Papers of Collins Denny 1872-1943

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968

Summary

Creator:
Gary L. Cardwell and Phillip Rosen
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

This collection, filling about eighty-eight Hollinger storage boxes comprises the papers of Collins Denny, prominent Southern Methodist Bishop, teacher, author, and lawyer. The collection contains a very complete file of Denny's incoming correspondence, together with some carbons of the outgoing correspondence, (there are gaps in this file), both personal and official, as well as newspaper clippings about his career, drafts of his books, speeches, sermons, and articles, memorablilia, and materials and correspondence of the Collins and Denny families.

The collection is rich in letters from Bishop Warren A. Candler; from Bishop James Canon, Jr., the "Dry Messiah"; and from Noah K. Davis, about whose writings Denny wrote his most prestigious work, an analysis of Davis' Elements of Deductive Logicand his Elements of Psychology. The collection will also provide an excellent basis for studies of any of the following topics: the organization and governance of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; the protracted struggle over the unification of the Methodist Episcopal Chruch, and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; the bitter court and church struggle over the trusteeship of Vanderbuilt University; and the Congressional controversy over the conduct of the Book Agents of the Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. As indicated by these suggested topics, the collection seems to hold the most for the historian particularly interested in the first quarter of this century.

Biographical / historical:
Chronology
Date Event
1854 May 28 Born in Winchester, Va., son of William Ritenour and Margaret Ann (Collins) Denny. Collins' grandparents were William and Margaret (Hotsenpeller) Denny, descendants of David and Margaret (?) Denny, who emigrated from Londonderry, Ireland about 1720 and settled in Frederick County, Va. William R. Denny, his father was a manufacturer, President of the Winchester and Potomac Railroad, and a former Lt. Col. in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
[1872?] After a preparatory education at Shenandoah Valley Academy in Winchester, Va., Collins Denny attended the College of New Jersey (later, Princeton University) where he was active in debating and captain of the 1875 football team. His major interests appear to have been courses in history, philosophy, ethics, and English literature (see notes: also Physics and Mathematics). He also participated in gymnastics.
1876 June 28 Graduated from the College of New Jersey with an A.B. His oration, "Failure an Element of Success," was a part of the program.
1876-1877 Studied law at the University of Virginia Law School, receiving his L.L.B. in 1877.
1877 Admitted to the Maryland Bar
1877-1879 Practiced Law in Baltimore, Md., specializing in real estate, banking and patent matters.
1879 Received an A.M. from the College of New Jersey. Left law practice to enter the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Baltimore Conference. Served nine years under Bishop A. W. Wilson as a circuit and station preacher in that conference (1880-89).
1886 Appointed by the College of Bishops to accompany Bishop A. W. Wilson on a tour of visitation to missions in Asia, at which time he made a tour around the World. (He later would twice spend months in Europe).
1889-1891 Served as chaplain at the University of Virginia. He also took post graduate work in Anglo-Saxon, Philosophy, the English language and literature.
1891 Appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, and served 19 years.
1894 Appointed to the Book Committee of the M.E. Church, S. and served as editor, etc. of the Nashville, Tennessee, branch of the Methodist Publishing House.
1898-1910 Appointed as Chairman of the Book Committee by the College of Bishops, and served 12 years
1902 June Received membership in Phi Beta Kappa
1908 Received an honorary degree (D.D.) at Washington and Lee University
1910 Received L.L.D. degrees at Emory & Henry College and Emory University
1910 Elected Bishop of the M.E. Church, S. with residence at Richmond, Va.
1910-1927 Served as Secretary to the church's college of Bishops
1915 Appointed to go to Mexico to investigate and oversee church affairs
1917-1919 Served as member of the Virginia state council of defense and the Virginia History Commission
1939 Denny doubted the legality and disapproved of the final Plan of Unification which resulted in the merger of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the M.E. Church, South. Until his death he considered himself a bishop at the latter denomination only
1943 May 12 Died in Richmond, Virginia
Genealogical Information

Linna, Irene and Fanny (Fitch) are daughters of Alexander Denny (William R.'s half-brother). They were half-nieces. Agnes Barton Collins is Benson Collins' wife. Susanna, their daughter. "Belle" Denny is John Henry Denny's wife (Collins Sr.'s sister-in-law). Roscoe White is Edith Allen (Denny) White's husband. Denny, Lou, and Marvin their children. Melancthon ("Doc") James is Margaret (or Peggy) Denny James' husband. Donald, Marguerite and Helen their children. Harvey Campbell is Mary Brown (Denny) Campbell's husband. James W. Denny is a half-cousin of Collins, Sr. The same applies to Denny Bros.in San Marcos, Texas. James W. was the son of Robert Lewis Denny, the sixth child of William of Stevensburg by his first wife. William R. Denny (12th child) was a child by the second wife. The Chapman Family is not included in this family tree but is isolated in the correspondence. Lillie Chapman is Lucy Chapman Denny's sister; W.C. Lowndes is her husband; Andrew and W.C., Jr. their children. William Chapman is Lucy Denny's cousin.

Acquisition information:
The first portion of the Denny papers was received by the Library in 1947 as a gift from Collins Denny, Jr., and several additions were made by Mr. Denny before his death. The largest and most important group (#2672-c) included some 6,000 items received in 1951. In 1969, Mr. Denny's sons, Collins Denny III and Clifford M. Denny, presented all the remaining files of their grandfather which could be located in the storage areas of the family farm near Richmond.
Arrangement:

The general arrangement of the Collins Denny, and Denny and Collins Family Papers, is in ten major series, as follows:
Series I: Collins Denny Correspondence: Boxes 1-60. Denny's own filing system has been preserved intact for the most part. Incoming and outgoing letters are segregated and filed alphabetically, within a chronological framework. This last consists of five sub-series as follows:

Sub-Series One: 1872-1899, Boxes 1-17
Sub-Series Two: 1900-1910, Boxes 8-19
Sub-Series Three: 1911-1922, Boxes 20-43
Sub-Series Four: 1923-1943, Boxes 44-52
Sub-Series Five: By states, Boxes 53-60.

Within Denny's own correspondence, subseries Five is an exception. Letters here are filed according to states. The correspondence is designated "official" because Denny was acting as Secretary of the College of Bishops.

Within each of the chronological series there are isolated correspondents. These major correspondents are filed within the alphabeticall order but prior to the alphabetical folder itself. The general arrangement of each chronological series is: (for ex.) A. W. Wilson, Woodrow Wilson, Wi's (incoming), Wi's (outgoing).

All the letters of each of the isolated correspondentsare placed in one folder or a group of folder in only one place in the papers. Thus there is only one folder of Woodrow Wilson's incoming correspondence. Similarly, all of Bishop W. A. Chandler's correspondence to Denny is in Series One (Boxes 1 & 2) despite the fact that seven of the eight such folders lie outside the series chronologically. The place of any group of letters has been determined, chronologically, by the first letter in the collection. Denny's outgoing letters to each individual must be sought in the alphabetically arranged outgoing files in series.

Series II: Family correspondence, Boxes 61-65.

Series III: Collins Denny: Speeches, articles, and other writings, Boxes 66-70, chronologically arranged.

Series IV: Collins Denny: Sermons and Sermon notes, Box 71.

Series V: Collins Denny: Personal documents, certificates, and items useful for biographical purposes, Box 72.

Series VI: Collins Denny: Notes--academic and on church history, Boxes 73-75.

Series VII: Collins Denny and church matters: Clippings, Boxes 76-80.

Series VIII: Collins Denny: Memorabilia, Box 81, arranged chronologically.

Series IX: Collins Denny Collection: Boxes 82-85, subdivided topically into Methodist Collection; Civil War and Reconstruction; and Miscellaneous, arranged chronologically.

Series X: Denny and Collins Family Papers: Boxes 86-87. Miscellaneous: Box 88.

Physical description:
This collection consists of 30,000 items.