Inventory of the Evans Family Papers, 1930-2002

This series contains sermons written and preached by J. Claude Evans throughout his career. The materials include handwritten and typed drafts, notes, and some reference materials such as magazine or newspaper clippings. Many of the sermons were revised and reused throughout the decades, and Evans's own lists of the places and dates he preached particular sermons are often included with the text.

Evans's sermons address a broad range of subjects. Most of them address contemporary socio-political topics, issues of faith and Christianity, or, frequently, both. Examples of sermons that address the Christian faith directly include seasonal, sacramental, or celebratory topics such as "Advent Joy," "What Can I Believe about Baptism?" or a variety of sermons for weddings. Also included are sermons about belief and the place of religion in modern life, such as "Liturgy and Life" and "Science and Religion: A Needless Argument."

More numerous are the sermons which address contemporary socio-political issues and current events. These sermons address abortion (as in "The Problem of Unwanted Pregnancies"), race ("Racism: A Contemporary Wilderness"), women ("Are Women Really Persons?"), homosexuality ("My Sister Was a Lesbian"), communism and politics (as in "Marxist Communism and the Christian Faith"), marriage and family ("My Son Was a Runaway" and "Enduring Marriage: An Impossible Possibility") and, later, dementia and illness.

The sermons are filed alphabetically by title.

The Subjects series includes an assortment of newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements, and other clippings, including materials from numerous religious periodicals such as the Methodist Advocate. Evans collected much of this material while researching subjects for his sermons and columns. The subjects reflect current events, especially of the 1960s and 70s, as well as theological issues.

Subjects contained within the series can for the most part be grouped under three categories; current events, counseling, and faith or religion. A sample of subject files from the current events group include information on the Berkeley riots, capital punishment, the draft, energy, homosexuality, J.F.Kennedy's assassination, modern medicine and health care, and playboys and playmates, among many others. There are additional materials related to the abortion issue that Evans collected in an album, which is included in the Personal series.

Subjects pertaining to counseling include files on anxiety, apathy, death and hope, depression, grief, hypnotism, and suicide. Subjects regarding faith include documents on the bible, Catholicism, church and state, evangelism, vocation, and files on other pastors such as Billy Graham, among others. There are also a number of files labeled "Column Ideas" which include materials that Evans had specifically put aside as sources for his writing.

The Subject series is filed alphabetically by subject.

The Correspondence series contains letters, greeting cards, postcards, notes, and telegrams sent to and by J. Claude Evans throughout his lifetime. These letters include personal correspondence such as Christmas cards, correspondence with Evans's wife, Maxilla, and other family members, and a number of letters exchanged while Evans was stationed at various locations while serving in the navy and during later trips to Central and Eastern Europe. For additional personal letters to Evans's family, please see the scrapbooks and albums in the Personal series.

The majority of the letters concern professional matters, such as Evans's sermons, appointments at Clemson, SMU, and the Mountaineer, correspondence regarding Evans's counseling practice, and exchanges with colleagues at various institutions. Some letters were written to Evans in response to controversial subjects as abortion or race which he addressed in his sermons and columns.

The Correspondence series is filed alphabetically by the correspondent's last name with the exception of certain file folders which contain correspondence grouped based on topic, which are included at the end of the list below.

The Personal series includes documents from J. Claude Evans's youth, military and pastoral careers, and family life. These materials are Evans's passports, official navy orders and records, information on his education, a childhood diary, awards and certificates, court records, and articles about Evans, among other documents. The series contains photographs from J. Claude's youth and years at Duke as well as later, professional photos. A large scrapbook contains wartime letters and postcards from J. Claude to Maxilla while he was stationed abroad and an extensive scrapbook Evans created with articles and other notes regarding the abortion debate. The Personal series also includes a leather-bound bible that is inscribed by Evans in 1944 and has a note that it belonged to a T. Ligau c. 1896.

There are also a number of files pertaining to the Evans family's genealogy, including extensive research into both J. Claude and Maxilla Evans's family history. This includes a large photo album from the early twentieth century.

The Writings series includes three subseries: Published Articles and Columns -primarily J. Claude Evans's writings for The Mountaineer, Drafts, and Prayers. These materials include Evans's writings throughout his career for various pastoral and professional purposes.

The Published Articles and Columns subseries is filed alphabetically by the name of the newspaper or periodical in which Evans's writing was published. The Drafts subseries is filed alphabetically by title, with drafts for columns listed under "C" and then listed alphabetically by title within the folder.

The Printed Materials Series includes a range of materials saved and collected by J. Claude Evans. It contains assorted clippings, publications, and articles on theology, women's issues, and LGBT. The series also includes bound copies of the South Carolina Methodist Advocate dating from his time as editor (1952-1957), and bound bulletins from Southern Methodist University dating from his time as chaplain (1959-1979). Other materials include Evans' yearbooks and those from his sister, Eugenia (Gene), from the 1930s and early 1940s. This series also includes books, written by others, which mention Evans and his pastoral and counseling work.

The Pastoral Activities series includes materials from J. Claude Evans' professional work as a pastor and counselor to communities throughout the South. Some materials relate to his professional affiliations and memberships; others to his counseling work in Dallas and Waynesville; and others to specific churches where he ministered or preached.

Also includes a box of 30 cassette tapes of Evans speaking and preaching. These tapes are closed to researchers until use copies can be made.

Maxilla Evans' papers largely center on her bird watching, horticulture, and other nature conservation activities in Texas and North Carolina. There are also drafts of her writings, family correspondence, and research materials on Christianity, feminism, and Quakerism. She also collected genealogy and family history materials.

J. Claude Evans taught and attended many seminars, classes, and workshops in the course of his career as a pastor and counselor. This series includes syllabi, handwritten lecture notes, doodles, pamphlets, and reading materials from an assortment of these events, which have been loosely sorted into Courses Taken, Courses Taught, and General Notes. Many of the courses related to hypnotism, marriage counseling, and spiritual guidance. Courses have been arranged alphabetically by title and date from the 1960s through the 1990s. Many of the notes are on legal-size yellow notebook pages.