Voth, Henry R. (1855-1931)

Christlicher Bundesbote obituary: 1931 Jun 16 p. 13

Birth date: 1855 Apr 15

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1931 Jun 3 p. 4

text of obituary:

Rev. H. R. Voth,

the pioneer missionary of the Mennonite Mission among the Indians suddenly and unexpectedly passed away Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 1931, in answer to the call of his Master. He served as missionary among the Arapaho Indians in Oklahoma about 10 years, and in 1893 began work on a new field among the Hopis in Arizona, where he labored about 10 years. After that he devoted his life to home mission work. He rests from his labors and his works do follow him.

Funeral services will be held next Friday June 5, at the First Mennonite Church, Newton, Kansas, and the body will be laid to rest in the Greenwood cemetery.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1931 Jun 10 p. 1

text of obituary:

NECROLOG

of Rev. H. R. Voth

Br. H. R. Voth was born in South Russia on April 15, 1855. In 1874 he came to this country with many other Mennonites. His parents made their home in Marion County, Kansas. Having aquired [sic] some knowledge of the English language before he came here, he filled a position as clerk in a store in Newton during the first winter. The next year he taught one of the first Mennonite schools in Kansas. In 1876 he was accepted by the Mission board of the Gen. Conference as the first missionary candidate of the newly immigrated Mennonites and studied about two years and a half in the then only Mennonite school in Wadsworth, Ohio, whereupon the board sent him to the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Synod of North America at Martha'sville, Mo., where he spent two years. After taking a short medical course in St. Louis, Mo., he was sent to Darlington, Ind. Terr., where the Gen. Conference had begun its first mission work among the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, through its firs missionary Rev. S. S. Haury, who soon started the second mission station at Cantonment leaving Mr. Voth in charge of Darlington with his first wife who was matron of the mission and boarding school. It was a hard blow to him and the station, when she died in 1889. After two years his second child followed her mother into the great beyond.

In 1892 the board granted Mr. Voth a six months leave of absence which he used to make a trip to his old home in Russia. Here he had many opportunities to work for the mission cause in many churches in many places. On his return trip he visited Constantinople, Athens, making longer stops in Egypt, Palestine, Italy and Switzerland. Upon his return to the United States, Br. Voth was sent with his new helpmate, Miss Martha Moser, of Dalton, Ohio, in Arizona to open up a new mission field among the Hopi Indians. After nine years filled with hard work and many sacrifices, Sister Voth was called home to her reward. Br. Voth's health being again impaired and having four children to care for, resigned his work, staying, however, another year to initiate his cuccessor [sic] into his work.

He then made his home in Newton,Kansas, until 1914, doing itinerary work mostly for the Western District Conference. During two brief periods, he also was asked by the Field Museum of Chicago to do some Ethnological work pertaining to the Hopi Indians for that institution. In 1906 he was married to Miss Katie Hirschler, of Perry, Okla. From 1914 to 1923 Mr. Voth served as pastor of the congregation at Goltry, Okla., and then four years at Gotebo, Okla. Mr. Voth modestly claimed the rare distinction of having worked under different boards and committees almost uninterruptedly for over fifty years.

During his stay in Oklahoma from 1914 to 1927, Br. Voth was one of the promoters of the Oklahoma Bible School and the chairman of the first school committee. He also took a leading part in the school from the Oklahoma Convention after which it was called the Oklahoma Bible Academy. In the Western District Conference and the Gen. Conference Br. Voth also serve3d in various board and committees. Among others in the so-called Memorial Committee whose duty it was to devise means and a plan for a memorial building in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Mennonite immigration from Russia and other countries. From 1924 to 1930 he was president of the Mennonite Historical Society in which capacity he worked with untiring zeal in collecting, classifying and labeling the valuable material now in the hands of that society.

In the summer of 1927 Mr. Voth with his family moved again to Newton, Kans. For one year he served as pastor at Lehigh in the absence of their regular pastor. He was often called to fill the pulpits of the various churches to preach that gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ who had become his personal Savior and had magnified Himself in his life.

His age was 76 years 1 month and 17 days. He was father of two children of his first marriage, one of which died as noted above. To his second union three children were born. To his third marriage were born four daughters and four sons of which one preceded him in death. In his late years Br. Voth has been comparatively well and strong. On a recent itinerary to Oklahoma he became ill but was able to complete his work and come home last Monday apparently well. Tuesday evening about 4:30 he was found dead by one of his children in his yard. A sudden heartfailure apparently ended his eventful life. He often spoke of his visit to Canada last summer, of the many friends he had met and the great need of the new immigrants. His ardent desire was to bring many to accept Christ as their personal Savior.

His family deeply grieve the loss of the beloved father and husband.

Pallbearers: D. A. Schmidt, Jacob J. Unruh, H. P. Balzer, John J Unruh, P. J. Unruh, D. S. Unruh. Last two were his pupils in Gruenfeld.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1931 Jun 10 p. 4

text of obituary:

EDITORIAL H. R. Voth

Moved with deep grief these lines are being written. For more than fifty years H. R. Voth has been a conspicuous figure in Mennonite religious activities and life. he was among the earliest arrivals from Russia in the early 70's, and promptly sought educational advantages of this country, by attending the first advanced Mennonite school, located at Wadsworth, Ohio. Within a few years he was ready for the mission field and became the second Mennonite to enter that service of the Lord in the United States. The departed brother was an enthusiast for the Lord's cause, and loyally devoted to the Mennonite church. He gave his whole life to work in the Kingdom. Especially was he interested in the history of the church. In recent years he gave much time to the accumulation of Mennonite historical material as custodian of the Mennonite Historical Society. It was planned that that society would at this time greatly expand its activities, and that the departed brother might devote his energies in his declining years entirely to this very important work. It is felt as a definite loss that Bro. Voth was in the providence of God removed from earthly labors before this big work had been well established. For Bro. Voth was possessed of a remarkable and rare qualification for historical researches and classification.

When the editor left for Washington, D. C. on Monday of last week the departed brother was still active in the Lord's work in Oklahoma. When returned on Saturday of last week the depressing news awaited us that Bro. Voth with whom we had been in touch for 55 years had been called suddenly to his heavenly reward and that his body had been laid to rest the day before arrival at home. "They shall rest from their labors' and "their works do follow them." We extend to the bereaved family our heartfelt sympathy in their loss of husband and father.

K.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1938 Jul 13 p. 6

text of obituary:

HENRY R. VOTH

A Memorial Biography By Bethel College News Service

(Below is the life story of Reverend H. R. Voth in whose memory his children have made a memorial gift to the Bethel College Memorial fund.)

When Henry R. Voth went to parochial school in the village of Alexanderwohl in the province of Taurien, South Russia, he never dreamed that some day he would spend much of his life among the Indians of North America and become an authority on the customs of the Hopi tribe living on the sun-baked mesas of northern Arizona.

Furthermore, the little boy Henry had little time to dream in his youth. At seven he began school and made Bible History, geography, and language his favorite studes. When he reached fourteen he left school and for five years helped his father who was a cabinet maker.

Acted as Interpreter for Immigrants

Then came the historic year of 1874 and Henry, now nineteen years old, with his parents Cornelius and Helena Richert Voth left South Russia and came to Kansas. Already in Alexanderwohl, where he had been born on April 15, 1855, he had learned a little English and so young Voth acted as interpreter for the group of immigrants with whom he came to Kansas. When the newcomers for a time were lodged in Topeka, Kansas, before journeying on to Newton, supplies were purchased with Voth serving as spokesman.

The first winter in Kansas he got a job as clerk in a store in Newton while his parents made their home near Lehigh, Kansas, in Marion County. In 1875 the young immigrant taught one of the first Mennonite schools begun in Kansas, located twelve miles north of Newton.

First Missionary Candidate

But in the young man's heart burned the desire to be a missionary. He approached the Mission Board of the General Conference of Mennonite Churches and was accepted in 1876 as the first missionary candidate of the Mennonite immigrants of '74.

Preparing for mission work the missionary candidate studied two and a half years atr the Wadsworth school at Wadsworth, Ohio; two years at the Evangelical seminary at Marthasville, Missouri; and one year in the St. Louis Medical College at St. Louis.

Worked Among Cheyennes and Arapahoes

Starting its mission work among the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indian Tribes in Oklahoma, the Mission Board of the General Conference sent Voth in 1882 into the Indian Territory at Darlington, Oklahoma, where the pioneer missionary Reverend S. S. Haury had already founded a mission station. Having been ordained to the mission service in July, 1884, Voth was placed in charge of the mission station here with his wife, the former Barbara Baer of Summerfield, Illinois, whom he had married in 1884. In connection with the mission station Mr. and Mrs. Voth operated a boarding school for Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indian children. Within a few years Voth became superintendent of all the Mennonite mission stations in the Oklahoma Indian Territory.

On July 8, 1888, Missionary Voth was ordained as an elder. A year later tragedy came into Rev. Voth's life when his wife passed away in January., 1889, leaving two small daughters.

One of the girls, Bertha, passed away two years later and the other, Mrs. Frieda Regier Entz, is today living in Newton, Kansas.

Traveled Abroad in 1892

Having been in Oklahoma ten years, Reverend Voth was granted a six-months leave of absence by the Mission Board in 1892, and going abroad he visited Russia, Constantinople, Athens, Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, Italy, and Switzerland. Returning to the United States he married Miss Martha Moser of Dalton, Ohio, and together in 1893 the two went to Oraibi, Arizona, where Reverend Voth opened a mission station among the Hopi Indians that are believed to be descendants of ancient cliff dwellers and were first discovered by a member of Coronado's expedition i 1540. Reverend Voth was the first and perhaps the only white man ever to win the confidence of the Hopis so completely that they permitted him to witness their secret religious practices and ceremonies in underground rooms, or "Kivas" according to the Indians, lasting for a number of days and nights at a time.

Observed Hopi Religious Rites

In the smoky, stench-filled "Kivas" he would patiently watch and listen to the Hopi religious rites, observing the incantations, prayers, and songs with the hope he could find an expression or phrase that he could use as a "key" in helping the natives understand the Christian religion. He would become overjoyed when his patience was often rewarded at finding Hopi expressions he could use in bringing the teachings of Jesus to the Indians.

One day he came across Wickwaya, the chief priest of a Hopi women's secret ceremonial order, who was putting together the arms, legs, and trunk of his idol in order to worship it. Here, Reverend Voth thought, was something he could contrast with Christianity and use as a "tie-up" in telling the chief priest about the living god.

Priest Becomes First Convert

Wickwaya, the priest, was interested when Reverend Voth told him about a God who did not have to be patched together from several arms and legs before he could be worshipped. Later this Indian priest became the first convert of the Hop Tribe at Oraibi.

Working tirelessly he compiled a Hopi-English dictionary and began translating parts of the Bible into the Hopi language. Later this work was continued by others after Reverend Voth had pioneered in Hopi mission work.

Reverend Voth collected a large number of Indian curios, clothing, altars, and idols which are on exhibit in twenty cases in the Field Museum on Natural History in Chicago. His investigations into traditions, myths and superstitions of the Hopis were published in eleven illustrated volumes by the Field Museum.

Described Native Burial Ceremony

In describing the burial rites of a little Hopi girl that died of tuberculosis, Reverend Voth explained that the father wrapped the corpse in blankets and during the night carried it through gulches, between boulders, and reaching a ledge on a mesa, placed the bundle in a large crevice where the bones of other members of the family lay. Then covering the crevice with stones a stick was thrust between them to show another member had been added to the family burial place. He also wrote that in case of the death of a small child a path was made from the grave to his former home, the Indians believing the soul or "hikvsi" returned and was reincarnated in the next child born to the parents.

His second wife died in 1901 at Oraibi, Arizona, leaving behind three children, Albert, Esther, (Mrs. P. E. Franz of Geary, Oklahoma), and Martha (Mrs. P. A. Dyck of Moundridge, Kansas). Albert at the present time is a resident of Topeka, Kansas.

Engaged in Ministerial Work

After ten years of active service in Arizona this missionary's health began to fail and making his home in Newton he did itinerant ministerial work for the Western District Conference; was pastor of the Mennonite church at Goltry, Oklahoma, from 1914 to 1923, and then to 1927 held a pastorate at Gotebo, Oklahoma. He was one of the founders of the Oklahoma Bible Academy at Meno, Oklahoma, and from 19024 to 1930 was also president of the Mennonite Historical Society.

The eventful life of this pioneer missionary and collector of Hopi Indian relics and data was ended on June 2, 1931, when Reverend Voth was found late in the afternoon of that June day in the yard of his home in Newton, having passed away due to heart failure.

Widow Resides in Newton

For twenty-five years the former Miss Katie Hirschler of Perry, Oklahoms, was his helpmate whom Reverend Voth married in 1906, Mrs. Voth, his widow, today resides in Newton with her children, Edna, Herman, Eldon, Waldo, Hilma, Wanda, and Norma.

During the two summers previous to his passing he had traveled in Canada in the interest of the General Conference and the Mennonite Publication Board, visiting the various Canadian Mennonite churches.

The Mennonite obituary: 1931 Jun 25 p. 14
The Mennonite obituary: 1931 Aug 6 p. 1