Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Douglass, Truman Bartlett.
Title:	Truman Bartlett Douglass Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1930-1969
Quantity:	14 linear ft.
Abstract:	Papers of the American Congregational clergyman (1901-1969) concerned with urban ministry, civil rights, and Christian unity. Collection includes correspondence; sermons; records of the Board of Home Missions of the Congregational and Christian churches, later the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries (1936-1969), and the Consultation on Church Union (1962-1969); memorabilia, including awards, clippings, photographs, and the Douglass-Bartlett family genealogy; and writings.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Truman Bartlett Douglass (1901-1969) was an American Congregational clergyman, particularly active in urban ministry, civil rights, and Christian unity. He attended Pomona College, Columbia University, and Union Theological Seminary, and was instrumental in the merger forming the United Church of Christ in 1957.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Truman Bartlett Douglass Papers consists of correspondence, sermons, church records, memorabilia, and writings.

Correspondence includes both incoming and outgoing. The five folders in box 1 retain the titled separators which came with the papers (e.g., "Letters re Illness"). Additional correspondence is located in the church records series. Notable correspondents include Liston Pope, A. Whitney Griswold, Helmar A. Melum, Henry P. Van Dusen, Howard Schomer, A. Dale Freis, Cesar A. Chavez (circular, reproduction), Ralph A. Dugan (White House assistant), Hubert Humphrey, Nathaniel M. Guptill, Herbert Stroup, Constantinos Doxiades, Louis Finkelstein, Ralph W. Sockman, and Albert H. van den Heuvel.

Sermons date from the 1930s to the 1960s; roughly 75 percent were written during the first decade of Douglass' ministry. Earlier sermons are enclosed in envelopes with the title, date and parish, while later sermons are on 4x6" file cards organized by subject.

Church records relate to Douglass' work in urban ministry, civil rights, and church unity during his tenure as Executive Vice-President of the Board of Home Missions of the Congregational and Christian Churches, later called the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries. Also included are papers relating to a Child Development Group in Mississippi (CDGM), of which Douglass was chair of the Executive Committee. This material includes two handwritten signed letters from Hubert Humphrey.

Memorabilia contains clippings, photographs, speaking itineraries, and the contents of a binder of personal, biographical and travel papers. There are also sermons and manuscripts of Douglass' father, Truman Orville Douglass, Jr.; an autobiography of Emery Sargent Bartlett, Douglass' maternal grandfather; and a brief genealogy of the Bartlett and Douglass families.

Writings includes poems, prayers, unpublished books, essays, articles, pamphlets, contributions to anthologies, and other formats.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged as received. Sermons are arranged either chronologically (earlier ones) or by subject (later ones), as received. Church records are arranged alphabetically by the organization to which they pertain, and within that roughly chronologically. Memorabilia is arranged alphabetically by the name of the person to whom it pertains. Writings are subdivided by type and then arranged alphabetically by title.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

See also the Truman Bartlett Douglass Booklet.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Truman Bartlett Douglass Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Truman Bartlett Douglass 1969.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: JEJ
Date: Feb 1970
Revision history: 7 Apr 2010 - converted to EAD (MRC); 10 May 2010 - related material (LMD)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		A-Z

	Sermons
Box 2-16		Earlier, by date
Box 17-18		Later, by subject

	Church records
		Board of Home Missions of the Congregational and Christian Churches
Box 19			Reports of principal officers of the Board, in General Council 1936-1968
Box 20			Reports of T. B. Douglass, Executive Vice President 1946-1968
Box 21			Addresses of T. B. Douglass, in General Council 1936-1964 (2 audiotapes)
Box 21			Annual reports 1943-1944
Box 21			Biennial reports 1943-1944, 1947-1958, 1960-1961 (6 folders)
		United Church Board for Homeland Ministries (UCBHM)
Box 22			Biennial reports 1962-1969
Box 22			Organizational assignments - correspondence, memoranda, report file
Box 22			Printed material - pamphlets and brochures
Box 22			Child development group in Mississippi (CDGM) - correspondence (including two letters from Hubert Humphrey), press releases, printed material
		Consultation on Church Union (COCU)
Box 23			Reports 1966-1969
Box 23			Proceedings 1962-1967 (5 volumes)

	Memorabilia
Box 23		Bartlett, Emery Sargent - autobiography, manuscript
		Douglass, Truman Bartlett
Box 23			Awards and citations
Box 23			Newspaper clippings
Box 23			Photographs
Box 24			Speaking engagements
Box 24			Personal and biographical material
Box 24			Travel
		Douglas, Truman Orville, Jr.
Box 24			Miscelleneous
Box 24			Sermons
Box 24		Douglass-Bartlett families

	Writings
		Miscellaneous
Box 25			Poems, prayers, essays
		Unpublished material
			Books
Box 25				The Church
Box 25				Worship
			Articles and essays
Box 26				By title, A-P
Box 27				By title, R-Y
		Published material
Box 27			Pamphlets and separates
			Books
Box 28				Mission to American (1951)
Box 28				Preaching and the New Reformation (1956)
Box 28				Why Go To Church? (1957)
		With others
Box 28			The New World of Urban Man (1965), with Constantinos Doxiades
		In anthologies
Box 28			The Witness of the Churches of the Congregational Order (1940)
Box 28			Crisis in the Church, edited by E. C. Parker (1968)
Box 28			Great Phrases of the Christian Language (1958)
Box 28			The Prospects of Christianity Throughout the World, edited by M.. Searle and Wilhelm Pauck

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