Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1895-1926 (Creation)
Extent
0.66 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Orville Shepard (1862-1931), Methodist Episcopal Church bishop, was born at Sterling, Illinois, on April 11, 1862. He graduated from Jennings Seminary (Aurora, Illinois), DePauw University, A.B., 1885; S.T.B., 1886; then A.M., 1888; D.D., 1896; LL. D., 1912; Syracuse University, Ph.D., 1895 (hon. D.D. and LL.D.). Shepard was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church and joined the Rock River Conference in 1886. He held pastorates at Blue Island, Elgin (First Church), Rockford (Court Street), Chicago (Oakland), Evanston, and Englewood (Chicago), between 1886-1909. He served as district superintendent of the Chicago Northern District from 1909 to 1912.
Shepard was elected bishop in 1912, and his episcopal areas were: Kansas City, Kansas, 1912-1916; Wichita, Kansas, 1916-1920; and Portland, Oregon, 1920-1928, an area which included Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. In 1928, Shepard was assigned to Paris, France. This assignment encompassed France, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, North Africa, Madeira Islands, and Liberia. He made trips to South America in 1916 and 1924, and to Europe in 1920, in order to survey post-war conditions and needs. He also made two trips into the Congo region.
William Orville Shepard married Emily Odell on August 15, 1883. The couple raised four sons. Shepard was considered a spokesman on moral questions, and in 1897 he published a book of sermons entitled "Oakland Sermons." He died November 30, 1931 at the age of sixty-nine and was buried in Mount Hope, Chicago.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection is comprised of William Orville Shepard's sermons, sermon notes, speeches, Episcopal Book of Discipline, scrapbook, personal publication, and certificate of election to the office of Bishop.
System of arrangement
Collection is arranged by record type.
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
1973-041
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Papers of Bishop John McKendree Springer.
Microfilm Edition of the Administrative Files Series of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church.
Microfilm Edition of the Mission Biographical Reference Files.
Joseph Crane Hartzell Papers.
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, William Orville Shepard 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
Archivist's note
Prepared by Christopher Grygo and Rachel Li, Student Assistants
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Methodist Episcopal Church (Subject)