Klassen, Elizabeth (unknown)
Proper Title
Elizabeth Klassen fonds
Dates of Creation
[ca. 1998]
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
Biographical Sketch
The information about Elizabeth Klassen is very limited. The material in the collection does not give details as to her maiden name, birth date, husband’s name, etc. She seems to have been living in Gnadenfeld, and earlier in Waldheim, south Russia. She had at least one daughter whose name was Susa. The German army took control of the area, but retreated in 1943. Many of the residents also took this opportunity to escape Stalinist Russia. Klassen and others made their way to Germany and then to Holland.
Custodial History
The custodial history of this item is unclear. It was donated by Evangeline Matthies Neuschwander of Goshen, Indiana on April 9, 1998. Gerhard Reimer may have been the translator, but where the original is located is unclear.
Scope and Content
This collection contains one item. It is an English translation of Elizabeth Klassen’s story written in Roverstein, Holland in 1946, about her experience of fleeing Russia during World War Two, living in Germany, and then making her way to Holland. Also included is a two-page account of how Evangeline Matthies, as an MCC worker in Holland, met her great aunt Elizabeth Klassen.
Notes
- Volume 995.
- Described by Conrad Stoesz November 1, 1999.
- Accession nos. 1998–021.
File List
Volume 995
- Elizabeth Klassen, “My Experiences and My Flight from Russia,” Roverstein, Netherlands, 1946, translated [ca. 1998].