Collection 077 Papers of J. Wilbur Chapman
Scope and Contents
Microfilm from the Presbyterian Historical Society of correspondence, sermons, sermon notes, photographs, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and memorabilia documenting the life and ministry of J. Wilbur Chapman. Materials detail Chapman's life from his early education through his pastoral Ministry and full-time evangelistic work. Documents also relate to his interests in Bible conference centers in Winona Lake, IN; Montreat, NC; and Stony Brook, NY.
Dates
- Created: 1880-1918
Conditions Governing Access
The microfilm in this collection may not be reproduced without written permission of the:
Presbyterian Historical Society
425 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Biographical or Historical Information
John Wilbur Chapman was born in Richmond, Indiana, on June 17, 1859. His parents Alexander H. and Lorinda Chapman prepared him for a life of Christian ministry. The young man felt he could never pinpoint a date for his conversion, but did make public his acknowledgement of Christ at age seventeen.
In 1876 Chapman joined the Richmond Presbyterian Church and later that year left to attend Oberlin College. After one year at Oberlin, Chapman transferred to Lake Forest University where he received his B.A. in 1879. His seminary years, 1879-1882, were spent at Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, during which time he was ordained on April 13, 1881.
The young minister married Irene Steddon, in May 1882, prior to assuming his first pastorate. Chapman's first child, Bertha Irene, was born on April 1, 1886, which was followed a month later by his wife's death. The minister then married Agnes Pruyn Strain on November 4, 1888. She bore Chapman four children: Robert (who died in infancy), John Wilbur, Jr., Alexander Hamilton, and Agnes Pruyn. Chapman's second wife died June 25, 1907. He married his third and last wife Mabel Cornelia Moulton on August 30, 1910.
Chapman led several churches prior to his full time evangelistic efforts. The following churches came under Chapman's care from 1882 until 1902: College Corner Presbyterian Church (Ohio) and Liberty Presbyterian Church (Indiana), 1882; Dutch Reformed Church (Schuylerville, NY), 1883-1885; First Reformed Church (Albany, NY), 1885-1890; Bethany Presbyterian (Philadelphia, PA), 1890-1892, 1896-1899; Fourth Presbyterian Church (New York City, NY), 1899-1902.
Chapman began his evangelistic work full time in 1893, preaching with D. L. Moody at the World's Fair and conducting many meetings on his own. He hired William Ashley "Billy" Sunday as an advance man, thus giving him his start in evangelism. At this same time, the evangelist Sol C. Dickey set up a Bible Conference Center in Winona Lake, Indiana. This center held lifelong interest to Chapman along with the others he helped develop in Montreat, North Carolina, and Stony Brook, Long Island, New York.
After returning to the active pastorate for a short time, at the end of 1895, Chapman was appointed Corresponding Secretary of the Presbyterian General Assembly's Committee on Evangelism. He directed the activities of fifty-one evangelists in 470 cities and also found time to write one of his numerous books, Present Day Evangelism. In 1905, John H. Converse, a wealthy Presbyterian layman, offered to underwrite Chapman's expenses if he would return to full time evangelistic work. Converse also set up a trust fund to provide monies even after his own death.
From 1904-1909 Chapman began to develop and promote a new method of urban evangelism. His idea was to hold several meetings throughout a city simultaneously, thereby reaching more people and stirring more hearts to enter into Christian service. The first city to try Chapman's theory was Pittsburgh in 1904. The city was divided into nine districts with nine meeting places as the revival was conducted. Chapman took the central position and his assistants the rest. Another campaign was planned and executed in Syracuse, New York, in 1906; however, there were still unfinished details to be worked out for the method to be widely accepted.
Charles Mc Callon Alexander, world famous song leader, who had been traveling with R.A. Torrey, joined with Chapman in 1907. The two men became a team and formed the "Chapman-Alexander Simultaneous Campaign." Enjoying the benefits of both their influences, the men were able to build a large group of evangelists and song leaders to assist them in the large city-wide campaigns.
The first joint campaign was held in Philadelphia from March 12 to April 19, 1908. The city was divided into forty-two districts with twenty-one teams of evangelist-musicians. Three weeks were spent in each half of the city with estimates of eight thousand conversions. The following revival held in Boston from January 26 to February 17, 1909, is considered to be Chapman's most successful. The city was divided into twenty-seven districts and recorded seven thousand conversions.
The first Chapman-Alexander worldwide campaign left Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 26, 1909, and returned November 26. Stops along the way included: Melbourne, Sydney, Ipswitch, Brisbane, Adelaide, Ballarat, Bendigo, and Townsville in Australia; Manila in the Philippines; Hong Kong, Kowloon, Canton, Shanghai, Hankow, Peking and Tientsin in China; Seoul, Korea; Kobe, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Yokohama in Japan.
Chapman continued his non-stop evangelistic efforts in both the United States and Europe in 1910, including a very successful Chicago meeting from October 16 to November 27. However, Chapman's technique of mass evangelism lost much of its popularity. A series of unsuccessful campaigns were conducted in Bangor and Portland, Maine, and Dayton and Columbus, Ohio. Chapman was not credited with the failures, and so from 1912 on all the revivals were mass meetings led by Chapman.
Many services were conducted by the evangelist in the next couple of year in Australia, Scotland, Ireland, India, New Zealand, and the United States, averaging three to five sermons a day in many places. His career as evangelist ended with the Chapman-Alexander campaign January 6 to February 13, 1918.
The Presbyterian General Assembly elected him Moderator in May 1918. The strenuous routine required for the position combined with all the energy expended during his campaigns created a collapse of Chapman's health. He was forced to undergo emergency surgery for gallstones on December 23 and died on December 25, 1918.
PARTIAL LIST OF JOHN WILBUR CHAPMAN CAMPAIGNS
Place Date
Burlington, Vermont c. 1893-1895 (?)
Saratoga, New York c. 1893-1895 (?)
Ottawa, Illinois c. 1893-1895 (?)
Indianapolis, Indiana c. 1893-1895 (?)
Bloomington, Indiana c. 1893-1895 (?)
Evansville, Indiana c. 1893-1895 (?)
Boston, Massachusetts c. 1893-1895 (?)
Brooklyn, New York c. 1893-1895 (?)
Paris, Illinois c. 1893-1895 (?)
Montreal, Canada c. 1893-1895 (?)
Terre Haute, Indiana c. 1893-1895 (?)
Saginaw, Michigan c. 1893-1895 (?)
Fort Wayne, Indiana c. 1893-1895 (?)
Peoria, Illinois c. 1893-1895 (?)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1904
Minneapolis, Minnesota (St. Paul) Oct 14-31, 1905
Newark and Patterson, New Jersey Nov 20 - Dec 17, 1905
Syracuse, New York Jan 19 - Feb 3, 1906
Wellston, Ohio Feb 20 - (?) 1906
Mobile, Alabama Feb 24 - Mar 10, 1906
Dallas, Texas Mar 15 - Apr 3, 1906
Sherman, Texas Apr 4-16, 1906
Danville, Texas Apr 27 - May 13, 1906
Roanoke, Virginia Oct 3-18, 1906
Lafayette, Indiana Oct 23 - Nov 5, 1906
Rochester, New York Nov 11-28, 1906
Des Moines, Iowa Dec 2-16, 1906
Portland, Indiana Jan 5-10, 1907
Auburn, New Hampshire 1907 (?)
Antrim, New Hampshire 1907 (?)
Pautucett, Rhode Island Jan 19 - Feb 3, 1907
Worcester, Massachusetts Feb 7-24, 1907
Hartford, Connecticut Feb 24 - Mar 15, 1907
Utica, New York Mar 17-31, 1907
Cincinnati, Ohio Apr 3-22, 1907
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mar 12 - Apr 19, 1908
Norfolk, Virginia Apr 23 - May 6, 1908
Orilla, Ontario Sep 30 - Oct 13, 1908
Brantford, Ontario Oct 15 - Nov 2, 1908
Burlington, Ontario Nov 4-17, 1908
Richmond, Virginia Jan 6-24, 1909
Boston, Massachusetts Jan 20 - Feb 21, 1909
Springfield, Massachusetts Feb 18 - Mar 9, 1909
Portland and Bangor, Maine Dec 25, 1909 - Feb 12, 1910
Chicago, Illinois Oct 16 - Nov 27, 1910
Fort Wayne, Indiana Nov 30 - Dec 18, 1910
New York Dec 28, 1910
Springfield, Massachusetts Jan 1, 1911
Toronto, Canada Jan 5-29, 1911
Brooklyn, New York Feb 2 - Mar 1, 1911
Swanses, Wales Mar 9 - Apr 4, 1911
London, England Mar 1911
Nantymoel, Wales Apr 5, 1911
Belfast, Ireland Apr 6-7, 1911
Leeds, England Apr 8-10, 1911
Birmingham, England Apr 16, 1911
Shrewsbury, England Apr 20-28, 1911
Atlantic City, New Jersey May 16-21, 1911
Kansas City, Missouri Jun 11, 1911
Riverside, California Jun 15, 1911
Las Angeles, California Jun 18-19, 1911
Oakland, California Jun 20, 1911
San Francisco, California Jun 21-27, 1911
Jamaica, New York Jul 2, 1911
Atlantic City, New Jersey Jul 7-8, 1911
New York, New York Jul 9, 16-20, 23-24, 1911
Chautaqua, New York Jul 30 - Aug 4, 1911
Binghamton, New York Jul 28, 1911
Winona, Indiana Aug 6-7, 1911
Stony Brook, New York Aug 13-18, 1911
Mt. Etna, Indiana Aug 22, 1911
Montrose, Indiana Aug 23, 1911
Winona, Indiana Aug 24-27, 1911
Laurel Park, Maryland Sep 4, 1911
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sep 22, 1911
Belfast, Ireland Oct 7 - Nov 10, Nov 22, 1911
Bangor, Ireland Nov 11-21, 1911
Londonderry, Ireland Nov 23 - Dec 4, 1911
Demdulk, Ireland Dec 6-9, 1911
Dunedin, New Zealand Mar 19 - Apr 15, 1912
Melbourne, Australia Apr 21 - May 17, 1912
Adelaide, Australia May 24 - Jun 6, 1912
Petersburg, Australia Jun 7, 1912
Broken Hill, New South Wales Jun 8-17, 1912
Port Pirie, Australia Jun 18-25, 1912
Mount Gambier, Australia Jun 28 - Jul 2, 1912
Bordertown, Australia Jul 3, 1912
Goulburn, New South Wales Jul 6-11, 1912
Sydney, Australia Jul 19 - Aug 9, 1912
Newcastle, Australia Aug 10-16, 1912
Maitland, Australia Aug 17-23, 1912
Armidale, Australia Aug 24-29, 1912
Brisbane, Australia Sep 5-19, 1912
Gladstone, Australia Sep 20, 1912
Townsville, Australia Sep 23-29, 1912
Charters Towers, Australia Sep 30 - Oct 7, 1912
Mackay, Australia Oct 8-15, 1912
Gladstone, Australia Oct 16, 1912
Toowoomba, Australia Oct 17-22, 1912
Sydney, Australia Oct 23, 1912
Albany, New South Wales Oct 24-29, 1912
Melbourne, Australia Oct 30, 1912
Ballarat, Australia Oct 31 - Nov 10, 1912
Fremantle, Australia Nov 17-25, 1912
Perth, Australia Nov 26 - Dec 16, 1912
Lanceston, Australia Dec 29-31, 1912
Deloramie, Tasmania Jan 5, 1913
Mole Creek, Tasmania Jan 12, 1913
Devenport, Tasmania Jan 19, 1913
Geelong, Australia Jan 29 - Feb 6, 1913
Melbourne, Australia Feb 9-12, 1913
Dunedin, New Zealand Feb 18-19, 1913
Queenstown, New Zealand Feb 23, 1913
Clinton, New Zealand Feb 26, 1913
Palmerston, New Zealand Feb 26, 1913
Timaru, New Zealand Feb 26 - Mar 2, 1913
Christ Church, New Zealand Mar 4-24, 1913
Wellington, New Zealand Mar 26 - Apr 14, 1913
Auckland, New Zealand Apr 18 - May 7, 1913
Glasgow, Scotland Oct 2 - Dec 21, 1913
Edinburgh, Scotland Jan 16 - Mar 3, 1914
Glasgow, Scotland Mar 8-20, 1914
Perth, Scotland Mar 30, 1914
Folksick, Scotland Mar 31, 1914
Inverness, Scotland Apr 1-3, 1914
Aberdeen, Scotland Apr 3, 1914
Dundee, Scotland Apr 4, 1914
Paisley, Scotland Apr 6-8, 1914
Ayr, Scotland Apr 9, 1914
Dunnfries, Scotland Apr 10, 1914
New York, New York June-August 1914, misc. dates
London, England Sep 29 - Oct 21, 1914
Glasgow, Scotland Oct 22 - Nov 29, 1914, misc. dates
Elizabeth, New Jersey Dec 9-10, 1914
Orange, New Jersey Dec 15-16, 1914
Springfield, Massachusetts Dec 20, 27, 1914
Raliway, New Jersey Jan 3-4, 1915
Lima, Ohio Jan 6 - Feb 3, 1915
Atlanta, Georgia Feb 14 - Mar 28, 1915
Charlotte, North Carolina Apr 4 - May 10, 1915
Mitchells, Virginia May 16, 1915
Boston, Massachusetts May 30, 1915
Mew York, New York Jun 13, 27, 1915
Jamaica, New York Jun 27, 1915
Montreat, North Carolina Jul 11-18, 1915
Montclair, New Jersey Jul 25, 1915
New York, New York Jul 30, 1915
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina Aug 8-9, 1915
New York, New York Aug 22, 1915
Jamaica, New York Sep 5, 1915
New York, New York Sep 12-13, 1915
Culpepper, Virginia Oct 3, 10, 1915
Mitchells, virginia Oct 10, 1915
Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina Oct 12-14, 1915
Asheville, North Carolina Oct 7 - Nov 21, 1915
Brattleboro, Vermont Nov 26 - Dec 21, 1915
Chicago, Illinois Jan 6, 1916
Springfield, Illinois Jan 9 - Feb 13, 1916
Washington, Pennsylvania Feb 20-25, 1916
Avalon and Bellevue, Pennsylvania Feb 26, 1916
Washington, Pennsylvania Feb 27 - Mar 26, 1916
Culpepper, Virginia Apr 2, 1916
Wilmington, North Carolina Apr 9-27, 1916
Goldsboro, North Carolina Apr 29, 1916
Wilmington Apr 28 - May 14, 1916
Jamaica, New York May 17, 1916
Keene, New Hampshire May 21 - Jun 18, 1916
New York, New York Jun 25, Jul 5, 9-16, 1916
Long Island, New York Jul 30, 1916
East, New York Sep 1916
Jamaica, New York Sep 1916
Galesburg, Illinois Oct 1-18, 1916
Jamaica, New York Feb 25, Mar 4, 11, 28, Apr 6, 1917
Brooklyn, New York Mar 11, 16, 23, 30, 1917
New York, New York Mar 18, 25, 26, Apr 1, 1917
East, New York Mar 21, 1917
Upper Montclair, New Jersey Apr 15, 1917
Dallas, Texas May 17-25, 1917
Elizabeth, New Jersey Jan 6 - Feb 3, 1918
*****
PARTIAL LIST OF CHAPMAN ASSOCIATES
Name Task (if known)
Charles Mc Callon Alexander musician
Helen Cadbury Alexander women's worker
Charles Franklyn Allen soloist
Rev. William Asher saloon worker
Mrs. William Asher saloon worker and women's worker
Ralph Atkinson evangelist
W. J. Bemis soloist
William Edward Biederwolf preacher
William Alexander Bodell preacher
N. P. Bone ---
Edwin H. Bookmyer ---
James Oliver Buswell ---
Fred Butler musician
Bertha Chapman soloist
Mrs. John Wilbur Chapman women's worker
William Henry Collison soloist
Edgar E. Davidson ---
George Thompson Brown Davis press representative and assistant director of personal work
Frank D. Dixon soloist
Frank Dickson musician
F. E. Du Bois ---
John Arthur Earl preacher
George R. Edmundson ---
J. Elliott preacher
J. H. Elliott ---
John E. Elliott ---
Ezra Stiles Ely ---
Walter Chew Evans preacher
Henry N. Faulconer ---
George Adams Fisher singing evangelist
Ralph T. Fulton soloist
Mrs. L. M. Glover women's worker
Mrs. E. P. Goodson soloist
Frank Granstaff preacher
Ora Samuel Gray preacher
Edwin F. Hallenbeck preacher
Robert Harkness pianist
John P. Hillis soloist
F. B. Hoagland ---
Tillman Hobson preacher
R. H. Holden preacher
James W. Hubbard ---
C. N. Hunt ---
Thomas Huston preacher
Samuel F. Insui ---
Frederick H. Jacobs preacher
Mrs. A. A. Jacuith women's worker
Edith H. Johnson women's worker
L. G. Leggett preacher
Henry E. Litchfield soloist
J. J. Lowe ---
A. B. Mc Crea preacher
Oswell G. Mc Dowell ---
Charles A. Marsh pianist for Fred Butler
Mrs. Martin women's worker
Harry L. Maxwell soloist
Miss E. Stafford Millar ladies' worker
Arthur Lewis Miller soloist and harpist
F. A. Mills preacher
Ernest M. Naftzger soloist
Thomas Needham preacher
Ralph C. Norton ---
Mrs. Ralph C. Norton soloist and women's worker
Henry Ostrom preacher
Mr. Otherman ---
Ford Cyrinde Ottman preacher
Clifton Powers soloist
James Randall Pratt preacher
Owen F. Pugh soloist
Milton S. Rees ---
Miss Reisner women's worker
John W. Reynolds soloist
William Henry Roberts ---
Homer Rodeheaver soloist
Harry M. Ross preacher
J. Rowe ---
Charles E. Rykert soloist
H. S. Saxton soloist
Samuel M. Sayford ---
Charles T. Schaeffer children's evangelist
Gust Schneider soloist
Henry Davidson Sheldon preacher
Albany Smith soloist
Arthur J. Smith preacher
Chas. Cullen Smith preacher
Harper G. Smith (Smyth) soloist
Lewis E. Smith preacher
George H. Spencer ---
Archibald William Spooner ---
D. Lansing Spooner ---
George R. Stair preacher
F. A. Steinel ---
Wentworth Fall Stewart ---
Henry W. Stough preacher
Clarence B. Strouse preacher
William I. Sweet ---
Frederick Eugene Taylor preacher
Rev. Thacker ---
Daniel S. Toy preacher
Robert Augustus Walton ---
Fred E. Warner soloist
Edwin F. Warren ---
W. W. Weaver soloist
John W. Weddell ---
William Stone Weedon soloist
Joel A. Zoner ---
Extent
7 Boxes
1 Photograph File
8 Reels of microfilm
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement of Material
[NOTE: In the Arrangement section, the notation "folder 2-5" means box 2, folder 5.]
Due to the arrangement and filming of the Chapman papers by the Presbyterian Historical Society, this guide will attempt to describe each series of records as they appear in the collection. Various types of records are found in the collection, such as: correspondence, sermons, sermon notes, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and photographs.
Reel 1 begins with folder 1-1 containing a copy of Chapman's license to preach dated April 13, 1881, and a letter of recommendation from Mr. Theophilus Wilson dated March 20, 1880. Folder 1-2 is a genealogical review of Chapman's material and paternal ancestry. Other miscellaneous materials found in the folder include maps of Richmond, Indiana, where Chapman grew up and a letter dated February 12, 1919 from Timothy Nicholson, a Richmond resident, who wrote about Chapman's early years. Folder 1-3 contains correspondence, resolutions and minutes from various churches Chapman served as pastor. Some of the records included are from College Corner, Ohio, March 11, 1882; Liberty, Indiana, March 12, 1882; North Reformed Church of West Troy, April 1, 1885; Dutch Reformed Church at Schuylerville, New York, April 17, 1883; and First Reformed Church of Albany, New York, November 18, 1889.
Folder 1-4 contains correspondence between Chapman and John W. Converse regarding the Trust Fund Converse set up to underwrite Chapman's expenses. Materials in the folder include the actual deed of trust dated February 1, 1905; terms of the trust; letter stating Charles Alexander had been hired as Music Director; official memo stating name of the campaigns as "The Chapman-Alexander Simultaneous Evangelistic Meetings;" memo as to hiring of various assistants; approvals of Chapman itinerary.
Folder 1-5 is the first of several folders containing scrapbooks of various Chapman campaigns. Each scrapbook contains newspaper accounts of the meetings including advance preparations, sermons preached, biographical sketches of associates, attendance during services, and reactions in the community. Not all the clippings give the paper they are from and the date, but material in the articles could be quite useful. For details on actual locations covered by scrapbooks, please consult the Container List. Folder numbers with scrapbooks are as follows: 1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, 3-6, 7-1, 7-2.
Folder 3-7 is the first of several folders containing a collection of J. Wilbur Chapman sermons. Volume 4 appears in this folder and contains 14 sermons. Each consists of a table of contents, title of sermon, name of city, and date followed by the sermon text. The Container List contains the sermon titles and date used when available. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of the Chapman sermons follow the collection of unidentified loose photographs on reel 7. The beginning of reel 8 contains a duplicate of the last five sermons in volume 3 found at the end of reel 7.
Folder 4-1 contains the remembrance book from the 129th Presbyterian General Assembly (1917) and includes congratulatory messages for Chapman on his election as moderator; newspaper clippings covering the event held in Dallas, Texas May 17-25; and programs. Remembrance books were often presented to visiting evangelists by the local pastors as a memento expressing the group's appreciation for the evangelist and his services. Telegrams were received from numerous people. Among the correspondents were: F. E. Du Bois, Marcus A. Brownson, Helen Cadbury Alexander, John Wannamaker, Edgar W. Work, James D. Husted, Bob Jones, Henry W. Stough, James Sprunt, Evangeline Booth, Billy Sunday, John Willis Baer, William Asher, Frank Granstaff, William H. Phelps, Josephus Daniels, and President Woodrow Wilson.
Folder 4-2 is a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the illness and death of Chapman's wife on June 25, 1907, and telegrams the family received during her illness and at her death. Correspondents included: Marcus A. Brownson, Henry Ostrom, Billy Sunday, Daniel S. Toy, Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Stough, W. E. Biederwolf, Walter M. Smith, Harry Monroe, John H. Converse, Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Buswell, and John H. Elliott.
Folder 4-3 contains a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the Bible Conference Center established at Winona Lake, Indiana. Chapman was named Director of the Conference with Thomas Kane serving as President. The material describes how the Conference Center was formed and developed.
Folder 4-4 contains the special edition issues of The Australian Christian World, which chronicle the events of the Chapman-Alexander meetings in Sydney, Australia. The newspapers are in addition to a Book of Remembrances presented to Chapman and Alexander in appreciation of the work they did in Sydney. Chapman's addresses, sketches of personnel, articles regarding the goals, purposes, and results are all included in the Remembrance Book, second edition published in 1909.
Folders 5-1 through 5-97 contain individual Chapman sermons. Each sermon includes title, date of use, and place of use. The container list enumerates each sermon title and date when available. Folders 5-98 through 5-112 contain handwritten sermon notes and illustrations. The notes are largely untitled and undated. Each folder represents a different notebook of materials. Folder 6-3 is a collection of sermon outlines dated 1909. Folders 6-4 and 6-5 are collections of clippings Chapman saved as sermon resource materials. Various subjects are covered such as faith, motherhood, friendship, life worry, sorrow, home life, and sin, dating from 1913-1916. The material is mostly in the form of poems, hymns, and letters. Folders 6-7, 6-13.1 and 6-13.2 are compilations of miscellaneous sermon and lecture notes, undated.
Chapman devised a rather elaborate indexing method for his sermons. Folder 6-12 contains an engagement book dating October 2, 1913, to March 26, 1917. The first section of the book is an alphabetical index of sermon titles and text. Section two is a listing of cities in which he spoke followed by sermon title, text, and date.
Folder 6-1 contains the eulogy on Chapman delivered by Edgar Whittaker Work before the New York Presbytery on January 13, 1919. Work detailed Chapman's work in the denomination and praised the evangelist's career as pastor and revivalist.
Folder 6-2 contains a series of commendation letters from New Zealand May 1913. The letters were written to Chapman from various ministers in the area thanking him for his service in Australia.
Folders 6-8 through 6-11 contain clippings of the Good News Pulpit from January 4, 1900, until January 15, 1903. These are articles Chapman wrote for the newspaper each containing a scriptural text followed by a short devotional thought.
Folder 7-3 contains a photograph album of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, presented to Dr. Chapman as a gift on February 6, 1915, as a remembrance of his visit. All the photographs are captioned and consist largely of miscellaneous views of the city. There are twenty-nine photographs in the album.
Following the album is a collection of 217 photographs collected during Chapman's various campaigns and world tours. Some of the photographs were captioned while others were identified by the archivist when possible and by using external evidence and other resource materials. Many photographs are unidentified. For a listing of the photographs, please consult the container list. The final fifty-six photographs follow a target which reads, "These photograph albums believed to have been taken on Chapman's Australian Evangelistic Campaign 1913." Many of these pictures are duplicates. Because none of the pictures were captioned and few were at all identifiable, they have been grouped together and left undescribed in this guide.
Following the photographs were several groups of materials with what appear to be catalog or reference numbers but no box and folder designations, all located on reel 8. (Please see the Location Record.) Among this material are several items given to Chapman in recognition of his evangelistic efforts. These include a Remembrance Book from Sydney, New South Wales on August 10, 1909, signed by members of the executive committee and participating clergy; souvenir of Dunedin, New Zealand, Evangelistic Campaign on April 14, 1912 signed by members of the executive committee; and a certificate of appreciation from the ministers of Springfield, Massachusetts.
The folder entitled "(MS C 366) Miscellaneous J. Wilbur Chapman Correspondence 1899-1918," includes notices and memorandums written while Chapman served as Corresponding Secretary of the Presbyterian General Assembly's Committee on Evangelistic Work, acceptances to invitation, and other memoranda. The folder entitled MSC 366.16 is a letter written to Harry Barraclough on November 29, 1918. Folder MS Photostats J 138 contains correspondence between Chapman and Sheldon Jackson on July 6 and 27, 1897, regarding Yukon Valley agricultural possibilities. Rare Doc W 6991c contains a letter to Chapman from President Woodrow Wilson dated December 19, 1917.
The last folder, MS C 366.1, provides a copy of Alvin Duane Smith's "Study and Appraisal of Chapman." Included in the materials are an introduction consisting largely of a biographical sketch, an outline for the study, and a bibliography on Chapman.
The collection includes two photographs of Chapman with groups of individuals taken in Ontario, Canada about 1910.
Miscellaneous Items not following normal box/folder arrangement:
- Souvenir of Dunedin, New Zealand Evangelistic Campaign, April 14, 1912
- Certificate of Appreciation from the ministers of Springfield, Massachusetts
- Miscellaneous correspondence, 1899-1918
- Letter to Henry Barraclough, November 29, 1918
- Correspondence between Chapman and Sheldon Jackson, July 6 and 27, 1897, concerning agricultural possibilities of the Yukon Valley
- Letter to Chapman from President Woodrow Wilson, December 19, 1917J. Wilbur Chapman Study and Appraisal
Accruals and Additions
The microfilm in this collection were received by the Billy Graham Center Archives in April and May 1979 from the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The artifact was received in June 1987 from the Wheaton College Archives at Buswell Library.
Accession 79-44, 79-53, 87-56
October 11, 1979
Mary Ann Buffington
G. Gallup
Updated February 19, 2003
Wayne D. Weber
- Alexander, Charles M.
- Bible Conference (Winona Lake, Ind.)
- Chapman, J. Wilbur (John Wilbur), 1859-1918.
- Chapman, J. Wilbur -- Sermons.
- Evangelistic sermons.
- Evangelistic work -- Australia.
- Evangelistic work -- New Zealand.
- Evangelistic work -- United States.
- Evangelistic work.
- Presbyterians.
- Sermons, American.
- Title
- Collection 077 Papers of J. Wilbur Chapman
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Roman Script
Repository Details
Part of the Evangelism & Missions Archives Repository