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!

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!


Sidney Vaughn Papers, 1978-1995, MS#441 [Revised Finding Aid]
Sidney Vaughn attended the Kerrville Bible Training Work and is an active artist. These papers document his involvement with the Namikango Mission in Malawi. These papers include 35mm slides from the Namikango Mission in Malawi.

Barton Warren Stone Papers, 1833, MS#449 [Revised Finding Aid]
These papers include one handwritten sermon by Barton Warren Stone.

Steve Holt, Sr. Papers, 1973-2018, MS#462 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection includes Steve Holt, Sr.’s files and materials for marriage and family counseling, and files concerning drama ministry and urban ministry.

Steve Holt, Sr. Papers, 1973-2018. Center for Restoration Studies MS #462. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Gary Joe Sorrells Papers, 1965-2017, MS#473 [Revised Finding Aid]
Gary Sorrells currently serves as Director Emeritus and as a member of the Board of Trustees for Great Cities Missions. These papers include correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and audio/visual materials documenting the life and work of Gary Joe Sorrells.

Gary Joe Sorrells Papers, 1965-2017. Center for Restoration Studies MS #473. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Churches of Christ Audio Collection, 1955-2007, MS#497 [New Finding Aid]
This accession combines three previous accessions into a single collection. R 2007.843; R 2009.191; and R 2010.098 (each containing one cu ft box) combined into a single collection. None of the accessions had any contextual information accompanying the recordings, nor provenance, nor unifying collector or entity responsible for them. It is likely that they comprise accumulated single item donations. Further, it is also likely that since they did not fit neatly into the recording activity of Jack Burford, that they did not properly belong with that collection. Box 1 (2007.843) contains 7 inch audio reels and one 5 inch reel; some are labeled and some are blank or unmarked. Names include: Randy Becton, Bill Banowski, Juan Monroy, Stanley Shipp, John Allen Chalk, Glenn Owens, Ken Mick and Bob Scott. Box 2 (2009.191) contains sermon and lecture tapes, many from Lubbock Christian University events, some pertaining to youth ministry. Box 3 (2010.098) contains unmarked cassette tapes, nine 5 inch audio reels, five reels in tin cases titled “Tales from the Great Book.”


Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!

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!


Carr Family Bible, MS#422 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection includes one Bible from the Carr family. The cover and beginning pages of the Bible are missing and it begins in Genesis 18.

Burl Edward “B. E.” Davis Papers, 1936-1989, MS#450 [Revised Finding Aid]
Burl Edward “B. E.” Davis was a professor of Communication at Abilene Christian University from 1969. Burl Edward Davis married Frances Dawn Bartlett Davis on February 22, 1952. The couple had four children, Kathy, Kay, Phyllis, and Mike. Burl Edward Davis passed away on May 21, 1998. This collection includes term papers, research reports, journal articles, surveys, correspondence, pamphlets, and presentations.

Paul William “Bill” Hosse Papers, 1949-2015, MS#463 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection includes Paul William “Bill” Hosse’s sermons, sermon charts, teaching materials, information related to his short-term mission trips in Russia and Eastern Europe, personal and academic papers, and cassettes.

Dale Victor Knowles II Papers, 1984-2008, MS#476 [Revised Finding Aid]
Dale Victor Knowles II is a preacher, editor, writer and publisher who was involved as a planner and promoter of the annual Restoration Forum meetings. These materials reflect his activity in that capacity; he created and collected these materials. These papers include materials relating to the Restoration Forum, held annually from 1984-2007. There is additional material reflecting on the history and impact of the Forums, which was assembled in 2007 or 2008. The materials were rehoused from boxes into acid-free folders, retaining the creator’s original order. Folders contain photographs, programs, ephemera, cassette or video recordings, CDs and clippings. Boxes 1-2 contain folders for each Forum. Boxes 3-4 contain video cassettes of Forum presentations.

Restoration Forum and Restoration Forum III — March and July 1985, Dale Victor Knowles II Papers, 1984-2008. Center for Restoration Studies MS #476. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

A. M. and John McCormick Papers, 1934-1973, MS#498 [New Finding Aid]
This collection likely pertains to the Non-Sunday School Churches of Christ. One file folder consisting of a letter from W. Carl Ketcherside to John [McCormick?] dated 12 August 1973; three photographs (two possibly of A. M. McCormick; one of Wesley Jones, Dewey Shaw and Arlin Miller); a broadside written by A. M. McCormick; and several bulletins from the Main Street Church of Christ, Lockney, Texas, ca. 1934.


Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!