Finding Aid Round Up

We’ve been busy writing finding aids for recent acquisitions and revising finding aids for sets of papers already in our holdings. You can browse all of our collections on DigitalCommons. See something below that piques your interest or could be useful for your research? Get in touch and let us know what you’re thinking about; we’d love to help!


Edwin Harold “Ed” Enzor, Jr. Papers, 1950-2015, MS#443 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection includes materials created by Edwin Harold “Ed” Enzor, Jr. including documents, tapes, negatives, and binders.

James Orville Wilburn Papers, 1927-1970, MS#451 [Revised Finding Aid] 
James Orville Wilburn was born March 9, 1905 in Grove County, Kansas. He passed away on September 7, 1970 in Lubbock, Texas. He was a preacher in the Church of Christ and participated in multiple debates, including with Russellites and Jehovah’s Witnesses. He married Frances Mae on September 1, 1930. The couple worked in ministry throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, California, and Kansas. These papers include a set of sermon notes, clippings, study notes and ephemera collected by James Orville Wilburn over the course of his ministerial career.

From the James Orville Wilburn Papers, 1927-1970. Center for Restoration Studies MS#451.

Noble Festus Patterson, Jr. Papers, 1938-2013, MS#465 [Revised Finding Aid]
Noble Festus Paterson, Jr. was the editor of the Christian Journal. Terry J. Gardner and Patterson edited Foy E. Wallace, Jr.: Soldier of the Cross. This collection includes Patterson’s correspondence, topical files, church materials (e.g., bulletins, directories, etc.), sermons, photographs, 35mm slides, and cassettes. Notably, the first box includes correspondence about Foy E. Wallace, Jr. following his death, and correspondence and photos concerning Patterson’s edited work on Wallace: Foy E. Wallace, Jr.: Soldier of the Cross.

Ewell Prather Papers, 1767-1978, MS#478 [Revised Finding Aid]
Ewell Prather served as Director of Security at Abilene Christian University. The Ewell Prather Papers includes Prather family genealogical and historical information.

Hermitage Church of Christ (Nashville, TN) Records, 1967-2017, MS#499 [New Finding Aid]
Hermitage Church of Christ (Nashville, TN) was established in 1967 (formerly known as Berryville Church of Christ) and closed in 2018 (renamed New Garden Church). Two cubic foot boxes of directories, ministry information, correspondence, financial statements, audio materials on cassette, and photographs and audio materials on CDs and DVDs.

From the Hermitage Church of Christ (Nashville, TN) Records, 1967-2017. Center for Restoration Studies MS#499.


Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!

Foldered & Finished: Thomas Wesley Rogers Papers

The Thomas Wesley Rogers Papers (1962-1985) are processed and ready for researchers. The finding aid for the papers and digitized selections are now available on DigitalCommons@ACU.

The Korean Reporter newsletter December 1965, Box 1, File #2, Thomas Wesley Rogers Papers, 1962-1985. Center for Restoration Studies MS #271. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Thomas Wesley Rogers was born on September 30, 1900, in Fayetteville, Tennessee. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Birmingham–Southern College (Birmingham, Alabama) in 1927, a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) in 1928, and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois) in 1948. Rogers served as a professor and taught business and economics at Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa) from 1928-1929, Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana) from 1929-1941, and as a visiting professor at David Lipscomb College (Nashville, Tennessee), and the University of Texas (Austin, Texas). He also worked as an economist for the American Finance Corporation (1938-1964). Rogers served as an elder and as the Chair of the Missions Committee at the Otter Creek Church of Christ (Nashville, Tennessee).

The Korean Reporter July-August 1966 newsletter, Box 1, File #3, Thomas Wesley Rogers Papers, 1962-1985. Center for Restoration Studies MS #271. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

This collection includes correspondence with missionaries, mission reports (e.g., The Korean Reporter), and financial records concerning Churches of Christ mission work in Korea, and Korea Christian College (1962-1971). These materials were arranged and annotated by Thomas Wesley Rogers while serving as the Chair of the Missions Committee at Otter Creek Church of Christ (Nashville, Tennessee). Additionally, there are bulletins from the Otter Creek Church of Christ (1970; 1980-1985).


Additional resources from ACU Special Collections and Archives on Korea: