Marjorie Janzen visits with John Thiesen about the diary she donated to the Mennonite Archives.
Resident donates World War I diary
On December 13, 2023, Marjorie Janzen, a resident of Kidron Bethel Village, donated a World War I diary to the Mennonite Archives. The diary, received by John Thiesen, co-director and archivist of the Mennonite Archives, was kept by Noah H. Leatherman, a conscientious objector, during his internment in the United States during World War I. Janzen received the diary from her uncle, John Klassen, who was also a conscientious objector confined by the U.S. military.