Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm77040162
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Matthew Simpson, Methodist clergyman, educator, editor, and orator, were given to the Library of Congress by Sarah Elizabeth Simpson and Ida Simpson in 1931.
The papers of Matthew Simpson were arranged and described in 1970. The collection was expanded and revised in 2012.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Matthew Simpson is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The papers of Matthew Simpson are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Matthew Simpson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Matthew Simpson (1811-1884) span the years 1829-1927, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1833-1884. They document Simpson's private life and his professional activities as circuit preacher, educator, journalist, Methodist bishop, and public speaker. The collection is organized into seven series: Diaries, Journals, and Letterbook ; Family Correspondence ; General Correspondence ; Special Correspondence ; Writings File ; Miscellany ; and Oversize . The Family Correspondence and General Correspondence extend throughout the period of Simpson's adult life.
The Family Correspondence includes letters exchanged between Simpson and his uncle, also named Matthew Simpson, in the early years of his career. Later letters from Simpson to his wife and children offer glimpses into his private life, reflect the physical hardships of the ministry, and briefly report on some of his many trips. The General Correspondence , largely letters received from a wide variety of persons, provides information about Simpson's work. Prominent among his correspondence were Edward Raymond Ames, Montgomery Blair, James Harlan, Edmund Storer Janes, and Thomas A. Morris. Brief biographical accounts of Simpson are included in the Miscellany series.
The Writings File of sermons, lectures, poems, stories, other writings, and notebooks and notes indicates the methods of preparation of a man whose reputation rested to a great extent on oratorical skills. The Miscellany series contains printed reports and full texts of many sermons, lectures, and speeches. The General Correspondence reveals Simpson's popularity as a speaker.
Some of the material, especially the correspondence and notes, also contains information about the division of American Methodism over the slavery question and the attempts to reorganize the Methodist Church in the South after the Civil War. The collection also reflects the struggles of the church to expand during the mid-nineteenth century, its involvement in international religious activities, and the attempts of some members to adjust to modern scientific thought.
Except for a few of the diary and journal entries, which are generally brief, there is little evidence of Simpson's relationship with Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, or other major leaders in the government during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
The pencil notes found on many of the items are probably those of George R. Crooks, one of Simpson's biographers.
This collection is arranged in seven series:
Diaries, journals, and a letterbook. Except for one financial journal for the years 1850 and 1858-1859, the entries usually record thoughts, trips, and conferences.
Arranged by type of entry book or topic.
Letters sent and received.
Arranged chronologically.
Letters received and a few copies of drafts of letters sent.
Arranged chronologically.
Letters and telegrams received by Simpson's family on his last illness and death.
The letters are arranged chronologically.
Typescripts and drafts of essays and editorials, family worship services, historical writings, lectures, poems, prayers, sermons, speeches, stories, travel accounts. Also, notebooks of memoranda, diary entries, records of correspondence, reading notes, brief occasional notes, and drafts and outlines of essays, sermons, and writings.
Arranged by type of writing.
Manuscripts, newspaper clippings, printed matter, a scrapbook of sermons and lecture outlines, miscellaneous notes, and other items.
Arranged by type of material.
Oversize scrapbook. Described according to the series and container from which it was removed.