015-2016.