The Bishop William Burt Collection is an excellent documentary on the life and work of a pioneer minister within the Methodist Episcopal Church. In this collection we see the pathos and commitment Burt and his family brought to the work of the church, especially in Europe. These records illuminate his varying roles as clergyperson, presiding elder, bishop, and family member. Well liked by most, Burt was an influential person within the denomination throughout his career.

Records from his wife, Helen, and daughter Edith are located here, as well. The collection shows the historical and sociological involvement Burt had with the life, events, and politics of Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world. This involvement covered society from its lowest common denominator all the way through and including the very top of the social ladder. Burt was a world traveler and the collection sheds light on Methodist Episcopal work around the globe. This is especially true in the correspondence, diaries, and photograph series. Besides reflecting Burt's ministry in Europe, there are significant records concerning his work in the United States. Other notable personalities are also included

Early missionaries to Europe, especially to Russia, have primary documents located here as well. Many of Italy's leading Methodists such as the Taglialatela family have both published and handwritten materials within the collection. Records by other bishops such as Vincent and Bast are interspersed throughout the first section. Another area which is documented is Burt's commitment to the ongoing work of the Jerusalem Home which was started by Bishop J. P. Newman. There is a sizeable amount of records pertaining to the Crandon Institute in Rome, as well.

This collection contains a photocopy of a manuscript entitled I Always Wore My Topi- The Burma Letters of Ethel Mabuce, 1916-1921. It was edited by Lucille Griffith in 1972 from letters written by Ethel Mabuce and entered for consideration of the Jesse Lee Prize. This manuscript recounts Mabuce's experiences as a missionary to Burma. It is 704 pages in length and was published by the University of Alabama Press in 1974.

This collection contains mostly administrative records from Williams' work in missions administration. Included are Williams' reports on his trips overseas; personnel application procedures and personnel development procedures; papers and reports by other authors on missiology and missions theory; a history of the Joint Committee on Missionary Personnel: clippings, books, pamphlets, and reports on several geographic regions, especially China.

The collection contains mostly letters, some publications, artifacts, photographs, and personal documents (1903-1913). The letters cover all phases of their lives in Rangoon and are addressed primarily to " the folks at home," which makes them both personal and informative. There is some later correspondence dated 1951 to 1964 between Graves and persons he knew in Burma. The collection contains original letters as well as photocopies.