Finding Aid Roundup: 2022 Year in Review

2022 saw growth across the board in ACU Special Collections and Archives, and new archival accessions and finding aids for these materials were no exception. We added 61 accessions to the collection and added or updated 99 PDF finding aids to our DigitalCommons@ACU repository. These new accessions contain material of almost every type and kind: from sermon manuscripts and teaching notes to correspondence, from photographs to magnetic audio reels, and from church records to university records.

61 accessions into University Archives and Center for Restoration Studies

These accessions include new acquisitions, accruals to existing collections, and maintaining records for existing record groups. The total materials accessioned this year totaled over 730 linear feet. 

Center for Restoration Studies new finding aids, 614 linear feet

  1. Pat Hardcastle Papers, 1945-1967, CRS MS#527
  2. Donas Jackson Haymes Papers, 1940s-2019, CRS MS#534
  3. Lawrence S. Steinmetz Papers, 1964-1998, CRS MS#538
  4. Omar Truman Burleson Papers, 1947-1979, CRS MS#548
  5. G. W. Nicholas Papers, 1943-1944, CRS MS#550
  6. Paul Felix Edwards Papers, 1935-1962, CRS MS#551
  7. Sheryl Taylor Curlee Papers, 1855-2022, CRS MS#552
  8. Highland Oaks Church of Christ (Dallas, TX) Records, 1855-2022, CRS MS#553
  9. Michael Robbins Weed Papers, 1970-2015, CRS MS#554
  10. Harold L. Scott, 1952-2017, CRS MS#555
  11. Charles Danny and Judith Lynne Snow Anders Papers, 1954-1985, CRS MS#557
  12. Howard Wayne and Jane Pearce Norton Papers, 1930-2022, CRS MS#558
  13. Billy Dale Dillon Papers, 1993-2020, CRS MS#559
  14. George Arthur Mester Papers, 1960s-1970s, CRS MS#560
  15. Irvington (Indianapolis, Indiana) Church of Christ Records, 1949-1953, CRS MS#561
  16. Stuart Craig Churchill Papers, 1994-2006, CRS MS#562
  17. Helen Morey Papers, 1981-1987, CRS MS#563
  18. Joe Wiley Akins and Shirley Gardner Akins Barber Papers, 1943-1948, CRS MS#564
  19. Stanley Lockhart Papers, 1977-2005, CRS MS#565
  20. J. F. Doggett Papers, 1940s, CRS MS#566
  21. Weldon Cannon Papers, 1952-2022, CRS MS#567
  22. Arthur Emmitt Burnett Papers, 1926-1954, CRS MS#568
  23. John and Catherine Pennisi Papers, 1974-2011, CRS MS#569
  24. Mildred DeSpain Stovall Carson Papers, 1926-1994, CRS MS#570
  25. Walter and Mary Nelle Kreidel Papers, 1965-1996, CRS MS#571
  26. Robert Dean Crutchfield Papers, 1964-1971, CRS MS#573
  27. Luther and Jean Marsh Papers, 1944-2001, CRS MS#574

Center for Restoration Studies revised finding aids, 551.35 linear feet

  1. Blue Ridge Encampment Papers, 1952-2002, CRS MS#38
  2. Central Church of Christ (Nashville, TN) Records, 1925-1969, CRS MS#39
  3. Robert S. Bell Papers, 1936-1988, CRS MS#40
  4. James Sterling Dunn Papers, 1892-1922, CRS MS#41
  5. James Burton Coffman Papers, 1901-1990, CRS MS#44
  6. Ira Young Rice Jr. Papers, 1943-1946, CRS MS#45
  7. Vernon A. and Ruthe Thompson Jackson Papers, 1955-2012, CRS MS#46
  8. Howard Patrick Horton Papers, 1947-2000, CRS MS#47
  9. A. M. Morris Papers, 1869-1977, CRS MS#48
  10. Luther Lamar Plunket Papers, 1960-2000, CRS MS#49
  11. Alfred Ellmore Papers, 1888-1915, CRS MS#56
  12. Slater Family Papers, 1928-2016, CRS MS#57
  13. Claud Francis Witty Papers, 1907-1948, CRS MS#58
  14. Robert McMillan Randolph Papers, 1930-2015, CRS MS#61
  15. Carl Herbert Stem Papers, 1967-1997, CRS MS#62
  16. Hillsboro Church of Christ (Hillsboro, TN) Records, 1957-2004, CRS MS#64
  17. Jack Welch Papers, 1896-1961, CRS MS#65
  18. Leroy Garrett Papers, 1947-2004, CRS MS#66
  19. John Franklin Wolfe Papers, 1939-2001, CRS MS#67
  20. Elmer and Bessie Lorene Chambers Patterson Papers, 1948-1984, CRS MS#68
  21. Kenney Carl Moser Papers, 1922-2000, CRS MS#69
  22. Horace Glen and Emma Dott Forsythe Coffman Papers, 1929-2001, CRS MS#70
  23. Edward Dean Clutter Papers, 1958-2001, CRS MS#71
  24. James Meadows, 1978-2002, CRS MS#72
  25. Reece Vernon Boyd Papers, 1894-2016, CRS MS#73
  26. Orlando Clayton Lambert Papers, 1918-1956, CRS MS#74
  27. Edward William Fudge Papers, 1969-2012, CRS MS#76
  28. Walter Ellis Burch, Jr. Papers, 1956-2006, CRS MS#77
  29. Joe Mac Lynn Papers, 1980-2000s, CRS MS#79
  30. George Stuart Benson Papers, 1955-1983, CRS MS#81
  31. James David Bales Papers, 1938-1991, CRS MS#82
  32. John Ridley Stroop Papers, 1859-2002, CRS MS#83
  33. Robert Henry Boll Papers, 1948-2012, CRS MS#84
  34. Joseph C. Malone Papers, 1925-1999, CRS MS#87
  35. John Lee Norris, 1927-1952, CRS MS#88
  36. Minter Lane Church of Christ Records, 1951-2004, CRS MS#89
  37. Jacob Vincent Papers, 1959-1995, CRS MS#90
  38. Global Campaigns (Abilene, TX) Records, 1981-1994, CRS MS#91
  39. Lester Clois Fowler Papers, 1920-2003, CRS MS#92
  40. Douglas LeCroy Papers, 1908-1993 CRS MS#95
  41. Restoration Forum Records, 1987-2007, CRS MS#97
  42. Rochester College Tape Collection, 1977-1985, CRS MS#99
  43. Ralph Clair Yadon Papers, 1920-1950, CRS MS#102
  44. Francis M. Churchill Papers, 1977-1992, CRS MS#103
  45. Harvie Mac Pruitt Papers, 1918-1967, CRS MS#104
  46. Leonard Ginther Wymore Papers, 1909-2010, CRS MS#108
  47. Robert Woodward Papers, 1980-2008, CRS MS#151
  48. Otis Gatewood Papers, 1910-1999, CRS MS#164
  49. Thomas Alexander Langford Papers, 1950-2011, CRS MS#189
  50. Paul Marlin Tucker Papers, 1940s-2000s, CRS MS#192
  51. John N. Clayton Papers, 1977-1990, CRS MS#208 
  52. James R. Fife, 1957-1983, CRS MS#241
  53. James T. Barclay Papers, 1807-1876, CRS MS#292
  54. Ernest Leo Stumbo Papers, circa 1940s-1970s, CRS MS#300
  55. Albert George Lemmons Papers, 1855-2014, CRS MS#301
  56. Epifanius Stephan Bilak Papers, 1974-1991, CRS MS#302
  57. Cooper’s Chapel Church of Christ Collection, 1950-1980, CRS MS#303
  58. Robert Carl Spain Papers, 1920s-1990, CRS MS#306
  59. Hezekiah Rastus “H. R.” Stringer Papers, 1918-2010, CRS MS#307
  60. National Conference on Youth Ministries Collection, 2012-2013, CRS MS#308
  61. Clifton Leslie Rogers Papers, 1941-1990, CRS MS#309
  62. Richard Barr Collection, 1975-2005, CRS MS#310
  63. Larry M. James Papers, 1975-2001, CRS MS#312
  64. Carladean Thompson Papers, 1955-2013, CRS MS#313
  65. Brush Run Church Collection, 1811-1950, CRS MS#314
  66. Jerry Wood Hill Papers, 1959-2014, CRS MS#319
  67. Bill D. Hoffman Collection, 1926-1957, CRS MS#393
  68. John Wilkins Papers, 2000-2010, CRS MS#428
  69. Timothy W. Bench Papers, 2012-2022, CRS MS#440
  70. Joe Allen Wilson Papers, 1960-1981, CRS MS#510
  71. Artie Odell Collins Papers, circa 1970s-2000s, CRS MS#511
  72. Week of Compassion Records, 1996-2005, CRS MS#524

Stay tuned to see where 2023 takes us! As always, if you see something above that piques your interest or could be useful for your research please get in touch and let us know what you’re thinking about; we’d love to help!

What is a Deed of Gift?

The Dictionary Working Group of the Society of American Archivists keeps me abreast of archival vocabulary through their email service.  The latest installment is a term–Deed of Gift— I use and define for our patrons and donors on a weekly basis.  Click here for more and to subscribe.

SAA has a very nice brochure explaining Deeds of Gift. This paragraph, I think, is especially useful:

Donors of historical materials are individuals or organizations that give materials to repositories, including historical societies, archives, or special collections libraries. Donated materials often include papers, records, and digital material documenting personal lives and family history or the history of organizations such as businesses, community associations, and religious groups. Repositories are administered by professional archivists, curators, or librarians, who assemble these materials, preserve them, and make them available for research. The relationship between you—as a donor—and a repository must be based on a common understanding of your wishes and the ability of the repository to carry out its mission and responsibilities. You should review the materials being offered for donation with the archivist or curator and discuss the repository’s policies and procedures for the care and use of donated materials. Most repositories have a collecting policy that informs their decisions about what they can accept. If both parties agree that the repository is an appropriate place for preservation of the materials, then both parties sign a deed of gift.

We use deeds of gift for all incoming archival collections.  Archival collections are by nature unique and unpublished.  They are often wholly the product of the donor’s creative work, though sometimes they will contain items that were published or widely disseminated.  But by and large they are privately created.  For this reason we execute deeds of gift which govern the transfer of custody and ownership of the physical objects along with accompanying intellectual property rights. We do not use deeds of gift for donations of published materials such as books or periodicals.

Here is the sample deed of gift I give to prospective donors: Deed of Gift_SAMPLE

My basic assumption is that we will only add archival collections that directly relate to our central collecting foci.  Part of building an excellent archive in a chosen area is locating and saying ‘yes’ to the right kinds of collections.  The corollary is saying ‘no’ to the wrong kinds of collections.  Preserving the right kinds of collections is our core mission.  So if I am talking with donors about deeds of gift, I am already talking about collections of materials that are candidates for permanent preservation.  So, executing a deed of gift facilitates our work in preserving them permanently.  When we say ‘yes’ we are in it for the long haul: significant investment of several kinds of resources, and we will only do that for collections which we own.  To do otherwise is poor stewardship of our resources.  As I describe this for our donors, I like to stress that this small bit of paperwork facilitates access: it governs us as we receive collections, holds us accountable to preserve them, and enables us to make these valuable materials available for scholarly research.

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!


Sabinal Christian College (Sabinal, TX) Records, 1905-1922, MS#358 [Revised Finding Aid] 
Sabinal Christian College was founded in 1907 one mile east of Sabinal, Texas, in Uvalde County by members of the Churches of Christ. The purpose of the school was to provide Bible teaching and religious training in addition to the usual literary curriculum. Courses included Bible, business administration, music, and speech, which were taught at primary, intermediate, high school, and college levels. The school reached a peak enrollment of 200 students and nine faculty members under the administration of Isaac E. Tackett (1909-1913). Other presidents of the school included G. H. P. Showalter, W. A. Schultz, J. Paul Slayden, and J. O. Garrett. The college received inadequate financial resources due to World War I, depression in the cotton market, and a drought that caused crop failures. The school closed on May 15, 1917. This collection includes correspondence, legal, and financial information about the history of Sabinal Christian College (Sabinal, TX).

Phil Boone Collection, 2010-2012, MS#408 [Revised Finding Aid]
Phil Boone graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1983 and served in various capacities at the university including as vice president of advancement and currently as a senior advisor and executive fundraiser for the ACU Advancement team. This collection contains photos from events Phil Boone was associated with at Abilene Christian University.

John Wright Papers, 1844-1847, MS#420 [Revised Finding Aid]
John Wright was an elder and minister of the Restoration Movement, commonly accredited leadership of the movement in Indiana. He was born on December 12th, 1785 and died on May 2nd, 1851. He married his first wife, Peggy Wolfescale, in 1803. She died in 1805 following the birth of their daughter. He later married Nancy Peeler who died August 29, 1844. This collection includes the personal diary of Wright and a personal letter sent to Wright by Nathan Field, and a 4th Edition of The Orthodox Preacher.

Sermon Charts Collection, circa 1930-1940, MS#434 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection consists of three notebooks and twelve cloth sermon charts which are housed in one box.

Family Encampment at Red River Records, 1974-2015, MS#523 [New Finding Aid]
The Red River Family Encampment began in Red River, New Mexico in the summer of 1987 as the vision of Harold and Sally Paden. The Elders of the Southwest Church of Christ in Amarillo, Texas, assisted with the first summer of programming and Jerry C. Lawlis became the first executive director along with Paul Methvin.


Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!