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Archival description
US NjMdUMCG 1563 · Collection · 1872 - 1978

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.

Burt, William
US NjMdUMCG 4207 · Collection · 1912-1988

The Jeannette Charlotte and Esther Laura Hulbert Papers consists of personal papers, publications and artifacts stored in one flat box, one 5" letter-sized document box (diaries and notebooks) and two 5" legal size boxes in the following series:

There are many letters to and from both sisters. Jeannette maintained a supportive relationship with the Park family for many years, even after leaving Korea permanently; she provided financial support for the children and they stayed in touch with her for many years. There is personal correspondence from fellow faculty and friends in which she is addressed as "Bert."

Esther also has a similar line of correspondence. Of note are copies of two letters she wrote in retirement to Fidel Castro pertaining to his potitical stance post-revolution. Also, the back of a letter requesting aid for refugees of the Spanish Civil War signed by Pablo Casales was used by Esther to create a copy of a personal typed letter she wrote. Holiday cards are also found.

The collection contains work related correspondence which is mostly received mail, rather than sent by either sister. These items include letters from Dr. Helen Kim, Dr. Alice Appenzeller and notable figures in women's education in Korea.

Documents from this collection include the following: Personal papers of both sisters inclue passports, statement of accrued wages, etc. There is an ID document for Esther written in Chinese. Also, Esther's teaching credentials/license from the state of Ohio is included.

From Korea, a researcher can find 1919 Korean Independence papers, affidavits of arrested students, papers pertaining to the schools at which they taught. Also found are many small leaflets and brochures. A significant collection of photographs contains shots of both sisters, faculty members, students (both individual, groups and engaged in activities, plus landscape images (one of the landscape images is a glass negative) and shots of campus buildings. Images from Ewha contain shots of Helen Kim and Alice Appenzeller. Shots from Cuba include images of activities, class portraits, individual student portaits, images of school buidlings and shots of faculty. From the US are Jeanette's graduation photo from Ohio Wesleyan University (1912) and Esther's commissioning photo. There are scenes from retirement such as Ewha faculty reunions.

Esther left a number of small notebooks and diaries which include poetry, comments on scripture, expense/budget notations, personal musings and scrapbook entries.

Photocopies of newspaper clippings are part of this collection as are full copies of the Ewha Voice and Korea Calling. The Voice is Ewha Women's University's student newspaper, while Korea Calling is publication of news from all of the Protestant missions in Korea. There is one item classified as an artifact. It is a small, flat woven basket said to be a replica of one found in an ancient tomb. From Esther's stay at the high school in Pyengyang are two yearbooks.

Hulbert, Esther
US NjMdUMCG 1356 · Collection · 1912 -1970

This collection contains the personal papers of Grace and Charles Braden. Included in this collection are diaries, correspondence, writings, bulletins, publications, photographs and negatives. The original diaries the Bradens began on the day they left to serve as missionaries in Cochabamba, Bolivia, are part of these papers. Charles Braden's diary began on July 27, 1912, and ended on August 28, 1912. Grace Braden's diary began on July 27, 1912, but was kept until October 5, 1912. These diaries have been transcribed into typewritten copy by Grace Braden Gibas. Correspondence written by the Bradens from 1912 to 1919 is included in these papers. Several letters are undated. There are also a few letters received by the Bradens from 1961 to 1970. A folder of mission related materials contains programs from church related activities in Bolivia and Chile, a pictorial listing of missionaries from The Epworth Hearld of November 9, 1912, a student paper written by Charles Braden in 1926, and a report on religion in Chile. There is a folder of writings by Grace Braden. This contains descriptive accounts and notations related to mission work. A list of students interviewed in various colleges regarding missionary service is another part of this collection. This list contains individual names, school affiliation, and date of interview. Most occurred in 1923 and 1924. Also included are church bulletins from 1911-1912 from the First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York. There is a 1967 copy of The Literary Harvest of a Half-Century, a bibliography of Charles Braden's writings. Braden served as editor of World Christianity, a 1939 copy of this periodical is part of these papers. Additional printed material includes two works in Spanish. One examines the English Methodist Church in Chile, and the other is entitled, "La Expansion Protestante En Chile." This work was written by Cristian Lative d'Epinay and is twenty-seven typed pages. Finally, there are several photographs related to the Bradens. A photographic souvenir booklet from Santiago, Chile, is part of this collection. A series of photographs with a script are located in these papers. There are also twenty-eight black and white photographs. Most have some notations on the back.

Braden, Charles Samuel
James David Gillilan Papers
US NjMdUMCG 682 · Collection · 1878-1933

The collection provides a detailed account of Gillilan's life, and of Methodism in Ohio and Utah. The most significant items in the collection are Gillilan's thoroughly kept diaries. In addition, he was a meticulous keeper of scrapbooks, collecting many articles about Methodism and religion in his time. He was also a published author, and copies of many of his published poems and essays are present in the collection. It seems that he sometimes wrote under the pseudonym Strickland Gillilan. It is possible that this is a family member. In his collection are also present two threatening letters. One dates from 1886, and is from Gillilan's time in Tooele, Utah. It relates to issues of polygamy and Mormonism. The other is less specific, but threatens Gillilan' s "precious throat." Gillilan's papers contain approximately 2000 sets of sermon notes, numbered from 5 to 2394. The system by which these numbers were assigned is unknown. One of Gillilan's diaries, the largest, contains several pages of what seem to be land ownership claims and mining records. He may have obtained this book, already used, and subsequently used it for his journal. Another of his diaries contains several pages written in a substitution code, and several more in shorthand. The key to Gillilan's code is in the Diaries: General File. Many of the books and documents are fragile, and should be handled with extreme care.

Gillilan, James David
John Wesley Robinson Diaries
US NjMdUMCG 2090 · Collection · 1892-1945

Bishop Robinson's Diaries are closely written and are chiefly a daily record of his personal schedule and activities. Unfortunately he offers practically no theological reflection or social commentary. The latter is particularly disappointing because in his very influential role he lived through momentous times both in India and the general world scene. For instance, the tension between British rule and the Indian struggle for independence is never mentioned. Although he lived through two World Wars and the great depression, there are no serious comments. The fact, however, that he omits such comments may be considered social comment itself.

These Diaries are important for anyone studying the endless work of an episcopal leader building the Church in a foreign setting. But they should not be studied with the hope of finding substantive material except for specific references to churches, schools, etc.

Robinson was an amazingly meticulous, untiring worker and administrator. He records even the daily weather as well as the miles he traveled. But for all of this the Diaries do not reflect the warm , dedicated Christian person, husband and father he actually was. Anyone researching his life would be better served by reading Stanley Clemens book, Intimate Glimpses of Bishop John Wesley Robinson, 1935. A copy may be found in the folder 1465-3- 3:03. This same folder also includes a brief appreciation of Mrs. Robinson. Other materials relating to the bishop as well as photos may be found in folders 1465 3-3:04 and 1165-3- 3:04.

Robinson, John Wesley
US NjMdUMCG 2189 · Collection · 1901-1904

This collection contains items from a scrapbook that has been disassembled. Photographs from Sierre Leone and the Philippines are included. None of the photographs are dated, and few are identified. There is also a photo of Luther Burtner as well as his application to become a missionary. The collection also includes a Passport issued for Burtner to leave the Philippines.There are several news clippings that make reference to the death of Joseph Caulker, an African student brought to the United States by Burtner. All are undated. His wife, Jennie Light Burtner, wrote an extensive Diary (1904) describing in detail their trip to Shanghai ,Philippines, Egypt, Jerusalem, and England. There are also several notes which are inserted in the diary.

Burtner, Luther Olin
Mildred Anne Paine Papers
US NjMdUMCG 4671 · Collection · 1914-1979

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.

Paine, Mildred Anne
US NjMdUMCG 717 · Collection · 1921-1971

This collection contains dairies, stereoscopic photographs, correspondence, clippings, bulletins, pamphlets, and publications relating to the work and ministry of Newton Tennis Gottschall. One of the diaries, written while in Indonesia, is from Charlotte Agnes Swank Gottschall.

Gottschall, Newton Tennis
US NjMdUMCG 660 · Collection · 1840-1961

This collection includes dossiers, correspondence, letters, records of annual conferences and agencies, subject files, manuscripts, articles, personal and family papers, photographs, negatives, clippings, and other printed matter. Bishop Springer's papers primarily document the interaction of American social and ecclesiastical structures forged at the edge of the American frontier with a region of the African continent which was undergoing the process of civilization. Reflected also among these materials is the impact which such interaction had upon Americans who went to spend their lives in the African mission fields, as well as the impact upon Africans themselves. See the published guide, "Preliminary Inventory of the Papers of Bishop John McKendree Springer" (issued by the General Commission on Archives and History, 1982) for individual series descriptions.

Springer, John McKendree
Paul Bentley Kern Papers
US NjMdUMCG 755 · Collection · 1829-1960

This collection documents the professional life of Paul Bentley Kern as a pastor, educator and bishop for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1844-1939) and later for the Methodist Church (1939-1968). At the end of this collection the researcher will find various ministerial credentials awarded to Kern and his forbearers.

The manuscripts include sermons (with and without Biblical texts), addresses, and publications which offer a diversity of interests and commitments that shaped Kern's ministry. Major topics of concerns include a strong anti-war stance in both World Wars (though most of the information is centered on World War I), ethics in business, labor, church union in 1939, the Advance, Crusade for Christ, jazz, as well as systematic and practical theological issues, role of the church in America and the world, America as a steward of the world's wealth and resources, temperance, organization of the Korean Methodist Church, and Methodism. Christian education, sociology, matriculation addresses, Reformation Sunday, missions with an emphasis on China round out the rest of the topics. Kern considered all these areas as major forces which could and should shape the ever changing world in the early and middle twentieth century. . Part of the materials include addresses which were part of the Cole Lectures which he delivered at Vanderbilt University in 1935.

Administrative records include correspondence, telegraphs, reports, annual conference materials, and the Council of Bishops. The correspondence segment is centered on congratulatory remarks in the form of letters (1930) and telegrams (1930) which Kern received upon his election to the episcopacy. One of the reports relates to his trips to the Orient where he served his first term as a bishop for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. There are a small number of field reports from Orient as well. Clippings make up most of Florida, Holston and Tennessee Annual Conferences folder with emphasis on Kern's Episcopal administration in the Tennessee area. There are also a few items relating to China.

Kern, Paul Bentley