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The bulk of the collection consists of manuscripts including: 90 Years of Meaningful Living; Korea Missions; Reconstruction of Education in Korea; Christ and His Beacon; and Christ and His Torches in Korea. A diary and a journal on healthy living are also included. University Plans and materials on Chosen Christian College and a Conspiracy Trial are provided as well. There is a set of materials written in Hangul.

Reports in the collection include: Chosen Christian College Reports; Korean Reports; and Miscellaneous Reports.

Minutes consist of: Official Minutes of the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Korea Mission in May, 1903; Looking Backward Minutes of a Wonsun Beach Association Executive Committee Meeting in 1916; two Annual Meetings pertaining to Chosen Christian College in March, 1922 and May, 1922; and a meeting held by the Association of Methodist Missionaries.

Assorted Korean Publications, Korean Publication Fragments and clippings are available. Named publications include: The Korean Pacific Express: Periscope on Asia; Korean Student Quarterly; The Korea Mission Field; and The Korea Klipper. A Chinese/English Dictionary and a published manuscript, Michigan and Korea, are also included.

The bulk of correspondence consists of Official Letters. Other letters are addressed to dear friends and family members. Correspondence pertaining to the Pre-Cleveland Commission on the Far East in 1949 is included.

General Documents include: Miscellaneous records; photographs; and an Identification Pin.

This collection reflects the missionary work of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church in India. On one level it documents general missionary work from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid- twentieth century. Another level documents the lives and ministries of individuals who were part of this missionary enterprise from its conception. However, the predominate level that is documented is the ministry of the Badley family. The Badleys gave two generations to Methodist missions in India by dedicating themselves to preaching the Gospel to a people they came to admire and respect.

Correspondence between the Badley family and other individuals within this collection can be found in their respective series and subseries with some overlapping. Not all of the correspondence and/or subsequent record types found in this collection are directly related to the Badley family.

Women's records are located throughout this collection. In most cases they received subseries identification with the exception of photographs.

Part of this collection is in fragile condition.

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.

The collection comprises mostly Charles Warren Brewbaker's published works and other writings. The majority of the publications include articles from church-related periodicals. These articles discuss topics such as children’s Sunday School attendance, elderly participation in the church, preaching, and the church’s involvement in society. The unpublished works consist of book manuscripts, sermons, and Sunday School lessons. Given the ambiguous format of the sermons and Sunday School lessons, these often overlap in the collection. There are several miscellaneous items in the collection as well, including Brewbaker’s passport and several photographs.

Currently the collection's MUPWJ documentation comes solely from Howard Hallman's office. Both paper and digital born records illustrate how MUPWJ started out as a small, volunteer group of United Methodist clergy and laity to give voice against nuclear weapons and support the idea of mutual destruction deterrence. The records show how Hallman's drive to make a larger coalition amongst other religious bodies and then like-minded nonprofit, non-governmental organizations that share MUPWJ core values in order to create a more unified strong voice for justice and peace in the world.

The records show how far reaching MUPWJ and its coalition organizations cajoled, lobbied and confronted from lowest to the highest levels of government in order to halt nuclear testing, end nuclear deterrence policies and chemical weapons development and their usage. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Non-Proliferation Treaty ratifications make up a majority of the records going into and beyond the 21st century. There are also documents related to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons expansion in non-nuclear countries with India and Pakistan serving as case tests. Additionally, there are emails discussing the ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Further documents record how MUPWJ took an active role in trying to block any American military activity in Afghanistan and the Gulf region as it continued to escalate under various presidential administrations. Once war became inevitable, MUPWJ called for quick endings to all fighting with just resolutions. They augmented their antiwar stance in order to achieve a sustainable peace by lobbying the United States government and other first world powers through coalition building of like-minded groups by lobbying both in personal visits and writing government leaders.

By 2004, documents show there was a series of conferences, recommended publications, outreach programming to local church study groups and other venues to discuss the idea of a theologically just war concept in light of theological pacifism. As a result the subsequent discussions and advocation of peace were filtered through Albert Outler's intellectual Wesleyan Quadrilateral of four theological categories: Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience in order to create a deeper and more relevant theological construct to change or reject the idea of a just war. As typical of Hallman's leadership, the conversation ranged across a broad spectrum led by ideas from prominent scholars representing related disciplines and multi-denominational peace statements. Also documented is how in the late 1980s MUPWJ took up the cause to end the Reagan era Star Wars Strategic Defense Initiative as part of its larger anti-nuclear proliferation goal.

Peace Leaf, along with the shorter Peace/Justice Alert are the official MUPWJ publications. Letter and later email campaigns to Methodist Church leaders, domestic and foreign political officials and staffs, various forms of news outlets, local church programs, special events and a robust website enabled MUPWJ to further its mission.

There are complete manuscripts and supporting documents of Hallman’s personal writings and subsequent submissions to various agents or publishers.

Records in the Paul Washburn papers primarily reflect his professional life. Documents illustrate his pastoral philosophy even when administering denominational work on both a national and international scale. This is evident in the kinds of records such as sermons, Bible studies, episcopal messages and ecumenical discussions. Global interests are manifested with his work at the General Board of Global Ministries, General Board of Christian Unity which reflect contemporary views for the period reflected in related documents. As co-chair of the important United Methodist - Roman Catholic Dialogue, which came from his work with Christian Unity, is rooted in his Evangelical United Brethren Church roots of ecumenical understanding and cooperation. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the church came as Executive Secretary for the group responsible to administratively pull off the merger between the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches which is amply documented in the collection..

This collection deals with the elimination of the Central Jurisdiction, the all-black, non-geographic jurisdiction created by the Plan of Union in 1939. Many African-American Methodists protested in 1940 against the Plan of Union because it divided the jurisdiction on racial lines.

The collection consists of printed documents related to the elimination of the Central Jurisdiction including: Cincinnati Exploratory Meeting (May 26- 28, 1962); Report of the Central Jurisdiction Study and Research Committee; An Approach to the Central Jurisdiction Problem of the Methodist Church, Pre-Conference Reflections of the Jurisdictional Problem of the Methodist Church; Summary of Proposals Regarding the Central Jurisdiction; Program and Procedures for Abolishing the Central Jurisdiction; Proposed Solution to the Central Jurisdiction Problem; Proposals Suggested for Consideration by the Special Exploratory Conference of the Central Jurisdiction; The Problem of the Central Jurisdiction and the Methodist Church; Plan for Completing the Elimination of the Central Jurisdiction; Basic Premises and Responsibility of the Central Jurisdiction Study Committee; Central Jurisdiction Exploratory Meeting (March 26-28, 1962; Introductory Statement; Study document on Realignment of the Central Jurisdiction; Creative Pursuit of an Inclusive Church; Letters of transmittal (1964).

The Rose Thomason papers document her work as a church leader, educator and writer. Here the researcher will find evidence of her efforts on women’s issues as well as her personal struggles with career, illness, and relationships which can be found in her writings.

In the COSROW series there are a number of areas covered in a variety of genres which include: Equal Rights Movement, women’s liberation, inclusive language, women being fairly represented in the church, minutes, correspondence, legislation for General Conference, regional training events, etc. One item of provenance note is an oversized working notebook of COSROW related documents which are broken up into multiple file folders while the original order is maintained. The contents reveal and encapsulate the breath and scope of Rose’s work which include topics such as national issues, correspondence, supporting documents for publications, petitions to General Conference, dialogue with the Council of Bishops, regional work in the form of events notes, caucuses, as well as annual conference activism in the Florida Annual Conference on the themes of advocacy, language, monitoring agencies, etc.

The UMWC series one will find similar issues as those in the COSROW series in the forms of minutes, correspondence, the Caucus’ newsletter entitled “The Flyer” which deals with the issues such as ordination of homosexuals, Equal Rights Amendment, sex roles in the denomination to name just a few items. The documents reveal how the Caucus partnered with Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministry, General Commission on the Status and Role of Women and Pew Women brought great change in the way women were treated and perceived as persons and leaders. The caucus and Pew Women were the grass roots, boots on the ground part of the above-mentioned quadrilateral. Officers of the caucus, like Rose, also became leaders in the two general agencies.

The Study Commissions series have a number of standard record types that include news releases, minutes, reports and manuscript papers. If one area stands above all others in this series, it would be documents related to the Itineracy Study. These files are loaded with resources that range from articles to resource papers by various authors. This section is worth researching if you are looking for historical materials related to the questions of handling clergy couples, spouses with careers outside the church, hardships caused by the itineracy on families, etc.

In the Writing Series you will find a large collection of Thomason’s poems, speeches, manuscripts in both published formats or personal unpublished manuscripts. It should be noted that there are unfinished works as well. The fan letters’ folder contains a number of correspondences between Rose and her close friends, people inspired by her writings - especially "Shoring Up My Soul, A Year with Cancer", as she only has days and hours left to live. Robert, her husband, sent emails to a number of her friends and fans on a daily basis giving updates to Rose’s condition during her last moments. He also sent emails out announcing her death. The letters are testimonials to those who were personally touched by her life and work. The manuscripts of poems and stories illustrate her struggles with health, social issues and relationships. These documents show who Rose is and why she did the work deemed important to her on all levels of her life. A number of the poems and stories reflect filial relationships.

The Education series contains elements of Thomason’s life as a student along with her teaching career as a Reading Comprehension and English teacher on both a secondary and college. There is an oral history done by Mary Elizabeth Moore for the Program for Women in Theology and Ministry at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, which features both Rose Thomason and Nancy Grissom Self in dialogue about their shared experience and continued friendship on women’s fight against institutional sexism and racism during the last half of the twentieth century. Many of the essays in the Student and Professional Papers date from Thomason’s higher education.

The Family series primarily contains documents created by Thomason, her husband Robert and their children, Mark and Bryan.

The Roy Stinson Smyres Collection documents the life of a person and his family whose multifaceted ministerial career exemplifies a dedication to United Methodist Church work in the twentieth century. This dedication is well documented through a variety of record types within the collection. Smyres kept an ongoing journal (1914-1990) and date books (1913-1990) that reveal his intimate experiences as a missionary, minister, and family member. The journals from his missionary days discuss the ongoing work of the mission as well as documenting Smyres' trek across West Africa in 1919, as well as other related trips. Additional entries record interviews with missionaries and indigenous people alike. Also included are discourses and reflections on sociology, anthropology, theology, politics, and life in general.

The date books list mundane things such as financial expenditures, appointments, etc. Some of the entries are in shorthand. The correspondence between Roy Smyres and his family, friends, and colleagues are just as illuminating as the journals, date books, and images. Most of these letters were collected by Nell Smyres and were given to Roy after her death.

While in Africa, Smyres made it a point to write home at least once a week whenever possible. Roy saved copies of letters that he wrote home while serving as a missionary to Africa, which is the reason for some duplication from Nell's files. A few letters were written on the back of older ones for economy. His early pen name to his family was Bud. Record types include correspondence, Christmas letters, and postcards. There are a few letters between Roy and Esther's children with each other which due to the lack of volume were incorporated into Roy's sub-series. Roy's earlier letters (1914-1929) contain personal observations on student life at Northwestern, mission work, missionaries, cannibalism, and "frontier justice" in Africa. These letters also document formal and casual reports from the mission field, photography, and hand-drawn diagrams of architectural features of mission buildings in the Congo.

The African travel accounts tell of the dangers of living in the jungle. Family matters are sprinkled throughout the correspondence. Most of the letters are addressed to Smyres' immediate family. Correspondence from 1930 to 1949 focuses on teaching, church work in Ithaca, and the beginning of a cooperative store in Ithaca - the first of its kind in that city. Roy was greatly interested in politics and peace issues.

Smyres' early work for the mission board is discussed here as well. The letters dating from the 1950's and early 1960's revolve around his continued work for the mission board, trips, publishers, and family. Included in the mission board correspondence was his involvement with the Advance Program.

After Smyres' retirement, the correspondence documents voluntary mission work in India, the Vietnam War, and other peace issues. Subjects found in correspondence from 1970 to 1992 document articles that Smyres published, speaking engagements, ministerial activities, work for the Religious News Service, and global trips. Also during this time period family issues are recorded which include the death of his first wife, Esther, and his second marriage to Mary Fraley, and extended family events. There are social and political remarks about Vietnam, peace, The Human Needs and Security Bill of 1984, El Salvador, the Lebanon conflict, opposition to the United States government appointing an ambassador to the Vatican, and the Persian Gulf War. Most of these letters were written to government officials who had a direct influence in these issues. Another aspect of this correspondence involves his photographic commissions and subsequent loans of images to publishers and missionaries.

Esther Smyres' correspondence ranges from 1920 to 1968 with the bulk of the letters dated from 1920 to 1937. Though not as voluminous as Roy's, they do illustrate in some detail the domestic work in a missionary home as well as documenting a spouse's missionary work in the Belgian Congo. There are casual references to African geography and society. Later correspondence documents Esther's work as a school teacher, her various travels, local church work, and family. Another value of Esther's correspondence is that they often fill in points of information that Roy leaves out of his correspondence of the same time. This is especially true during their years on the mission field and ministry in the local church. Most of the correspondence is directed to Mary Hannah Brown Smyres and Nell Smyres. Mary Fraley Smyres correspondence dates from 1972 to 1980 with bulk dates of 1973 to 1975. Most of these letters relate to family events and friends. Nell Smyres incoming and outgoing correspondence documents her early childhood, college life, family news, trips, and theology.

Some of the letters are from Roy and Esther's children and grandchildren, who express their embracing of Pentecostalism and faith healing. The last group of letters is from Roy's parents. Recipients of these letters include their children as well as extended family. Topics include family news, missionary work, spirituality in the church, and theology in general.

Mary's correspondence ranges from 1911 to 1947, with the bulk of the correspondence from 1919. Luther's correspondence dates from 1916 to 1920, with the bulk of the letters from 1919-1920. Family records are general in nature and revolve around four people: Roy, Esther, Nell, and Joan Smyres. Joan was Roy and Esther's daughter-in-law who died of cancer at an early age. Joan's sub-series documents her funeral.

The rest of the material reflects the childhood, marriage, and careers of Esther and Roy. Nell's records contain her Master's Thesis written at Ohio Wesleyan on the expansion of Christianity in Russia. Nell also collected reports written by her nephew, Eugene Stockwell, a missionary in Africa.

The Writings Series contains manuscripts (1917-1990), sermons (1929-1966), prayers (1937-1988), and publications (1939-1987) authored by Roy Smyres. Included in this section are two books that Roy wrote: Thoughts of Chairman Smyres, and his autobiography. Both these volumes were published in the late 1980s. Other publications include articles and photographs. The sermons (1929-1966) illuminate a variety of topics including missions, politics, theology, liturgy, world communion, cooperatives, and stewardship. Formats include radio and children sermons as well as pulpit sermons. Some of the sermons are in shorthand. The prayers relate to the various aspects of Smyres' ministry within the church. Smyres' professional life in the ministry of the church revolved around three sub-series: local church, annual conference, and the General Board of Global Ministries. Local church records contain worship bulletins and miscellaneous church papers. Annual conference records contain reports and ephemera.

The General Board of Global Ministries sub-series documents Smyres' work in DOM Committee material, reports, gift programs, IDOC International records, Advance Program Support Funds, Central America, financial records and journals, treasurer codes, notebooks, and newsletters. Roy created and collected maps that attest to geographic areas that he served or visited. The African maps are of special interest to those researchers whose historical focus is either missions or the Belgian Congo political boundaries during his years as a missionary. The hand-drawn maps are especially enlightening. The largest series in the collection contains Smyres' photographic images. These images are the spotlight of the collection. His photographic abilities and style were sought out by a number of religious organizations. Record types include glass lantern slides, 35 mm slides, negatives, photographs, and contact sheets. Geographic areas include countries from each of the populated continents as well as Oceania.

The images cover a vast array of topics too numerous to list. In some instance's Roy kept log books that identify certain images with corresponding narrative via his unique cataloging system. It should come as no surprise that family images are in abundance as well.

The Bishop W. Ralph Ward Jr. Papers document Ward's ministry from his earliest appointment through his episcopal leadership and his years of retirement.

A major part of this collection consists of Ward's sermons, addresses, and writings. These materials reflect Ward's personal faith and his commitment to social concerns and the institutional life of the Methodist Church.

Ward's correspondence is fairly typical and not as revealing of larger issues as might be hoped. There are occasional letters to ecclesiastical and political leaders of note. There is one note to him from Harry Emerson Fosdick.

Ward's episcopal leadership is well documented in this collection. He was a dynamic and insightful leader. There is significant information about his skill in developing goals and programs in the Council and in his Areas.

Ward gave particular attention to the training of his District Superintendents.

While bishop of the New York Area Ward was involved in the racial crisis which engulfed the nation. There is not as much material on this period as might be desired, but it should not be overlooked in research. There is also significant material on the well publicized program by 60 Minutes on the role of the World and National Councils of Churches which inferred Communist sympathies on the part of those groups.

Ward was a prolific writer. Several of his published sermons are included in the collection as well as a number of unpublished manuscripts on Christian belief and practice. As an active and loyal member of the Masonic Order he spoke frequently at their assemblies. He was also an early advocate of the importance of visual aids in promoting Christian education.. The materials include early scripts he wrote as well as film strips dealing with educational themes. This interest in communication continued throughout his ministry.

There is considerable material documenting of TV and radio in the ministry of the larger Methodist Church.

Methodist history was one of Ward's special interests. The collection includes addresses he gave on this theme. The collection also documents Ward's continued ministry after retirement in 1980. There is a small but significant body of material on the Ward family. There are photos and genealogical materials. The latter material pertains to both the Bishop's roots but also those of his spouse, Arleen Burdick Ward. There are a few items from Arleen's childhood which are particularly attractive. She was a Christian educator in her own right, and some of the articles she authored are included in the collection. Family letters from the Ward children depicting their activities and marriages are also in the collection. For the interest of the researcher who may be working on Bishop Ward's life and ministry this family section has extensive materials written by the bishop in preparation of his autobiography. This autobiography was never published, but offers a sound base for understanding the man.