Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Olson, Oscar Thomas, 1887-
Title:	Oscar Thomas Olson Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1880-1961
Quantity:	14 linear ft.
Abstract:	Papers of the American clergyman, Cleveland Methodist minister. Correspondence, incoming and outgoing (1917-1959); manuscript addresses, essays, prayers, sermons (1911-1961); photographs; and printed material, including articles, booklets, newsletters, reports, sermons (1918-1961), and other printed items relating to the Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church of Cleveland (1934-1959).
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives

Biographical History

Oscar Thomas Olson (1887-19??) was an American clergyman and author, active in the Methodist and Methodist Episcopal Church.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Olson received his A.B. at Albion College of Michigan in 1911, his A.M. in 1913, and his D.D. in 1922. He studied at Union Theological Seminary from 1911-1913, received his Doctor of Letters at Western Maryland College in 1935, and his Doctor of Laws at Mount Union College in 1938.

Olson was ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1912, pastor of the First Church, Royal Oak, Michigan from 1912-1919, Trinity Church, Detroit, 1919-1921, Mt. Vernon Place Church, Baltimore 1921-1932, Wilmette Parish Church 1932-1934, and Epworth-Euclid Church, Cleveland, from 1934-1959.

He was Simpson lecturer at DePauw University, 1929-30, and exchange preacher for World Alliance for Peace, Great Britain, Glasgow in the summer of 1929. He was a member of the Joint Hymnal Commission of Methodist Churches, representing Methodist Episcopal Church, S. and Methodist Protestant Churches. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal General Conference in 1932, a member of the General Conference Commission on Course of Study, Commission on Supervision and Administrator of Methodist Episcopal Church. He was chairman of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ Committee on Worship, and director of the publicity of Methodist Episcopal General Conference in 1936. In 1937 he was a member of the Uniting Conference of Methodist Churches (chairman of committee on rituals and worship). In 1940 he was a member of the General Conference and Jurisdictional Conference from 1940 to 1944 of the Methodist Church.

Olson was also a committee member on ministerial training of the Methodist Church, a trustee of St. Luke's Hospital, and a member of Sigma Nu, Delta Sigma Rho, and Phi Beta Kappa. He is the author of Some Values for Today (1930) and editor of Book of Worship for Church and Home (1945).

He was married October 16, 1912 to the former Edith Margaret Ketcham, with whom he had three children.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Oscar Thomas Olson Papers consist of correspondence, subject files, writings (manuscripts), and printed matter, including more than thirty years' of the The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, the newsletter of the Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Correspondence is divided into incoming, outgoing, and correspondence by subject. (Inclusive Dates: 1917-1959)

Subject files includes daily memos, map, medals, Methodist biographies, photographs, and receipts. (Inclusive Dates: 1880-1961)

The majority of Manuscripts are by Olson, with a few items about him. Articles and addresses, all typed, are first by Olson and then about Olson. Fragments, Notes, and Lists made by Olson are both typed and handwritten. Music includes music manuscripts. Prayers includes prayers both typed and handwritten. Sermons, all typed, are by Olson. (Inclusive Dates: 1911-1961)

Printed matter includes articles, booklets, bulletins, essays, news items, orders of worship, pamphlets, prayers, programs, reports, sermons, and studies. (Inclusive Dates: 1918-1961)

Orders of Worship from the Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church is bound in notebooks by fiscal year. (Inclusive Dates: 1936-1959)

The Epworth-Euclid Outlook is bound in hard covers, by year. (Inclusive Dates: 1934-1959)

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Arrangement of the Collection

Incoming correspondence and correspondence by subject are arranged alphabetically; outgoing Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Subject files are arranged alphabetically by topic, then chronologically. Manuscripts are subdivided by type. Printed matter is arranged alphabetically by subject. Orders of worship and The Epworth-Euclid Outlook are bound chronologically.

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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

Special Collections Research Center has numerous collections relating to the Methodist church and clergy. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

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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:

Oscar Thomas Olson Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Finding Aid Information

Created by: [Summit record]
Date: circa 1970
Revision history: 22 Jun 2009 - converted to EAD, boxes renumbered (MRC); 23 Jan 2025 - collection rehoused, description corrected/expanded (MRC)

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Inventory

	Biographical Material
Box 1		Miscellaneous

	Correspondence
		Incoming
Box 1			A-G
Box 1			H-L
Box 1			M-S
Box 1			T-Y
Box 1			Unidentified
		Outgoing
Box 1			1917-1959
Box 1			To wife from Europe 1948, 1951, 1953
		By Subject
Box 1			Baltimore 1921 - includes photographs
Box 1			Circulars 1918-1919
Box 1			Milwaukee defeat 1952
Box 1			Pryor 1949
Box 1			Questionnaires 1925-1926
Box 1			Retirement 1959 (4 folders)
Box 1			Of others
Box 1			To Edith (Mrs. Oscar) Olson, after the death of her husband 1964-1965

	Subject files
Oversize 1		Daily Memos 1922-1928, 1933, 1936-1940, 1942, 1946-1951 (4 folders)
Oversize 2		Daily Memos 1952-1956, 1958, 1961 (4 folders)
Box 2		Map of Chicago [1880]
Oversize 2		Medals
Box 2		Methodist Information Bureau biographies - biographies of important Methodists, with photographs
Box 2		Photographs
Oversize 3		Photographs
Box 2		Receipts 1908-1960

	Manuscripts
		Articles, addresses
			by Olson
Box 2				1. Typescripts and carbons (4 folders)
Box 2				2. Unfiled half-size pages, C-M (3 folders)
Box 3				2. Unfiled half-size pages, P-W (2 folders)
Box 3				3. Filed (3 folders)
Box 4			about Olson
Box 4		Fragments, notes, lists by Olson
Box 4		Music
Box 3		Prayers (3 folders)
		Sermons
Box 3			1. Typescripts and carbons, A-F
Box 4			1. Typescripts and carbons, G-W (3 folders)
Box 4			2. Unfiled half-size pages (5 folders)
			3. Filed
Box 4				Ab-Ba (3 folders)
Box 5				Be-Chr (10 folders)
Box 6				Chu-Fi (9 folders)
Box 7				Fo-How (9 folders)
Box 8				Hum-May (9 folders)
Box 9				Mea-Prim (10 folders)
Box 10				Prin-Sta (10 folders)
Box 11				Str-What (10 folders)
Box 12				What-Your (8 folders)

	Printed material
Box 13		Articles about Olson 1918, 1941
Box 13		Articles by Olson 1933, 1956, undated
Box 12		Booklets (2 folders)
Box 13		Clippings about Olson
Box 13		Clippings, miscellaneous
Box 13		Conferences and Councils involving Olson 1922-1958 (3 folders)
Box 13		Conferences and Councils, miscellaneous 1927-1961 (2 folders)
Oversize 3		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, miscellaneous issues 1933, 1958-1959
Oversize 3		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, bound issues 1934-1936 - vol. 38-40 (3 volumes)
Oversize 4		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, bound issues 1937-1940 - vol. 41-44 (4 volumes)
Oversize 5		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, bound issues 1941-1944 - vol. 45-48 (4 volumes)
Oversize 6		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, bound issues 1945-1947 - vol. 49-51 (3 volumes)
Oversize 7		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, bound issues 1948-1951 - vol. 52-55 (4 volumes)
Oversize 8		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, bound issues 1952-1955 - vol. 56-59 (4 volumes)
Oversize 9		The Epworth-Euclid Outlook, bound issues 1956-1959 - vol. 60-63 (4 volumes)
Box 13		Essays, miscellaneous
Box 14		Orders of Worship mentioning Olson 1910-1961, undated (5 folders)
Box 15		Orders of Worship, Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church Cleveland, Ohio Oct 1934-Jul 1939 (5 folders)
Box 16		Orders of Worship, Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church Cleveland, Ohio Oct 1939-Aug 1947 (8 folders)
Box 17		Orders of Worship, Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church Cleveland, Ohio Sep 1947-Sep 1955 (8 folders)
Box 18		Orders of Worship, Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church Cleveland, Ohio Sep 1955-Jun 1959 (4 folders)
Box 14		Orders of Worship, miscellaneous
Box 14		Pamphlets, miscellaneous
Box 13		Periodicals, miscellaneous 1884-1959
Box 14		Prayers by others
Box 14		Programs and notices involving Olson 1912-1960, undated (5 folders)
Box 15		Programs and notices, miscellaneous 1917-1958
Box 13		Reports by Olson 1942-1949 - includes drafts
Box 13		Reports, miscellaneous 1950-1961, undated (3 folders)
Box 15		Sermons and addresses by Olson 1924-1954
Box 15		Studies, miscellaneous 1952-1957 (2 folders)

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