Virtually all the materials in the Sunday collection were found in the residence of Billy and Helen Sunday at 1111 Sunday Lane, Winona Lake, Indiana. Upon the death of Mrs. Sunday in 1957, the house and its contents were deeded to Winona Lake Christian Assembly. In 1972, a small portion of the materials were moved to the Administration Building of the Assembly was controlled Grace Schools; all the assets and liabilities of the W.L.C.A. were assumed by Grace Schools. As one result of the merger, the Sunday documents were moved in 1977 from the Sunday and the Administration Building to the Library of Grace Theological Seminary on permanent loan.

In the early months of 1978, through a joint cooperative effort between Grace Schools and the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, the Sunday records were arranged, described and microfilmed under the supervision of Robert Shuster, the Graham Center Director of Archives. Assisting were Robert Ibach (Grace Schools' Library Director), William Darr, Lois (Bea) Mayhue, and Linda Hearing of the Grace Schools' library staff; Clarence MacNeil; and Abraham Labiano, Jane Nelson, Shirley Short, Mary Schimmels of the Billy Graham Center staff. James Stambaugh, Director of the Museum, aided in almost every aspect of the project from transporting the records to designing the cover of the original guide to the microfilm edition.

Several boxes of material included in the items loaned to Grace Schools by the Assembly were not included in the Sunday collection because their connection to the Sundays was slight or because their identification was uncertain. These boxes include: newspaper clippings duplicate to those in the collection; a newspaper clipping containing recipes, dress patterns, anecdotes, epigrams, etc.; form letters and printed reports sent out by Christian institutions; birthday cards, Christmas cards, anniversary cards, etc.; unidentified photographs; and a set of Red Cross scrapbooks which may have been given to Sunday during or shortly after World War I.

No accession number

1978

Robert Shuster

June 28, 1994

Robert Shuster

J. Archer

M. Larson

Until 1977, the material in this collection was stored in various locations in the Billy Sunday Home in Winona Lake, Indiana. The original arrangement of the materials, if any existed, was no longer discernible so the processor divided the material into the following groups based on subject content. (Note: Through the collection are many items dated by the archivist by internal evidence. The date for these items usually appears in pencil in the upper right hand corner.) As described on page 24, boxes 29 and 30, were not included in collection list or the microfilm nor were the photographs files in boxes 24 through 28. The Archives has many other collections with information about the life and ministry of Billy and Helen Sunday. A list of some of these collections can be found on page 25 of this guide. I. William Ashley Sunday - General Correspondence; 1888-1935; n.d. (box 1 and 31) This box contains all the evangelist's correspondence written to and by non-family members, as well as a few of the letters of his son, George M. Sunday, dating from the period of George's tenure as business manager of the Sunday organization. Also in this section are some letters not written to or by Sunday but which were sent on to him. Almost all the correspondence is incoming. Only a few items are signed by Sunday. The files are arranged in chronological order, except for the first file which contains undated letters. In all other folders, the letters for the period of time covered by the file are arranged chronologically and any items which have no specific dates are in the back of that particular file.

The contents of this box document all the phases of Sunday's career after his marriage, although it is weakest from 1888 to approximately 1910. The folders are described below, decade by decade. Mention should be made of one type of letter which is found all the way through this section. The testimonial which tells how the writer or a friend or relative benefitted from Sunday's preaching. Several of these are scattered through the box.

No Date File (folder 1-1) - This folder contains a miscellany of items such as a proposed agreement between Sunday and G. Walter Barr for the writing of Sunday's biography, an endorsement by Sunday of Burton Holme's Travelogues and a summary by Kansas City attorney Edward M. Bartlett of accusations made against Sunday by a Horace J. Budges. The accusations include plagiarism, unethical conduct and devil worship.

1880s Files (folder 1-2) - These contain some items referring to Sunday's baseball career, such as a letter ordering him to report to training camp (folder 1-2) and a draft of a baseball contract (folder 1-2).

1890s Files (Folder 1-3 through 1-10) - Some brochures in this group describe the program of the YMCA where Sunday was employed during this period. Also in the group are the first letters from people who have experienced Sunday's evangelistic efforts (folder 1-7) and an invitation to hold a meeting (folder 1-8).

1900s Files (folders 1-11 through 1-18) - These folders contain much which document Sunday's growing influence, such as a letter from the mayor of Burlington, Iowa telling how the town is cracking down on alcohol, thanks to Sunday's campaign there (folder 1-14); the highly laudatory replies received by the Freeport, Illinois, ministerial association after they sent questionnaires to towns which had already had Sunday campaigns asking about advantages and drawbacks (1-15); and copyright notices for several of Sunday's sermons. A will of Sunday's is included in the group (folder 1-15). (In folder 31-1 are letters Rev. Sunday wrote home to his wife in November, 1908, probably during meetings in Ottumwa, Iowa.) Correspondents included J. Wilbur Chapman, William J. Lockhart, and William J. Mayo.

1910s Files (folders 1-19 through 1-28) - The files for these years, during which Sunday held his largest meetings and reached the peak of his national newspaper and magazine exposure, document in many different ways the public interest in Sunday, the organization of Sunday's campaigns, and the evangelist's priorities. A great deal of the correspondence in folders 1-23 and 1-24 deals with biographies of Sunday which appeared in this decade, including an authorized one by Elijah "Ramshorn" Brown. Several letters are from Brown, while others are from Revell, the publisher. Most of the letters deal with the details of printing and distributing the book on which Sunday received a royalty. Eventually, Brown and Sunday reached an agreement by which Sunday received all proceeds from the book. Other correspondence from about the same time is from Theodore Thomas Frankenberg who was writing an unauthorized biography and was seeking, unsuccessfully, Sunday's cooperation. The great public interest in Sunday is also demonstrated by a long letter from Frank P. Spellman, offering to pay Sunday to hold evangelistic meetings as part of a circus. Sunday's polite refusal is filed with the letter (folder 126). (Folder 31-1 includes a note from a woman who attended Sunday's 1910 Youngstown meetings, telling how the meetings converted her husband.) The manner in which Sunday campaigns were run is illustrated by a great many items. Some letters are from cities inviting Sunday to their community. Among these are letters of invitation and support from the ministers of New York City (folder 1-25), and similar invitations from a cross section of civic groups of Norfolk, Virginia (folder 1-28). Also dealing with invitations are letters from Fort Worth, Texas, on the pros and cons of having a Sunday campaign (folder 1-27). Fears were expressed that the controversial Rev. J. Franklyn Norris would dominate the meetings. A letter from Omaha, Nebraska (folder 1-23) contains the response of the ministerial association of that city to Sunday's request that it postpone its campaign. Other letters from aide Fred Spiece give details on tabernacle construction (folder 1-27). A copy of a speech, possibly given by Sunday, to ushers on their duties provides insights into the duties of this group (folder 1-27). Letters from another aide, A.B. McDonald, give anecdotes and public relation tips. Some letters are from other evangelists applying to work for Sunday's organization (folder 1-27). Folder 1-26 contains Sunday's appraisal, for the New York Tribune, of the results of the campaign in that city. Follow-up practices are touched upon in a letter from R.A. Torrey to Sunday explaining the negative reaction aroused by an enthusiastic Sunday worker in Los Angeles. One aspect of the financial side of the campaigns is illustrated by a list of income taken in from various cities in 1917 (folder 1-27).

Many letters deal with criticism of Sunday or even lawsuits against him. Lawsuits accusing Sunday of plagiarism or slander and libel are commented on in letters in folders 1-23 and 127. Criticism on the part of Methodist and Presbyterian ministers is described in a letter from David M. Conn (folder 1-22). The file for the year 1915 contains letters of friendly support sent to the evangelist in response to accusations of plagiarism leveled by his pianist, B.D. Ackley. Also in this file is a letter from department store magnate John Wanamaker describing how he was trying to help Ackley with his problems (folder 1-24). A letter from aide Fred Spiece, who supervised tabernacle construction, contains his resignation and complaints against what he felt was unfair treatment (folder 1-27).

Sunday's patriotic activities during World War I are touched on in a letter from the U.S. Treasury thanking him for his help in War Loan drives (folder 1-26) and a letter from Herbert Hoover thanking Sunday for his contribution toward food conservation (folder 1-26). An interesting series of letters from YMCA leader John R. Mott casts cold water on Sunday's hope of going to Europe to preach to the troops (folder 1-28). A letter from General Leonard Wood's secretary contains several epigrams and anecdotes in favor of universal military service for Sunday to use in his sermons (folder 1-26). Also connected with the war are the letters responding to Sunday's efforts to get his son, George, a commission (folder 1-26).

Sunday's crusade for the prohibition of alcohol in the United States is touched on in several letters, particularly one from Arthur Capper, Governor of Kansas (folder 1-25). Other letters detail the campaign to make Boston a dry city (folder 1-25).

Some miscellaneous interesting papers include correspondence about the goals and purposes of the Interdenominational Evangelist League (folder 1-19), letters written in response to Sunday's request to baseball experts on their suggestion for an article he was writing on the ideal 1911 baseball team (folder 1-20), reports from Billy Sunday clubs (folder 1-28), and a letter from Speaker of the House of the United States Congress describing the arrangements for Sunday's appearance there are in folder 1-27.

Correspondents, in order of appearance in the files, include: C.S. Denee, H.O. Jennings, Connie Mack, Rudolph Blankenberg, Edward Bok, Edward H. Bookmyer, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., French E. Oliver, Joseph B. Buffington, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Leland, Frank Spellman, Harold Bulkley, Robert Lansing, Charles Curtis, Frank B. Kellogg, William McAdoo, Joseph Daniels, W.S. Jewell, Rhys R. Lloyd, George Truett, and J. Franklyn Norris. Many letters from congressmen, senators, and government administrators thanking Sunday for passes to the meetings of his 1918 Washington campaign are in the 1918 file.

1920s Files (folders 1-29 through 1-38) - Some of the reasons and results of Sunday's declining influence are illustrated in the material in this group of folders. Other letters are from people seeking to enlist his still great authority on behalf of a particular cause or thanking him for aid. Among letters of the first type are those from doctors and friends urging him to slow down for his health's sake and, of very great interest, a letter from Homer Rodeheaver analyzing, from Rodeheaver's point of view, some of the reasons why Sunday's crusades were not as effective as they once were (folders 1-34, 1-38).

More numerous are letters asking Sunday's support. One such is a note from William Jennings Bryan asking for Sunday's aid during the Scopes trial in Tennessee (folder 1-34). An interesting selection of memoranda was sent to Sunday by West Virginia coal mine owners during the time when Sunday was leading several evangelistic campaigns in that state. The memoranda state the mine owners' case against unions. Another letter from a W. A. Chamberlain outlines a plan for Sunday to lead a travel tour of Palestine (folder 1-37). A note from Charles Curtis, then Vice President-elect of the United States, thanks Sunday for his help in Herbert Hoover's presidential campaign. (folder 1-38).

Some items deal directly with Sunday's campaigns such as the letters sent to Sunday by municipal leaders urging him to hold another campaign in Boston (folder 1-29), and a list detailing his income from 1919 meetings (folder 1-29).

A few other of the interesting documents for these years include an analysis of Sunday's character by the National Educational Institute (folder 1-34), which equates him with Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Theodore Roosevelt, among others; some friendly notes from Calvin Coolidge (folder 1-35, 1-36, 1-37);; and reports from Billy Sunday clubs across the nation. Correspondents, in order of appearance in the file, include: T.S. Southgate, Allan C. Emery, Charles Schwab, Elbert H. Gary, Edwin Holt, Hughes Channing, H. Cox, Willard Warner, Edward T. Hanford, William Mayo, Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., W. J. Harahan, W.E. Pietsch, and Angus W. McLean.

1930s Files (foldes 1-39 through 1-44) - The files for the last years of Sunday's life contain numerous invitations to hold meetings for either evangelistic or anti-alcohol purposes. One invitation is to address the national meeting of the Business Men's Evangelistic Club (folder 124) while another is to hold a campaign in Alaska (folder 1-42). A letter from F. W. Hollenrake assured Sunday his church was not pentecostal and hoped, therefore, that Sunday would be willing to come to speak (folder 1-43). The Anti-Saloon League proposed he participate in a series of national rallies (folder 1-44).

Some items suggest new avenues of ministry for Sunday such as a letter from Rodeheaver suggesting that Sunday film some of his sermons for distribution (folder 1-40) or the letters from several sources relating how much they enjoyed hearing Sunday on the radio and suggesting he broadcast regularly.

Many pieces of correspondence express sympathy for the tragedies they suffered in these years: the death of daughter Helen in 1932, Sunday's heart attack in 1933, and the death of son George the same year.

Other letters include a note of appreciation and support from the Kanton Klan (folder 1-40); reports on the problems of the Bible Conference in Winona Lake; responses to Sunday's autobiographical articles published in the Ladies' Home Journal in 1932 and 1933. Almost the last item in this section is a copy of the honorary Doctor of Laws degree given to Sunday in 1935 by Bob Jones College.

Correspondents, in order of appearance in the file, include: Myers Y. Cooper, G. Walter Barr, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., William Mayo, Harry Clark, W.E. Biederwolf, Herbert Hoover, J.P. McCallie, Homer Rodeheaver, Stewart P. MacLennan, Florence E. Kinney, Walter Bennett, Mel Trotter, Homer Hammontree, George H. Lorimer, Carl R. Gary, A.B. MacDonald, Joseph Buffington, J. Warren Davis, W.W. Atterbury, Arno C. Gaebelein, Bob Jones, Sr., Martha C. Pohnert, J.C. Penney, J.W. Jenkins, Oswald Smith, W.T. Watson, J.A. Bandy, E.J. Rollings, Daniel C. Roper, W.S. Hart, J.L. White, W.M. Rucker, M.A. Matthews, Howard Blanchard, William Carey Thomas, D.B. Bulkey, and John H. Wiles.

II. Helen Amelia Thompson Sunday - General Correspondence; 1888-1957; n.d. (box 2) This box contains Helen Sunday's correspondence written to and by non-family members as well as letters not written to or by her but sent on to her. Again, as in Rev. Sunday's general correspondence, almost all these materials are incoming with only a very few outgoing signed by Mrs. Sunday. The principles of arrangement are the same as in box 1. Except for the first folder, which contains undated items, the folders are arranged chronologically according to year, one folder for each year except for the year 1935. The correspondence for that year is contained in ten chronologically arranged files (folders 2-43 through 2-52). Within each file the correspondence is arranged chronologically. Any items which have no date except for the year are placed in the back of the file. (Note: On the microfilm of this collection, all labels refer to Mrs. Sunday as Helen T. Sunday. The T. is for Thompson, her maiden name. Her middle name was Amelia.)

The narrative below describes some of the general themes of Mrs. Sunday's correspondence, decade by decade. Through the whole box are testimonial letters addressed to her describing the beneficial effects of her husband's preaching on various people. No Date File (folder 2-1) - The letters in this folder vary widely in interests, as might be expected, and include a note listing staff salaries in the Sunday organization probably during the late 1910s or early 1920s; order forms for the autobiographical booklet, Ma Sunday Still Speaks; invitations to speak about Billy; a note called "Your Life in Christian Service" about her life; a letter from a Melton Wright relating his desire to write a biography of Billy Sunday; and a missive from Homer Rodeheaver asking if she would be willing to look at a script for a movie about her husband. This letter might date from circa 1947 or 1948. (Folder 31-1 contains the following: a note from fellow evangelist Mel Trotter to Mrs. Sunday on the development of Winona Lake, Indiana; a letter from the President of Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina to Mrs. Sunday, asking her to speak to a Bible class; and an undated epistle from Mrs. Sunday's daughter-in-law, Harriet.)

Other correspondents in this file include Harry Vom Bruch, Merv Rosell, Dick Hillis, T.A. Reynolds, and S.D. Clarke.

1890s Files (folders 2-3 through 2-8) - Most of this correspondence is from friends and/or people Mrs. Sunday was counseling on personal problems.

1900s Files (folders 2-10 through 2-17) - A few letters in this group are from other Christian workers reporting on their work. For example, Frances Patterson gives an account of the foreign missions field (folder 2-10, and the superintendent of the Pacific Garden Mission relates the news of her organization (folder 2-17). An interesting letter from a friend offers to advance Mrs. Sunday funds to take her husband to a "voice culture artist" in Chicago in order to train his voice (folder 2-14).

1910s Files (folders 2-18 through 2-27) - Perhaps the two dominant themes of this group of correspondence are the involvement of the Sundays in various publishing ventures and Mrs. Sunday's supervision of the staff of the Sunday organization as they prepared different cities for a Sunday campaign.

As in box 1, many letters are contained in these folders from Elijah Brown and Theodore Thomas Frankenberg, authors of books on Sunday. Frankenberg was primarily seeking, often with little success, information and approval (folder 2-21). The relationship was much closer with Brown since his was an authorized biography and the Sunday received a share of the profits. Besides letters from Brown and the publisher, Fleming Revell, on distribution of the books, there is an interesting message from Robert Matthews of the Sunday staff on the best public relation techniques to use to boost the books' sales (folder 2-21). Yet another biographer, W.T. Ellis, wrote to gather information for his book, Billy Sunday - the Man and His Message (folder 2-22). Unauthorized attempts to capitalize on Rev. Sunday's fame were discouraged as shown by letters detailing the action the Sundays' lawyers took to get a newsreel film about the evangelist off the market (folder 2-24) and by a letter Mrs. Sunday wrote to a Boston reporter, Paul Waite, insisting that he not combine his articles on Sunday into a book. Some letters from G. P. Putnam Sons describe the details of publishing Sunday's book, Love Stories of the Bible (folder 2-25). Other letters describe the sales of pamphlets containing Sunday's sermons. Some letters are related to Mrs. Sunday's own published effort -- a newspaper column called Ma Sunday's Column distributed by Bell Syndicate in 1917 and 1918 and very likely ghost written by Hugh Weir. There is a letter to Weir from the head of Bell Syndicate suggesting that the column have more uplifting content (folder 2-25). Also relating to Mrs. Sunday's column is a letter from Bell Syndicate detailing the distribution of the column (folder 2-25), and letters from readers of the column asking for advice (folder 2-25 and 2-26).

Other material illustrates the control Mrs. Sunday had over all aspects of the campaigns. Important local leaders such as John Wanamaker (folder 2-21) would write to her to ask for a place on Rev. Sunday's schedule, while L. Wilbur Messer from Chicago would describe how that city was getting ready for a series of Sunday meetings and ask that that series not be postponed (folder 2-24). Also from Chicago came a letter from a construction company executive explaining his plan for building a tabernacle (folder 2-26). (Note: The target following this letter on the microfilm which stated that the blueprints accompanying this letter were filmed with box #17 was in error. The plans for the tabernacle are on reel 26 of the microfilm collection.) Numerous reports came in from staff members, especially advance representative James Walker, explaining (folders 2-24, 2-26) what they were doing and asking for direction. Others wrote to apply for work (folder 2-26). People even sent Mrs. Sunday anecdotes for her husband to use in his messages. Some letters contain reports of prohibition successes around the country (folder 2-24). An interesting series of letters in folder 2-23 came from people, including fellow evangelist Charles Fife, sympathizing with the Sundays over the charges of plagiarism leveled by former staff member Ackley. Ackley, himself, a few years later (folder 2-26) wrote a letter denying that he had anything to do with recirculating the charges and indicating his friendly spirit toward that Sundays. Other letters in this group contain get well wishes sent to Mrs. Sunday after her 1917 operation on a closed fallopian tube.

Correspondents, in order of appearance in these files, include: W.A. Horan, Jay W. Somersville, John Callahan, Rose Fitts, C.L. Goodell, Theodore Roosevelt, Irving Putnam, H.H. Pitzer, John Linden, C.R. Wheeland, Otis E. Dale, Joseph Ramsey, and J. Pritchard.

1920s Files (folders 2-28 through 2-37 - These folders also contain some letters from staff members and former staff members including one from Robert Matthews describing his activities and commenting on the J. Franklyn Norris murder trial (folder 2-34) and one from Homer Rodeheaver detailing several criticisms of the organization of Sunday campaigns (folder 235). Another item dealing with the campaigns is the list of income from meetings in 1924, 1925, and 19265 (folder 2-36). Other letters touching on Winona Lake describe the plans in 1924 to hold a special showing in that town of Cecil B. DeMille's film The Ten Commandments (folder 2-32). Another letter from family friend DeMille offered advice on a contract the Sundays were contemplating signing with World Wide Pictures, giving that company permission to film Rev. Sunday's life (folder 2-37).

Correspondents, in order of appearance in the file, include: Fred Rapp, Charles Erdman, Charles Mayo, and J.D. Williams.

1930s Files - The records of this decade are dominated by the family tragedies which included Rev. Sunday's death, and by Mrs. Sunday's emergence as an important Christian leader in her own right. A few letters seek to console Mrs. Sunday over son George's death in 1933 and her husband's illness in early 1935. There are hundreds of letters and telegrams in the files of sympathy sent after Billy Sunday's death later that year (folders 2-45 and 2-51). Many of these letters relate incidents from his life or include a poetic or prose work on him or suggest a fitting memorial to his memory. The Presbytery of Chicago sent a copy of a resolution passed eulogizing him (folder 2-52). (He was buried in Forest Home Cemetery, just outside of Chicago.) A transcript of his funeral service, delivered by H.A. Ironside, is contained in folder 2-46. Some men wrote the widow asking for permission to write another Sunday biography, and R.A. MacFarland suggested that Mrs. Sunday compose one (folder 2-52). She and B.D. Ackley did put together a collection of Sunday's epigrams for Zondervan Publishing House, which distributed it in 1937 as Billy Sunday Speaks. A letter from Ackley deals with some problems he had in working with that company (folder 2-54). Other materials document Mrs. Sunday's activities as one of the most influential members of the Bible conference in Winona Lake. William Biederwolf, the director of the organization, wrote her often about its problems. One letter is a long response to the suggestion that he resign (folder 2-39). James Heaton, later in the decade, did much to revitalize the institution (it was renamed Winona Lake Institutions), and he also sent reports to Mrs. Sunday, along with copies of the new articles of incorporation, by-laws, and rules and regulations (folder 2-54). Several items are from Bob Jones, Sr., evangelist and founder of Bob Jones College (later University). One letter describes the ceremony at which an honorary degree was conferred on Rev. Sunday in absentia (folder 2-43). Others request help in fund-raising (folder 2-51) and describe the progress of the school (folders 2-54 and 2-55).

Some of the other interesting letters include reports on prohibition crusades across the country (folder 2-43); correspondence about the Sundays' investments (folders 2-38 and 2-39); a letter from a friend detailing why Rev. Sunday should consider campaigning in England (folder 2-38); a query from the Ladies' Home Journal about the series of articles Rev. Sunday was writing for that magazine (folder 2-39); a script for Mrs. Sunday's appearance on the radio program, Favorite Foods of Famous Folks (folder 2-41); an unusual note from R.G. Allen of the Knoxville Baseball Club denying that he had ever said Rev. Sunday approved of ball playing on the Sabbath (folder 2-42); a few souvenirs of Mrs. Sunday's 1937 trip to Europe (folder 2-54); and reports from several Virginia Asher Business Women Councils across the nation (folder 2-55).

Correspondents, listed in order of appearance in the file, include Chelse C. Sherlock; Florence Miller; Clinton Howard; William Asher; Harold D. Clarke; E.J. Rollings; O.G. Christgau; Homer Hammontree; Loren E. Pecaut; Albert K. Roswll; A.P. Fitt; Harold F. Berry; John Rice; M.B. Williams; Harold Vom Bruch; John Fletcher; John D. Rockefeller, Jr; Franklin Roosevelt; Evangeline Booth; C.M. King; John Wiles; William Mayo; Charles Weigle; James E. Walker; Milford Lyon; William S. Bennett; Will Houghton; J.M. Chapple; Frank Brown; Dewitt Johnston; and Grace Saxe.

1940s Files (folders 2-57 through 2-66) - Mrs. Sunday's involvement in Christian work and her efforts and those of others to perpetuate the influence and fame of Billy Sunday are the major topics of this set of papers.

Many Christian institutions sent Mrs. Sunday fairly regular personal reports on their development and their need for funds. Pacific Garden Mission' director, Harry Saulnier, for example, often wrote describing his activities (folders 2-58, 2-61, 2-64, 2-65, and 2-66). John Huffman, President of the Winona Lake School of Theology, sent similar letters for that institution (folder 2-58 and 2-61). Regional leaders of Youth for Christ sent many requests to Mrs. Sunday asking her to appear at rallies (folder 2-64). In partial recognition of her contribution to the Christian church in general, as well as to Bob Jones College in particular, the college conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on her in 1940 (folder 2-57).

Mrs. Sunday, naturally, was involved in many attempts to memorialize her husband. Homer Rodeheaver suggested that a series of radio spots be produced in which an actor would read some of Sunday's sermons in the evangelist's style (folder 2-64). He also later suggested that a film might be made about Sunday's life (folder 2-65) and sent along a proposed treatment written by Charles E. Skinner (folder 2-62). Another letter of Rodeheaver's responds to Mrs. Sunday's discouragement of the idea (folder 2-62). Some letters are concerned with the 1947 Jubilee in Garner, Iowa, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the first evangelistic campaign Sunday preached (folder 2-64). Both Mrs. Sunday and Rodeheaver attended. A letter from O.E. Sanden, Dean of Northwestern Schools in Minnesota, relates his desire to do some kind of book on Billy Sunday (folder 2-66). A more ambitious project, documented in folder 2-66, was the plan of Helen Sterner to make a film about Billy Sunday with his wife's help. Mrs. Sunday later changed her mind; however and with Bob Jones, Sr.'s help, the project was canceled. Several letters deal with the 1948 ballet based loosely on Rev. Sunday's book, Love Stories of the Bible (folder 2-65). Mrs. Sunday was strongly opposed to the production and several friends wrote to add their complaints. John Huffman sent some legal advice on what he could do to halt performances.

Other interesting correspondence in these folders include several letters from friends defending Rev. and Mrs. Sunday from a published criticism of them by Westbrook Pegler (folder 2-59), a copy of a letter by R.G. LeTourneau criticizing Homer Rodeheaver for associating with Seventh Day Adventists, and a copy of a reply by Rodeheaver defending the orthodoxy of that denomination (folder 2-64).

Correspondents, in order of appearance in these files, include: Frances Youngren; Willis Haymaker; Daniel Boone; K.A. Anderson; Charles Young; Ernest Reveal; Albert Kraft; Eugene Palmer; Robert Walker; Walter Smyth; Earle W. Brown; Merle Johnson; T.D. Gladdis; Lee Roberson; William Ward Ayer; Oswald Smith; Jack Wyrtzen; Torrey Johnson; Bob Jones, Jr.; Frances Miller; Wilbur Smith; T.W. Wilson; W.W. White; Robert A. Cook; Fred Zarfas; and C. LeRoy Hughes. 1950s Files folders 2-67 through 2-74) - The records in the last group of folders in this section continue to show Mrs. Sunday's activity in Christian work and her attempts to defend and perpetuate her husband's reputation.

In 1950, Mrs. Sunday went to Quito in Ecuador to attend the anniversary celebration of the Voice of Andes, missionary radio station HCJB. A few letters are concerned with her trip (folder 267) while others are reports sent to her after her return from friends she had made there (folder 2- 69). Many Christian institutions continued to send her reports, such as the Winona School of Theology (folders 2-68 and 2-70) and the Billy Sunday Memorial Tabernacle in Sioux City, Iowa (folder 2-68). A minister in Lima, Ohio, asked for and received Mrs. Sunday's help in his struggle to get a town ordinance passed forbidding the sale of liquor on Sunday (folder 2-68). Mrs. Sunday's participation in the crusades of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is touched on in a 1952 letter from Cliff Barrows. Related to this last item is a script for Billy Graham's radio program, The Hour of Decision, which was taped at Winona Lake (folder 269). During the fifties, once again several attempts were made to produce a film about Billy Sunday. Hans Rosenwald proposed a memorial film on the evangelist in a letter to Mrs. Sunday and received a reply from Arthur McKee suggesting the project be indefinitely postponed (folder 269). Another attempt is documented in an agreement between Lee Thomas and Mrs. Sunday which stated that Mrs. Sunday granted all movie, television and theatrical rights to Rev. Sunday's life to Thomas and he would produce a respectful tribute (folder 2-72). In a different medium, a letter from Eugenia Price discussed the scripts on Rev. Sunday's life which she wrote for the radio program Unshackled (folder 2-68). A different kind of tribute to Sunday was the attempt to have him admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, described in a letter from Emery Paricky (folder 2-70). William McLoughlin wrote letters to Mrs. Sunday asking her help in the scholarly biography he was planning on her husband (folders 2-67 and 2-71). A very critical review of McLoughlin's book is in the 1955 file. A letter from Lloyd Knox deals with dissension within the board of the Winona Christian Assembly (folder 2-72).

Correspondents, in order of their appearance in the files, include: Gertrude Wales, Bob Jones, Jr., A.J. Knudson, B.D. Zondervan, Robert Walker, Glee Lockwood, Jack Schuler, Robert Cook, John Ramsey, and Arch MacKinney.

III. Sunday Family Correspondence; 1886-1974; n.d. (boxes 3 and 4) In boxes 3 and 4 are arranged approximately three generations of the personal correspondence of William Ashley and Helen Amelia Thompson Sunday, their descendants, other relations, and a few close friends. The cycle starts with love letters exchanged by Sunday and his bride-to-be. (Folder 31-1 contains additional love letters written from 1886-1888 by William and Helen Sunday during the engagement and the beginning of their marriage.) The majority of letters written between 1890 and 1900 are from Sunday. They tell a little bit about his baseball travels and later about his campaigns but dwell mostly on domestic concerns. In the 1910s, besides Sunday, major correspondents include his daughter, Helen (Sunday) Haines, who lived in Michigan, and his sons: George Marquis, William Jr., and Paul Thompson Sunday, who eventually settled in California and Arizona. Letters are concerned with the growing families and business enterprises of the children. Most of the elder Sunday's letters continue to be to his wife reporting on his travels and on personal matters. A very few letters are concerned with business such as some correspondence in 1914 from son-in-law Mark Haines (folder 4-19), detailing some procedures for distributing the book, The Real Billy Sunday, and a 1915 letter to brother Edward Sunday from his doctor (folder 4-19) on the back of which Rev. Sunday made some notes concerning his reaction to B.D. Ackley's charges of plagiarism. After 1920, letters from the children, daughters-in-law, and the grandchildren become predominant, although there are a few letters from son-in-law Mark Haines and brother Edward. After Rev. Sunday died, Mrs. Sunday apparently kept up an extensive correspondence with her children, grandchildren, daughters-in-law and ex-daughters-in-law although, except for her love letters to Sunday, there are almost none of her outgoing letters in these files. Family tragedies form one major theme of the letters: the premature deaths of George Marquis Sunday Sr., William Sunday Jr., Paul Thompson Sunday, and Paul Haines as well as the many divorces, sicknesses, and financial problems within the family. The strength of Helen Sunday in keeping her family together forms another related theme. A last letter by daughter-in-law Lillian Sunday written in 1974 is a kind of epitaph for this section, describing as it does the lives and deaths of many members of the family.

Some letters, particularly those by Helen Sunday Haines, have some pages out of correct sequence in the microfilm edition of this collection. This is because of the order in which the pages of the letters were written.

The files are arranged chronologically and the letters within each file are also so arranged as far as possible. A folder containing letters for which both the writer and the date are unknown comes first and is followed by several folders containing letters written by a known correspondent but having no date. These are arranged alphabetically according to the name of the writer. The rest of the files are arranged chronologically according to year. The letters and papers within each folder are also arranged chronologically. All folders contain the correspondence for one year except folders 3-24 to 3-37 which contain the 1888 letters and folder 4-19 which contains the 1914 to 1915 letters.

Following is a partial list of correspondents:

Be Haines Paul Haines' wife

Helen Edith (Sunday) Haines (1890-1932) Daughter of William Ashley and Helen Sunday

Mark Haines Husband of Helen Sunday Haines

Paul Haines (ca. 1918- ca. 1957) Son of Mark and Helen Haines, grandson of

William Ashley and Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

Ross Hamilton Cousin (?) of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

Marie Stosskopf Cousin (?) of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

Alma Sunday First wife (?) of George Marquis Sunday, Jr.

George Marquis Sunday, Sr. (1892-1933) Son of William Ashley, Sr. and Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

George Marquis Sunday, Jr. (ca. 1918 ca. 1968) Son of George Marquis and Harriet Mason

Sunday, grandson of William Ashley, Sr. and Helen A. (Thompson) Thompson Sunday

Howard Edwin Sunday (ca. 1860 -?) Brother of William Ashley Sunday, Sr.

Harriet Mason Sunday (?-1960) First wife of George Marquis Sunday

Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday Wife of William Ashley Sunday, Sr. and mother (1868-1957) of Helen (Sunday) Haines, George Marquis Sunday, William Ashley, Jr. and Paul Thompson Sunday

Lillian Sunday (?-1976) Third wife of George Marquis Sunday, Jr.

Lurlyne Sunday First wife of Paul Thompson Sunday

Nina Sunday Second (?) wife of William Ashley Sunday, Jr.

Paul Thompson Sunday (1907-1944) Youngest child of William Ashley, Sr. and Helen

Amelia Thompson Sunday

Renee Sunday Second wife of George Marquis Sunday, Sr.

Toni Sunday Second (?) wife of Paul Thompson Sunday

William Ashley Sunday, Sr. (1862-1935) Husband of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday and father of Helen Sunday Haines, George Marquis Sunday, Sr., William Ashley Sunday, Jr. and Paul Thompson Sunday

William Ashley Sunday, Jr. (1901-1938) Son of William Ashley, Sr. and Helen Amelia Thompson Sunday

Adie Thompson Aunt (?) of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

Jennie Thompson Sister of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

Kate Thompson Sister (?) of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

William Thompson Cousin of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

William Thompson, Jr. Brother of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday

IV. Evangelistic Campaign Files; 1909-1934; n.d. (box 5) The files of this section contain miscellaneous records from various campaigns or one time services conducted by Rev. Sunday. Many folders contain only the stationery of the meetings, which usually lists the dates of the campaign, the local committee heads, and the participating members of the Sunday party. This is the case for the folder on Springfield, Illinois (folder 5-5), for example, or Erie, Pennsylvania (folder 5-7), or Lynchburg, Virginia (folder 5-44). In some cases, pieces of stationery from other parts of the collection have been included. Other folders contain petitions sent to Sunday asking him to work in a community. The Boulder, Colorado, folder (folder 5-3) thus has a mimeographed form with several dozen signatures while the Duluth, Minnesota (folder 5-29) and Canton, Ohio files each contain lists of several hundred names. Of interest as well are materials documenting Sunday's relatively infrequent contacts with black Americans. Folders 1-26, 22-1, and 23-1 contain information, for example, on the 1917 Atlanta campaign when he made a particular effort to reach the African American population, including segregated meetings. Other files document in a fragmentary fashion how the campaigns were organized. Files 5-11 and 5-16 contain samples of shares sold by local associations to raise money for Sunday's coming, while folder 5-46 consists of the articles of incorporation formed in Louisville, Kentucky. A list of reservations for various special interests groups is preserved from the Greater Cincinnati Campaign (folder 5-39), while other folders contain descriptions of the responsibilities of various local committees such as transportation, ushers, etc. (folders 5-18, 5-22, 5-27 and 5-28). Some files contain financial records, such as the lists of salaries and expenses of members of the Sunday party (folders 5-26 through 28), while the Los Angeles file (folder 5-25) has a financial report on the receipts and disbursements for the entire campaign. The file for the Fairmont, West Virginia campaign has a less complete report (folder 5-28). An interesting item in some files is the list of sermon titles Sunday intended to preach for a particular campaign (folder 5-22, 5-25, 5-34, 5-58). A handful of files contain reports written after the meetings by Sunday or others on campaign results (folder 5-6, 5-15, 5-19, 5-56). Some of the hard-to-classify items in this section include a column given to Sunday by secretaries of the Philadelphia Tabernacle, signed by each secretary and listing his or her personal favorite sermon (folder 5-15); a souvenir booklet from the Spokane, Washington, campaign with biographies of Sunday, his part, and local ministers as well as descriptions of the meetings and list of some of Sunday's epigrams (folder 5-2); poems written to commemorate the various meetings (folder 5-6, 5-11); a notebook of appreciation from students in Roanoke, Virginia (folder 5-37); and a resolution passed by the Elk Lodge of Charleston, West Virginia, supporting Sunday and denouncing his critics (folder 5-43).

The folder for the New York campaign contains the most material. This file (folder 5-24) includes a photostat copy of the invitation sent to Sunday by interested New York City citizens, petitions, and form letters sent to ministers and others to urge them to participate in activities of the campaign, the bulletins and booklets describing the campaign in general and the plans for following up Sunday's impact.

The files are arranged chronologically according to the date of the meetings. Whenever possible, the full name of the meeting has been put in the file title. V. Sermons, Addresses, Outlines, Articles, Illustrative Materials and Other Manuscripts; 1891-1949; n.d. (boxes 6 and 31)

This section consists mostly of manuscripts of Rev. Sunday's sermons and sermon outlines, but there are also drafts of books that appeared under the name of Rev. or Mrs. Sunday. Of extreme interest are the manuscripts contained in boxes 6-8. These make up an almost complete set of the sermons Sunday preached at the New York City meetings (also in this set is one talk given for boys and girls by Homer Rodeheaver.) Those apparently were made from stenographic notes taken while Sunday was preaching. These are arranged chronologically. Since there are almost no audio tapes or sound films of Sunday preaching, these verbatim transcripts are about as close as the researcher can come to hearing Sunday as he was at the height of his fame, preaching during his most famous campaign.

Folder 9-1 contains a booklet with some very early notes of Sunday's which he used when he was giving talks on how to use the Bible in 1891 and 1892. Other notes in the same book may come from talks he gave when he was the advance representative in charge of setting up meetings for evangelists J. Wilbur Chapman and Milan B. Williams.

The rest of box 9 and part of box 10 contain dozens of other sermon manuscripts and sermon outlines. These are arranged alphabetically according to title. Some folders contain more than one version of the same sermons. Others have the copies of the complete talk, the outline for manuscripts, based on internal or external evidence, but that date is only for that particular copy of the sermon. Thus, a manuscript dated 1934 might be the version for that year of a talk Sunday had been giving since 1908. Following the titled sermons are three folders containing untitled sermons (Folder 10-6 through 8). These are divided very roughly according to topic - alcohol and prohibition, patriotic, and religious. Following these are fragments of sermon manuscripts probably by Rev. Sunday. Next (folder 10-10) comes illustrations used by Sunday in his sermons.

Folder 10-11 contains a very interesting statistical summary of the results of various sermons. These notes were apparently made in the autumn of 1916 during the Detroit campaign. They tell the date when each sermon was given, the denominational preference of those who came forward, sometimes what the weather was like, and the number of people who came forward for the same sermon in other cities.

Another interesting folder (folder 10-13) contains samples of the tracts given out to inquirers at Sunday's campaigns. These pamphlets define "What it means to be a Christian" and tell "How to make a success of the Christian life."

Most of box 31 also consists of sermons. First (folders 31-2 through 31-12 and 31-14) come several sermon notebooks--loose leaf binders which contain outlines of one or more talks. Then there is a folder (folder 31-13) containing several revised sermon outlines sent to Sunday in 1919 by his aide, Bentley Ackley. Ackley apparently either wrote or revised several of Sunday's sermons. A letter from Ackley about the sermons is also in the file. Next comes folder 31-15, which contains fragments of sermons notes. Finally, there are several folders (folders 31-16 through 31-59) containing one or more copies of a particular sermon. Most, but not all, of the sermon outlines in the supplement in box 31 are versions of outlines already contained in the main collection. Following Sunday's sermons are drafts of books and articles which appeared under his name. Folders 10-14 to 10-26 contain versions of chapters prepared for Love Stories of the Bible, published by G. Putnam Sons in 1917. Some correspondence and reviews in Folders 1-26 and 225 deals with this book. Each chapter is a retelling in modern vernacular of the biblical romance, such as Samson and Delilah. Some of the chapter drafts are very different from what finally appeared in the book. Folders 10-25 and 10-26 contain drafts for chapters which did not appear in the final version. The rest of the folders are arranged according to their location in the final volume.

A few miscellaneous items follow such as a romance prepared for Woman's Home Companion (folder 10-27), a story written ca. 1917 for troops in training camp suggesting how they should adapt to army life (folder 10-25), an article for a railway magazine on capital and labor (folder 10-29), drafts of autobiographical articles written by Billy Sunday for the Ladies' Home Journal, and chapter titles for a proposed volume called Great Warriors of the Bible.

Behind a partial manuscript of The Real Billy Sunday (folder 10-32) are several folders of material Sunday may have used for reference. This includes a devotional guide by G.W. Buell (folder 10-33), notes sent to Sunday's speech writer and aide, A.B. McDonald (folder 10-34), and several sermons written by other ministers (folder 10-35). Folders 11-1 and 11-2 contain sermons, the authorship of which is unknown. Some of these may also be by Rev. Sunday.

The rest of box 11 contains articles and books written by Mrs. Helen Sunday or appearing under her name. Folders 11-3 to 11-7 contain articles which were written for a newspaper feature called Ma Sunday's Column. These articles appeared in 1917 and 1918 and are brief tales which relate how various seemingly minor habits or vices resulted in the destruction of a girl's happiness. Apparently, there were plans to issue a group of these articles as a book since some of these were filed together with title pages and tables of contents. Correspondence concerning this column can be found in folders 2-25 and 2-26.

There are two other drafts of unpublished Ma Sunday's books in box 11. One is called True Living (folder 11-8), and it is also made up of selections from Ma Sunday's Column. "The Commandment Series" consists of short moral tales to illustrate various of the ten commandments (folders 11-9, 11-10). Folder 11-11 contains various autobiographical articles and speeches Mrs. Sunday wrote between 1936 and 1949. They describe her girlhood, her life with Billy Sunday and contain personal anecdotes about her husband and various campaigns. The last folder in the box contains fragments of speeches and articles, probably by Mrs. Sunday. VI. Press Clippings; 1888-1976; n.d. (boxes 12, 13 and 32)

Most of the newspaper articles in this section were saved by Rev. or Mrs. Sunday. Obviously, all of the post-1957 items were added to files by the staff of the library of Grace College. Some of the very earliest clippings refer to Rev. Sunday's baseball career, but most of the rest deal with meetings conducted by him or by Mrs. Sunday. The post 1957 articles are historical reviews of Sunday's career. The files are arranged chronologically according to date. Articles for which no date could be assigned are in the "no date" file (folder 12-1). Articles within each file are also arranged in chronological order. Some of the clippings are only fragments and do not contain the whole article.

Box 32 includes a press clipping file (folder 32-1) which contains only a very few items including an interview given by Rev. Sunday to the Knoxville, Tennessee Journal shortly before his death. VII. Scrapbooks; 1887-1926; n.d. (boxes 14 through 23, 32)

The books in this section were either put together by the Sundays or given to them. Most are for a single crusade and generally contain all the sermons preached by Sunday during the meetings. Two of the scrapbooks are not on evangelistic meetings. Scrapbook #1 in box 14 is an undated book concerned with general stories about Rev. Sunday. Notebook #2 in box 16 contains stories written about baseball teams in 1887. Scrapbooks #6 and #7 are hard to classify. There doesn't seem to be any order to the clippings pasted on the pages beyond the fact that they are generally from campaigns, ca. 1913-1916. Some scrapbooks, such as #16 contain a few pieces of correspondence. The scrapbooks with one exception are numbered in chronological order and boxed together according to their size. On the microfilm edition of the Sunday papers, the scrapbooks are arranged chronologically instead of according to the box.

The exception is the scrapbook in the Supplement to the Sunday papers. This scrapbook (folder 32-2) covers the 1916 Detroit campaign. In addition to press reports it contains some photos, a list of items lost and found at the Tabernacle, and a letter which breaks down the number of people who came forward by denomination.

VIII. Photographs; 1882-1956; n.d. (boxes 24 through 28) Note: The photographs were not included in the microfilm edition of the Sunday papers. The originals are at Grace College and Seminary Library in Winona Lake, Indiana. The Billy Graham Center Archives does have 35mm strips of negatives of these photos, as well as proof sheets of positives.

The identifiable photographs in the Sunday collection are in this section. The first two boxes are formal or informal pictures of people. Many of these photos were given to the Sundays by friends and admirers and some are autographed. The files containing the photographs are arranged alphabetically according to the name of the person photographed. Three different groups of photos are each contained in more than one folder. These groups are images of Helen Amelia (Thompson) Sunday, William Ashley Sunday, Sr., and the two of them together. Within each of these groups, the photographs are arranged chronologically according to the date the photograph was taken, if the date can be determined. There are also files on Sunday's home at Winona Lake, Indiana and his ranch in Oregon. A folder marked "Boyhood scenes" (folder 25-7) contains a series of images photographed for the Boston Post, probably ca. 1916. These photographs were taken mostly of the areas where Sunday grew up and include a few shots of the cabin where he was born. For both Helen Amelia Thompson and William Ashley Sunday, Sr., there are files marked "Early" (folders 24-38 and 25-8) which contain undated pictures of them in childhood and early adulthood. The identifications in some of these files are rather tentative.

Box 26 contains photographs and albums from specific meetings as well as some general campaign scenes grouped according to topic. The undated topical files come first and are alphabetically arranged according to title. Then come the photos for specific campaigns arranged chronologically according to the date of the meetings. Boxes 27 and 28 contain oversize photos which would not fit into the standard record center carton.

IX. Receipts, ca. 1900-1957 (box 29) This box contains receipts for various domestic purchases, bank statements, canceled checks, and miscellaneous personal financial records of the Sundays'. Most of the papers appear to date after the death of Rev. Sunday in 1935. As of the date of this writing (1978), this box is unorganized and unmicrofilmed. There is no container list for this box.

X. Miscellaneous (box 30) This box contains several negatives of the Sundays, including a series of glass negatives. Also in this box is a newsreel film of Sunday, ca. 1916, and three reels of a taped monologue by Mrs. Sunday, ca. 1954. The transcript of this tape was later edited into the booklet, Ma Sunday Still Speaks. This box contains blueprints of tabernacles as well. These blueprints were microfilmed as the last item on reel 26. Microfilmed with them was a blueprint filed in box 2 with a 1918 letter to Mrs. Sunday from a Chicago construction firm. There is no container list for this box. Except for the blueprints, the material in this box was not microfilmed.

XI. Sunday Papers Supplement After the completion of the arrangement, description, and microfilming of the Sunday papers in May, 1978, another box of Sunday materials was discovered at Grace Schools. The additional records follow the same arrangement as the main collection: first comes correspondence, then sermon outlines, then press clippings, and finally a scrapbook. All these items have been described above, in the relevant sections. Provenance

Virtually all the materials in the Sunday collection were found in the residence of Rev. and Mrs. William A. Sunday at 1111 Sunday Lane, Winona Lake, Indiana. Upon the death of Mrs. Sunday in 1957, the house and its contents were deeded to Winona Lake Christian Assembly. In 1972, a small portion of the materials were moved to the Administration Building of the Assembly was controlled Grace Schools; all the assets and liabilities of of the W.L.C.A. were assumed by Grace Schools. As one result of the merger, the Sunday documents were moved in 1977 from the Sunday and the Administration Building to the Library of Grace Theological Seminary on permanent loan. In the early months of 1978, through a joint cooperative effort between Grace Schools and the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, the Sunday records were arranged, described and microfilmed under the supervision of Robert Shuster, the Graham Center Director of Archives. Assisting were Robert Ibach (Grace Schools' Library Director), William Darr, Lois (Bea) Mayhue, and Linda Hearing of the Grace Schools' library staff; Clarence MacNeil; and Abraham Labiano, Jane Nelson, Shirley Short, Mary Schimmels of the Billy Graham Center staff. James Stambaugh, Director of the Museum, aided in almost every aspect of the project from transporting the records to designing the cover of the original guide to the microfilm edition. Several boxes of material included in the items loaned to Grace Schools by the Assembly were not included in the Sunday collection because their connection to the Sundays was slight or because their identification was uncertain. These boxes include: newspaper clippings duplicate to those in the collection; a newspaper clipping containing recipes, dress patterns, anecdotes, epigrams, etc.; form letters and printed reports sent out by Christian institutions; birthday cards, Christmas cards anniversary cards, etc.; unidentified photographs; and a set of Red Cross scrapbooks which may have been given to Sunday during or shortly after World War I.