With Christmas around the corner, we thought we’d take a look at how the holiday comes up in our archival collections. The following is just a small sample of Christmas-related photos, programming, and other documents that can be found at The Texas Collection on the most wonderful time of the year.
George W. Truett (middle, 2nd row from the back) and family at Christmas in Waco, c. 1890s. Apparently, the challenge of getting a good family Christmas photo is not a new one–hardly anyone is looking at the camera here! BU records: George W. Truett Theological Seminary #BU/298, box 3, folder 15.Christmas card, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Palmer Brooks to Dorothy Scarborough, c. 1931. Baylor President Brooks extended Yuletide greetings and a taste of Texas home to Baylor alumna and former faculty Scarborough, who was at this point teaching at Columbia University in New York. There are Christmas cards aplenty in Scarborough’s (and other) collections. Dorothy Scarborough papers, Series I, box 13, folder 4.
Waco Caritas Christmas party, 1980. Caritas staff gather for a photo at a Christmas party. Again, the challenge of the group photo–there’s always someone whose eyes close. [Waco] Caritas records #2891, box 5, folder 15.Christmas program (piano copy) at Brook Avenue/Bethel Baptist Church, undated. Finding new and engaging ways to lead a church in its celebration of Christmas always is a challenge for ministers–this piece was found in a folder full of clippings for various Christmas ideas and activities. (Pre-Pinterest, you know.) Telling the Christmas story through Bible verses and beloved carols is a must, though. [Waco] Brook Avenue and Bethel Baptist Church records, box 3, folder 12.
“A Little Child Shall Be the Leader” sermon by Marvin Griffin on audiocassette, 1979 December 16. Rev. Griffin was preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin at this point in his career. His collection includes hundreds of recordings of his sermons and radio broadcasts.Happy New Year (and new century!) from Chas. L. Sanger & Co., a cotton buyer/shipper company. Barnard-Lane collection #39, box 5, folder 14.
The Community Race Relations Coalition (CRRC) began as a series of grassroots dialogues on race in Waco. The First Anniversary Dialogue was held in 2000.
Each month, we post a processing update to notify our readers about the latest collections that have finding aids online and are primed for research. This month we have a few special entries from the Archival Collections and Museums class that worked on an archival processing project with us here at The Texas Collection. (You’ll learn more about that in a guest post by a student in January.) We’re not quite done proofreading all of the students’ finding aids, so there will be a few more finding aids coming from that group. Here’s the scoop for December:
BU Records: Adelphian Theological Society, 1889-1916: The Adelphian Theological Society was formed in 1889 by Baylor ministerial students. The records group contains correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and ledgers that reflect how the Society operated. (Archives class)
Roberta Lucille Malone Bailey Papers, 1936, undated: This small collection contains two items: a letter written by Pat Neff to William and Ada May congratulating them on 50 years of marriage and a photocopy of a journal entry citing this letter.
Raymond E. Biles Collection, 1954-1973: The Biles Collection consists primarily of newspaper clippings covering the educational desegregation era in Texas from 1956-1973. Also included is correspondence to Mr. Biles and other materials relating to his role as an adviser to the Waco Citizen’s Advisory Committee, which was tasked with reviewing local desegregation policies. (Archives class)
[Waco] Caritas Records, 1965-1988: The [Waco] Caritas Records represents organizational records from the Caritas Catholic charity located in Waco, Texas. The records follow the meetings, programs, and public image of Caritas from its creation in the 1960s through its continued service in the 1980s. (Archives class)
James Milton Carroll Papers, 1898-1929: Centered around Carroll’s writings, these documents include manuscripts, proof sheets, sermons, tracts, and other writings. (Archives class)
[Waco] Community Race Relations Coalition Records, 1998-2011: The Waco Community Race Relations Coalition Records consist of correspondence, legal and financial documents, literary productions, photographs, and media documenting the coalition’s efforts to promote racial awareness in the community of Waco, Texas.
[Waco] First Baptist Church Collection, 1892-1978, undated: The First Baptist Church of Waco was established on 1851 May 31 by four charter members along with Noah T. Byars, who became their first pastor on June 1. Their records consist of correspondence, literary documents, and financial records. (Archives class)
Historic Waco Foundation Records, 1954-2005: The Historic Waco Foundation is a nonprofit institution that was created in 1967 after the merger of three Waco
foundations: the Heritage Society of Waco, the Society of Historic Preservation, and the Duncan Foundation. These documents consist of correspondence, financial documents, legal documents, literary papers, and oversized materials. (Archives class)
Huston-Tillotson University Records, 1930-1935: The Huston-Tillotson University Records consist of correspondence and financial documents from Tillotson College as University President Mary Elizabeth Branch tried to keep the college open during the Great Depression.
BU Records: Philomathesian Literary Society, 1859-1951: Established in 1851 while Baylor University was located in Independence, Texas, the Philomathesian Literary Society was the first literary society to be established in Texas. The records include roll books, minutes books, general business records, library records, their constitution, contest records, and records on their fight with the Erisophian Literary Society from 1912-1913. (Archives class)
Quanah, Seymour, Dublin, and Rockport Railroad Records. 1836 (copy)-
1922, undated: The Quanah, Seymour, Dublin and Rockport Railroad Records consist of correspondence, legal documents, financial documents, field notes and maps
produced by the railroad company and associated small companies in South
Texas. (Archives class)
In this letter from J.W. Thomas to R.E. Dudley, Thomas refers to recent “squabbles” between the Philomathesian and Erisophian Literary Societies at Baylor. The question of who should debate first at the 1913 match apparently caused much controversy…and occasional name-calling.
