Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1830-1972 (Creation)
Extent
0.23 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Gordon Howard (1899-1974), American bishop, college president and editor, was born to missionary parents in Tokyo on December 3, 1899. His father, Alfred Taylor Howard, was a bishop of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. He graduated from Otterbein College in 1922 with an A.B., Bonebrake Theological Seminary in 1925 with a B.D., and New York University in 1927 with an M.A. Licensed by the Miami Conference in 1924 and ordained in 1925, Howard served as Youth Director in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ for thirteen years (1927-1939).
Howard then spent five years as editor of Sunday School literature. In 1945 he was elected president of Otterbein College. During the next twelve years, he greatly strengthened that institution. On August 1, 1957, Howard was elected a bishop of The Evangelical United Brethren Church and assigned to the East Central Episcopal Area. After the merger with the Methodist Church he was assigned to the Philadelphia episcopal seat. He had two daughters with his first wife, Rhea McConaughy, who died in 1965. In 1967 he married Katherine Higgins Shannon. Howard died on December 24, 1974.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection contains much that is relevant to the history of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Included are various essays, publications, clippings and reports related to the Church. These encompass many subjects, including the faith of the Church, the activities of the church in Howard's time, and the eventual union between the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist Churches to form the United Methodist Church in 1968. Related to this topic and of particular interest is an issue of The Evangelical Challenge which speaks vehemently against the merge. Howard. This includes speeches and articles about him.
There is some correspondence to and from Howard and his family. There is also some information about his father, A.T. Howard, who was also a bishop of the Evangelical United Brethren, including a poem and some quotations by him, and an essay and an article about him. There are a few photographs in the collection as well, and a few notes that seem to have been made by Howard. 1873. The writer of this diary is an unknown woman. There is also a manuscript entitled A Key to the Holy Scriptures and to the most essential Knowledge of the Christian Rules of Life printed in 1830. There are two documents relating to the one-hundreth anniversary of Benjamin Hanby's classic Christmas song, "Up On The Housetop."
System of arrangement
Arrangement Series: Miscellanea Series: Personal Life Series: Professional Life
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved.
General note
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, John Gordon Howard Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Prepared by Aaron C. Smith, Student Assistant and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Church of the United Brethren in Christ (New constitution) (Subject)
- Evangelical United Brethren Church (Subject)
- United Methodist Church (U.S.) (Subject)
- Howard, Alfred T. (Subject)