Smith, C. Henry (d. 1948)

Revision as of 15:03, 28 April 2015

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1948 Oct 28 p. 1

Birth date: 1875 Jun 8

text of obituary:

Hold Final Services For Well-Known Mennonite Historian

Bluffton, Ohio. — Funeral services were conducted at the First Mennonite church here on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 21, for Dr. C. Henry smith, well-known Mennonite historian and for many years professor of history at Bluffton College. Rev. J. N. Smucker, pastor of the church, officiated.

Dr. Smith passed away at his home here on Oct. 18 of a heart attack. He had been in ill health for several months, and had undergone an operation at Lima Memorial hospital two weeks earlier. he is survived by his wife, the former Laura Yoder.

The books on Mennonite history written by Dr. Smith are widely used throughout the Mennonite constituency, and are recognized as authoritative in this field. Among them are “The Mennonites of America,” “The Coming of the Russian Mennonites,” “Menno Simons,” and “The Story of the Mennonites.”

Dr. Smith was born at Metamora, Ill. on June 8, 1875, and attended the Illinois State Normal University. He received his A.B. degree from The University of Illinois and the masters and doctors degrees from the University of Illinois and the history at the Elkhart Institute, later served as dean of Goshen College, and had been professor of history at Bluffton College since 1913, the last two years as professor emeritus.

He was for many years active in church and civic affairs, having served as president of the Citizens National Bank here and the First National Bank at Pandora. At the time of his death he was a member of the Publications Board of the General Conference, and in recent years had given considerable time to editorial work on the Mennonite encyclopedia now being prepared.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1948 Oct 28 p. 5

text of obituary:

C. Henry Smith, known widely and loved generally, passed away October 15. An active, fruitful, and complete life came to a close. He was a fine gentleman, a consecrated Christian, and a pioneer Mennonite educator and historian. It is fitting therefore that we pause for a moment to review briefly his life and contributions. Because of the nature of this column we will pay special tribute to his significance as a Mennonite historian.

Dr. Smith was probably more of an All-Mennonite by background, development and conviction than anyone else of his significance. Raised in an Amish Mennonite home, active as a pioneer educator of the (Old) Mennonites, devoting most of his life to education among the Mennonites of the General Coference, and by the nature of his study and character he was predestined to elevate Mennonite research to a plane of objectivity and inclusiveness far beyond that which it had been and still is in large circles of the brotherhood. This objectivity by no means led either him or his students to indifference. On the contrary it resulted in a deeper and more conscious appreciation of and loyalty to Mennonite principles because they are basically Christian.

Dr. Smith was the first Mennonite in America to receive a Ph. D. for a dissertation based on a Mennonite subject. Quantitatively and qualitatively he has produced more in this field than anyone else in this country. He deserves most credit for the new generation of Mennonite scholars in America, for the present interest in Mennonite principles, the flourishing publications in forms of books and magazines and the number of young people working on dissertations for higher degrees in this field.

The scholarship of C. Henry Smith was recognized and fully established by learned societies in this country and abroad. European scholars consider his works the best concerning the history and background of American Mennonites. In the history of American Mennonite research Smith ranks with Christian Hege and Christian Neff in Germany and S. Cramer and W. Kuehler in The Netherlands. C. H. Wedel and John Horsch, possibly because they were European born, mastered phases of the European scene but lacked Smith's thorough general knowledge and balanced presentation of Mennonitism the world over. This does not mean that there were no phases of Smith's work which did not need a more thorough investigation or a more balanced presentation. Shortcomings are noticeable, for example, when he speaks of groups with a strong emphasis of the emotional Christian experience. However, he was the last to deny his limitations.

The Mennonite obituary: 26 Oct 1948 p. 4; 9 Nov p. 5