Reverend C. Shirley Donnelly Collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Reverend C. Shirley Donnelly Collection, A&M 4590, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
2.34 Linear Feet (3 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 document case, 2.5 in.); (1 flat storage box, 3.5 in.); (2 flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (1 flat storage box, 1 in.); (1 oversize folder, 0.1 in.)
Creator:
Donnelly, C. Shirley, Reverend, West Virginia Baptist Historical Society, and Higginbotham, Gary R.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Reverend C. Shirley Donnelly Collection, A&M 4590, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Reverend C. Shirley Donnelly, a Baptist minister and local historian, collected these materials for his own research and interest in West Virginia history. The collection contains various materials pertaining to coal mining and West Virginia history, especially in the New River area and Fayette County. It includes correspondence, land grant and deed records, pamphlets, journals, local histories, records, photographs, and art relating to mining and life in the New River area. One set of correspondence includes recollections, a yearbook, and newspaper clippings by a World War II sailor from the USS West Virginia. Another series of correspondence includes the antebellum, wartime, and postwar letters and personal receipts of Charles Dequasie, a Confederate soldier from Fayette County, West Virginia, and Robert Edward Dequasie's personal and business correspondence. Other ephemera includes West Virginia and mining journals and certificates belonging to Donnelly and others. A scrapbook and notebook of newspaper clippings pertain to early court hangings and executions in West Virginia. Political posters include those for West Virginia Governor William C. Marland and West Virginia Senators Harley Kilgore and Robert Byrd.

Biographical / historical:

Clarence Shirley Donnelly (1895-1982) was a Baptist minister who collected historical records relating to the history of West Virginia, especially Fayette County and the surrounding area. He was born in Rock Castle, Jackson County, West Virginia, but spent much of his life in Oak Hill and Beckley, where he served as minister to the Oak Hill Baptist Church and Crab Orchard Baptist Church, respectively. He also served as a chaplain during World War II and received the Bronze Star and other medals for his actions. He founded the Fayette County Historical Society and led other historical organizations and also wrote frequently for the Beckley Post-Herald on various historical and related topics.

Acquisition information:
Gift of the West Virginia Baptist Historical Society via archivist Gary Higginbotham, 2023 April 4 and September 21.
Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard