Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Amanda Dietz

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!

John Henry Austin Varner Papers, 1939-1985, MS#447 [Revised Finding Aid]
John Henry Austin Varner was born on March 7, 1913 in Texas. In 1939 he graduated from Abilene Christian College. He married Inaleen Williams and the couple had two sons. Varner preached in Churches of Christ for thirty years. He died April 19, 1988 in San Marcos, Texas. These papers include type-written radio sermons, Bible class lesson notes, newspaper clippings, and church bulletins.

Ghana Bible College Collection, 1967-2013, MS#460 [Revised Finding Aid]
Ghana Bible College was founded in 1962 and was begun by missionaries from Cedars Church of Christ, Delaware. Fred Aarae, who donated these materials, is an Abilene Christian University alumnus and Director of Village of Hope in Ghana. This collection includes copies of newsletters and correspondence from missionaries and ministers in Ghana.

The Gospel for Ghana newsletter, Ghana Bible College Collection, 1967-2013. Center for Restoration Studies MS #460. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Eddie Leon Sharp, Sr. Papers, 1949-1997, MS#470 [Revised Finding Aid]
Eddie Leon Sharp Sr., also known as Leon Sharp, was a Church of Christ minister for about 45 years primarily in Texas but also in New Mexico and Oklahoma. He was born in 1928 and died in 2017. He was married to his wife, Billie, in 1950 until her death in 2016. They had three sons, Eddie, Mark, and Bryan. His son, Eddie also became a Church of Christ minister. Leon preached at Churches of Christ across Texas, including in Bronte, Sheffield, Meadow, El Passo, Denison, and Canton, along with other churches in neighboring states. This is a collection of framed photographs and diplomas, sermon notes, and church bulletins. The collection is arranged chronologically within series. Boxes 1 and 2 are arranged from 1955-1995. Box 3 and 4 are arranged by content and date.

Lloyd Theodore “Ted” Poe Papers, 2005-2018, MS#483 [Revised Finding Aid]
Ted Poe was born in Temple, TX on September 10, 1948. Poe obtained his B.A. from Abilene Christian University in 1970 and his J.D. from the University of Houston in 1973. Poe served in the United States Air Force Reserves from 1970-1976. Poe served as district attorney for Harris County, Houston, TX from 1973-1981 and as district judge in Harris county from 1981-2003. Poe was elected to the United States House of Representatives for the 109th Congress in 2005 and served as Texas Representative (Republican) from January 3, 2005-January 3, 2019. This collection contains floor speeches by Congressman Ted Poe delivered to the United States House of Representatives during the years 2005-2018.

“Recognizing Over 200 Years of Sovereignty of the Principality of Liechtenstein,” Lloyd Theodore ‘Ted’ Poe Papers, 2005-2018. Center for Restoration Studies MS #483. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Flaleah Byrd Cotter Papers, 1953-2002, MS#513 [New Finding Aid]
These papers include six folders of personal papers, a cassette tape, and an antique pitch pipe.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!

New exhibit: A Century of Great Songs: E. L. Jorgenson’s Remarkable Hymnal

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Mac Ice

Our newest exhibit, A Century of Great Songs: E. L. Jorgenson’s Remarkable Hymnal, has been installed and is ready for viewing in our main display area. It features one of the most enduring hymnals of the Restoration Movement. E. L. Jorgenson’s Great Songs of the Church was a decade in the making and it remained in print for over seventy years. This exhibit celebrates the centennial of the 1921 publication of this landmark hymnal through displays of each edition of the hymnal, background information, ephemera, and photographs plus links to several additional sources and media.

Installed and ready for viewing in our main display area is a new exhibit featuring one of the most enduring hymnals of the Restoration Movement. E. L. Jorgenson’s Great Songs of the Church was a decade in the making and it endured in print for over seventy years. This exhibit celebrates the centennial of the 1921 publication of this landmark hymnal through displays of each edition of the hymnal, background information, ephemera, and photographs plus links to several additional sources and media.

Great Songs of the Church. A Comprehensive Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of First Rank, Suitable for all Services of the Church. Alphabetically Arranged. E. L. Jorgenson, Compiler. First edition. Word and Work: Louisville, 1921. Green cover with round notes.

On the Shelf: New items added to Center for Restoration Studies collections, August 2021

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Mac Ice

In August our colleagues in Technical Services and Cataloging added over 440 items to the ACU Authors and Center for Restoration Studies collections including 69 new items to the Taylor Hymnal Collection. Some of the additions are newly published, others are new-to-us, and still others represent a second copy or a new-to-us edition or printing. Many of the entries this month are of tracts and pamphlets with a few more periodical titles for which we have unbound issues. The work on unbound periodical issues continues (some titles have just a few issues, others several boxes worth) and the resumption of work on tracts is a great boon. We have just at 4000 tracts already foldered and several boxes in the queue once cataloging of all 4000 is complete. As of September 1 about 2300 are fully cataloged and another 200-300 are currently in various stages of cataloging. When this is complete we will tackle the backlog of tracts and booklets…several boxes worth. I anticipate very few of these will be held by any other institution, so the original cataloging will see an uptick in coming months. Sorting the backlogged boxes is almost complete so when the catalogers are ready, we will be ready as well. I expect future installments of this monthly post will include many more tracts, pamphlets and booklets. While these are too slim or small to stand on a shelf, they are a significant witness to Restoration thought.

Abilene Christian College. Prickly Pear, Yearbook of Abilene Christian College, 1952, yearbook, 1952; Abilene, Texas. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.

Our goal is to build a comprehensive research-level collection of print materials by, for, and about the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. But beyond assembly and preservation, a collection should be discoverable by those who need the information. Collecting and preserving is only part of our task; those objects must be described and made available. Thanks to the close and careful work of our colleagues upstairs, who describe our holdings, these materials are now discoverable. By discoverable I mean a patron can utilize our online catalog (such as by searching by author, or title, or subject) to find these materials.

440 new items…cataloged, shelved, and ready for research: Continue reading →