Frederick Kershner Papers, 1918-1991, undated

Collection Title:

Frederick Kershner Papers, 1918-1991, undated

Repository:

The Helsabeck Archives of the Stone-Campbell Movement

Emmanuel Christian Seminary Library at Milligan

1 Walker Drive

Johnson City, TN 37682

Email: archives@milligan.edu

Creators:

Helsabeck, William Dennis, Jr.

Kershner, Frederick

Stokes, Tom

Wright, Orville

Title:

Frederick Kershner Papers, 1918-1991, undated

Collection No.

HSC0016

Extent

0.6 cubic feet (2 boxes)

Language(s):

English

Abstract:

Frederick Doyle Kershner (1875-1953) was an influential educator and writer in the Stone-Campbell Movement. He served as president of Milligan College (now Milligan University) and dean of the School of Religion at Butler University (now Christian Theological Seminary), on which Emmanuel Christian Seminary was modeled. This collection contains a portion of his writings and syllabi, as well as some biographical information.

Biographical Note:

Frederick Doyle Kershner was born in 1875 in Maryland. Kershner graduated from Kentucky University (now Transylvania University) in 1899 and Princeton University in 1900 for his master’s degree. Kershner served at many schools, most notably as president of Milligan College (now Milligan University) from 1908 to 1911, president of Texas Christian University from 1911 to 1916, professor of Christian Doctrine in Drake University from 1920 to 1924, and Dean of Butler School of Religion (now Christian Theological Seminary) from 1924 to 1944, continuing to serve on faculty there until 1951. He also was editor of the Christian-Evangelist from 1915 to 1917. Kershner took a middle road in the divisions amongst the Stone-Campbell Movement, serving as president of the Disciples of Christ in 1938, speaking at the North American Christian Convention in 1927, and chairing the Commission on Restudy of the Disciples of Christ from 1934 to 1946. He also wrote several books, including The Religion of Christ (1911), The Restoration Handbook (1918-1920), The Christian Union Overture (1923), and Pioneers of Christian Thought (1930). Kershner also contributed to the Christian-Evangelist and the Christian Standard. He was married first to former Milligan faculty member Pearl Archer, a marriage which lasted only a few years due to her death in 1915. He remarried to Elsie Martin and had three children, Frederick, Jr., Mary Eleanor, and Beatrice Pearl. Kershner passed away in 1953.

Arrangement:

With the exception of a folder of Christian Standard issues containing Kershner’s writing that were donated by Dennis Helsabeck, Jr., the papers of Frederick Kershner were found in the reference files of the Helsabeck Archives. The archivist pulled out the files that were better suited to a collection and processed them into three series: I. Series: General, 1940-2004, undated; II. Series: Syllabi, 1925-1991, undated; and III. Series: Writings, 1918-1950, undated. All series are arranged alphabetically.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Frederick Doyle Kershner are arranged into three series: General, Syllabi, and Writings.

The General Series spans 1940 to 2004 and contains undated material. This single file series contains biographical information (including documents collected by former librarian Tom Stokes), a photo of Kershner, and a copy of correspondence from Ludwig von Gerdtell. Correspondence between Tom Stokes and a patron requesting biographical information on Kershner has been removed to the collection file for privacy reasons.

The Syllabi Series spans 1925 to 1991 and contains undated material. This series has syllabi from different classes the Kershner taught at Butler School of Religion (now Christian Theological Seminary) in the 1940s. It appears that some (if not all) of the syllabi came to the archives via a former student of Kershner’s, Orville Wright.

The Writings Series spans 1918 to 1950 and contains undated material. This series contains copies of articles, speeches, tracts, addresses, and other writings by Kershner.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information:

Accessions 2024-005, 2024-007

Access Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

The archivist reserves the right to determine on a case-by-case basis if certain folders within the collection that have been requested for viewing cannot be made available due to various restriction compliance, including but not limited to student information, private personal information, and organizational information of a restricted nature.

Preferred Citation:

[Item], Frederick Kershner Papers, Collection HSC0016, The Helsabeck Archives of the Stone-Campbell Movement, Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan Library, Johnson City, TN.

Processing Information:

Processed by Katherine N. Banks

Completed in 2024

Folder List

Box 1

I. Series: General, 1940-2004, undated

• General, 1940-2004, undated

II. Series: Syllabi, 1925-1991, undated

• Christian Mysticism, 1991, undated



• Ethics, 1941-1991



• History of Theology, 1925-1991, undated



• Reformation Theology, 1944

Box 2

III. Series: Writings, 1918-1950, undated

• Christian Standard, 1941-1942



• The Christian Union Overture, 1923 [copy]



• Other, 1925-1950, undated



• The Restoration Handbook, 1918-1936