The letters in this collection were written by family and friends of Franz Bargen (1894-1976) and his wife Liese (Regehr) Bargen (1897-1976) living in the former Soviet Union. The Bargens immigrated to Canada in 1930 and settled at Carlyle, Saskatchewan and later moved to Carman, Manitoba. This letter collection was stored in a cardboard Campbell's Soup box, which was moved from attic to attic until 1989, when their son Peter Bargen (1922-2004) and his wife Anne (Peters) Bargen (1925-1997) found them, translated and published. (See "From Russia With Tears: Letters from Home and Exile, 1930-1938" in the Mennonite Historical Library at Canadian Mennonite University). The main body of this collection sorted, arranged and translated by Peter and Anne Bargen was deposited at the Mennonite Heritage Archives in 1992. See the collection's archival finding aid here.
Section 1:
1- Recipients Of The Letters
- 1A- Frank and Liese Bargen (Muntau, Ukraine)
2- The Regehr Clan
- 2A- Kornelius and Liese (Sagradovka)
- 2B- Johann and Susie (Sagradovka)
- 2C- Abram and Hulda
- 2D- Abram and Lena Boldt (Sagradovka)
- 2E- Johann and Mariechen Koop (Sagradovka(?))
- 2F- Jakob and Maria (Urals)
- 2G- Benjamin and Katerina Klassen (Prenzlau, Germany)
3- The Bargen Clan
- 3A- Maria (Sagradovka)
- 3B- Wilhelm and Margareta (Sagradovka and Cherson)
- 3C- Jakob and Maria (Sagradovka)
- 3D- Aron and Katherina Regehr (Sagradovka)
- 3E- Peter and Liese (Carlyle, Saskatchewan)
4- The House Friend
- 4A- Johann J. Toews (Siberia)
5- The Friends and Neighbours
- 5A- Johann and Liese Regehr (Sagradovka)
- 5B- Peter and Maria Duekman (Sagradovka)
- 5C- Peter and Marie Klassen (Sagradovka)
- 5D- Johann Ott (Tiege, Sagradovka)
- 5E- F. K. Klassen (Sagradovka)
- 5F- Jakob and Helena Baerg (Sagradovka)
- 5G- Ab. and Tina Klassen (Sagradovka)
- 5H- Susie Friesen (Sagradovka)
- 5I-5S- Various
- 5T- Unidentified
6- Post War Letter Translations
- 6A- [ x ]
Section 2:
1- [x]