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Overview
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| Record Creator: | Hamilton, Franklin Elmer |
| Title: | Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton Papers |
| Title: | Hamilton Papers |
| Date Span: | 1855-1934 |
| Abstract: | Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton (1866-1918), Methodist Episcopal Church minister and bishop, spent many years of his life serving in a pastoral capacity in the state of Massachusetts. This collection contains material concerning himself and his brother John William Hamilton, including correspondences with their fellow associates, scrapbooks, newspaper articles, and material concerning their deaths. |
| Extent: | 1.81 cubic feet |
| Resource ID: | drew.ms.2388 |
Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton (1866-1918), Methodist Episcopal Church minister and bishop, spent many years of his life serving in a pastoral capacity in the state of Massachusetts. He was born in Pleasant Valley, Ohio, on August 9, 1866. He graduated from Harvard University in 1887. Hamilton then served as a professor of Latin and Greek at Chattanooga University from 1887-1888. He joined the New England Conference in 1891 and served as pastor in Newtonville, Massachusetts for five years. In 1892, Hamilton graduated from the Boston University School of Theology. At the end of his five years in Newtonville, he then carried on his education for approximately three years in post-graduate study in both Berlin and Paris. He then returned to the United States and received his doctorate in philosophy at Boston University in 1899 in the field of Speculative Philosophy. Hamilton returned to ministry by serving as pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Boston from 1899 to 1907. From 1905 to 1906, however, he made a trip around the world to study missions and comparative religions. In 1908, he became chancellor of the American University at Washington, and served in that capacity until he was elected bishop in 1916 and was assigned to the Pittsburgh area. He died on May 5, 1918 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This collection contains materials related to the life of Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton and his brother, John William Hamilton. Part of the collection specifically pertaining to Franklin involves two large scrapbooks containing a great diversity of material. The first of these scrapbooks includes newspaper clippings of deceased associates and important societal figures. Other records include letters, certificates from being accepted to various prestigious groups, photos, pictures, and articles from his time spent in Germany and France, and an assortment of songs of primarily a religious, patriotic, or military nature. The second of these scrapbooks contains material that is predominantly college related. Another part of this collection involves three smaller scrapbooks. The first entitled Scrap Book contains random memorabilia of mostly college or church related material. The second entitled In Memoriam Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton contains some biographical information after his death. The third of these contains information concerning the impact of his death on annual meetings. There are many other materials pertaining to his death in this collection, including letters between his wife and other individuals concerning biographical information and tributes in newspapers, such as Zion’s Herald and The Christian Advocate, New York. Another newspaper article focuses on his attendance at a conference while the other letters written to him include asking him to make donations or purchase lecture tickets. His letters written to others often involve congratulations, recommendations, or seeking employment. This collection also contains documents including a photograph of him, his philosophy doctorate, two certificates acknowledging both his appointment and reappointment as a Justice of the Peace, and his commencement thesis from Boston University entitled The Results of the Crusades. The collection also contains three pages of general biographical information.
The section of the collection specifically pertaining to John William Hamilton contains mostly letters. These letters concern general cordial greetings, expressions of gratitude, apologies, requests for both his preaching at another congregation and doing an opening prayer at a senate meeting, financially related material, subscriptions, and employment acknowledgement. There are also two letters from Herbert Hoover concerning the declining of a request for his membership and an exchange concerning the death of an ambassador. There are two sermons in this part of the collection. The first of these sermons is given as a memorial for Charles Russell Lowell. The second sermon is a more general sermon entitled “Going Forward” by Going Backward. There are two copies of a pamphlet entitled In Memoriam John William Hamilton as a tribute to his death. There are also newspaper clippings in this collection including a reprint of a newspaper article concerning John Wesley, a tribute in Zion’s Herald to John William Hamilton, and three scraps containing memorials to J. W. Hamilton. Finally, the collection contains some miscellaneous material that could belong to either of the Hamilton’s. This material includes a letter containing a prayer, a pamphlet for the memorial service of Queen Victoria, and a letter entitled Lincoln and the Church Beside the Highway in both handwritten and typed formats.
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
Material is arranged by record type or date.
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Franklin Elmer Hamilton Papers, Methodist Collection - Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
No restrictions.
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.
John William Hamilton Papers
Administrative files of United Methodist Communications
Mission Biographical Reference Files
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 2143-3-1: 1 | Scrap Book | 1881-1883 |
| 2143-3-1: 2 | In Memoriam Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton | 1919 |
| 2143-3-1: 3 | Resolutions Passed at Annual Meeting of the General Deaconess Board | 1918 |
| 2143-3-1: 4 | Biographic Information - Hamilton Brothers | Undated |
| 2143-3-1: 5 | Franklin's Commencement Thesis - Boston University - The Results of the Crusades | 1892 |
| 2143-3-1: 6 | Newspaper Tributes to Franklin | 1918-1920 |
| 2143-3-1: 7 | Letters Concerning Franklin after his Death | 1918-1919 |
| 2143-3-1: 8 | Miscellaneous Correspondence - Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton | 1906-1912 |
| 2143-3-1: 9 | Sermons by John William Hamilton | 1883-1884 |
| 2143-3-1: 10 | Tributes to John William Hamilton | 1934 |
| 2143-3-1: 11 | Miscellaneous Correspondence - John William Hamilton | 1926-1932 |
| 2143-3-1: 12 | Miscellaneous Correspondence - Hamilton Brothers | 1901 |
| 2143-3-2: 1 | Scrap Book - Scholastic Related | 1883-1887 |
| 2143-3-3: 1 | Scrap Book - Miscellaneous Material | 1855-1919 |
| 2143-3-4: 1 | Documents | 1892-1899 |
