Collection Title:

Clinton J. Holloway Research Collection on Robert Milligan, 1830-2014, undated

Repository:

The Holloway Archives at Milligan University
P. H. Welshimer Memorial Library
200 Blowers Blvd.
Milligan, TN 37682
Email: archives@milligan.edu

Creator:

Holloway, Clinton J. “Clint”

Title:

Clinton J. Holloway Research Collection on Robert Milligan, 1830-2014, undated

Collection No.

C0072

Extent

4.7 cubic feet (5 boxes)

Language(s):

English

Abstract:

This collection of materials on Robert Milligan is the result of Clinton J. Holloway’s research for his book, He Still Speaks: A Literary Biography of Robert Milligan. Robert Milligan, an educator, writer, and minister in the early Stone-Campbell Movement, is the namesake of Milligan University. Contained in this collection are many copies and originals of materials relevant to the life and work of Robert Milligan. The collection also demonstrates Holloway’s research into Robert Milligan.

Biographical Note:

Robert Milligan was born in 1814 in Ireland, the son of John and Margaret Milligan. In 1818, Milligan immigrated with his family to the United States, where they settled in Ohio. Originally Presbyterian, Milligan joined the Stone-Campbell Movement in the 1830s. After local schooling and even opening his own academy in Kentucky, Milligan attend Washington College in Washington, Pennsylvania in 1839, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1840. He then stayed on to teach at Washington College. In 1842, Milligan married Eleanor Blaine Russell, with whom he had two children, Alexander Reed Milligan and Isabelle Reed Milligan. Milligan was ordained in 1844 and soon after was authoring items in the Millennial Harbinger. In 1852, Milligan went to what is now Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, to teach math and civil engineering. In 1854, Milligan went to Bethany College in Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia). Then, in 1857, Milligan became president of Bacon College in Georgetown, Kentucky, which soon became Kentucky University in 1859. Kentucky University joined with Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky in 1865, where Robert Milligan was president of the College of the Bible and the College of the Arts until 1866. It was during this time that Josephus Hopwood was a student. Milligan died in 1875.

Information taken from He Still Speaks: A Literary Biography of Robert Milligan by Clinton J. Holloway, 2014.

Arrangement:

Clinton J. Holloway organized the collection before it was deposited in the Holloway Archives. Katherine Banks minimally re-processed the collection to better define series, keeping folders in their original order for the most part, and to update the finding aid to current standards.

The collection is divided into five series: I. Series: Subject Files, 1831-2014, undated; II. Series: Writings about Robert Milligan, 1875-2014, undated ; III. Series: Genealogy, 1860-2013, undated; IV. Series: Writings by Robert Milligan, 1845-2013, undated ; and V. Series: Artifacts, 1830-2014, undated. The Subject Files series, Writings about Robert Milligan series, and the Genealogy series are arranged alphabetically. The Writings by Robert Milligan series is arranged chronologically by the date of the writing. The Artifacts series has no real arrangement, as it is arranged to fit in the boxes.

Scope and Content Note:

The research collection is divided into five series: Subject Files, Writings about Robert Milligan, Genealogy, Writings by Robert Milligan, and Artifacts.

These materials were used to compile He Still Speaks: A Literary Biography of Robert Milligan, published in 2014 as a joint project of Clinton J. Holloway (Milligan University, class of 1995) and the University. The book was written in honor of and to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Robert Milligan’s birth with took place July 25, 2014. Thus, many of these items are copies of the original.

No large cache of Milligan material or papers has ever been discovered, even among direct descendants. Therefore, this collection represents the largest assembly of material by, for, and about Robert Milligan and his immediately family.

The Subject Files series spans 1831 to 2014 and contains undated material. This series contains information relevant to Robert Milligan, from biographical information to subjects related to Milligan. Items of note include the following:

• Exceedingly rare copies of the proceedings of the American Christian Missionary Society meetings


• Late 19th/early 20th century Christian Woman’s Board of Missions promotional material


• Original December 1856 Millennial Harbinger


• Exceedingly rare 1838 pamphlet “A Reply of J.T. Hendrick’s Letter to the Self-Styled Reformers” by Rains and Irvin


• June 1837Messenger


• Material on Montgomery Tiers “Christian Portrait Gallery”


• 1857 instrument electing Milligan President of Bacon College


• 1888 Kentucky University Tablet


• Washington College Catalogues for 1842 and 1843 owned by Robert Milligan

The Writings about Robert Milligan series spans 1875 to 2014 and contains undated material. In this series are various people’s writings about Milligan, including copies of Holloway’s book. Also of note is the June 1875 Christian Record with funeral oration and a copy of 1910 letter of McGarvey to Frederick Doyle Kershner (copy owned by Mary Hardin McCown).

The Genealogy series spans 1860 to 2013 and contains undated material. This series includes information on Milligan’s family line.

The Writings by Robert Milligan series spans 1845 to 2013 and contains undated material. It includes writings by Milligan and information on those writings. Several originals of the Millennial Harbinger are in this series.

The Artifacts series spans 1830 to 2014 and contains undated material. Several published books relating to Milligan and his writings are in this series, as well as two t-shirts from Milligan University and a stone from Milligan’s grave. Also in this series are diplomas signed by Milligan and a framed photo of Milligan.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information:

Accession 2014-10-22

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research, with the exception of a folder containing grades (indicated in the folder list).

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], Clinton J. Holloway Research Collection on Robert Milligan, Collection C0072, The Holloway Archives at Milligan University, Milligan, TN.

Processing Information:

Processed by Clinton J. Holloway and Katherine Banks

Completed in 2023

Folder List

Box 1

I. Series: Subject Files, 1831-2014, undated

• American Christian Missionary Society, 1852-1971, undated


• Biographical: Robert Milligan, 1864-2007, undated


• Christian Woman’s Board of Missions, 1888-1981, undated


• Education: Zelienople, Jamestown, PA, 1859-2002, undated


• Fanning, Tolbert Controversy, 1843-1999, undated



• Friends, Colleagues and Former Students, 1866-2013, undated

  Note: Contains 19th century photographs



• Grave: Lexington Cemetery, 1910-1996, undated


• Hiram Lectures – Freedmen’s Missionary Society, 1867-2000, undated


• Local Congregations: Cane Ridge, Kentucky, 1837-2013, undated


• Local Congregations: First Christian Church, Washington, Pennsylvania, 1831-1979, undated


• Local Congregations: Liberty Presbyterian Church, Youngstown, Ohio, 1976-2014, undated


• Local Congregations: Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, 1853-2003


• Ireland, 1983-1994, undated


• Minor Mentions of Robert Milligan in Various Sources, 1882-1909, undated



• Photographs and Portraits: Robert Milligan, 1858-2013, undated

  Note: Contains several 19th century photos



• Preaching, 1867-1882, undated


• Schools: Bethany College, Bethany (West) Virginia
  
  
  • Folder 1, 1854-2004, undated
  
  
  • Folder 2, 1856-1857, undated
  
  
• Schools: Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 1851-2013, undated


• Schools: Kentucky University, Lexington, Kentucky, 1857-2013, undated


• Schools: Kentucky University, Lexington, Kentucky: Bulletins, 1859-1871


• Schools: Kentucky University, Lexington, Kentucky: Charter, 1858


• Schools: Kentucky University, Lexington, Kentucky: Controversies, 1873-1934


• Schools: Kentucky University, Lexington, Kentucky: Notebook of J.R. Hoover, 1866-2011


• Schools: Milligan College, Milligan College, Tennessee, 1949-1966, undated


• Schools: Washington College, Washington, Pennsylvania, 1840-2005, undated


• Tangential Notes and Source Material, 1889-2013, undated


• Women, 1867-1993, undated

Box 2

II. Series: Writings about Robert Milligan, 1875-2014, undated

• Boring, Eugene M.; Sprinkle, Stephen V. on Robert Milligan, 1997-1999


• Holloway, Clinton J. on Robert Milligan, 1995-2014, undated [CONTAINS GRADES]


• Holloway, Clinton J. He Still Speaks, A Literary Biography of Robert Milligan (2 copies), 2014


• Jenkins, Max Ray: Thesis, 1959


• McGarvey, John W. Funeral Oration/Sketch, 1875


• McGarvey, John W. on Robert Milligan, 1876-2013, undated


• Olbricht, Thomas H. on Robert Milligan, 2000-2012


• Platt, Robert Martin: Thesis, 1958

III. Series: Genealogy, 1860-2013, undated

• Blaine, James G. (cousin of Eleanor), 1893, undated


• Coleman, Isabelle Reed Coleman (Daughter) & Family, 1860-2013, undated


• Milligan, Alexander Reed (son), 1896-2004, undated


• Milligan, Dixon (brother), 1882-2012, undated


• Milligan, Eleanor Blaine Russell (wife), 1893-2004, undated


• Milligan Extended Family Genealogy, 1882-2005, undated


• Milligan, John and Margaret (parents), 2013, undated

IV. Series: Writings by Robert Milligan, 1845-2013, undated

• Inaugural Address, Kentucky University, 1859


• Treatise on Prayer (1863), 1934


• Reason and Revelation (1867), 1867-2013, undated


• Scheme of Redemption (1868), 1869-2013, undated


• Grace and Good Works (1870), 1871-1889


• Great Commission (1871), 1871-1874


• Analysis of the New Testament (1874), 1875


• Commentary on Hebrews (1875), 1875-1977, undated


• Periodicals: American Christian Quarterly Review, 1862-1863


• Australian Christian Pioneer, Australian Christian Advocate, 1869-1876


• Periodicals: Christian Pioneer, 1861-1868, undated


• Periodicals: Christian Quarterly, 1869-1870, undated


• Periodicals: Independent Monthly, 1869-1870, undated


• Periodicals: Millennial Harbinger, 1845-2013


• Periodicals: Millennial Harbinger, 1847, undated


• Letters, Books, Citations, Indices to Robert Milligan/From Robert Milligan, 1850-2003, undated


• Sermons and Expositions, 1854-1954

Box 3

V. Series: Artifacts, 1830-2014, undated

• The New Testament Commentary: Vol. IX – Epistle to the Hebrews, 1876


• Reason and Revelation, 1869


• Reason and Revelation, 1953


• An Exposition and Defense of the Scheme of Redemption, revised edition, undated


• An Exposition and Defense of the Scheme of Redemption, thirteenth printing, 1868


• The Great Commission of Jesus Christ to His Twelve Apostles, 1873


• Analysis of the New Testament, 1874 [reprint], 2 copies


• A Brief Treatise on Prayer, 1883 [reprint]


• Journey Through the Years, Josephus Hopwood, Bethany Press, 1932, autographed


• Robert Milligan, Disciple: Scholar, Educator, Peacemaker, Robert Martin Platt, Thesis (rough draft), 1958


• The Crimson, Kentucky University annuals, 1898 and 1899


• Articles by and about Robert Milligan in the Millennial Harbinger
  
  
  • Folder 1, 1830-1857, undated
  
  
  • Folder 2, 1855-1867, undated
  
  

Box 4

• Commentary on Ephesians by Ellicott, owned by Robert Milligan, 1867


• Bound volume The Evangelist of Davenport, Iowa, 1862


• Indiana University, Midwestern Pioneer, Thomas D. Clark, Indiana University Press, 1970


• Daily Disciple, A One Year Devotional Guide, Gary Holloway, Leafwood, 2008


• The Scheme of Redemption, Spiritual Sword lectureship, Getwell Church of Christ, Memphis, Tennessee, 1990


• Central Christian Church, 175 Years in Lexington, Kentucky, Anthony Dunavant, privately published


• Milligan College t-shirt: “Robert Milligan is my Homeboy,” 2007


• Milligan College t-shirt: “Robert Milligan –What is in a Namesake?,” 2014


• Small stone dug up from grave of Robert Milligan, Lexington, Kentucky, undated

Box 5

• Correspondence from Robert Milligan to Josephus Hopwood, 1874


• Bethany College diplomas, 1858


• Kentucky University, College of the Bible diploma, 1872


• Framed black and white photographic print, undated