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Shanghai, 1942

 Item — Box: 5

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

This collection contains information from August Lindstedt, his family, and fellow missionaries throughout his life. The majority of these materials come from either Russia or China, with some materials originating from Sweden or the United States. Most materials fall between the years of 1910 and 1948.

The V.M. Leontieff series contains a folder of letters, mostly in English and regarding finances from the 1930s. The reports are mostly in Russian and span mostly from 1927 to 1935.

The Dokument och Andra Vardehandlingar series comes from a black folder with a corresponding name. The Loose Papers folder contains various materials, such as reports, membership list for the Harbin Church, a program for Assembly of Protestant Churches, a letter on the opening for the 1940 Harbin Church building, and Puke's travel letter from Latvia to the Soviet Union to China. The rest of the series holds correspondence with August Puke, from 1926 to 1942. Most letters are in Russian, with some in Swedish or English.

The Correspondence with V.V. Shadrin series ranges from 1927 to 1946. The newsletters are in Russian, some from 1934. The letters are also primarily in Russian.

The Korrespondens i Ryska Missioners Intresse folder series contains a variety of materials from the large black folder with the same title, likely owned and used by Lindstedt. The Papers and notes folder holds Christmas cards, a few letters, and other loose papers. The Jesu Kristi gudom folder holds what seems to be an essay written by Lindstedt, entitled in English "Jesus Christ deity." The Russian language education folder seems to be from Lindstedt's education in Russian, although the documents are in Swedish. The American fundraising folder contains several programs and newsletters from location in the United States that seem to have been supporting the Russian mission in China. Many of these documents are from Edgewater Swedish Baptist Church in Chicago. The folder also includes some interwar maps of Europe and Germany. The News folder holds some international newsletters and a newspaper. The titles are The Bulletin of the National Christian Council, the North China Star, and a Christian newlsetter published in Warsaw. The Travel folder contains passenger lists from forms of transportation used by the Lindstedts, including ships and trains.

The Brown Binder series contains a seemingly random assortment of documents with an unclear arrangement system. In this series are letters, travel logistical materials, such as hotel reservations, and correspondence with the Baptist General Conference and supporting churches, such as Edgewater Swedish Baptist Church in Chicago.

The photographs series contains thousands of photographs, mostly of Russians in Manchuria following the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union. A few photographs are from Russia while Lindstedt was a missionary there, including images from the Russian Revolution. There are many general scenes of China and of Russians living in China. There are also scenes of war and life under the Japanese after the invasion of Manchuria. More specific are the photographs of Baptist missionary work amongst Russians in China, including church scenes, congregations, charity work, and baptisms. People pictured in these photos include the Lindstedt family, August Puke, V.V. Shadrin, and E.W. Olson. There are some photographs from other locations around the world, including the United States. These are from fundraising trips in America, as well as one photograph from Bethel, likely from Marwin Lindstedt while a student.

The Pamphlets folder holds various publications, including an English language visitor guide to Harbin by the South Manchuria Railway Company from 1934, three Russian language religious pamphlets from Harbin Baptist Church around 1926, and a Swedish language report on the Russian mission in Shanghai from 1930.

The Letters and Reports from Potloff, Leontieff, Blackman and others folders are mostly in Russian and deal with the Manchuria missions. They span the years 1927 to 1941 and contain 221 documents.

The P.V. Potloff folder holds 46 letters and one telegram from 1930 to 1939, mostly in English.

The I.Z. Osipoff folders are separated into correspondence from Osipoff and to Osipoff. The first folder contains 13 letters and two fliers on the Dairen Church, 53 letters and reports from Manchu-kou, and 51 letters and reports on other subjects. The second folder contains 25 letters from Lindstedt to Osipoff and three letters concerning Osipoff. Most materials are in Russian and date between 1929 to 1936.

The A.P. Petroff series holds 55 letters from Petroff in Russian from 1935 to 1941. There are four reports from the orphanage in Harbin and Manchu-kuo from 1935 to 1940. There are also 16 letters to Petroff's orphanage in Harbin from 1939 to 1941. Finally, there is a letter to Lindstedt from the Russian Mission Society in London regarding Petroff from 1936. Most documents are in Russian.

The P.V. Kovlechenkoff file holds 16 quarterly reports, 16 letters from Kovlechenkoff, and a telegram regarding Kolechenkoff. These materials are in Russian, English, and Swedish and date between 1926 and 1933.

The Zaharoff file holds 50 correspondence between Zaharoff and others, including Lindstedt. The languages are Russian and English, and they date from 1929 to 1935.

The Correspondence with Swedish Baptist General Conference of America series is split between correspondence to or from Lindstedt. Most material is in English or Swedish. Olof Hedeen, G. Arvid Hagstrom, and Ragnar Arlander are prominently featured in this series. The dates range from 1924 to 1945.

The Diaries span the years from 1910 to 1948. Most of the entries are in Swedish. Places where entries were recorded include Örebro in Sweden, Vladivostok in Russia, Harbin and Shanghai in China, and Bethel, Minnesota and Chicago in the United States.

The processing notes folder contains notebook paper found with the collection that looks like Bethel librarians' David Guston or Norris Magnuson attempts to sort the collection. It also includes correspondence about research in the collection. Finally, it includes an envelope with Ruth Lindstedt's name, likely the source of the collection.

Dates

  • 1942

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researcher use.

Extent

From the Collection: 7 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: Swedish

From the Collection: Russian

From the Collection: English

From the Collection: Chinese

Repository Details

Part of the The History Center: Archives of Bethel University and Converge Repository

Contact:
3900 Bethel Drive
Arden Hills MINNESOTA 55112 United States