The Jeremiah S. Fitterer Papers contain sermons, addresses, record books, clippings, and correspondence. The bulk of this collection is comprised of approximately 900 sermons which document the preaching career of Fitterer.

The remainder of the papers contains four addresses, two record books, clippings related to topics on which Fitterer preached, and a stewardship appeal. Sermons make up the largest part of this collection, and most are undated. Those with dates also usually contain references to the location where the sermon was preached. A few sermons are in German. Most of the sermons, written on small sheets of paper or note cards, have been grouped by books of the Bible. However, there are three small books of bound sermons and sermonettes.

In addition, there are nine small booklets of sermons on specific topics, including children, the church, Christians, the conference year, missions, tithing, revivals, the Sabbath, temperance, and education. One folder contains incomplete sermons and fragments. Fitterer used many illustrations and examples in his sermons. One folder contains a small book of illustrations. Another folder contains small pieces of paper with notations and inspirational references on them.

The collection contains an index to fifty of the sermons. This index contains a short title and a text reference. Four addresses are contained in this collection. The addresses are titled, "Decision Day," "Before the Liquor League of Ohio," "G.A.R. Memorial Service," and "Socialism." The G.A.R. address was presented at Bettsville, Ohio, in 1904. The address on socialism was given to the Mt. Cory Reunion in 1909. The other two addresses are undated.

Two record books are part of these papers. One is a 1892 pastoral record book which contains a text reference to the sermon preached on Sunday, notations on weather throughout the week, and lists of visitations. At the back of this book, there is a list of expenses. A second record book is an account book from 1892-1893. Dozens of clippings Fitterer accumulated on topics of importance to him are contained in this collection. Many were used in preparation of his sermons, and some were incorporated into them. These clippings are on a variety of topics including temperance, missions, tithing, and the religious aspects of dancing. The clippings are in the form of short articles, poems, and inspirational thoughts. They have been photocopied from the originals due to deterioration. Most have no reference to date or to the newspaper or periodical from which they were taken. The last item in this collection is an undated letter on the topic of stewardship. It is a handwritten form letter from the Board of Officials of the Evangelical Church to church members regarding financial contributions to the church.

This collection includes the sermons, teachings, addresses, writings, notebooks, and accounting records of United Brethren Bishop Cyrus J. Kephart. The bulk of the collection are his sermons, that while undated, may have come from during the period when he served as pastor in Iowa and Ohio, 1878-1913.. His teachings and addresses, due to the subjects and audiences being addressed, appear to have been written while serving as Bishop of the United Brethren Church's Southwestern District from 1913 to 1925. Other writings include his studies and possible drafts of his publications.

This collection of personal papers of Mildred Anne Paine includes 23 diaries and journals, photographic images, correspondence, clippings, and biographical miscellany, most of which concern her years of missionary work. The correspondence includes personal, business, and Dear Friends letters.

Most of the diaries contain additional related information tucked between the pages, including letters, poems, prayers and newspaper clippings. The completeness of entries varies from year to year, with the most detailed and personal information from 1957-1974. Some years are missing from this collection, particularly in the period of 1926-1943. The entries are generally written in reflection of the day at hand, noting activities both personal and missionary related, daily concerns and observations, and interactions with colleagues, staff, family, and friends.

This collection also contains genealogical information, including a hand-inscribed book of births, deaths, and marriages dating from 1830, created by Paine’s Aunt, Rena W. Goldsmith. Additionally, Paine kept a birthday book of friends and family dating from 1914.

There are eight audio cassettes of Bishop Arthur James Armstrong teaching Bible themed topics at an unidentified meeting or retreat in 1977.

The Mellony Turner papers primarily documents her life as a missionary in Bulgaria. There is a number of records on the American School for Girls in Lovetch, consisting of photographs, textbooks, yearbooks, and financial records. Turner's notebooks and lecture notes are included in the collection. It should be noted that there is a single folder containing information on closing the school. Turner kept diaries during her tenure in Bulgaria as well extensive correspondence. There are general images in both photograph and slide format ranging from the royal family of Bulgaria to her own family in the United States. Turner has a copy of a sermon by Bishop Burt; the bishop who had established the Bulgarian mission at the beginning of the twentieth century. Clippings and other types of publications reflect Bulgarian life and politics. There are eight lectures and a sermon written by Turner. Artifacts are personal in nature, reflecting the clothing and accessories of mid-twentieth century Bulgarian dress. There is a pot in the artifact series as well.

The other series within the collection reflects Turner's immediate family. The few records relating to her parents deal with their will and a folder of letters. Mellony's brother, Ewart Turner's three folders are related to his spying for the United States War Department during the World War II. Though he was ministering to a church in the United States during the war, Ewart was familiar with German communities in Europe and South America. The War Department had Turner collect information on Germans, in the U.S., who were thought to be a threat to national security during the war. This information is elucidated in a correspondence folder.

The work of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is documented through a variety of record types.

Minutes and reports reflect the official action of the agency when preparing for and dealing with various crises throughout the world. Through these documents we see the interconnectedness of UMCOR with the other general boards and agencies within the denomination in an attempt to fulfill the mandate to help others in the time of need. The series also shows UMCOR's humble beginnings and its subsequent maturity as a viable denominational entity.

Administrative records that document the general work of the agency can be found in the Office of the General Secretary series. Gaither Warfield, who was one of the primary forces of compassion ministries in the denomination during the mid-twentieth century, guided the agency from its nascent beginnings to an administrative powerhouse.

Warfield's records not only reflect his skill as an administrator, but also the heart of dedicated Christian whose compassion was translated into the basic philosophy that guided the decisions and direction that UMCOR became famous for in later years. Much of this guidance was based on his experience as both a missionary to Poland and subsequent imprisonment by both the Polish and Russian armies as a spy during World War II. The result of this experience produced a keen interest on Warfield's part, and the work of the staff, on the plight of refugees and their relief around the world. His correspondence, memos and other record types document ecumenical, denominational and personal involvement in the area of relief. Records of later general secretaries follow this same trend though the volume of material is much less than those records of Warfield's time. The Office of Refugee Resettlement Program series is the heart of the collection. It is in this area that the agency had its greatest impact.

This impact is reflected in the sheer size of materials in relation to the other series within the collection. Often this office had to work with ever-changing laws, programs and guidelines established by the United States Government and other governments around the world. A quick explanation of the laws that directly impact the work of the agency as documented in the collection would be helpful at this time. Record types that document the works of the office are card files, correspondence, application forms and photographs, reflect the value of their work.

Quota section - Immigration Act of May 26, 1924 limited the number of aliens of any nationality entering the United States to 3 percent of the foreign-born persons of that nationality who lived in the United States in 1910. Approximately 350,000 such aliens were permitted to enter each year as quota immigrants, mostly from Northern and Western Europe. This figure was changed in 1927 to 150,000 in relation to national origin as recorded in the 1920 census.

Immigration and Nationality Act of June 27, 1952 - A system of selected immigration by giving quota preferences to skilled aliens whose services were needed in the United States and were related to U.S. citizens or legal aliens.

Section 7 - relates to the citizenship of children of persons naturalized under certain laws.

Displacement Act (Displaced Persons Act) - President Truman introduced this act in 1948 to address the European refugee problem. Eventually 400,000 individuals immigrated to the United States under this act.

Refugee Relief Act - President Eisenhower pushed this act that allowed for 200,000 non quota visas for Europeans fleeing Hungary after the uprising. Later on the Refugee Escape Act in 1957 opened the door of any victims of communist controlled countries and their respective regimes. Primary nationalities that benefitted from this act were the Hungarians, Albanians, Koreans, Yugoslavs and Chinese.

Public Law 316 admitted aliens between the years of 1945 and 1954 which was amended in 1957 allowed entry of those individuals and their families who were fleeing persecution because of race, religion or politics but misrepresented their nationality, place of birth, identity, or residence because of fear due to persecution in their homelands.

The files of the Office of Refugee Resettlement Program is absent. A researcher may look at these files, but may not use any names, addresses, and other related information contained therein. The files can only be used for gathering statistical information. Please contact the General Commission on Archives and History for more information.

The Adoption Program files do not contain information on actual adoptions but illuminates both the roles and procedures that UMCOR used as a conduit in processing such requests from Methodist families to other church and governmental agencies. Information within these files includes the process on how to adopt an infant, monetary support of the work, general adoption information and program classifications for adoption. Records from the Office of the Treasurer are primarily reports and audits. Financial records historically tend to be secondary in documenting the history of an agency. That is not the case here. Over the course of time the agency spent less of a focus on actual physical work but financing the work of relief through other avenues. These records reflect this change and show what areas of relief were a priority depending on the need and specific time period. The Office of Public Relations records can be found exclusively in scrapbooks which contain pamphlets, clippings, brochures and other similar types of materials which illustrate how the agency publicized its needs and work to the denomination. The scrapbooks are oversized and some are in fragile condition.

This collection consists of three scrapbooks filled primarily with clippings from The Religious Telescope, a church newspaper of the United Brethren Church, and from assorted newspapers. These were compiled by C. I. B. Brane while he was active as the Washington correspondent for the magazine and the popular pastor of the Washington, D.C. United Brethren Church. The clippings are a rich resource for both religious and secular history in the latter years of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. In addition there are several letters and an address on the pioneers' history of the United Brethren Church written by Brane.