The papers of Frederick G. Behner measure one linear foot and are contained in two series: Papers and Photographs. The Papers series is further divided into biographical information; education and teaching; church; personal materials; correspondence; and general materials.
The Biographical Information consists of photocopies of accounts that Behner's son, Frederick G. Behner, Jr., wrote using his father's diaries and oral accounts. The Education and Teaching file includes Behner's teaching certificates (1893-1895), his university papers from North Central College, his students' papers from the Philippine Islands, and some papers from Xenia Seminary School. His university papers are on a number of subjects, as are his students' papers, and are interesting as they reflect many social and political facets of the turn of the century.
The Church papers include his licensure and requests from various churches asking Behner to work at their church. The Personal file series includes Behner's diaries for the years 1901 through 1905 and chronicles his journey from Ohio down to the Philippine Islands, his years of teaching there, an extended trip home with major stops in Palestine and Europe, and his wedding. The 1901 diary is accompanied by a partial transcript. Also included a published volume of transcript of diary titled "One Man's Journey to the Philippine Islands: the Thomasite Adventure, 1901-1905." The Correspondence series (1896-1904) is very brief and arranged chronologically, containing only several letters. One letter of interest explains the purpose of the schools in the Philippine Islands; another is a permit to carry a shotgun. The General Materials series is also very brief; it contains two steamship liner booklets with notations by Behner and a certificate indicating that Behner was a member of the National Geographic Society.
Frederick G. Behner (1874-1968) was born in Wood County, Ohio. He was what is often referred to as a "self-made" man. Due to family problems, he did not receive much formal primary or secondary education; rather he taught himself. At the age of 16 he passed his teacher's examination and left home. After working for a few years he entered North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and graduated as valedictorian in 1900. Upon graduation he entered into service with the United States Government as Inspector of Schools in the Philippine Islands, and worked there from 1901 to 1905. Behner worked, along with a man named B.N. Blakeslee, on the island of Banton teaching and acting as health director, although it is not clear what his capacities actually were. Behner also worked in both Japan and China, again teaching, before returning to the States to enter the Xenia Seminary (Xenia, Ohio). He was ordained in 1906 by the Presbyterian ministry, and presided at churches in Covington Ohio; New Paris, Ohio; Fargo North Dakota; St. Louis Missouri; Clarksburg West Virginia; Charleroi, Pennsylvania; Monroe Michigan, and Stockbridge Michigan. He retired from the Stockbridge church in 1956. He later moved to Florida, spending his last years at the Florida Presbyterian Home in Lakeland.
