Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on November 17, 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!

Wendel Lavern Moore Papers, 1951-1986, MS#444 [Revised Finding Aid]
These papers include cloth sermon charts, materials related to creating cloth sermon charts, magnetic audio reels, hymnals, film strip series, and photographs.

Gailyn Van Rheenen Papers, 1972-2016, MS#455 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection includes newsletters, notes, correspondence, and photographs related to Van Rheenen’s mission efforts in East Africa. There are also African wood carvings, paintings, and spears.

Gailyn Van Rheenen

Robert D., Sr. and Lula Arrington Smith Papers, 1898-1993, MS#466 [Revised Finding Aid]
Robert D. Smith, Sr. preached in Churches of Christ in Texas for over fifty years. He was the brother of George Dallas Smith and uncle of Lawrence Leon Smith, Sr. This collection includes genealogical information, correspondence between Robert D. Smith, Sr., Lula Arrington Smith, and their family members. There are sermons, lessons, ledger books, and poetry authored by Smith. Additionally, there are many photographs, mainly of family members.

Carol Gafford Papers, 1974, MS#479 [Revised Finding Aid]
The Carol Gafford Papers include a paper by Bobbie Lee Holly called “God’s Design- Women’s Dignity” which was given at the Women in Christ Today Conference. Carol Gafford wrote the second response to “God’s Design- Women’s Dignity” which is also included in these papers.

Joe Allen Wilson Papers, 1960-1981, MS#510 [New Finding Aid]
Joe Allen Wilson (1923-2007) preached in various congregations for 65 years. These papers include seven folders of sermon notes, research materials, and print materials from Joe Wilson and various Churches of Christ.

Typed notes, Joe Allen Wilson Papers, 1960-1981. Center for Restoration Studies MS #510. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!

Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Amanda Dietz

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!

Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Amanda Dietz

George Dallas Smith Papers, 1895-1921, MS#28 [Revised Finding Aid]
George Dallas Smith was born 17 March 1870 in Union City, Tennessee. He attended Dickson Normal College and Georgie Robertson Christian College, both in Tennessee. In 1896 he began preaching throughout the southern United States. In addition to traveling speaking engagements, he also worked with churches in Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He authored multiple books and pamphlets which emphasized the importance of Bible study, among other things. He passed away on 7 November 1920 in Cleburne, Texas following a very brief illness. This collection includes sermons written by George Dallas Smith and by John Thomas Smith. It also includes articles for Christian journals written by George Dallas Smith.

Sermon sheet, George Dallas Smith Papers, CRS MS#28. Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University.

Morris Solon May Papers, 1956-1995, MS#429 [Revised Finding Aid]
Morris Solon May was born July 10, 1926 in Winfield, Alabama. He served in the Navy during World War II as a typist in the Pacific. He married Helen “Maxine” Ehl on April 5, 1947. The couple had four children. He preached at the Church of Christ in Yakima, Washington for many years and also worked as a millwright in Richland, Washington. He retired in College Station, Texas, and died February 25, 2016. This collection contains a large set of sermon outlines, along with notes, lessons, correspondence, church bulletins, printed charts and articles, and several sermon manuscripts.

Ray and Nancy Hansen Papers, 1943-1944, MS469 [Revised Finding Aid]
Nancy Hansen was born April 7, 1931 in Grand Saline, Texas. She attended Abilene Christian University and majored in Home Economics. Ray and Nancy Hansen were married January 23, 1954. Ray worked for Exxon Oil and the two lived in many places throughout his career and had three children: Kathy, Tim, and Ted. Nancy passed away November 28, 2016. This collection contains World War 2 ration books belonging to Nancy Hansen and her family members. There are six books inside a green book cover.

Commerce Church of Christ (Commerce, TX) Records, 1963-2011, MS496 [Revised Finding Aid]
This record group includes one box of Commerce Church of Christ history and bulletins. Commerce Church of Christ is located in Commerce, Texas.

“Some Days and Years in the Life of the Church of Christ at Commerce, Texas–An Unfinished Notebook,” Box 1, Folder 1. Commerce Church of Christ Records (Commerce, TX), MS #496. Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University.

David Henry Bobo Papers, 1960s, MS519 [New Finding Aid]
David Henry Bobo was born in 1910 in Alabama. He attended David Lipscomb College from 1929-1933. He then worked with Churches of Christ throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Indiana. He married Madolin Davis (1915-1985) and the two had a daughter in 1938. He began working with the Fountain Square Church of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1950 where he served until his death in 1985. This collection consists of two boxes of magnetic tape reels of sermons at Fountain Square Church of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana, from the 1960s. Bobo is likely the speaker on most if not all of the reels. Some reels retain the handwritten labels with sermon titles and dates.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!