Rev. A.A. Schmirler Papers, 1900-1980

Collection Overview

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Administrative Information

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Correspondence

Box 1

Folder 1: Personal, 1938-1957

Folder 2: Personal, 1958-1963

Folder 3: Personal, 1964-1967

Folder 4: Personal, 1968-1980

Folder 5: Personal, undated

Folder 6: Personal - Sister Mary Candida, 1958-1966

Folder 7: Personal - Family, 1958-1968

Folder 8: Personal - Paul Barchley, 1958-1959

Folder 9: Personal - Leo Hertl Family, 1958-1959, undated

Folder 10: Personal - "Wisconsin's Last Missionary: the Mystery of Rene Menard"

Folder 11: Personal - Presbyteriate of the Fargo Diocese, 1974

Folder 12: Personal - Open Letter to Father Hylden

Folder 13: Personal - Monseigneur Baer

Folder 14: Personal - Dana Wright, 1906-1956

Folder 15: Personal - Postcards, 1910-1920

Folder 16: Business, 1930-1946

Folder 17: Business, 1950-1954

Folder 18: Business, 1955

Folder 19: Business, 1956-1958

Folder 20: Business, 1959-1962

Folder 21: Business, 1963-1964

Folder 22: Business, 1965-1968

Folder 23: Business, 1969-1980

Folder 24: Business, undated

Folder 25: Business - St. Benedict's Church, Wild Rice, North Dakota

Folder 26: Business - Monseigneur Aloysius O'Donoghue

Series 2: Financial Records

This series includes church accounts, annual reports from churches, and individual tax returns.

Box 1

Folder 27: Church Annual Reports, 1939-1968

Folder 28: Church Accounts, 1968-1971

Folder 29: State and Federal Income Tax Returns, 1964-1979

Series 3: Religious Records

This series includes newspaper clippings and articles, books, research material, addresses, and politically related material. Also included are Schmirler's sermons, certificates, and materials on his ordination and first mass.

Box 1

Folder 30: Articles, Addresses

Folder 31: Communism

Box 2

Folder 1: Books

Folder 2: Certificates

Folder 3: First Mass

Folder 4: Newspaper Clippings

Folder 5: Ordination

Folder 6: Research Material

Folder 7: Sermons

Series 4: Educational Records

This series contains records from Schmirler's educational career, including notebooks, theses, exams, and articles.

Box 2

Folder 8: Greater North Dakota Association, 1967-1969

Folder 9: Notebooks

Folder 10: Notebooks

Folder 11: Notebooks

Folder 12: Notebooks

Folder 13: Notebooks

Folder 14: Notebooks

Box 3

Folder 1: Books

Folder 2: Thesis

Folder 3: Published Articles

Folder 4: Unpublished Articles, 1931-1980, undated

Folder 5: Exams, 1934-1944

Series 5: Historical Publications

This series includes publications such as Grail Review and Folia Cleri, with related material from Grailville. It also contains newspaper clippings saved by Schmirler.

Box 3

Folder 6: Grail Review, 1959-1965

Folder 7: From Grailville

Folder 8: From Grailville

Folder 9: Folia Cleri, 1941-1945

Folder 10: Newspaper Clippings - Ross A. Lewis Sketches

Folder 11: Newspaper Clippings - Roy P. Johnson Articles

Folder 12: Newspaper Clippings - Miscellaneous

Series 6: Historical Research Materials

This series is the largest in the collection and consists of note cards, correspondence, photocopied records, newspaper clippings and articles, and other materials reflecting Schmirler's lifelong interest in history. The files are arranged alphabetically by topic.

Box 4

Folder 1: Agnes Geelan

Folder 2: "A Hundred Miles a Day"

Folder 3: Anamoose, North Dakota

Folder 4: Archbishop John Ireland

Folder 5: Archbishop John Ireland, Regarding the Friar Question in the Philippines, 1901-1906

Folder 6: Bibliographies

Folder 7: Bonanza Farms

Folder 8: Barnes County, North Dakota

Folder 9: Dana Wright - Writings

Folder 10: California - Father John Dominic Maker

Folder 11: Cardinal Aloysius J. Muench

Folder 12: Catholic Missions in North Dakota

Folder 13: Catholic Orders, Missions, and Schools in North Dakota

Folder 14: Catholic See in North Dakota

Folder 15: Correspondence - Miscellaneous

Folder 16: Dakota Territory Centennial Commission

Folder 17: Dakota Territory Military Installations

Folder 18: Dana Wright - Correspondence

Folder 19: Diary of German Immigrant Jacob Kaspar (as identified by his granddaughter)

Folder 20: Diary of Bishop John O'Reilly, 1897-1921

Folder 21: Diary of John Shanley, 1890-1903

Folder 22: Diary of Father Lafreniere's Trip to Europe, 1956

Folder 23: Diary of Henry Lueg's Trip from Minnesota to Oregon by Wagon Train, 1867

Folder 24: Diary of Peter Garrioch, 1843-1845

Folder 25: Diary of Unidentified Person regarding Hudson's Bay Company, 1866

Folder 26: Diocese of Fargo vs. Cass County, North Dakota, 1914

Folder 27: Dog Den Buttes, North Dakota

Folder 28: Duncan Graham and Early Red River Fur Trading

Folder 29: Early History of Catholicism in Wisconsin

Folder 30: Early Manitoba History

Folder 31: Enderlin, North Dakota

Folder 32: "Father DeSmet in North Dakota" by James Connolly

Folder 33: Fort Abercrombie, North Dakota

Folder 34: Foster County, North Dakota

Folder 35: Father Genin

Folder 36: Father George Belcourt

Folder 37: Father Goiffon and Pembina, North Dakota

Folder 38: Harold Briggs, "The Settlement and Economic Development of the Territory of Dakota"

Folder 39: Hatch's Battalion and the St. Joe Raid, 1864

Folder 40: Indian Treaty Expedition of Governor Alexander Ramsey

Folder 41: Jamestown, North Dakota

Folder 42: Land Agencies and Settlement in North Dakota

Folder 43: Lankin, North Dakota

Folder 44: Ledger of Trading Post at LeRoy, North Dakota, 1868-1880

Folder 45: Louis Riel

Box 5

Folder 1: Maple Creek Historic Site (Leonard, North Dakota)

Folder 2: McHenry County, North Dakota

Folder 3: Memories of Henry R. Ward

Folder 4: Newspaper Clippings - Miscellaneous

Folder 5: Military Installations on the Souris River in North Dakota

Folder 6: Military Trails in North Dakota

Folder 7: Minnesota - Early Exploration

Folder 8: Minnesota - General

Folder 9: Monseigneur Tache and St. Boniface, Manitoba

Folder 10: Montpelier, North Dakota

Folder 11: North Dakota - Counties

Folder 12: North Dakota - Fur Trading Posts

Folder 13: North Dakota - General

Folder 14: North Dakota - Roads

Folder 15: North Dakota - State Historical Society

Folder 16: North Dakota - National Guard and 164th Infantry

Folder 17: Notes and Writings of Ed Pierce

Folder 18: Our Page (Page, North Dakota) - Correspondence

Folder 19: Our Page (Page, North Dakota) - Notes

Folder 20: Our Page (Page, North Dakota) - Notes

Folder 21: Our Page (Page, North Dakota) - Notes

Folder 22: Our Page (Page, North Dakota) - First Draft

Folder 23: Our Page (Page, North Dakota) - Second Draft

Box 6

Folder 1: Our Page (Page, North Dakota - Third Draft

Folder 2: Our Page (Page, North Dakota - Third Draft

Folder 3: Our Page (Page, North Dakota - Photographs

Folder 4: Our Page (Page, North Dakota - Miscellaneous

Folder 5: Parish and Missions in North Dakota, 1906-1908 (Shanley and Muench circulars)

Folder 6: Parish Questionnaires, 1908 (Shanley circular)

Folder 7: Pembina County, North Dakota

Folder 8: Photographs - Miscellaneous

Folder 9: Ransom County Immigration Association

Folder 10: Ransom County, North Dakota

Folder 11: Red River Presbytery

Folder 12: Red River Trail and People of Red River

Folder 13: Rugby, North Dakota

Folder 14: Sheldon, North Dakota

Folder 15: Sheldon, North Dakota

Folder 16: Sibley Expeditions in North Dakota

Folder 17: South Dakota

Folder 18: Spiritwood Lake, North Dakota

Box 7

Folder 1: Stage Lines in North Dakota

Folder 2: Steamboating on the Red River

Folder 3: St. John, North Dakota

Folder 4: St. Joseph's Church, Bremen, North Dakota

Folder 5: St. Mary's Church, Munich, North Dakota

Folder 6: Syrians in North Dakota

Folder 7: Turtle Mountains - Indians and Missions

Folder 8: Verona, North Dakota

Folder 9: Walhalla, North Dakota

Folder 10: Walsh County, North Dakota

Folder 11: Wisconsin - Father Rene Menard - Correspondence

Folder 12: Wisconsin - Father Rene Menard - Manuscripts

Folder 13: Wisconsin - Father Rene Menard - Notes and Materials

Folder 14: Wisconsin - Father Rene Menard - Notes and Materials

Folder 15: Wisconsin - Father Rene Menard - Notes regarding the Wisconsin River Theory

Folder 16: Wisconsin - General

Folder 17: North American Province of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Folder 18: Torkel Fugelstad Autobiography

Series 7: Family History

Box 7

Folder 19: Miscellaneous Genealogical Documentation

Folder 20: "Rings in the Woods: a History of the Township of Frankfort as Reflected in the Life of the Anton J. Schmirler Family"

Series 8: Photographs

Box 7

Folder 21: Photographs 1-20

Photograph 1: Rev. A.A. Schmirler

Photograph 2: Family of Assif Munyer, Rugby, North Dakota

Photograph 3: Group of Syrians in Rugby, North Dakota

See Minot Daily News, 15 March 1975 for more details

Photograph 4: "Summer school, Blumenfeld, showing first rectory" (from back of photograph), 1958

Photograph 5: "Summer school, Blumenfeld, showing second (last) rectory" (from back of photograph)

Photograph 6: "Indian Mounds at Wintering Heights, 1951" (from back of photograph)

Photograph 7: "Indian Mounds at Wintering Heights, 1951" (from back of photograph)

Photograph 8: Agnes Church, Hunter, North Dakota, 1953

Photograph 9: Frank Gardner's House in Fargo, 1912

Photograph 10: Catholic Priests at the Dedication of the Peace Garden, 1934

Photograph 11: Railroad Car that Brought Lumber to Grace City, North Dakota (from back of photograph), 1912

Photograph 12: Locomotive that Brought Lumber to Grace City, North Dakota (from back of photograph), 1912

Photograph 13: "Track Being Laid Thru Grace City" (from back of photograph), 1912

Photograph 14: "Track Being Laid Thru Grace City" (from back of photograph), 1912

Photograph 15: Fowler & Banks Livery and Exchange Stable, Sheldon, North Dakota

Photograph 16: Catholic Church, Page, North Dakota (postcard), 1951

Photograph 17: Wayne and Clayton Shauer (Sheldon, North Dakota), Supporters of Presidential Candidate Franklin Roosevelt, 1932

Photograph 18: Aerial View of Sheldon, North Dakota, prior to 1900

Photograph 19: Fowler & Banks Livery and Exchange Stable, Sheldon, North Dakota

Photograph 20: Fowler & Banks Livery and Exchange Stable, Sheldon, North Dakota

Folder 22: Photographs 21-40

Photograph 21: Aerial View of Sheldon, North Dakota

Photograph 22: Railroad Depot (probably in Sheldon, North Dakota)

Photograph 23: Businesses (probably in Sheldon, North Dakota)

Photograph 24: Sheldon, North Dakota, School

Photograph 25: St. Leo's Church, Casselton, North Dakota

Photograph 26: "Welcome Bishop Driscoll" Banquet

Photograph 27: "Welcome Bishop Driscoll" Banquet

Photograph 28: "Welcome Bishop Driscoll" Banquet

Photograph 29: "Welcome Bishop Driscoll" Banquet

Photograph 30: "Welcome Bishop Driscoll" Banquet

Photograph 31: Railroad Track Being Laid in Grace City, North Dakota (from back of photograph)

Photograph 32: "The Old Ed Pierce House at Lake Alfred" (from back of photograph)

Photograph 33: Rev. A.A. Schmirler

Photograph 34: Chippewa Authentics (Building), Belcourt, North Dakota

Photograph 35: Church of St. John

Photograph 36: Norbert Bushee and Father Vitres Bisbee, O.S.B., of Bisbee, North Dakota (?) (from back of photograph)

Photograph 37: Father Al Zimmerman, Karlsruhe, North Dakota

Photograph 38: Father Hildenbrand, Sister Vita Nirmaier, and Cora Helen Daunhauer (?) (from back of photograph)

Photograph 39: Unidentified Church in Dunseith, North Dakota, 1965

Photograph 40: Oil Rig, Emmons County, North Dakota

Folder 23: Photographs 41-53

Photograph 41: Grain Elevator in St. Joseph, North Dakota, 1980

Photograph 42: (Abandoned) Blumenfeld Church, Blumenfeld, North Dakota, 1980

Photograph 43: Queen of Peace Convent, Belcourt, North Dakota, 1965

Photograph 44: Father Alphonse Cormier, Oriska, North Dakota, 1955

Photograph 45: St. Paul Seminary, Class of 1942

Rev. A.A. Schmirler in the lower right

Photograph 46: Rectory, St. Michael's Church, Fort Totten, 1980

Photograph 47: Bordulac, North Dakota, Catholic Church

Photograph 48: Mr. and Mrs. Carl Schmidt, Balfour, North Dakota

Photograph 49: "Leaving the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation" road sign, 1965

Photograph 50: Sister Fidelis and Miss Lane, 1965

Photograph 51: Vesleyville Church, 1970

Photograph 52: "C.W. Dickinson Delivering Deerings, Page, N.D. 1901"

Photograph 53: Page, North Dakota, before 1893

Series 9: Oversize

Maps of Merricourt (undated), Rugby (1975-1976), and Ransom County (undated)

Fan-style Descendancy Chart - Joseph S. Diemert of Sanborn, ND (died December 1928)