Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1805-1815 (Creation)
Extent
20.025 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
Robert Richford Roberts (1778-1843) was born in Frederick County, Maryland on August 2, 1778. He migrated to Mercer County, Pennsylvania where he lived as a frontiersperson with his wife Elizabeth Oldham of York County, Pennsylvania. Roberts was admitted on trial in the Baltimore Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and ordained by Bishops Asbury and Coke in 1804 and 1806. After several appointments in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, he was elected a bishop in 1816. In 1819 Roberts moved to Indiana where he became known as "the log cabin" bishop. His episcopal journeys took him from Maine to Mississippi and to the Indian missions west of Arkansas. Roberts died in Indiana on March 26, 1843.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Bishop Roberts was a typical itinerant circuit rider for the Methodist Episcopal Church. The saddlebags were a common tool for such men. Methodist ministers literaly lived out of their saddlebags for large blocks of time. These bags reflect the wear and tear that accompanied their normal usage.
Also included in this collestion is Robert's pocket watch, Bible and rocking chair.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related material and topics can be found at : Depauw University, Greencastle, Indiana
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection.
To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved.
Specialized notes
- Citation: When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Bishop Robert Richford Roberts Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Recommendation: The saddle bags need periodic cleaning and reconditioning.
Archivist's note
The rocking chair needs complete restoration.
Archivist's note
The watch is missing the winding key.
Archivist's note
Prepared by Robert Drew Simpson, Assistant Archivist and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist