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Bridwell Library Archival Collections: B

William S. Babcock Papers

Church history professor William S. Babcock served Perkins School of Theology from 1967 until his retirement in 2005. Extent: 8 boxes (8 linear feet) [Boxes 1316-1323]. Collection STA 15.

Wilfred M. Bailey Papers

Professional papers of North Texas Annual Conference minister and civil rights leader Wil Bailey (d. 2006). Rev. Bailey was the founding pastor of Casa View United Methodist Church in Dallas, a congregation that he served for forty-two years. Extent: 4 boxes (4 linear feet) [Boxes 1039-1042]. Gift of Carlos W. Davis, 2011. Collection MSA 98.

John Barker Family Correspondence

Comprises letters written by British Anglican clergyman Rev. John Barker (1748-1816) to his son, Rev. Henry Barker (1779-1839); letters written to Rev. Henry Barker by his brothers Samuel Barker (lived circa 1780-1840) and Rev. William Barker (1772-1838). Navy Chaplain Rev. Henry Barker served aboard H.M.S. Defiance in 1805 and H.M.S. Renown in 1806 and 1808. The collection also includes published articles on the death and burial of Rev. William Barker (1805-1841), son of Rev. William Barker (1772-1838). Extent: 1 box (.5 linear foot) [Box 2120]. Collection BLA 35. Contact Arvid Nelsen for assistance.

Roy D. Barton Papers

Roy D. Barton served Perkins School of Theology as director of the Mexican American program and as associate professor of practical theology from 1974 until his retirement in 1995. Extent: 44 boxes (44 linear feet) [Boxes 421-464]. Collection STA 16.

William Perry Bentley Papers

Comprise research files on parapsychology, correspondence, publications, organizational records and reports, event information, audio recordings, and photographs. Date range: 1948-1974. Collection BLA 9.

Benjamin K. Bering, Jr. Papers

Professional and personal papers of the Rev. Benjamin K. Bering, Jr. (1898-1973). He became a Deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1934, and was ordained an Elder in 1937. His ministry included pastorates in the Texas Annual Conference and service on the Conference Board of Missions. Extent: 1 box (.5 linear foot) [Box 946A]. Collection MSA 123.

Meyer and Blankenmeister Family Papers

Documents and publications related to Methodist missionary Fannie Ellen Meyer (1868-1938), her family, and their descendents. Fannie Ellen Meyer served in China from 1895 to 1898. Extent: 5 folders (.1 linear foot) [Box 2188B]. Gift of Carolyn Blankenmeister, 2011. Collection MSA 110.

Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church

Meeting minutes, publications, and correspondence of the Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church (UMC) and predecessor agencies: The Board of Social and Economic Relations of the Methodist Church (MC), the General Board of Christian Social Concerns (MC), and the Board of Christian Social Concerns (UMC). Date range: 1955-1974. Extent: 2 boxes (1 linear foot). [Boxes 1194 A-B]. Collection MSA 152.

Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church

Includes publications and internal records of the Board of Global Ministries and predecessor bodies The Board of Missions of the United Methodist Church and the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church. Extent: 3 boxes (1.75 linear foot) [Boxes 1195-1196]. Acquired. Collection MSA 47.

Hiram A. Boaz Papers

Includes correspondence, scrapbooks, sermon notes, appointment books, and photographs related to ministry, presidency of Polytechnic College, Fort Worth, Texas, 1902-1911 and 1913, Texas Woman’s College, 1914-1918, and Southern Methodist University, 1920-1922, and episcopacy, 1922-1939, as well as materials on the Texas League Against Whisky, 1933-1935, Oriental mission, 1922-1926, fundraising efforts for Methodist (later Harris) Hospital, Fort Worth and Southern Methodist University, and work as bishop in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, including Texas, North Texas, Northwest Texas, Central Texas, West Texas, and the New Mexico conferences, 1926-1938. Extent: 8 boxes (8 linear feet) [Boxes 280-286 and 1936]. Collection MSA 2.

John H. F. Boese Manuscript

Original typed book manuscript with hand annotations: A Biography of A Great and Yet Little Known Methodist Pioneer John Christian Lyon by the Rev. John Henry Frederick Boese, 1954. Extent: 2 folders (.1 linear foot) [Box 1724B]. Acquired. Collection MSA 88.

John Boreing Diary

Single manuscript volume inscribed “John Boreing’s Diary, Book 2nd.”  Entries in the diary date from 1855 and 1856. Rev. Boreing (also spelled Boring) was born near Jonesboro, Tennessee in 1827. He was admitted to the Holston Conference in 1851 and served the church for 59 years as circuit preacher, presiding elder, and evangelist. Boreing died in Emory, Virginia in 1910. Extent: 1 file (.1 linear foot) [Box 465A]. Collection MSA 125.

Elias and Abigail Bowen Family Papers

Comprised of 166 letters, a sermon, and three additional documents relating to the Rev. Elias Bowen (1791-1870), his wife Abigail Birdseye Bowen, (1803-1871), and Rev. Bowen’s ministerial career in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Extent: 3 boxes (1.25 linear feet) [Boxes 1028 A-C]. Acquired. Collection MSA 118.

Charles Braden Papers

Comprises ministerial, teaching, and family papers, published and unpublished writings, and data on world religions, Christian Science, New Thought, religious sects, and cults. Charles S. Braden (1887-1970) was a Methodist minister, missionary, author, and educator who taught in the department of Religion and Literature of Religions at Northwestern University between 1926 and 1954. Extent: 11 boxes (5.5 linear feet and oversize) [Boxes 1765A-1769B, OV]. Collection BLA 10.

Carl Brannin Papers

Includes papers on religion in social action and social movements by journalist, social activist and civil libertarian Carl Brannin (1888-1985). Extent: 3 boxes (3 linear feet) [Boxes 647L-649L]. Collection BLA 11.

Frances H. Bray Papers

Consists of materials documenting the lives of Frances Bray, her husband, the Rev. William D. Bray (SMU ’36 and ’39), and James H. Trexler. The collection includes correspondence, articles, photographs, slides, and a copy of a bibliography of research materials on Walter Russell Lambuth (1854-1921) and Kwansei Gakuin University that was compiled by Frances Bray 1973-1977. Extent: 4 folders (.25 linear foot) [Box 1922A]. Gift of Frances Bray, 1977, 2010 and 2012. Collection MSA 103.

Robert E. Breihan Papers

Includes documents and publications from the life and ministry of Rev. Robert E. (Bob) Breihan (1925-2017). Breihan served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. He studied at the University of Texas and at Perkins School of Theology before embarking on a career in youth work, campus ministry, and social justice advocacy. These papers comprise two folders of documents pertaining to the racial integration of Perkins School of Theology and two small publications: The report of the Fourth National Methodist Student Conference and a history of Methodism in Industry, Texas. Date range: 1948-1950. Extent: 4 folders.[Box 1048B] Gift of Sarah R. Bentley, August 2018. Collection MSA 155.

Collection on J. S. Bridwell

Includes business correspondence, Bridwell Library-related correspondence and articles, a 1967 biographical study by Mary Basham Loggie, and an autographed photograph of Methodist layman and Perkins School of Theology benefactor Joseph Sterling Bridwell (1885-1966). Materials in the collection were created between 1951 and 1973. Extent: 2 boxes [Boxes 996A and 2006B]. Acquired. Collection MSA 136.

Bridwell Library Audio-Visual Materials and Digital Data

Cassette tapes and compact discs produced by, for, or about Bridwell Library, as well as original copies of sound recordings and videotapes that have been re-formatted (digitized) for public use. Extent: 1 box [Box 761B]. Collection BLA 40.

Bridwell Library Facilities Records

Extent: 1 box (1 linear foot) [Box 727]. Collection BLA 7.

Bridwell Library Publications

Contains four series of materials: Exhibition Catalogs, Other Titled Works, Untitled Works, and ephemera. Extent: 4 boxes (5 linear feet) [Boxes 772-774 and 2020]. Collection BLA 8.

Bridwell Library Records

The records in this group were generated by or on behalf of Bridwell Library and its predecessor, the Southern Methodist University theological library (1924-1950). Collection BLA 1.

British Methodists Documents and Images

Comprised of over two hundred letters, documents, and images including the documents collected by Alexander Meyrick Broadley (1847–1916), the manuscripts of Rev. L. H. Wellesley Wesley (1844–1931), letters written by Thomas Coke (1747–1814) written between 1781 and 1813, and letters written by the family of British Anglican clergyman Rev. John Barker (1748–1816).

British Wesleyan Conference Presidents

This collection comprises three albums containing printed likenesses, biographical sketches, autograph letters, and other documents related to British Wesleyan Conference presidents beginning with John Wesley and continuing into the 1950s. Extent: 6 boxes (3.5 linear feet) [Room 228A manuscript shelves]. Acquired. Collection BridColl 03. Note: Contact Arvid Nelsen for assistance accessing this collection.

A. M. Broadley Album on Brian Bury Collins

The correspondence of John, Charles and Sarah Wesley, Dr. Witherspoon (Signatory to the American Declaration of Independence), Selina Countess of Huntingdon, Ladies Glenorchy and D. Maxwell, the Rev. Rowland Hill, Bishop Beilby Porteous, the Rev. D. Simpson and many other Divines with the Rev. Brian Bury Collins, M.A., afterwards Bury, of St. John’s College, Cambridge; Bath, and Linwood Grange, Lincoln. 1772-1779. Collected, arranged, and annotated by A. M. Broadley. The Knapp, Bradpole, Bridport, 1913. Extent: 3 boxes (2 linear feet) [Room 228A manuscript shelves]. Date range: 1757-1913. Acquired. Collection BridColl 10. Note: Contact Arvid Nelsen for assistance accessing this collection.

Jack T. Brooking Collection on Joan of Arc

Twentieth-century scripts, librettos, news clippings, and correspondence concerning performing arts productions about the life of Joan of Arc (circa 1412-1431) collected by Jack T. Brooking, Ph.D., Annie Louise Harrison Waterman Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia. Extent: 2 boxes (1 linear foot) [Boxes 1938 A-B]. Collection BLA 38.

Brown Family Papers

English in origin; includes autographs, correspondence, business records, and legal documents dating from 1846 to 1926. These materials were written by, sent to, collected by Alfred Brown (1859-1871), Frederick Brown, Walter E. Brown, and George Brown (d. 1882). Extent: 1 box (.5 linear foot) [Box 1734C]. Collection BLA 36.

Guston H. Browning Papers

Documents Rev. Browning’s experiences as a Perkins School of Theology student (B.D., 1953) and alumnus. The collection includes personal memoirs, correspondence, ephemera, and photographs. Some materials shed light on the racial integration of Perkins School of Theology. Date range: 1951-1953 and 2009-2019. Extent: 1 box (.25 linear foot). [Box 792D]. Gift of Guston H. Browning, March 2019. Collection MSA 156.

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