The papers of Newell Dwight Hillis span the years 1883 to 1964. The bulk of the material covers Hillis's life as a clergyman, lecturer and author, particularly during his pastorate at Plymouth Church from 1899 to 1924. The earliest item in the collection is Hillis's 1883 school notebook. Correspondence and papers of his children, Richard Hillis and Marjorie Hillis Roulston, and clippings and ephemera presumably collected by them, make up the small part of the collection that dates after Hillis's death in 1929.
The collection consists of Hillis's correspondence and writings, business and financial records, ephemera, clippings, scrapbooks, and family papers. The major activities of Hillis's career that are well documented by the collection are his work in creating the Henry Ward Beecher Memorial and Plymouth Institute at Plymouth Church, and his involvement in World War I, which included two Liberty Loan tours and numerous articles, sermons and lectures on the events of the War and its aftermath.
Materials relating to these Plymouth Church activities roughly span the years 1906 to 1919 and include correspondence with benefactors, architects, the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, and members of the Church Board, as well as financial records, clippings, and ephemera.
Papers relating to Hillis's World War I activities can be found in the correspondence, writings, sermons, and scrapbooks. Hillis's consistently strong anti-German stance in his writings and lectures, including disclosures of alleged German atrocities and his attack on the musician Fritz Kreisler in 1917, provide an interesting look at the nature of World War I propaganda. The public response to Hillis as reflected in clippings and the letters that he saved are also of interest.
In general, Hillis's sermons, lectures, and writings cover many of the major political and social concerns of his times. As such, they provide insight into American society of the early 20th century.
Correspondence, which covers the years 1892 to 1928, includes letters related to both Plymouth Church business and Hillis's activities outside the Church. Very little correspondence of a personal nature is included. Among those with whom Hillis had an ongoing correspondence over the years were Wilfred C. and Henry Leland (Detroit automakers), Lyman Abbott, General Horatio C. King, and the heirs of John Arbuckle. Arbuckle's heirs, including Christina Arbuckle and Margaret and Martha Janlison, endowed the Plymouth Institute and corresponded frequently with Hillis.
The collection also includes several letters from J.H. Kellogg of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, and Melvil Dewey, originator of the Dewey Decimal System for library classification, both of whom were friends of Hillis. Letters from Thomas Alva Edison, Booker T. Washington, and William Jennings Bryan can also be found in the correspondence files. A letter from Upton Sinclair in May of 1915 is one of several letters written to and from Hillis regarding his anti-labor stance in the Colorado Mining Strike of that year.
The scope and content of the writings and sermons, ephemera, clippings, scrapbooks, and family papers are included in the series descriptions.
The papers of Newell Dwight Hillis span the years 1883 to 1964. The bulk of the material covers Hillis's life as a clergyman, lecturer and author, particularly during his pastorate at Plymouth Church from 1899 to 1924. The earliest item in the collection is Hillis's 1883 school notebook. Correspondence and papers of his children, Richard Hillis and Marjorie Hillis Roulston, and clippings and ephemera presumably collected by them, make up the small part of the collection that dates after Hillis's death in 1929.
The collection consists of Hillis's correspondence and writings, business and financial records, ephemera, clippings, scrapbooks, family papers, and photographs. The major activities of Hillis's career that are well documented by the collection are his work in creating the Henry Ward Beecher Memorial and Plymouth Institute at Plymouth Church, and his involvement in World War I, which included two Liberty Loan tours and numerous articles, sermons and lectures on the events of the War and its aftermath.
Materials relating to these Plymouth Church activities roughly span the years 1906 to 1919 and include correspondence with benefactors, architects, the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, and members of the Church Board, as well as financial records, clippings, and ephemera.
Papers relating to Hillis's World War I activities can be found in the correspondence, writings, sermons, and scrapbooks. Hillis's consistently strong anti-German stance in his writings and lectures, including disclosures of alleged German atrocities and his attack on the musician Fritz Kreisler in 1917, provide an interesting look at the nature of World War I propaganda. The public response to Hillis as reflected in clippings and the letters that he saved are also of interest.
In general, Hillis's sermons, lectures, and writings cover many of the major political and social concerns of his times. As such, they provide insight into American society of the early 20th century.
Correspondence, which covers the years 1892 to 1928, includes letters related to both Plymouth Church business and Hillis's activities outside the Church. Very little correspondence of a personal nature is included. Among those with whom Hillis had an ongoing correspondence over the years were Wilfred C. and Henry Leland (Detroit automakers), Lyman Abbott, General Horatio C. King, and the heirs of John Arbuckle. Arbuckle's heirs, including Christina Arbuckle and Margaret and Martha Janlison, endowed the Plymouth Institute and corresponded frequently with Hillis.
The collection also includes several letters from J.H. Kellogg of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, and Melvil Dewey, originator of the Dewey Decimal System for library classification, both of whom were friends of Hillis. Letters from Thomas Alva Edison, Booker T. Washington, and William Jennings Bryan can also be found in the correspondence files. A letter from Upton Sinclair in May of 1915 is one of several letters written to and from Hillis regarding his anti-labor stance in the Colorado Mining Strike of that year.
The scope and content of the writings and sermons, ephemera, clippings, scrapbooks, family papers, and photographs are included in the series descriptions. The collection is arranged into the following eight series: