Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Records, 1866/2004, bulk 1919/1969

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research, except for Folder 1, which is restricted for 75 years from date of creation.

This folder is restricted for 75 years from date of creation (2057) in order to protect personally identifiable information.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Records, Ms1985-004, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
148.3 Cubic Feet 109 boxes, 1 folder
Creator:
Episcopal Church. Diocese of Southern Virginia, Episcopal Church. Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, Jett, Robert C. (Robert Carter), 1865-1950, Light, A. Heath (Arthur Heath), 1929-, Marmion, William H. (William Henry), 1907-2002, and Phillips, Henry D. (Henry Disbrow), 1882-1955
Abstract:
The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Records consist of the Diocese's administrative records, including incoming (often from parishioners) and outgoing correspondence, with a scattering of newspaper clippings, photographs, building plans and surveys, pamphlets, and meeting minutes, from the central administrative office in Roanoke and the churches within the Diocese.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Records, Ms1985-004, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The records of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia consist of administrative records, including incoming (often from parishioners) and outgoing correspondence, with a scattering of newspaper clippings, photographs, building plans and surveys, pamphlets, financial records, and meeting minutes, from the central administrative office in Roanoke and the churches within the Diocese. Many of these materials belonged to the Bishop and his office, including Bishops R. C. Jett, H. D. Phillips, William H. Marmion, and A. Heath Light.

Some documents are numbered 259.

Some documents are numbered 235.

Includes undated newsclipping regarding Lt. Col. Paul Welles, instructor at Virginia Military Institute.

Includes photographs and undated newsclippings.

Some documents are numbered 235.

Includes undated letter to Bishop Marmion.

Some documents are numbered 228.

Some documents are numbered 235.

Includes newsclippings and photographs.

Includes undated article regarding Reverend Maurice Henry Hopson.

Some documents are numbered 155.

Includes undated newsclipping regarding Reverend S. Janney Hutton's resignation.

Some documents are numbered 232.

Includes newsclipping 1951 regarding Dr. Homer Howard, nominated for president of Radford College.

Includes undated newsclipping regarding repairs to church.

Some documents are numbered 154.

Includes information regarding Reverend Kenneth H. Anthony.

Includes newspaper clipping regarding Deaconess Margaret D. Binns.

Includes material regarding renovation.

Includes historical information.

Includes Radford Pulaski Religion and Labor Fellowship.

Contains Laboratories and Youth Conference materials.

Includes segregation and integraion at Hemlock Haven.

Includes undated news clippings, negatives, and various historical reports on the parish.

Includes survey and information concerning the Reredos Memorial to James C., Annie M., and Lewis W. Langhorne.

Includes information regarding Foy J. Howard, Senior Warden Emeritus.

These files are in rough alphabetical and original order, with subseries based on dividers in the collection. They include files of Rev. James C. Walsh and others. Majority of materials relate to the Department of Christian Education.

Includes attendees lists, fees, supply lists, etc. for youth conferences at Hemlock Haven for boys and girls of all ages.

Contains materials related to Women's Auxiliary and Dante, Virginia.

Contains account books, check book, cancelled checks, notes, and bank statements.

Contains letters, ephemera, and typed financial reports.

Contains typed financial lists.

Contains loose financial lists and a membership record.

Contains expense report.

Contains expense report.

Contains calculations of Official Acts.

Contains report form.

Contains summary and letter.

Contains summaries and notes.

Contains notes.

Contains notes and Paul F. Hebberger quote.

Contains letters and notes.

Contains letter and financial notes.

Contains report and notes.

Contains lists of congregants, official acts, expense accounts and funds, appropriations, visitations, meeting minutes, etc.

Contains parochial reports of official acts, lists of clergy and council/conference attendees, treasurer reports, funds and budgets, etc.

Contains accounts of the Bishop Robert C. Jett, roll calls and service/salaries of clergy, reports on church properties, etc.

Contains mission fund account, appointments of clergy, parochial official acts, etc.

Contains trustees' accounts, bonds, investments, etc.

Contains annual parochial accounts and official acts with typed reports.

Loose item removed from 1896 section of book and put at the end of the folder.

Contains programs, notes, letters, financial calculations, etc. Also includes paper book was wrapped in. (Items did not seem to be inserted into the book in any particular order.)

Some items are loose in the minute book, so please maintain original order by retaining location items are stored in.

Contains incomplete records about the history of the parish and lists of people and acts. Loose materials were taken out of book and placed at end of folder. Of note is a 1939 letter from Claudius Lee of VPI looking into the baptismal info for his wife Sarah Otey.

Photographs are primarily of Diosece buildings, such as churches and children's homes; children living at the children's homes and staff; and college campuses and their students, including Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg and Virginia College in Roanoke.

Postcards depict scenes in Lynchburg, Tazewell, Roanoke, Covington, Blue Ridge Mountains, and other places in southwest Virginia.

Mounted photographs are mainly of church buildings, children's homes, and children at the homes.

A couple printed photos from this booklet are in Folder 1.

Booklet for children's home in Covington, Virginia, depicts the campus, the children and alumni, and staff. Many of the originals are in the folders 1 and 3.

Biographical / historical:

The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia was originally formed from the Diocese of Virginia, which was organized in 1795 and included the area that is now the states of Virginia and West Virginia. West Virginia achieved its statehood in 1863, and split from the Diocese in 1877. In 1892 the Diocese of Southern Virginia was formed, and in 1919 the western part of the diocese split off to form the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.

Robert Carter Jett, D.D. (1865-1950), of the Virginia Episcopal School, was consecrated Bishop of the Diocese in March 1920. He selected Roanoke as the headquarters, and St. John's for his parish church. Bishop Jett established a diocesan newsletter, encouraged interdenominational cooperation among the Protestant sects, and oversaw a program of church construction and the growth of mission schools.

In 1938 Bishop Jett retired and Henry Disbrow Phillips (1882-1955) assumed the duties of Bishop of the Diocese. Under Phillips' leadership, the Diocese continued to expand in parishioners and influence, most notably in the growth in the Diocese's function in education.

William Henry Marmion, D.D. (1907-2002), became the third Bishop of Southwestern Virginia in May 1954, and led the Diocese through an era of social upheaval in the 1960s. Bishop Marmion was strongly against racial segregation, and was confronted with the problem of challenging the long-held beliefs of many of his parishioners while integrating Black people into the church at the same time. The 1960s and 1970s also saw women pushing for a higher status in society, and the Diocese saw women increasingly become part of the church leadership as lay readers, deacons, and priests. Bishop Marmion also guided his parish into accepting the revisions of the Book of Common Prayer.

Bishop Marmion retired in 1979, and A. Heath Light (b. 1929) assumed leadership that same year until 1996. Bishop F. Neff Powell served from 1996 to 2013, when Mark Bourlakas assumed the bishopric.

For more information on the early history of the Diocese, see Hills of the Lord: the Background of the Episcopal Church in Southwestern Virginia, 1738-1938 by Katherine L. Brown (Roanoke : Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, 1979; call number BX5917.V8 B67 1979).

Acquisition information:
The records were permanently deposited to Special Collections and University Archives by the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia in 1985. A small initial deposit was made in 1976, and additional materials were received from 1989 thru 1992. Some materials were accessioned in 2012 and 2017.
Appraisal information:

Duplicates and blank pages were weeded. Withholding tax records were shredded to protect personally identifiable information, including social security numbers, of employees. Salaries without names are available in budgets elsewhere in collection. IRS instructions were weeded, as information is available elsewhere and not specific to the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.

Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Records was completed in November 1988. Small additions were integrated with additional description created in 1989-1992. Description was further updated in 2020-2021, including identified chronological subdivisions.

The processing, arrangement, and description for additions from 1990-2017 (Boxes 94-109) was completed in 2022-2023. Series and subseries were created at this time. Within these boxes, titles within brackets [] were created by archivists.

This item was among the parish registers in Box 105, so during processing, they were kept together under the same subseries.

This item was among the parish registers in Box 105, so during processing, they were kept together under the same subseries.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into the following series:

Series I. Chronological subject files, 1905-2004 (bulk 1919-1969), is organized chronologically with single dates followed by date ranges (e.g., 1937, 1937-1938, 1938, 1938-1939).

Within each date and date range, the files are typically arranged by assigned number codes, which are in parentheses at the end of folder titles. Folders without a number code are listed first, in rough alphabetical order, followed by numbered folders in ascending numerical order.

The number codes represent the system used in the Bishop's office. That numbering system is organized first with Episcopal parishes and churches listed alphabetically, followed by subjects. Not every year has materials from each parish or subject.

Series II. Alphabetical subject files, 1923-1968, (bulk 1950-1968), is arranged in rough alphabetical order, divided based on the original dividers used by the Diocese, which remain in the collection. The series includes files of Rev. James C. Walsh and others. A large portion of materials relate to the Department of Christian Education.

Series III. Records of individuals or organizations, 1913-1969, is divided by creator.

  • Subseries A. Robert B. Claytor files, 1956, 1969, is arranged chronologically. Claytor was chair of the 1956 Episcopal Census Committee, whose records dominate this subseries.
  • Subseries B. Women's Auxiliary Records, 1913-1955, is predominately in original order.
  • Subseries C. Stuart Hall, 1929-1953, is arranged in chronological order, which one subgroup in original order.
  • Subseries D. St. Peter's-in-the-Mountains and St. John's-in-the-Mountains, 1914-1966, are in original order, with some materials grouped together under original titles and divisions. These materials are mostly financial records.
  • Subseries E. Standing and Steering Committees, 1919-1956, are in original order, with some materials grouped together under original titles and divisions.

Series IV. Record books, 1866-1973, are primarily bound volumes of financial accounts and recordings of church activities. The series is divided by format into five subseries

  • Subseries A. Daily Cash Books, 1930-1963, is arranged chronologically.
  • Subseries B. Rector's Monthly Reports, 1940-1948, is arranged chronologically.
  • Subseries C. Special Accounts, 1942-1961, is arranged chronologically.
  • Subseries D. Ledgers, 1919-1955, is arranged chronologically.
  • Subseries E. Secretary's and Treasurer's Books, 1866-1900, 1913-1921, is arranged chronologically.
  • Subseries F. Convocation Minutes, 1907-1915, [1925]-1942, is arranged chronologically.
  • Subseries G. Parish and Church Registers, 1873-1973, is arranged chronologically.

Series V. Photographic materials, [ca. 1910s-1920s], is divided by format and arranged chronologically.

These materials were bound together under this title and remain in original order.

These materials were bound together under this title and remain in original order.

These materials were bound together under this title and remain in original order.

This group of materials was wrapped together in brown paper under this title and remains in original order.

This group of materials was wrapped together in brown paper under this title.

This group of materials was tied together and remains in original order.

Physical location:
Please note: This collection is in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives for more information.