Roy Benton Leedy Collection

Identity elements

Reference code

US NjMdUMCG 2692

Name and location of repository

General Commission on Archives and History

Level of description

Collection

Title

Roy Benton Leedy Collection

Date(s)

  • 1800- 1968 (Creation)

Extent

54.96 cubic feet

Name of creator

Leedy, Roy Benton
(1883- 1981)

Biographical history

Roy Benton Leedy (1883- 1981), American minister, was born February 13, 1883 in Richland County, Ohio, and spent much of his childhood in Fremont, Ohio. He graduated from Northwestern Academy (now North Central College), and from Evangelical Theological Seminary. He received his license to preach in 1907, and his full membership in 1913 in the Ohio Conference of the Evangelical Church. In 1912 he married Rose V. Voigt, and they bore three children. After his first wife's death, Leedy married Margaret Koepnick Faust in 1933. He began his ministry at Bettsville, and later served at Akron, Kenmore, Marion-Salem, Flat Rock, Cedar Hill, Gibsonburg, Huron, Carey, Napoleon, Perrysburg, Green Springs, and Warren- Grace. During his years of ministry, Leedy served as secretary of the General Historical Society of the Evangelical Church, and served for 35 years as historian of the Ohio Conference. After his retirement in 1951 he finished his book, The Evangelical Church in Ohio, which was published in 1959. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Baldwin- Wallace College in recognition of his work in collecting materials of and writing about the history of the Evangelical Church. Leedy died on January 2, 1981 at the Elyria Home in Elyria, Ohio, and is buried in Fremont, Ohio.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This collection primarily documents the work and ministry of the Evangelical Church's annual conferences and local churches from the middle nineteenth century to the middle twentieth century. To a lesser degree there are records that reflect the ministry of the general church as well. There are other records that pertain to filial denominations such as the Evangelical Association, United Evangelical Church, Church of the United Brethren in Christ (United Brethren Church), and the Evangelical United Brethren Churches are also found in this collection. Leedy was an avid collector of church related information so that the topical landscape of this collection is broad enough to cover information ranging from local church ministries and histories to denominational theological beliefs and social concerns. Most of the paper records center on church work in the Ohio region though not to the exclusion of other geographic areas within the continental United States and Germany. All in all this collection provides a nice overview of the diversified life within the Evangelical tradition and is an excellent resource for those who wish to understand more fully the Evangelical Church's historical influence within the ongoing traditions of United Methodism.

System of arrangement

This collection is arranged by series and subseries.

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

    Archives Accession 1996-127

    Adam Klinefelter Reference Collection

    John Klinefelter Reference Collection.

    Related descriptions

    Notes element

    General note

    Preferred citation: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Roy Benton Leedy Collection, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey

    Specialized notes

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Description control element

    Rules or conventions

    Sources used

    Archivist's note

    Prepared by Morris Davis, Scott Kisker, Leslie Vavra, Myong Shin Jeon, Student Assistants and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist

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