The Bishop W. Ralph Ward Jr. Papers document Ward's ministry from his earliest appointment through his episcopal leadership and his years of retirement.

A major part of this collection consists of Ward's sermons, addresses, and writings. These materials reflect Ward's personal faith and his commitment to social concerns and the institutional life of the Methodist Church.

Ward's correspondence is fairly typical and not as revealing of larger issues as might be hoped. There are occasional letters to ecclesiastical and political leaders of note. There is one note to him from Harry Emerson Fosdick.

Ward's episcopal leadership is well documented in this collection. He was a dynamic and insightful leader. There is significant information about his skill in developing goals and programs in the Council and in his Areas.

Ward gave particular attention to the training of his District Superintendents.

While bishop of the New York Area Ward was involved in the racial crisis which engulfed the nation. There is not as much material on this period as might be desired, but it should not be overlooked in research. There is also significant material on the well publicized program by 60 Minutes on the role of the World and National Councils of Churches which inferred Communist sympathies on the part of those groups.

Ward was a prolific writer. Several of his published sermons are included in the collection as well as a number of unpublished manuscripts on Christian belief and practice. As an active and loyal member of the Masonic Order he spoke frequently at their assemblies. He was also an early advocate of the importance of visual aids in promoting Christian education.. The materials include early scripts he wrote as well as film strips dealing with educational themes. This interest in communication continued throughout his ministry.

There is considerable material documenting of TV and radio in the ministry of the larger Methodist Church.

Methodist history was one of Ward's special interests. The collection includes addresses he gave on this theme. The collection also documents Ward's continued ministry after retirement in 1980. There is a small but significant body of material on the Ward family. There are photos and genealogical materials. The latter material pertains to both the Bishop's roots but also those of his spouse, Arleen Burdick Ward. There are a few items from Arleen's childhood which are particularly attractive. She was a Christian educator in her own right, and some of the articles she authored are included in the collection. Family letters from the Ward children depicting their activities and marriages are also in the collection. For the interest of the researcher who may be working on Bishop Ward's life and ministry this family section has extensive materials written by the bishop in preparation of his autobiography. This autobiography was never published, but offers a sound base for understanding the man.

The Elmer T. Clark Collection reflects Clark's work as a writer, editor, and church historian. Record types include essays, articles, manuscripts for books, correspondence, and a collection of promotional materials -- posters, pamphlets, booklets -- for the Missionary Centenary in 1918. A few personal records, such as correspondence and wills, and an audiotape of an interview between Clark's wife, Mary Alva Clark, and Ellen Lasely are included as well. The Essays and Articles series contains a subseries of addresses delivered by various speakers at the Aldersgate Session of the General Missionary Council, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1938. Clark and the other editors on the Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury publishing project corresponded with several outside researchers. That correspondence is included in the collection.

This collection is made up of administrative records from the Council of Bishops and predecessor organizations. It includes the minutes of the Bishops meetings and their position papers.

This collection contains materials related to Virginia M. Atkinson. Included in this collection is correspondence from 1886-1950. This includes outgoing correspondence written by Atkinson between 1886 and 1941, letters addressed to her friends and associations, and birthday greetings received by Atkinson on her eightieth birthday. Many of these letters are from her former students. There is also an address book kept by Atkinson. Personal reminiscences of Atkinson are contained in these papers. This includes remarks about her travel to China from Georgia, conditions in Shanghai, travel in the interior regions of China, and events in Soochow. There are approximately twenty personal accounts of several Chinese individuals who became refugees during the Sino-Japanese Conflict (1938- 1941). Atkinson had some connection to these people, but it is unclear as to whether she interviewed them for an oral history project or recounted their stories or rewrote what she was told by them. Some of the accounts are handwritten, and others are typed. A charity distribution list kept by Atkinson during this time is available. It contains a record of cash receipts from 1938 and a relief fund record from 1941. Other items in this collection include a few documents written in Chinese, an undated speech given by one of Atkinson's pupils, a 1932 news clippings from an unidentified newspaper on the troubles in China, and three small photographs: one of Atkinson in her later years, one of Yui Soo-Lan, and one of an unidentified man. In addition, there is also some biographical material on a student Atkinson sponsored, Katherine Lew. Included are two undated letters written by Lew and some biographical information on her and her husband, Timothy Tingfang Lew.

The collection contains papers which document the personal and professional activities of Arthur R. Clippinger. Included in this collection are diaries, correspondence, General Conference materials, information about the first assembly of the World Council of Churches, programs, and brief biographical material.

There are ten diaries in this collection. They are dated 1904-1935. The years 1906-1908 are missing. Entries in these diaries are only a few lines and discuss daily events, church activities, and weather conditions. Expense records are often found in the back of these books.

The correspondence in this collection is dated 1928-1946 and relates to Clippinger's professional work as a bishop, specifically the 1929 General Conference. All but a few of the letters are addressed to him.

Materials related to General Conference include two undated delegate election ballots. Clippinger's name and the number of votes he received appear on both. There is also a complete list of delegates to the General Conference, but this is undated. Other items on General Conference include a conference program from 1925, a Quadrennial Report prepared by Clippinger in 1925, the 1925 Quadrennial Report of the Board of Administration, a list of committees for the 1933 conference, and the 1933 Quadrennial Address by the Bishops.

One folder contains material on the first assembly of the World Council of Churches. This meeting was held in Amsterdam, Holland, from August 22 to September 4, 1948. Clippinger was a delegate to this assembly. Items from this meeting include a report of the delegates, and notes and personal impressions on the conference. On February 8, 1949, Clippinger presented a speech at the International Council of Religious Education in Columbus, Ohio, about the World Council of Churches meeting in Amsterdam, and this speech is included in his papers.

There are two programs in this collection. One is from the Joint Meeting of the Councils of Administration of the Central Area of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. This was held in February 1924 in Westerville, Ohio. Clippinger was the chairman of this meeting. The other program is from the Third Annual Session of the Central District Conference, a meeting held in December 1940 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Clippinger was the presiding officer of this meeting.

The remaining material consists of an undated list of delegates and alternates from the Southeast Ohio Conference of the United Brethren Church and a few biographical items. The biographical material is an obituary of Harriet R. Clippinger, Arthur's mother who died in 1917; a 1919 announcement of the birth of John Arthur Clippinger, a son of Arthur; and fraternal greetings signed by Clippinger on behalf of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.

The Jeremiah S. Fitterer Papers contain sermons, addresses, record books, clippings, and correspondence. The bulk of this collection is comprised of approximately 900 sermons which document the preaching career of Fitterer.

The remainder of the papers contains four addresses, two record books, clippings related to topics on which Fitterer preached, and a stewardship appeal. Sermons make up the largest part of this collection, and most are undated. Those with dates also usually contain references to the location where the sermon was preached. A few sermons are in German. Most of the sermons, written on small sheets of paper or note cards, have been grouped by books of the Bible. However, there are three small books of bound sermons and sermonettes.

In addition, there are nine small booklets of sermons on specific topics, including children, the church, Christians, the conference year, missions, tithing, revivals, the Sabbath, temperance, and education. One folder contains incomplete sermons and fragments. Fitterer used many illustrations and examples in his sermons. One folder contains a small book of illustrations. Another folder contains small pieces of paper with notations and inspirational references on them.

The collection contains an index to fifty of the sermons. This index contains a short title and a text reference. Four addresses are contained in this collection. The addresses are titled, "Decision Day," "Before the Liquor League of Ohio," "G.A.R. Memorial Service," and "Socialism." The G.A.R. address was presented at Bettsville, Ohio, in 1904. The address on socialism was given to the Mt. Cory Reunion in 1909. The other two addresses are undated.

Two record books are part of these papers. One is a 1892 pastoral record book which contains a text reference to the sermon preached on Sunday, notations on weather throughout the week, and lists of visitations. At the back of this book, there is a list of expenses. A second record book is an account book from 1892-1893. Dozens of clippings Fitterer accumulated on topics of importance to him are contained in this collection. Many were used in preparation of his sermons, and some were incorporated into them. These clippings are on a variety of topics including temperance, missions, tithing, and the religious aspects of dancing. The clippings are in the form of short articles, poems, and inspirational thoughts. They have been photocopied from the originals due to deterioration. Most have no reference to date or to the newspaper or periodical from which they were taken. The last item in this collection is an undated letter on the topic of stewardship. It is a handwritten form letter from the Board of Officials of the Evangelical Church to church members regarding financial contributions to the church.

This collection is made up of records of the various agencies of the church. It also includes material regarding local churches and annual conferences. The collection is made up of fourteen series. The four largest series which make up the bulk of the collection are the Woman's Missionary Society, Missionary Society, Annual Conferences, and Sunday School and Tract Union.

Material in this collection that relates to women include records from the World Federation of Methodist Women, notes from Wade's second wife, and an address by Emily Smith. Those records that relate to the World Federation of Methodist Women include articles, correspondence, a constitution, treasurer's reports, and signatures from representatives. The inclusive dates are 1936-1961, with the bulk of the material from the 1940s. Also included in Bishop Wade's papers are travel notes and observations from 1949 by his second wife. There are also several copies of an address given by Emily Smith in 1934 regarding Africa.

This collection consists of sermons, notes, photographs, legal documents, reports, clippings, correponsdence, and an artifact, reflecting mainly Bishop Wade's professional life. Also includes materials relating to the trial and prosecution of Bishop Anton Bast.

There is a microfilm (1892-1946) of his papers and manuscripts located in the library.

The Lewis Davis Papers contain addresses, short writings, and a biographical manuscript on the life of David Edwards. The bulk of the collection is the manuscript on Edwards which can be found in draft and galley proof form. The addresses were given by Davis during his years of teaching and serving as college president. Some of the addresses are graduation speeches. None of the material in this collection contains dates.

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.