Electronic Guide to the The Papers of Grace McMurray and Charles Samuel Braden
Prepared by Kristen D. Turner and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivists
United Methodist Archives and History Center
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church
2/11/2002
Overview of Collection
|
|
| Record Creator: |
Braden, Charles Samuel |
| Title: |
The Papers of Grace McMurray and Charles Samuel Braden |
| Date Span: |
1912 - 1970 |
| Abstract: |
Charles Braden and Grace McMurray were Methodist missionaries to Bolivia in the early Twentieth century. The collection contains personal papers, diaries, and correspondence of both Charles and Grace. |
| Extent: |
0.66 cubic foot |
| Resource ID:
|
gcah.rg.1356 |
Biographical Note
Charles Samuel Braden (1878-1970) was a Methodist Episcopal Church missionary and educator. He received his B.A. (1909) and Doctor of Divinity (1943) degree from Baker University in Kansas. In 1912, Braden earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1926. He also studied at Columbia from 1911-1912. In 1911 he married Grace Eleanor McMurray.
Braden was appointed a missionary in July 1912 and a month later arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In 1914 he was ordained into the ministry. Braden left Bolivia in 1915 and went to Santiago, Chile, where he was a professor and president of the Union Theological Seminary. In addition, he managed the Union Book Store and was the editor of El Heraldo Christiano. While Braden was in Chile (1916-1922), he pastored several churches including First Church in Santiago.
Upon his return to the United States, he became the assistant secretary of the Methodist Episcopal Church Board of Foreign Missions and the secretary of the Methodist Life Service Commission. He taught in the department of religion and literature of religions at Northwestern University from 1926 until his retirement in 1954. Braden was active in several professional organizations and the author of numerous articles and books.
Grace McMurray Braden (1888-1951) was a Methodist Episcopal Church missionary to Bolivia and Chile with her husband, Charles S. Braden. Grace Braden received a B.A. from Baker University in Kansas in 1909 and taught high school in Cheney, Kansas, from 1909 to 1911 before her missionary appointment.
Scope Note
This collection contains the personal papers of Grace and Charles Braden. Included in this collection are diaries, correspondence, writings, bulletins, publications, photographs and negatives. The original diaries the Bradens began on the day they left to serve as missionaries in Cochabamba, Bolivia, are part of these papers. Charles Braden's diary began on July 27, 1912, and ended on August 28, 1912. Grace Braden's diary began on July 27, 1912, but was kept until October 5, 1912. These diaries have been transcribed into typewritten copy by Grace Braden Gibas. Correspondence written by the Bradens from 1912 to 1919 is included in these papers. Several letters are undated. There are also a few letters received by the Bradens from 1961 to 1970. A folder of mission related materials contains programs from church related activities in Bolivia and Chile, a pictorial listing of missionaries from The Epworth Hearld of November 9, 1912, a student paper written by Charles Braden in 1926, and a report on religion in Chile. There is a folder of writings by Grace Braden. This contains descriptive accounts and notations related to mission work. A list of students interviewed in various colleges regarding missionary service is another part of this collection. This list contains individual names, school affiliation, and date of interview. Most occurred in 1923 and 1924. Also included are church bulletins from 1911-1912 from the First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York. There is a 1967 copy of The Literary Harvest of a Half-Century, a bibliography of Charles Braden's writings. Braden served as editor of World Christianity, a 1939 copy of this periodical is part of these papers. Additional printed material includes two works in Spanish. One examines the English Methodist Church in Chile, and the other is entitled, "La Expansion Protestante En Chile." This work was written by Cristian Lative d'Epinay and is twenty-seven typed pages. Finally, there are several photographs related to the Bradens. A photographic souvenir booklet from Santiago, Chile, is part of this collection. A series of photographs with a script are located in these papers. There are also twenty-eight black and white photographs. Most have some notations on the back.
|
|
|
Subject Terms |
|
|
|
Additional Creators - Personal |
|
|
:Braden, Grace McMurray |
|
|
:Gibas, Grace Braden. |
|
Subject Topics |
|
|
Missions. |
|
|
Women |
|
Subject Geographic |
|
|
Bolivia |
|
|
Chile. |
|
Genre |
|
|
Articles |
|
|
Church bulletins |
|
|
Correspondence |
|
|
Diaries |
|
|
Negatives |
|
|
Periodicals. |
|
|
Photographs |
|
Occupations |
|
|
Minister. |
|
|
Missionary |
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1306-5-2:
1 |
Charles S. Braden diary |
1912 |
| 1306-5-2:
2 |
Charles S. Braden diary transcript |
|
| 1306-5-2:
3 |
Grace Barden diary |
1912 |
| 1306-5-2:
4 |
Grace Braden diary transcript |
|
| 1306-5-2:
5 |
Correspondence |
|
| 1306-5-2:
6 |
Correspondence |
1912 |
| 1306-5-2:
7 |
Correspondence |
1913 |
| 1306-5-2:
8 |
Correspondence |
1914 |
| 1306-5-2:
9 |
Correspondence |
1915 |
| 1306-5-2:
10 |
Correspondence |
1916-1919 |
| 1306-5-2:
11 |
Correspondence |
1961-1970 |
| 1306-5-2:
12 |
Mission related materials |
1912-1960 |
| 1306-5-2:
13 |
Writings by Grace Braden |
|
| 1306-5-2:
14 |
Interview list |
1923-1924 |
| 1306-5-2:
15 |
Bulletins |
1911-1912 |
| 1306-5-2:
16 |
Publication: The Literary Harvest of a Half- Century |
1967 |
| 1306-5-2:
17 |
Publication: World Christianity |
1939 |
| 1306-5-2:
18 |
English Methodist Church in Chile |
1969-1970 |
| 1306-5-2:
19 |
Article: La Expansion Protestante en Chile |
Undated |
| 1306-5-2:
20 |
Souvenir of Santiago |
Undated |
| 1306-5-2:
21 |
Photographs with script |
Undated |
| 1306-5-2:
22 |
Photographs |
Undated |
| 1306-5-2:
23 |
Photographs |
Undated |
| 1306-5-2:
24 |
Photographs |
Undated |
| 1306-5-2:
25 |
Negatives |
Undated |
