By Robert Bartels, Anne Cuyler Salsich
Title: E. Michael Hoffman Papers, 1912, 1918-1975, undated
ID: RG 30/069
Primary Creator: Hoffman, E. Michael (1884-1977)
Other Creators: McConnaughey, Grace E. (1882-1978)
Extent: 2.41 Linear Feet
Date Acquired: 11/20/1972. More info below under Accruals.
Forms of Material: composition (artistic arrangement), diaries, drawings (visual works), ephemera, letters (correspondence), manuscripts, negatives (photographic), photograph albums, photographs, postcards, publications, receipts (financial records)
The E. Michael Hoffman Papers consist primarily of correspondence and photographs taken by Hoffman while he was in Japan and Manchuria with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) from 1918 to 1920. Hoffman served in Yokohama, Japan, from November 1918 until February 1919, and then in Harbin, Manchuria until March 1920.
The heart of the papers, from 1918 to 1926, consists of about eighty letters written by Hoffman generally from Harbin and mainly to his family as well as others, and a “journal” that contains comments describing photographs taken in Manchuria and Lake Baikal. Additionally, there is also some music for a few Russian songs. A photograph album is also included, containing photographs taken by Hoffman in Japan and Manchuria, showcasing the everyday lives of the people there. Additionally there are photos taken around 1912 by Grace McConnaughey and later sent to Michael Hoffman. There are also several letters written by Hoffman, 1972-74, with his recollections of the 1918-20 period.
Topics Hoffman wrote about include his coworkers, the YMCA and its activities, American and other soldiers, bird life, and the Japanese, Chinese, and Russian people and their music, theater, and living conditions.
The letters and journal were microfilmed in 1973.
Edwin Michael “Mike” Hoffman (1884-1977) was born in Elk Point, South Dakota. Upon graduation from Oberlin College in 1907, Hoffman entered into youth work with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), working with the organization in Toledo, Ohio, and New York City. In 1914, Hoffman married Mary Lindsay, (1888-1983, A.B. Oberlin 1910). They had two children, Michael (1915-2001, A.B. Oberlin 1935) and Jean Wexler (A.B. Oberlin 1942). During World War I Hoffman served with the YMCA in Yokohama, Japan (Nov. 1918-Feb. 1919), and in Harbin, Manchuria (Feb. 1919-March 1920). During this time Hoffman wrote extensively about Japanese and Chinese culture, as well as his experiences overseas as a foreigner during wartime.
After the war ended the Hoffman family moved to Salisbury, North Carolina, and later Berea, Kentucky, where Michael Hoffman taught general science and Bible classes at the Foundation School of Berea College. In 1935 he received his MA in Christian Education from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University. Hoffman also served as associate director of Camp Sequoyah, a YMCA camp in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Following his retirement from teaching in 1944, Michael and Mary moved to North Carolina and continued to be involved with the summer camp and the YMCA.
In addition to his work with the YMCA and at Berea College, Hoffman also had an interest in music and music composition. He wrote several songs, often influenced by his boyhood experiences in South Dakota. His orchestral suite “Prairie Boy”, incorporating themes from traditional American Indian music, was performed by the Berea Civic Orchestra, the Augustana Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony. Michael and Mary settled in Martha’s Vineyard in 1967, where they remained until Michael Hoffman’s death in 1977.
Sources Consulted
Alumni file of E. Michael Hoffman (RG 28).
Repository: Oberlin College Archives
Access Restrictions: Boxes 1 and 2 are microfilm use only.
Acquisition Method: The E. Michael Hoffman Papers were received from Mr. Hoffman in several lots beginning November 20, 1972. Three packages were received on April 5 and 6, and May 14, 1973. A photograph album was received in October 1974.
Related Materials: See also the alumni files for Mary Hoffman and Michael Lindsay Hoffman, RG 28. For other early 20th century YMCA records, see the Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association Records, RG 15. For other photographs by Grace McConnaughey, see the Grace E. McConnaughey Papers, RG 30/160. Correspondence between E. Michael Hoffman and Bill Bigglestone, Archivist, is located in the Records of the Oberlin College Archives (RG 41).
Finding Aid Revision History: Arranged by Bill Bigglestone, 1973. Later materials arranged and finding guide prepared by Anne Cuyler Salsich and Robert Bartels, January 2017.
