Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on August 20, 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!

James Marion, Jr. and Kathryn Adelaide Kerby Tolle Collection, 1559-1952, MS#448 [Revised Finding Aid]
James Marion Tolle, Jr. was born in Amarillo, Texas on October 22, 1915. Kathryn Adelaide Kerby was born in 1924 and the couple married on July 6, 1959. James attended Lipscomb College and the University of Tampa, Florida. He also did graduate work at George Peabody College and Los Angeles State. He preached throughout Tennessee, Florida, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. James died on June 22, 2005 and Kathryn died January 22, 2013. This collection includes correspondence, photographs, and manuscripts collected by the Tolles. Some of the materials have original autographs.

Charles Camille Saint-Saëns, autograph music manuscript, James Marion, Jr. and Kathryn Adelaide Kerby Tolle Collection, 1559-1952. Center for Restoration Studies MS #448. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Morris Dupree Norman Papers, 1948-2012, MS#461 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection includes Morris Dupree Norman’s files for preaching and teaching, including annotated research, typewritten and handwritten sermons, teaching notes, and church bulletins.

11th and Willis Church of Christ Collection, 1986-1991, MS#472 [Revised Finding Aid]
The South 11th and Willis Church of Christ is located in Abilene, Texas. These records include cassette tapes of sermons and one DVD. Many of the tapes are of V. E. Howard as broadcast on the International Gospel Hour

Alice Carlson Papers, 1946-1989, MS#489 [Revised Finding Aid]
The Alice Carlson Papers contain 1 box of materials from Carlson’s ministry as a Sunday School teacher. Carlson’s lesson plans, study notes, and other church-related material are arranged in the order in which they were received.

“Year Six – Spring, Bible Reading Guide April – June, Prophets, Psalms,” Box 1, Alice Carlson Papers, 1946-1989. Center for Restoration Studies MS #489. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Everett Oscar Coffman Papers, 1928-1934, MS#514 [New Finding Aid]
Everett Oscar Coffman (1882-1973) was born in Tennessee and eventually attended Abilene Christian College. He was a preacher in the Church of Christ and worked in the Lawrence County, Tennessee school system. These papers include one loose-leaf notebook of typed sermon outlines.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!

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

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Mac Ice

In July our colleagues in Technical Services and Cataloging added over 130 items to the Center for Restoration Studies collections and 25 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. Several of the entries this month are of tracts and pamphlets and several more are for 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 over 1000 tracts already foldered and cataloged, with another 2000 or so foldered and ready for 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. We already have a student worker working in advance sorting the backlogged boxes. When the catalogers are ready, we will be ready as well. I hope that 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.

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

Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Amanda Dietz

Charles H. Marler Papers, 1825-2013, MS#123 [Revised Finding Aid]
Dr. Charlie Marler is professor emeritus of journalism and mass communication who taught full-time at ACU from 1955-2003, one of the longest tenures for a faculty member in his alma mater’s history. (Biographical note from ACU Today website: acu.today/author/marlerc/) The Charles H. Marler Papers include 11 boxes of materials documenting his work as a journalist, professor, and church member. The papers include his extensive research files on Frank Grimes and Alexander Campbell, among others. Dr. Marler’s involvement in University Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, and West Islip in New York are also represented in these papers. Finally, there are teaching materials and campus involvement documents from events such as the Abilene Christian University Centennial included in Dr. Marler’s papers.

University Church of Christ Directory, Box 5, Charles H. Marler Papers,
1825-2013. Center for Restoration Studies MS #123. Abilene Christian University Special
Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Ancel Edward Nunn Collection, 2002, MS#406 [Revised Finding Aid]
Ancel Edward Nunn was born in 1928. He lived in Abilene where he graduated from high school in 1946 before joining the U. S. Army. He was a skilled artist who studied at an early age under artists such as Alexander Hogue and Dong Kingman. He was known for using egg tempera and acrylic in his work. He lived throughout Texas and his work is held in many public and private collections. He died in 1999. This collection includes a leather-bound collection of Ancel Edward Nunn’s lithographs.

Edwin Randall “Randy” Becton Papers, 1970-2012, MS#458 [Revised Finding Aid]
Edwin Randall “Randy” Becton (1944-2015) served in Churches of Christ and various ministries throughout the United States. This collection consists of articles, notes, speeches, publications, and correspondence related to Highland Church of Christ, Herald of Truth, Abilene Christian University, Pepperdine University, Care Ministry, and Cancer Ministry.

“To the Praise of His Glory,” Box 6, Edwin Randall “Randy”
Becton Papers, 1970-2012. Center for Restoration Studies MS #458. Abilene Christian
University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University,
Abilene, TX.

Fifth and Grape Church of Christ (Abilene, TX) Records, 2006-2015, MS#493 [New Finding Aid]
The Fifth and Grape Church of Christ is located in Abilene, Texas. These records include three boxes of audio and visual materials from the congregation.

William Wesley Grasham Papers, 1955-2016, MS#515 [New Finding Aid]

These papers include William Wesley Grasham’s research and topical files, image slides, and some multimedia and print materials.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!