This just in: Congregational directories from Altus, Oklahoma

A donor sent us a box of directories from the Elm & Hudson and the Thomas Street Churches of Christ, both in Altus, Oklahoma.  A few are pictured here.  Congregational directories are valuable resources for genealogists and local historians and can serve much larger research projects.  Often they include historical information and sometimes information about the ministries of the congregation.  Usually the information they contain is unavailable elsewhere. We are always glad to see new directories come into the collection.

I have an old directory. How can I know if you need it? Great question. Chances are good we do not already have it.  But we’ll be glad to check.  The first thing you can do is  look up your congregation in this finding aid to determine if we have an existing file.  Our vertical files could contain a wide array of paper items.  There might be a few bulletins, or a historical sketch, or a photograph or flyer or other kind of ephemera in the file.  If your congregation is not listed in that finding aid, we do not have a file for it and therefore anything we receive will be a great new addition!  We are always getting new items in, like these directories from Altus, and would be delighted to hear from you about similar items.  Contact me at mac.ice@acu.edu or 325-2144 if I can assist further.

 

 

Be on the lookout: Arkansas Christian Herald

This week while processing a newly-acquired collection I found this issue of Arkansas Christian Herald.  It is the final issue, volume 30 number 5, from May 2010.  After checking our catalog, I realized we have very few issues of this paper.  It is tabloid size, on newsprint, and is well-executed. Regional newspapers such as these provide a wealth of information that is not available in detail elsewhere.  We need a complete run.

Will you please help us assemble a robust set of Arkansas Christian Herald for the benefit of students and researchers?  Let’s partner together to build a comprehensive research-level collection.  Contact me at mac.ice@acu.edu or 325-674-2144.

Arkansas Christian Herald, front page, May 2010

Be on the lookout: Henry Halley’s Bible Handbook – Update!

[Back in February 2020 I (Mac) blogged about Henry Halley’s little Bible handbook.  Since then we received a few copies and I have edited this post to reflect our current holdings.  If you have a copy you would like to donate, please contact me.  We need a nice full shelf of these handbooks.]

Our goal is to build a comprehensive research-level collection that can support a very wide array of research needs in Restoration history and thought.  To that end we aim for fullness in our collections.  And that means we are always on the lookout to fill gaps in the collection.  And that means we are always looking for partners who value this mission.  Many donors over many years built a fine collection.  As we look to further enrich it, we can only do so through the kindness and generosity of partners and who donate materials, ensuring their long-term preservation and availability for research.

One scholar from our past, Henry Halley, had a far-reaching impact on evangelical Bible students through the many editions of his simple Pocket Bible Hand Book.  Halley studied at College of the Bible in Lexington, Kentucky under John William McGarvey and Isaiah Boone Grubbs.  Upon graduation he began a career of preaching and teaching.  His Bible teaching often took the form of intensive seminars in which the Bible was read, studied, and memorized.  Halley’s first edition of his Bible Hand Book consisted of the notes, comments, and supporting material he used in these Bible readings.  Over time he adapted and expanded his work, always with an eye toward making the content of the English Bible more accessible to any who wished to study it.

Halley’s Bible Handbook, New Revised Edition, 1965

Biography of Henry Halley, from the dust jacket of Halley’s Bible Handbook, New Revised Edition, 1965

We have editions from:

1946 – 17th edition
1951
1954 – 19th edition
1955 – 20th and a Spanish language edition from 1955
1957 – 21st edition
1959 – 22nd edition
1962 – 23rd edition
1963 – 23rd edition
1965 – 24th edition
1969

By 1980 it reached its 24th edition (and that edition by 1980 reached its 38th printing).  The first edition was a 16-page booklet, and later editions filled out nearly 1000 pages.  This is an astounding publishing record, and we think our collection should more adequately represent the breadth of Halley’s work.  We especially seek early volumes, and the Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Italian, and Greek translations.

Description of Halley’s Bible Handbook, back cover of the New Revised Edition, 1965

Title Page, Halley’s Bible Handbook, New Revised Edition, 1965

Foreword, Halley’s Bible Handbook, New Revised Edition, 1965

Foreword, Halley’s Bible Handbook, New Revised Edition, 1965

Printing History, Halley’s Bible Handbook, New Revised Edition, 1965

Printing History, Halley’s Bible Handbook, New Revised Edition, 1965

Can you help fill in these gaps?  Do you have a copy of one of these many editions we lack, and would you send it to us for the benefit of students and researchers?  Let’s partner together to build a comprehensive research-level collection.  Contact Mac Ice at mac.ice@acu.edu or 325-674-2144.