Horace C. Atwater Papers

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: AppMs-0724

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Horace C. Atwater Collection consists of a copy of Atwater’s handwritten diary and original handwritten lecture notes and handwritten sermons that Atwater wrote and delivered as a minister between the 1840s and the 1870s. The sermons help document religious life and Protestant denominational practices in mid-19th century America, especially Atwater’s time as a Presbyterian minister in East Tennessee. The notes and sermons are arranged in alphabetical order by title with untitled material filed at the end of the series. Atwater generally used part of a verse of scripture in titling his sermons. The source of this text from the Bible (King James Version) is identified in brackets. [Example: [II Kings 5:12] refers to the second book of Kings, Chapter 5, verse 12] A compact disc containing digital scanned images of the diary and five of the sermons is also included.

Dates

1836-1875, 2005

Creator

Atwater, H. Cowles (Horace Cowles), 1819-1879 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Extent

2.50 linear feet (5 manuscript boxes, 1 compact disc, 1 oversized folder)

5.00 Boxes

1.00 folder(s)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is organized into three series, as follows: Series 1, Diary, 1836-1838 and undated; Series 2, Lecture Notes and Sermons, 1842-1875 and undated; and Series 3, Oversized Material, c. 2005.

Method of Acquisition

The collection was donated by Dr. Michael J. Brown, Clerk of Session, on behalf of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tennessee, on December 14, 2005.

Accruals and Additions

A compact disc containing scanned images of Horace Atwater’s diary and five sermons (originals retained by the church) was donated to the archives by Harrison Taylor, Johnson City, Tenn., on April 2, 2007.

Separated Materials

A poster produced (c. 2005) by the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton commemorating Atwater’s ministry is housed in an oversized map folder by accession number.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Ned Irwin and Brianne Johnson and opened for research in April 2007.

Subjects

Church records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Clergy -- Tennessee, East Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Compact discs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Personal papers Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Preaching Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Preaching--Tennessee, East Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source
Preaching--United States--19th century Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source
Presbyterian Church--Sermons Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Presbyterians--Tennessee Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source
Religious life--Tennessee, East Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Sermons, American--19th century Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source
Tennessee, East--Religious life and customs Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source