Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1913-1976 (Creation)
Extent
13.5 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Angie Smith (1894-1974), American Methodist bishop, was born December 21, 1894 in Elgin, Texas. He graduated from Southwestern University in 1917 and was ordained elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1924. Smith served charges in several places, including El Paso, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, DC; Birmingham, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas. In 1944, he was elected bishop by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference and assigned to the Oklahoma-New Mexico Area, which comprised of the Oklahoma, Oklahoma Indian Mission, and New Mexico Annual Conferences. Smith served these conferences for twenty-four years. He also served as president of the Board of Evangelism from 1952 to 1964 and as president of the Council of Bishops in 1957. Smith was also heavily involved with the World Methodist Council and the United States military chaplaincy program. Smith married Bess Owens in 1920 and had 3 sons: William III, Bryant, and Shelby. Mrs. Smith was also very active in the Methodist Church, particularly with the Bishops Wives Association. Bishop William Angie Smith died on March 15, 1974 at the age of 79.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
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.
System of arrangement
The arrangement is chronological by scrapbook date.
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
Accession: 2009-042. Gift. Shelby L. Smith, 06/16/2009.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
The original clippings were photocopied and then thrown out. Annual conference journals were transferred to the library
William Angie Smith Papers (unprocessed) 1926-1962, BridArch 301.23, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. William Angie Smith Memorabilia, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Centenary College Scrapbook, Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, William Angie Smith Collection, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the items 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 Joseph Strausbaugh, Student Assistant and Mark Shenise, Associate Archivist
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South (Subject)
- Methodist Church (U.S.) (Subject)
- Corson, Fred Pierce (Subject)
- Denman, Harry (Subject)
- Galloway, Paul V. (Subject)
- Mouzon, Edwin Du Bose (Subject)
- Smith, Bess Owens (Subject)