Adventist Heritage Center Personal Papers

Personal Papers
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The Center holds over 200 collections of personal papers of individuals prominent in the SDA Church and its work. These collections often include correspondence, topical files, lecture and sermon notes, research material, publications, photographs, reports, and many other types of material. All of the collections available for research use are shown below. All have a printed register, which is an information and user guide to the collections, available to consult at the Adventist Heritage Center. In addition, many of the of the collections have a register available online via a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat software to view these registers.

Grace Amadon Collection (23 boxes): Amadon was interested in calendars and things related. She collected and wrote widely on the topic of the Biblical calendar and the dating of certain events including the October 22, 1844 Great Disappointment, ancient Jewish calendars (including the Kararite), calendar reform, and Turkey and the trumpets of Revelation.
John Peter Anderson Collection (2 boxes)
Roy Allan Anderson Collection (58 boxes): Anderson was a leading evangelist, teacher, and administrator. Topics include preaching, worship, music in worship, Daniel and Revelation, the book Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, and various church controversies such that involving theologian Desmond Ford.
M. L. Andreasen Papers (3 boxes): Andreasen was a leading Church theologian in the mid part of the 20th centu ry. He became embroiled in some theological discussions in the 1950s. The collection includes biographical materials, some correspondence and writings by Andreasen.
E. E. Andross Collection (1 box): Andross was an evangelist, minister, educator, and administrator. This collection includes a collection of his writings and some topical files, including one on the revision of Uriah Smith’s Daniel and the Revelation.
Matilda Erickson Andross Papers (1 box): Matilda E. Andross was very involved in youth work. Some of that interest is exhibited in this collection. Also included are some of her earlier writings and some more general topics.
George Royal Avery Collection (8 boxes): Includes family diaries covering 60 years and other family items.
Ballenger/Mote Papers (81 boxes): A.F. and E.S. Ballenger were outspoken critics of Ellen White and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They maintained a long-standing effort to discredit White and the Church. Donald Mote was their successor. This collection is their entire office file.
Battle Creek College Minutes (8 boxes): Includes family diaries covering 60 years and other family items.
Bond Family (1 box): Frank and Walter Bond were pioneer missionaries to Spain. The collection d ocuments some of their experiences through correspondence and other documentation.
Bordoville, Vermont Church Records (3 boxes): The SDA Church in Bordoville (now Enosburgh), Vermont is one of the oldest churches in the denomination. The church records date from 1861 to 1952.
Sidney Brownsberger Family Papers (3 boxes): Includes correspondence, journals, manuscripts, letters written by Ellen White to Sidney Brownsberger, and some manuscripts concerning or by Ellen White.
Seventh-day Adventist School Bulletins (microfilm): This extensive collection contains microfilm copies of school bulletins for North American SDA colleges and academies, plus many overseas schools. In many cases the series includes the first bulletins for the school and continues to the mid 1980s.
Byington-Amadon Diaries (1 box): This collection includes 42 diaries from four members of this family, including John Byington, first president of the General Conference (no diaries for the years of his presidency), and George W. Amadon.
Adriel Chilson and Nels P. Neilson Collection (2 boxes): This collection documents aspects of the SDA work in Brazil in the 1920s to 1950s through the work of Nels Neilson and other missionaries to that land. Also included are doc uments related to John G. Matteson and Chilson's work on the Gospel Viking.
Roberto Cols Papers (3 boxes): The papers of a pastor in Cuba from the 1950s to 1980. Included here are 19 diaries (in Spanish) covering most of those years.
Melvin K. Eckenroth Papers (22 boxes): Eckenroth was an evangelist and teacher in the mid-Atlantic region of the U .S. He also served as a teacher in the SDA Theological Seminary and at Columbia Union College. Thi s extensive collection includes correspondence, sermons, syllabi and class notes, evangelist ic material, radio scripts, and topical files. The main thrust is evangelism and teaching others how to do it.
Calvin Edwards Collection (3 boxes): Edwards was an associate of Desmond Ford in the 1980s. This collection contains many documents associated with that period of the Church history as well as documents before and after that period.
Christian Edwardson Collection (3 boxes): Edwardson worked with the Scandinavians of Minnesota and Wisconsin much of his life. This collection documents aspects of his life as well as glimpses into the life of se veral Scandinavian churches.
Faith for Today Archives (74 boxes / 112 linear feet + 800 motion picture films): This collection constitutes the historical archives of the Faith for Today television program. It contains records documenting much of the growth and development of this ministry. Included are over 800 rolls of original motion picture films of the program.
Farnsworth Family Diaries (1 box): The Farnsworth family is tightly connected with the origins of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in New Hampshire. These are diaries of a later generation of family members.
Andrew Fearing Collection(1 box): Fearing was a pastor and church administrator spending 17 years in the Gene ral Conference Ministerial Association. This small collection documents portions of his life t hrough his World Ministry Record book and other items.
General Conference President Letterbooks: This microfilm collection includes the outgoing letters of the GC President from 1887 (O.A. Olsen) to 1914 (A.G. Daniells). The originals as well as the incoming correspondence are located at the General Conference Archives.
O. J. Graf (1 box): Graf was an educator who spent a number of years as president of Emmanuel M issionary College. Many of the documents in this small collection concern education inclu ding one against accreditation of our schools.
Frederick Griggs Papers (3 boxes): Includes correspondence and diaries for the first 20 years of the 20th century. Also includes topical files on educational matters.
Richard E. Harris Papers (1 box): Includes correspondence, manuscripts, and other material on the Harris family.
Edward Heppenstall Papers (103 boxes): Heppenstall was one of the leading theologians in the SDA Church in the mid dle years of the 20th century. He was a leader in studies on the perfection, atonement, and righ teousness by faith among others. This extensive collection includes his class material, some corre spondence, and items from study committees on which he served. This is a rich source for a study of this significant theologian.
Jay M. Hoffman Papers: Collection of correspondence, evangelistic material, and topical files of this champion of evangelism for the Jews.
Al Hudson Papers (20 boxes): Hudson was a laymen who became very involved in most of the theological dis cussions within the SDA Church in the late 1950s on into the 1970s. A printer by trade, he prin ted many of the documents disseminated by independent ministries of that period. He had close t ies to Brinsmead, Andreasen, and others. This collection contains extensive correspondence with t he General Conference leaders, Wieland, Short, Brinsmead, and many others plus a lot of man uscripts and publications.
Human Relations Workshop: This is a collection of tape recordings made during the 61 workshops conducted by Andrews University personnel from 1969 to 1978. A printed report is also available in the Adventist Heritage Center.
It Is Written Collection (7 boxes [large]): It is Written is the most successful television ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Founded by George Vandeman, it is broadcast around the world. This collection includes many scripts and a few office records.
John Harvey Kellogg Papers (4 boxes): Includes correspondence with Seventh-day Adventists dating from 1902 to 1908 with a few to 1929. These are photocopies from the Kellogg Collection housed at Michigan State University.
Roland E. Loasby Lecture Notes (8 boxes): Dr. Loasby taught at the SDA Theological Seminary for 33 years. This collection comprises his lecture notes.
Frank Lewis Marsh Papers (1 box): This collection includes manuscripts, articles, family biographical information, and some correspondence. Marsh was a leading proponent of a creationist position on the origin of the earth. Includes correspondence between Marsh and Theodosius Dobzhansky and George McCready Price.
Mansell-Armageddon Collection (8 boxes): This is the research materials for Donald Mansell's book on Armageddon and the King of the North. Contains photocopies of all articles and book portions which mention these terms from pre-Millerite times to the early 1970s.
Iola Martin (Norman Douty) Collection (1 box): Much of this collection centers on the life and writings of Dudley M. Canright, including biographical material.
James L. McElhany Papers (18 boxes): This collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, sermons, and various records related to the SDA Church.
William Miller Collection (2 boxes): This collection includes biographical materials as well as a couple of original letters. Also included are some Miller artifacts and some from the family.
J. Ernest Monteith Papers (8 boxes): This collection documents the history of the SDA Church in Canada.
North American Division Conference Directories: This is a microfilm collection of NAD conference directories dating in most cases from the 1960s to the late 1980s. A few conferences go back as far as the 1940s.
Ron Numbers -- The Creationists (25 boxes): This collection is the documentation for Ron Numbers' book, The Creationists.
Ohio Conference Historical Records (3 boxes): This collection contains the official record books of the Ohio Conference of SDA's from 1863 to 1904 plus the letterbooks of the president and treasurer. Many other documen ts round out the collection. Also included are the record books for the Lovetts Grove Church, the first SDA church in Ohio. The books cover the years 1862-1876.
Barry Oliver Collection (4 boxes): The collection consists entirely of correspondence from the General Conference Archives between Church administrators and other leaders between 1888 and 1905. Included are large amounts of letters to or from Arthur G. Daniells, William C. White, G. A. Irwin, and O. A. Olsen, among others. This is Oliver's research file for his dissertation on W. W. Prescott.
Blythe Owen Papers (8 boxes): A composer and pianist, Owen was one of the most recognized SDA musicians. This collection contains primarily her correspondence from 1919 to 1962, much of whic h is with her mother. Also included are many of Owen's original compositions in her own hand.
Pitcairn Collection (7 boxes): Includes artifacts, articles, brochures, clippings, photographs, books, and various other records related to the missionary ship Pitcairn.
W. W. Prescott Papers (2 boxes): Prescott was one of the most prominent and significant figures in Adventism in the years surrounding the turn of the century in 1900. He was an educator and administrat or who had a tremendous impact upon the Church. This collection contains primarily correspon dence as well as some course material, sermons, and writings.
George McCready Price Papers (3 boxes): Price was one of the leading creationists in the 20th century. Collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, articles, and poems written by Price and others during the course of his life.
Pearl L. Rees Story Collection (3 boxes): Rees served as Dean of Women at several SDA schools over many years. She c ollected devotional and motivational stories in connection with her need to present worsh ip and other talks in the dormitory. This is her collection. There are stories on many different topics.
Leona Glidden Running Collection of Women in Church and Society (29 boxes): The collection contains articles, clippings, reports, and publications documenting current issues of women in church and society. It is not limited to the SDA Church.
Rimmer Family Papers (3 boxes): This is a collection documenting portions of the lives of three of the family members–James Gordon Rimmer, Laura Stout Rimmer, and James Richard Rimmer. All were associated with Madison College. Richard carried on a rather wide correspondence related to earth origins and issues in the SDA Church.
Arthur W. Spalding Papers (12 boxes): A. W. Spalding was an early proponent of home and family. This collection reflects his interest in children, education, family development, the General Conference Home Commission, as well as aspects of SDA Church history.
William A. Spicer Papers (3 boxes): Administrator and author, Spicer served as General Conference President for eight years. Papers include correspondence, manuscripts, articles, quotations, and notes.
Edwin R. Thiele Papers (34 boxes): Thiele was a leading Bible teacher and theologian, teaching at Emmanuel Mis sionary College for many years. He was distinguished for his work on the chronology of the Hebr ew kings. This collection contains Thiele's lecture and research material as well as sermons an d items from his time in China in the 1930s. The collection is particularly strong in the Old Testament.
Emmitt K. Vande Vere Collection (10 boxes): This collection consists of the papers of several Emmanuel Missionary College and Anderews University administrators which Vande Vere collected in preparation of his book on the history of the college and university, The Wisdom Seekers. Also included are manuscripts for the book which includes more information than appeared in the book as published.
Voice of Prophecy Archives (about 175 linear feet): This collection constitutes the historical archives for the Voice of Prophe cy, one of the longest running radio evangelistic programs in the world. Included are correspondence, scripts, Bible correspondence school lessons, reports, and committee material.
Daniel Walther Papers (15 boxes): Walther was a long-time teacher of church history at the SDA Theological Seminary. This collection includes correspondence, manuscripts by Walther, and topical files on many subjects.
Charles H. Watson Papers (1 box): The collection includes correspondence, sermons, manuscripts, and articles written by Watson and others. Watson served as the General Conference President for six years.
Howard B. Weeks Collection of 20th Century Adventist Evangelism (24 boxes): Weeks was director of the General Conference Department of Communication. These papers were collected by Weeks while working on his dissertation. They contain evangelistic sermons, letters, teaching material, questionnaires, articles, visual aids, advertising brochures, and scrapbooks.
Theodora Wangerin Collection (4 boxes): Wangerin spend many years as a missionary to Korea. This collection, in la rge part, documents the work of the SDA Church in Korea.
Bruce M. Wickwire Papers (4 boxes): Wickwire worked in the publishing work of the SDA Church for most of his li fe. The last portion was at the General Conference Publishing Department. This collection do cuments many activities associated with the publishing work of the Church in the 1970s to 1990s.
Ethel Young Papers (4 boxes): Young, an educator, was involved with the creation of the SDA basic reader series. Much of this collection documents her work with that project. Also included are records of the first SDA elementary school located at Bucks Bridge, New York.

There are many other collections of private papers, which, at this time, are not fully processed or available for research use.

Updated on January 24, 2006 Steve Sowder