The Personal Papers of Kate Hettasch (1905-1987) and Elizabeth Marx (1908-1996)

     As I mentioned in my last blog, I have had the opportunity to work on several collections that  focused on missionaries.  The collections of Kate Hettasch (1905-1987) and Elizabeth Marx (1908-1996) are of us particular interest to me. Both of these individuals were the daughters of Moravian missionaries, Kate's parents in Labrador and Elizabeth's in Tibet (her brothers also were missionaries in South America and places throughout the world).  Their childhood experiences laid the foundation for their future work as missionaries. While it was difficult for woman to work as missionaries unless married, both Kate and Elizabeth were able to do so as teachers. Kate was placed in an English school in Labrador, while Elizabeth worked in Nicaragua at a Moravian school called the Colegio Morava.
     While working on Kate's collection I was struck by her artistic talents.  Kate is relatively famous in the Moravian community for her drawings of the children and life in Labrador, some of which were published in the form of greeting cards.  The collection contained several examples of not only the final product but also her initial sketches.  Below is an example of Kate's work, which can sometimes still be purchased from the Moravian Archives or found online.

     While Kate used her artistic ability to connect to the new world in which she taught, Elizabeth was forced to address not only the cultural but also the political environment in Nicaragua during her tenure.  Elizabeth was placed in Nicaragua not only during a period of internal strife but also an external one with the US. In 1979 a social revolution overthrew the dictatorship, which was replaced by a system based on Communism. Elizabeth’s personal papers document the anxiety she felt between maintaining her status as missionary and the fear she felt as an American outsider.

      During this period, Elizabeth also lacked the support of the Moravian Church, which was beginning to shift its focus away from missionary work. It is fascinating to see the interplay between the Moravian Church and the environments in which it operated.  All of this tension can be ascertained from reading the correspondence of a singular missionary in the field.
     Finally, I was struck by both Kate’s and Elizabeth’s dedication to their work and the lasting connections each had made to Labrador and Nicaragua, respectively. Both women were active in the field for over 35 years.  They returned to the United States as retirees only when their bodies demanded rest.  From their later correspondence and journals, it is evident that both women remained emotionally attached to the places where they had lived most of their lives.

                                                                                                -Katey Fardelmann

Introducing...

     I would like to begin my first blog by introducing myself and how I came to be part of the Moravian Archives project.  My name is Katey Fardelmann and I am a Masters candidate in Comparative and International Education at Lehigh University, where I also received my undergraduate degree. As an undergrad at Lehigh, I became involved with the Hidden Collections project, shared between Lehigh and the Moravian Church Archives, located just across the river. I was a double major in college, studying both International Relations and German, which encouraged people to ask, "What do you plan on doing with a German degree?"  Apparently the study of German just did not seem like a practical choice, maybe Spanish, Arabic or Chinese would have been better.  In opposition to all those naysayers, I have found a valuable use for my German skills by cataloging the “Personal Collection” at the Moravian Church Archives.  A majority of the collections I have worked on require a reading knowledge of German script. These skills are especially important with regards to personal correspondence, which was often with relatives who remained in Germany. I have worked on about six or seven collections so far that includes the collection of a Civil War solider, several Moravian ministers (many of whom also published academic articles and books), and missionary workers from South Africa, Tibet, Nicaragua, and Labrador.  In working with these collections, especially that of the Civil War solider, I am always struck by not only the historical importance of some of the pieces but also by the reach of the Moravian Church.  In a time period with minimal transportation abilities, the true scope of the Moravian mission and therefore the message of the Moravian Church are incredible. In future blog entries, I will discuss more fully the aspects of my collections, which will help express the influence that the Moravian Church had throughout the world.

                                                                                         -Katey Fardelmann