Herbert Welch Papers
Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist
United Methodist Archives and History Center
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church
(Published for the Drew University Methodist Library)
02/17/2010
Overview of Collection
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| Record Creator: |
Welch, Herbert |
| Title: |
Herbert Welch Papers |
| Title: |
Welch Papers |
| Date Span: |
1880-1973 |
| Abstract: |
Herbert Welch (1862-1969), American Methodist Bishop, was educated at Wesleyan University, Drew Theological Seminary and Oxford
University. The New York Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church ordained Welsh as a deacon in 1892 and Elder
in 1894. After serving several pastorates, he was elected President of Ohio Wesleyan University in 1905. In 1907, he and
four other Methodist clergymen created the Methodist Federation for Social Service of which he became the first president.
The 1916 General Conference elected Welch to the episcopacy and was assigned to the Japan and Korea area until 1928. In 1938,
the retired Bishop was asked by the Council of Bishops to serve as episcopal interim of the Boston area until 1940. Soon
after that he was recalled again and appointed as Chair of the Methodist Committee for Overseas Relief (MCOR) from 1940 to
1948. The Herbert Welch collection documents his life and service in the Methodist Church and its antecedent body.
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| Extent: |
3.3 cubic feet |
| Resource ID: |
drew.ms.gcah5099 |
Biographical Note
Herbert Welch (1862-1969), American Methodist Bishop, was born on November 7, 1862 in New York City to Peter A. and Mary Loveland
Welch. He was educated at Wesleyan University, Drew Theological Seminary and Oxford University. Welch received various honorary
degrees from eight different American universities. Adelaide Frances McGee became his wife on June 8, 1890, which produced
two daughters, Dorothy and Elenor. The New York Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church ordained Welsh as a deacon
in 1892 and Elder in 1894. After serving several pastorates, he was elected President of Ohio Wesleyan University in 1905.
In 1907, he and four other Methodist clergymen created the Methodist Federation for Social Service of which he became the
first president. The 1916 General Conference elected Welch to the episcopacy and was assigned to Japan and Korea area until
1928. While serving in Korea, Welch created the Affirmation of Faith, or better known as the Korean Creed, for the Korean
Methodist Church when it became autonomous. Later this same creed became one of the four Affirmations of Faiths in the Methodist
"Book of Worship." Welch was reassigned to the Pittsburgh episcopal area from 1928 to 1932. After the 1932 General Conference,
he was sent back overseas and served as bishop to the Shanghai area from which he retired in 1936. Welch became widely known
as a strong proponent of furthering human rights during his tenure in the Far East. The topic of China becoming communist
and the solution of how to deal with it was the subject of many of his sermons, lectures and articles. Because of his knowledge
and commentary on the Communist takeover, Welch eventually became vice chairman of the Council against Communist aggression.
In 1938, the retired Bishop was asked by the Council of Bishops to serve as Episcopal interim of the Boston area until 1940.
Soon after that he was recalled again and appointed as Chair of the Methodist Committee for Overseas Relief (MCOR) from 1940
to 1948. During his time as head of MCOR Welch was responsible for raising and distributing eight million dollars in relief
funds. In 1948, Bishop Welch retired for the third and last time. During retirement, lectureships brought him to numerous
universities. He was honored by the governments of China, Japan, and Korea for his prior service. Japan’s government bestowment
on him the Third Order of the Sacred Treasure. Welch was a prolific author writing numerous articles and books. Not all of
his ministry was by the book as can be seen when he performed the first ever baptism by phone at the age of 80. Welch lived
in New York City until his death on April 4, 1969 at the age of 106. Bishop Welch is known for being the longest serving
Methodist Bishop since the church's founding.
Scope Note
Arrangement
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
Biographical
Artifacts
Ministry
Correspondence
Letters to Welch
Letters from Welch
Letters About Welch
Writings
Prayers
Sermons
Speeches and Addresses
Reflections and Other Essays
Published Materials
Clippings
Manuscripts and Other Materials
Preferred Citation
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder,
Herbert Welch Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the items call number
as that is not a stable descriptor.
Access 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.
Restrictions on Use
There are no restrictions regarding this collection. Copyright still owned by Drew. Permissions to publish must be directed
to Drew.
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Subject Terms
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Additonal Creators - Personal |
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Chiang, May-ling Soong, 1897-2003 |
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Additional Creators - Corporate |
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Genre |
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Articles |
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Correspondence |
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Degrees, academic |
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Manuscripts |
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Pamphlets |
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Photographs |
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Medals |
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Obituaries |
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Prayers |
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Reminiscences |
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Sermons |
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Functions |
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Subject Topics |
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Bishops |
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Methodism |
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Methodist Church-Missions |
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Methodist universities and colleges |
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Missions-China |
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Missions-Japan |
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Missions-Korea |
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Sermons |
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Worship |
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Grace (Theology) |
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Methodist Church-Government |
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Subject - Personal Names |
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Wesley, John |
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Subject Geographic |
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China |
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Japan |
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Korea |
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United States |
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Subject Topics |
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Bishops |
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Methodism |
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Methodist Church-Missions |
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Methodist universities and colleges |
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Missions-China |
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Missions-Japan |
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Missions-Korea |
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Sermons |
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Worship |
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Grace (Theology) |
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Methodist Church-Government |
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Subject - Personal Names |
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Functions |
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Functions |
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Subject - Corporate Names |
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Subject - Corporate Names |
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Methodist Church (U.S.) |
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Methodist Episcopal Church |
Series: Biographical
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-4:
1
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Biographical Material |
1890-1915 |
| 2127-7-4:
2
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Biographical Material |
1916-1928 |
| 2127-7-4:
3
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Biographical Material |
1929-1940 |
| 2127-7-4:
4
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Biographical Material |
1941-1955 |
| 2127-7-4:
5
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Biographical Material |
1956-1961 |
| 2127-7-4:
6
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Biographical Material |
1962 |
| 2127-7-4:
8
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Biographical Material |
1965-1970 |
| 2127-7-4:
9
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Biographical Material |
Undated |
| 2127-7-4:
10
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Drew University |
1937-1969 |
| 2127-7-4:
7
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Biographical Material |
1963-1964 |
| 2127-7-4:
11
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Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn |
1880-1895 |
| 2127-7-4:
12
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Ohio Wesleyan University |
1905-1964 |
| 2127-7-4:
13
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Wesleyan University |
1898-1971 |
| 2127-7-4:
14
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Photographs |
1905-1966 |
Series: Artifacts
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2128-7-1:
1
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Wood Case made from John Wesley's Pulpit |
1882 |
| 2128-7-1:
3
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Children's Medal Celebrating American Methodism |
1886 |
| 2128-7-1:
2
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First Centenary Coins - Two items |
1884 |
| 2128-7-1:
4
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Delegate Badge from First General Conference of Korean Methodist Church |
1930 |
| 2128-7-1:
5
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First Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference Badges (2) |
1940 |
| 2128-7-1:
6
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Third Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference Badge |
1948 |
| 2128-7-1:
7
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Fifth Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference Badge |
1956 |
| 2128-7-1:
8
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Sixth Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference Badges(2) |
1960 |
| 2128-7-1:
9
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Bicentenial of American Methodism Medallion |
1966 |
| 2127-7-4:
19
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Drew University Honorary Degree |
1966 |
| 2127-7-4:
20
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Photographs From Drew University Centenial Convocation |
1966 |
| 2127-7-4:
18
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Papers From Photograph Book given by Drew University |
1966 |
Series: Ministry
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-4:
15
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China |
1935-1958 |
| 2127-7-4:
16
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Japan |
1921-1938 |
| 2127-7-4:
17
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Korea |
1916-1964 |
| 2127-7-5:
1
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Methodist Committee For Overseas Relief |
1941-1955 |
| 2127-7-5:
2
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Methodist Episcopal Church, Commission on Interdenominational Relations |
1928-1935 |
| 2127-7-5:
3
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Methodist Federation For Social Action |
1950 |
| 2127-7-5:
4
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Methodism In Asia |
1922-1932 |
| 2127-7-5:
5
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Pastorates: Bedford Station, New
York
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1890 |
| 2127-7-5:
6
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Pastorates: Chester Hill Church, Mt. Vernon, New York |
1953 |
| 2127-7-5:
7
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Pastorates: St. Luke's Church, New York City, New York |
1892-1896 |
| 2127-7-5:
8
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Pastorates: Summerfield Church, Brooklyn, New York |
1893-1898 |
Series: Correspondence
Sub-series: Letters to Welch
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-6:
1
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Correspondence |
1891-1904 |
| 2127-7-6:
2
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Correspondence |
1910-1915 |
| 2127-7-6:
3
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Correspondence |
1916-1928 |
| 2127-7-6:
4
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Correspondence |
1929-1932 |
| 2127-7-6:
5
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Correspondence |
1933-1937 |
| 2127-7-6:
6
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Correspondence |
1938-1945 |
| 2127-7-6:
7
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Correspondence |
1946-1950 |
| 2127-7-6:
8
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Correspondence |
1951-1953 |
| 2127-7-6:
9
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Correspondence |
1954-1955 |
| 2127-7-6:
10
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Correspondence |
1956-1958 |
| 2127-7-6:
12
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Correspondence |
1961-1962 |
| 2127-7-6:
11
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Correspondence |
1959-1960 |
| 2127-7-6:
13
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Correspondence |
1963-1964 |
| 2127-7-6:
14
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Correspondence |
1965 |
| 2127-7-6:
15
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Correspondence |
1966 |
| 2127-7-6:
16
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Correspondence |
1967 |
| 2127-7-6:
17
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Correspondence |
1968-1969 |
| 2127-7-6:
18
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Correspondence |
Undated |
Sub-series: Letters from Welch
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-6:
19
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Correspondence |
1890-1901 |
| 2127-7-6:
20
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Correspondence |
1910-1915 |
| 2127-7-6:
21
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Correspondence |
1916-1923 |
| 2127-7-6:
23
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Correspondence |
1929-1934 |
| 2127-7-6:
24
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Correspondence |
1935-1938 |
| 2127-7-6:
25
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Correspondence |
1942-1945 |
| 2127-7-6:
26
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Correspondence |
1947-1955 |
| 2127-7-6:
27
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Correspondence |
1956-1960 |
| 2127-7-6:
28
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Correspondence |
1961-1969 |
| 2127-7-6:
22
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Correspondence |
1924-1927 |
Sub-series: Letters About Welch
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-6:
29
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Correspondence |
1950-1973 |
Series: Writings
Sub-series: Prayers
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-5:
9
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Prayers |
1958-1961 |
Sub-series: Sermons
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-5:
10
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Sermons |
1958-1965 |
| 2127-7-5:
11
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Sermons |
1911-1952 |
| 2127-7-5:
12
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Sermons |
1903-1910 |
Sub-series: Speeches and Addresses
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-5:
13
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Speeches and Addresses |
1949-1966 |
| 2127-7-5:
14
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Speeches and Addresses |
1909-1947 |
Sub-series: Reflections and Other Essays
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-5:
15
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Reflections and Other Essays |
1940-1957 |
| 2127-7-5:
16
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Reflections and Other Essays |
1921-1937 |
| 2127-7-5:
17
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Reflections and Other Essays |
1962 |
Series: Published Materials
Sub-series: Clippings
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-7:
1
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Clippings |
1897-1905 |
| 2127-7-7:
2
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Clippings |
1906-1916 |
| 2127-7-7:
3
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Clippings |
1917-1924 |
| 2127-7-7:
4
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Clippings |
1925-1929 |
| 2127-7-7:
5
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Clippings |
1930-1932 |
| 2127-7-7:
6
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Clippings |
1933-1939 |
| 2127-7-7:
7
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Clippings |
1940-1945 |
| 2127-7-7:
8
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Clippings |
1946-1950 |
| 2127-7-7:
9
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Clippings |
1951-1955 |
| 2127-7-7:
10
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Clippings |
1956-1959 |
| 2127-7-7:
11
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Clippings |
1960-1962 |
| 2127-7-7:
12
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Clippings |
1963-1965 |
| 2127-7-7:
13
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Clippings |
1940 |
Sub-series: Manuscripts and Other Materials
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2127-7-7:
14
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Prayers |
Undated |
