The largest element of the collection consists of Methodist newspapers from Estonia, Latvia and Russia. The time span for these periodicals range from 1909 to 1940. Here the researcher will find a written record of the church's main activities in these specific geographic areas. Many of the periodicals are not in English but their native tongues. There are, however, some English language documents with the most important being the index for the Russian Christian Advocate. General administration records are the next section within the collection. Various minutes make up the bulk of these records. Other documents include histories of the areas, one local church set of records, an Estonian Book of Discipline (1927), and other ephemera. One of the unique aspects of this collection is Bishop Nuelsen's records while serving as bishop for the Baltic-Russia area. These records were separated out from the general administrative records in order to highlight Nuelsen's work for these annual conferences during the turbulent times they both found themselves in. Most of the documents found here are photocopies. The orginal records can be found at various institutions in the Russian-Baltic region.
Kimbrough, S. T.This collection contains scrapbooks and other materials detailing the ministry and life of William Angie Smith, bishop of the Methodist Church. The first part of the collection consists of fifty-nine scrapbooks that document Smith's life from high school until shortly after his retirement from the episcopacy in 1968. While the majority of the material in these scrapbooks encompass the dates listed for each scrapbook, there are exceptions to the rule. Three other scrapbooks attributed to Bess Smith, wife of the Bishop, contain congratulatory letters on the occasion of their retirement. The final segment of the collection is comprised of loose materials that contains his retirement years and portraits. The records themselves illustrate almost every accomplishment Smith achieved whether it be sacred or secular. Methodist related schools in Oklahoma and Texas are well represented. Local church information ends to center on his evangelistic meetings and correspondence with the pastors. Other correspondences are representative of his work with general church boards, jurisdictions and various conferences. Native American work in Oklahoma is strongly represented.
Smith, William Angie