These recordings are an interview of Grandpa Goering from 1982. The interview was done when Grandpa was sitting in his brown recliner while living in the Bethel Deaconess Home in Newton, Ks. The interviewers are William Regier (local historian from Zion Mennonite Church), Eldon, and I.
1983 marked the centennial of the Zion Mennonite Church in Elbing. William thought Grandpa a goldmine of history. Up until the 1930’s and 1940’s Zion had been a church of West Prussians. Then the Wedels, Goerings, and Stuckys — the Swiss — moved into the community, changing the genetic pool and adding to the way of thinking. The Zion people opened their arms to these people, who William refers to as “you people”. The recording is a mix of church culture and our family’s history. It is also a flash-back to Grandpa’s voice and his manner of communication; “yes, yes”.
It is not a great recording as originally it was done on cassette, but you can certainly hear and understand the interview if you turn the volume way up. It ends abruptly after part 5. A CD copy has been given to the John B. Goering collection at the Mennonite Historical Library and Archives, Bethel College, N. Newton, Ks.
Although the tape is a mix of information and bounces around from topic to topic I have divided it into 5 parts. Please excuse my dim moments during the interview.
- Part 1, 10:49 — The highlights: youth, Jessie, family, moves to Canton and Peabody.
- Part 2, 25:19 — Eden and Zion church cultures, ministers, deacons, and elders, choosing Zion, church dues, the little box, seating arrangements, Eden and Zion marriage customs, Grandma Jessie and Grandpa’s wedding, baptism.
- Part 3, 11:26 — The love story between Grandma Jessie and Grandpa.
- Part 4, 14:29 — Changes in the church and community, Christmas, electricity, phones, TV, cars.
- Part 5, 13:41 — Heaven, Jessie and Anna, grave digging, wakes, funerals, death, heath care.
Janice L Regier
It’s great that you recorded this. We enjoyed listening to the stories. Thank you so much.