A wealth of Lutheran history from Western Canada

EDMONTON — The Lutheran Historical Institute holds hundreds of thousands of archives – everything from Martin Luther’s 16^th century writings to the personal correspondences of farmers and their families in the Edmonton area.

Luther’s works 1567: This eight-volume collection was donated by the Reiner family and was appraised at between $7,500 and $10,000. It survived a fire in Pastor Reiner’s Kelowna library.

Geneva Bible 1595: Pastor George Bornemann presented this Bible to Lutheran Church–Canada at its founding convention in 1988.

Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians (Latin) 1563: This is the “earliest book” in the LHI’s collection and was purchased originally for $3,000.

Buffalo coat: The coat was purchased from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1942. Pastors wore similar coats when travelling north.

Coyote coat: Belonged to a charter member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Stony Plain, Alta.

Grenfell hooked rugs: The rugs are a tradition in northern Newfoundland and Labrador. They are part of the Lutheran Association of Missionary Pilots (LAMP) collection.

Silver-luster baptismal cup: Pastor Frederick Schmidt, a circuit rider in the Philadelphia area in 1769, used the cup to baptize hundreds of dying people daily.

Patchwork quilt 1892: The quilt belonged to Pastor Albert Schwermann and is part of the family’s collection. It’s made of many types of fabric.

TTY 1971: The chairman of Edmonton’s Cross of Christ Lutheran Church for the Deaf used the device to communicate with the pastor.

Immigration correspondence: Contains details on the lives and circumstances of many immigrants.

Stony Plain School – government closure records: The collection refers to St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church School  in Stony Plain, Alta. The government closed the school in the early 1920s. The school reopened later.

Schwermann personal collection 1910–1983: The collection includes more than 200 photos. Audio tapes are included.

Concordia College collection 1921–1978: Written predominantly in German. It includes correspondence between parents, children and pastors in families in the farming communities surrounding Concordia College.

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