This collection contains slides, audiotapes, films, a filmstrip, slide scripts and listings, conference reports and promotional materials, correspondence, and some photographs.

This collection contains slides, audiotapes, films, a filmstrip, slide scripts and listings, conference reports and promotional materials, correspondence, and some photographs. The slides contain images taken by Hannah Flammer of diverse subjects, most of which are related to the home and foreign missions of the Methodist Church during the 1940's to the 1960's. These include pictures of schools, hospitals and medical clinics, homes, settlement houses, missions to cities and rural areas, Native American missions, and a variety of scenes from both urban and rural areas that were foci for the church's mission and ministry during this period. There are also many slides of conferences of the Women's Society of Christian Service and other church agencies in which Flammer was active. Many scenes from foreign missions and pictures of foreign missionaries are also included. Most of the slides were used in presentations that Flammer gave to highlight and promote the mission work of the Methodist Church. The audiotapes include recordings of some of Flammer's slide presentations, of Bible studies and lectures given at various conferences that she attended, of radio interviews, and of church music. There are three reels of film, two of which are 16 mm and one is 8 mm. the filmstrip is titled "Swinging toward the Light." Also included in the collection are some printed slide scripts connected to Flammer's slide shows, several letters related to her mission promotion work, a container listing of the audiotapes, reports and promotional materials from some W.S.C.S. conferences that she attended, and some photographs.

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.

This collection contains both artifacts and manuscript items that reflect only portions of Edwin Fisher's work. Records from his early years include theses and notes from his college work, and sermons from the 1940s and 1950s that represent his years as a pastor and missionary in the Philippines. All that exists in this collection from his years of administrative work with the mission boards of both the EUB and United Methodist Churches are his travel notes and notebooks, mission personnel cards, and one report on the mission personnel and political situation in the Philippines. Sections of this report regarding personnel issues are closed until 2054. Fisher's administrative files can be found in the Records of the Board of Missions of the Evangelical United Church, and the Records of the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church (U.S.). The artifacts come from a variety of sources, but mostly from Fisher's travels in Asia for the mission boards. Several of the items were given to Fisher as gifts.

The Evangelical United Brethren Church is one of the predecessor denominations of The United Methodist Church. This collection is made up of the administrative material from the Women's Society of World Service. It also includes the records from the Local Branches, Quadrennial Conventions, World Evangel, Literature Department and the Society's area's of emphasis Christian Social Relations. Missionary Education, Missionary Education for children and Youth, and Spiritual Life. The collection is made up of nine series.

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 Samuel George Ziegler collection contains largely materials on missionaries and overseas experiences in Sierra Leone, Puerto Rico, China, the Philippines, and Japan of the United Brethren Church from 1752 to 1966. Seeing as Reverend Ziegler was the Associate Secretary of the Division of World Missions from 1921 to 1958, there are two copies of unpublished works on the History of Overseas Missions of the United Brethren Church, including a final copy, as well annual reports and correspondence. Two maps are included in this collection, one of China and one of the Philippine Islands. Missionary personal accounts are comprised in the collection, in addition to photographs of thirty-seven missionaries abroad.

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.

This collection is made up of administrative material from the Foreign Missionary Society and its various mission fields. It also includes material regarding the 1898 Sierra Leone massacre of missionaries and the trial of Daniel F. Wilberforce for cannibalism.

The personal papers of Gertrude Feely include three internment notebooks. There are articles, letters and general writings concerning her internment and also a copy of her book, Five Years in the Philippines, written in 1946. Included in her internment papers is a map of the Los Banos Camp. There are several black and white photos, mostly of Mission Meetings and two color photos, one of Gertrude Feely herself and one of James W. Lambuths' grave. There are two pamphlets published by the internees of Santo Tomas during their imprisonment, a leaflet advertising The Christian Youth Center in Kobe, Japan and a booklet titled The Church in the War Years

The Oral History Collection of Gertrude Feely contains three audio cassette tapes from an oral history interview conducted by June Fothergill on January 16-17, 1985. A tape index, release forms, several magazine articles about Feely, and two black and white photographs are included. The tapes are located at 6029-1-1:23-26.

Ferrer was a key figure in Philippine Methodism. His professional interests were many and are reflected throughout this collection. Ferrer's correspondence covers a diversity of topics: episcopal matters which include the Filipino episcopal controversy in the early 1970s, responses to articles he had written, national and world events, Central Conference business, ministry, and ecumenism. Those in correspondence with Ferrer include government officials, district superintendents, bishops of The United Methodist Church, officers of the Philippine church, Church World Service workers, the Christian Century magazine, the Philippine Federation of Churches, National Council of Churches in the Philippines, as well as staff members of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church (U.S.). One folder contains bound correspondence. The minutes and reports reflect the work of the Filipino church on all levels. Here are the records from conference lay leaders, United Methodist Men (MACUMM), local clergy, district superintendents, annual conferences, College of Bishops, National Council of Churches in the Philippines, and other ecumenical organizations.

There are a number of supporting documents within the Administrative subseries that contain church statistics, a list of Filipino Crusade Scholars, resolutions, petitions, Judicial Council decisions, pastoral appointments to the local church, and other general administrative type records.

Manuscripts and addresses are next. Most of the manuscripts are one to two pages in length. Others are longer. Ferrer was a prolific writer and wrote about rural ministry, church autonomy, church history, memorials, biographies, spiritual care, sociology, autobiographies, and various levels of church administration. The content for the shorter manuscripts tends to reflect unpublished news releases and meditations. Some of the manuscripts were later used as addresses. Those records that are specifically identified as addresses are inclined to be episcopal in nature. The newsletters and bulletins cover not only Methodist work, but pan-denominational and social work within the Philippines as well. Publications and pamphlets contain souvenir books, histories, church administration, sociology, and study books.

Programs reflect Ferrer's pastoral duties, which included dedications, school programs, annual conferences, and installations. Another subseries within the collection are the scrapbooks. There are two of them. One is a remembrance book on the life of Gumersindo Garcia, a Filipino physician. The other contains clippings of Ferrer's newspaper articles. The final two subseries in this first series are Personal and Miscellaneous. The former contains a curriculum vitae, biographical sketch, and the Ferrer family genealogy. The latter embraces a clipping, curriculum vitae for Narciso Albarracin, a governmental minster of education, and a thank-you note from a group of visiting Methodists from the United States.

The second series contains manuscripts by various authors. The subjects are multi-faceted. Authors include: Restitute C. Basa, Isamu Chiba, Onofre G. Fonceca, Ezekias Gacutan, David T. Lara, Juan Naboong, M. Ellia Peter, and Victor Claveria Vinluan. A sampling of topics contained therein include information on the laity, ecclesiastical leadership, Protestantism in the Philippines, Filipino Methodism, annual conferences, schools, and ecumenical work.