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.

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 fo 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 form 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.<.p> The Mennonite obituary: 1931 Jun 25 p. 14
The Mennonite obituary: 1931 Aug 6 p. 1