Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Episcopal Sermons In The Library Of Appalachian Preaching, Robert Ellison, Larry Sheret

English Faculty Research

The Library of Appalachian Preaching provides online access to sermons preached in Appalachia, or elsewhere by preachers with ties to the Appalachian region. This article, in a newsletter published by the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, discusses Episcopal sermons that are currently in the Library, and some that will be added in the very near future. 

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Kelli Johnson

Publications

In June 1905, on the fourth Sunday of that month, a petition signed by forty-one members of First Baptist Church was read. The petition asked for letters of dismissal from the Church in order to organize and start and new church. Those forty-one people wanted to create a new church that better met the needs of the community. After a vote, with only one dissent, the news was delivered to the Church clerk on a Thursday in July. This new church would become the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

0836: M. Homer Cummings Papers, 1909-1968, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The 31 boxes in this collection contain the following materials by Cummings: college examination papers; sermons and radio addresses; newspaper columns; letters; poems (single copies, booklets, and a spiral-bound book); and songs (single copies, booklets, song books, printing plates, and recordings). There are also letters written to him; newspaper articles about him and his family; materials from the Literary and Bible Training School and McCrum Slavonic Training School (Rev. and Mrs. Cummings’ alma maters); song books and vinyl records from his collection; and various miscellaneous items.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the …

Some Reflections On The Field Of Sermon Studies, Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

Multidisciplinary endeavours with the word ‘studies’ in their names have brought like-minded scholars together for over sixty years. Those specializing in certain parts of the world, for example, can join the North American Conference on British Studies (founded in 1950), the British Association for American Studies (1955), the African Studies Association (1957), or a host of other groups. Similarly, organisations for scholars interested in specific time periods include the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies (1983), the Society for Renaissance Studies (1967) and the European Network for Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies. Finally, students of politics, gender and other aspects …

0816: First Presbyterian Church Of Huntington Records, 1890-2008, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains the records of the First Presbyterian Church of Huntington from the 1890s to the early 2000s. Most of the collection falls between 1930 and 2002. Within the collection are administrative records such as minutes, registers, and accounting records; photographs of members, non-members, former members, church functions; scrapbooks of sanctuary renovations, church functions, and miscellaneous ephemera; newspaper clippings; an international collection; histories of the First Presbyterian Church; a large collection of lantern slides; and other various items.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the First Presbyterian Church of Huntington, 1890-2008 here.

Ecocriticism And Christian Literary Scholarship, Timothy J. Burbery

English Faculty Research

This essay presents a case for ecocriticism as a viable critical method for Christian scholars. It begins with an historical overview of the method, then examines common ground shared by ecocriticism and Christianity, including what amounts to a kind of critical realism, and the belief in the inherent goodness of creation. Two potential obstacles are then addressed by way of Lynn White, Jr.'s famous essay, "The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis." These include the relationship of the Bible and the environment, and the charge of anthropocentrism. I believe White is partly right, but contend that neither objection is fatal …

0760: Camp Creek Church Of Christ Register And Record, 1920-1950, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

A church record book for the Camp Creek Church of Christ located in the vicinity of East Lynn, West Virginia. The record book contains membership rosters, birth, death, and marriage information as well as financial information related to the congregation. Additional loose (un-numbered) register pages and correspondence are also included.

Mr. Tabor has created two digital copies of the Register book that are included. He also wrote a brief history (annotated) of the Camp Creek Church of Christ and compiled an index of the Christian and surnames of the congregation members. The history is boxed with the register, and the …

0757: First Presbyterian Church [Huntington, Wv] Records, 1839-1990, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The First Presbyterian Church of Huntington Archives contain material dating back to the early nineteenth century, with the bulk of the items dating from between the 1880s and the 1990s. The collection consists primarily of 'Minutes of Session,' which relate to official church business; 'Bulletins,' which give information about church sermons, calendars, and events; and 'Church Groups,' which provide information on the social structure and individuals within the Church. There are extensive financial records pertaining to the church, as well as membership rosters for many Church groups, and some marriage/baptism registers. Also included are a few "histories" written by Church …

0719: David Caldwell Letters, 1818-1853, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of typewritten transcriptions of letters sent from David Caldwell between 1818 and 1853, an Episcopal clergyman, to members of his family. They discuss personal and family matters. Letters were sent from Bennington, Vermont, Georgetown, Washington, DC, and Amherst County, Virginia. These copies were found in “History of Joseph Caldwell and his descendants…” published in 1926 in Newburyport, Mass.

0712: Creed Neff Papers, 1908-1915, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of five photographs and one manuscript. The photographs depict school children and members of the Guyandotte Methodist Episcopal Church around 1908-1915 while the manuscript consists of a copy of a handwritten manuscript, author unknown, about life in Guyandotte.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Creed Neff papers, 1908-1915 here.

Genesis 2:26, Michael G. M. Cornelius

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

On the eighth day, God sighed.

The noise rumbled through heaven and earth. The cherubim were silenced; the seraphim held their breath. Even the archangels ceased their endless activity to crane their necks and look about.

The earth trembled. Volcanos erupted, the great continental plates divided. The pools of celestial ooze stopped bubbling and crackling.

All angels, all creatures, all rocks and trees - even the land itself waited in breathless, awful anticipation.

Nothing happened.

A rock relaxed, falling off a mountain. The volcanos grew dormant. The cherubim laughed, softly, nervously, then began to sing again, a lullaby. The seraphim …

0598: Marcia Myers Collection, 1895-1993, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection primarily documents Marcia Myers’ research into female Presbyterian missionaries in Appalachia, particularly West Virginia. Significant in the collection is the correspondence of Helen Desbrow, stationed in Raleigh Co., West Virginia, to her family in New Jersey, regarding her work in the Home Mission between 1922 and 1935, central to Myers’ thesis on female Presbyterian missionaries in Appalachia submitted for her M.Div at Princeton University. Correspondence by Hugh J. May and Frances H. Pindar are directly in response to Myers’ request for information on the same topic, and the Helen Disbrow correspondence was gifted possibly from Disbrow herself. Other …

0567: Low Gap United Baptist Church Records, 1898-1944, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists predominantly of copies of minute books for the Low Gap United Baptist Church from 1898-1944. Also included in this collection is a copy of “A Brief History of the Low Gap United Brethren Church” written by Brandon Kirk in 1993 and two photocopied photographs of the church and some church members. Because most of these materials are copies, legibility can be limited.

0548: Carl G. Wolfe Manuscript, 1987, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of a manuscript by Carl G. Wolfe for a Marshall University graduate course in history on the history of the Ceredo United Methodist Church from 1866 to 1987. Also included in the manuscript is a list of pastors and footnotes.

0513: Byron T. Morris Papers, 1967-1989, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Copies of Mr. Morris's newspaper column, "Out of the Past," written for the Wayne County News; subjects include histories of communities in Wayne County, West Virginia, genealogy of Wayne County families, registers of marriages in neighboring counties of Wayne County persons, and school and church histories.

0494: Huntington W.Va. First Congregational Church, 1872-1932, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Minutes, membership lists, deeds, and other documents related to the running of the Huntington, West Virginia First Congregational Church from 1872-1932.

0491: Carrie Eldridge Combined Collection, 1678-2014, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Carrie Eldridge is a genealogical researcher in Chesapeake, Ohio. This collection contains photocopies of many county record books of the Appalachian areas of West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, ranging from the American Revolution until the early twentieth century. It also contains her personal research files on topics related to slavery and the Underground Railroad in Ohio and West Virginia as well as local history topics such as church and family histories.

0485: Burlington Presbyterian Church Records, 1826-1828, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of eleven pages copied from the Burlington Presbyterian Church record book containing the “Record of the Establishment Proceedings of the Presbyterian Church of Burlington, Lawrence County, Ohio.” The text includes a list of members, minutes and notes, and a list of baptisms between 1826 and 1828. It also includes copies of a more modern photograph of the church added later and a copy of a typed page about the Kanawha Presbytery, First Presbyterian Church in Huntington, West Virginia. Due to the fact that all pages are copies, legibility can vary.

0446: Mary Mckernon Papers, 1977-1983, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Material relates to Cabell County, West Virginia, history acquired during Mrs. McKernon's research on the Mud River Baptist Church. Includes minutes of the church, community histories, and other related materials.

0376: United Brethren In Christ. Huntington W.Va. Circuit Collection, 1871-1917, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Primarily membership rolls of church of rural Cabell County. Churches in circuit include Milton, Mercer's Bottom, Green Bottom, Nine Mile, Z. Warner Chapel and Cabell School House.

0334: West Virginia Conference, Latter Day Saints Records, 1881-1900, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Photo-reproductions of original holograph; minutes of conference, 1886-1890; baptisms, 1881-1891; "Names of Saints and Friends of the South West Va Conference" 1900 ( includes county-by-county list for southern West Virginia).

0319: Burlington Macedonia Church (Ohio) Records, 1884-1897, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains a copy of the church’s minute book from 1884-1896, containing information about church and other affairs relevant to the African American community. Given that this is a copy, the degree of legibility can vary depending on the page.

0126: Clarksburg, W. Va. Stealey Heights Methodist Church Manuscript, 1928, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

History of the founding, dedication and list of pastors until 1928.

0142: Mullens, W. Va. United Methodist Church, 1910-1975, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

History of the church from 1910 until 1975, containing rosters of pastors, elders, district superintendents, and bishops.

0166: Carder Family Papers, 1942-1979, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection is composed of the Carder family papers created primarily during WWII. The collection is principally composed of letters sent between various members of the Carder family, chiefly to and from Ancel, during his enlistment as a Marine in WWII. Another bulk portion of the collection is composed of greeting cards mailed for various occasions to Orton and Chloie, remembrance cards that were collected by Orton of his congregation, and religious materials related to marriages and baptisms conducted by Orton as well as his participation in WV Methodist organizational activities for the Fourth Street Church in Huntington. Also included …

0092: Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church Records, 1873-1974, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Register, minutes, annual reports; records of the Flats Presbyterian Church before it merged with the Point Pleasant church during the Second World War, when the Flats area was taken over by the War Department.

0111: Mcclelland Family Papers, 1870-1950, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists primarily of correspondence sent from William McClelland while he was in the air force describing his experiences while training and during World War II in the Pacific Theatre, specifically the Philippines. Letters to William from his family include those sent while he was missing in action and are emotionally fraught. Papers by Arthur and Myrtle include information on religious topics, such as pamphlets, notes, and more related to their participation in the Second Presbyterian Church of Huntington. Letters sent to and by the family after William’s declaration as missing in action and presumed death include information about …

0112: Jude Stewart Papers, 1975, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

`Activities of the Church of God in Jesus' Name,' a report on a Pentecostal church in Wyoming County, West Virginia, for the Oral History Collection at Marshall University.

Oral History Interview: James G. Matthews, James G. Matthews

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

James G. Matthews was a jack-of-all-trades. He worked as a coal miner for James C. Coal Company, worked for United Fuel Gas Company, the Nickel Plant, and as a mail courier. He also performed as part of a singing quartet. Mr. Matthews was born on May 30, 1902. He grew up on a farm near East Lynn, WV. After the death of his mother, Mr. Matthews attended elementary school on a part-time basis in order to work on the family farm. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Matthews discusses alcohol consumption and moonshine stills in East Lynn. During his interview, …

Oral History Interview: Josephine R. Gorby, Josephine R. Gorby

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Josephine Gorby was born on February 24, 1908. She began her teaching career in a one-room school in Wimmer, McDowell County, WV. In 1931 she began teaching in Lawrence County, OH. Mrs. Gorby’s interview focuses on growing up on a farm near Proctorville, OH, her experiences as an educator, her family’s experience during World War I, and the 1937 flood of the Ohio River and its tributaries. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Gorby discusses the impact of the 1937 flood on the school house in Athalia, OH. During her interview, she also focuses on the construction and use of …