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Correspondence and other materials concerning life in Germany and Civil War service; and record book, 1868-1877, listing German settlers in the Dieckerill section of Niles brought to the United States by Brethschneider. Three letters written in July 1861 and one in November 1861 are chiefly love letters to his wife. But he also speculates on possible offensives and the end of the war; then writes of the casualties after the battles,saying: "It is sad to see thousands slaughtered through the ignorance of their leaders, but the Americans have to learn and pay for it. All our fancy officers here are sick or not worth the powder it would take to shoot them." However, he expresses a very high opinion of himself and his worth as an officer. The letters are written in German, and the collection contains the originals and translations, as well as his commission, dated April 25, 1861 and application for invalid corps dated June 23, 1863. The collection also includes a letter from Colonel Francis Quinn of the12th Michigan Infantry (May 2, 1862) and affidavits of James Vandemark and Robert Hardy, also of the 12th Infantry (June 4, 1862) relating to the Battle of Shiloh

Papers,1918-1961,of Theodore R. Schmale, pastor of Bethlehem Evangelical Church [now Bethlehem United Church of Christ]; includes manuscripts of sermons (partially in German); and autobiography,1895,of father-in-law, Johann H. Dinkmeier, describing life in Germany, his immigration to the United States, and his experiences as a teacher and Evangelical pastor. [original and typescript of translation]

The Papers of Theodore R. Schmale consist primarily of his manuscript sermons, most of them dating from 1929 to 1961. These sermons are arranged in three separate sections: chronologically, by topic, and by scripture reference. In addition, the collection contains a small quantity of biographical material on Theodore Schmale, an 1895 autobiography of Schmale's father-in-law, Johann Heinrich Dinkmeier, and an English translation from the autobiography's original German. Dinkmeier's autobiography describes life in Germany, his immigration to the United States, and his experiences as a teacher and Evangelical pastor.