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[Identification of item], Hiram Earl Myers Papers, University Archives, Duke University.
The Hiram Earl Myers Papers was received by the University Archives as a gift in 1980 (A80-28) and in 1983 (A83-55).
Processed by Linda Daniel
Completed February 2004
Encoded by Linda Daniel, February 2004
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
Hiram Earl Myers was a clergyman, theologian, and educator. Born in Anson County, near Wadesboro, N.C., in 1889, Myers attended Trinity College (A.B., 1911), Boston University School of Theology (S.T.B., 1920; S.T.M., 1926), University of Chicago and Chicago Theological Seminary (1936), Harvard Divinity School and the Episcopal Theological Seminary (1941). He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Elon College (1950).
Myers was ordained as a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1918) and served as pastor of the Trinity Methodist Church in Manchester, N.H. while attending Boston University. He also served at N.C. churches located in Graham, Salisbury, Elizabeth City, and Durham.
Myers joined the Duke University faculty in 1926 as professor of biblical literature. He served as Chairman of the Department of Religion (1934-1936) and as Director of Undergraduate Studies in Religion (1937-1957). Myers stayed at Duke until his retirement in 1958.
Myers was involved in a number of professional, civic, church, and honorary organizations including the National Association of Biblical Instructors, the American Association of University Professors, and Phi Beta Kappa.
Myers married Rose Mae Warren in 1926. They had one daughter, Martha Rose.
The collection reflects Myers' activities as a clergyman and his thoughts on theological issues. The collection consists of correspondence; texts of sermons and Sunday School lessons; prayers given in Duke Chapel; records of sermons, baptisms, and marriages; notes on sermon topics; pamphlets; and other printed material. Major subjects include Myers' activities as a clergyman, his reflections on theological issues, and his involvement in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
The Writings and Speeches Series is an important part of the collection. It includes the typed and manuscript texts of approximately three hundred sermons and Sunday School lessons given by Myers throughout his career as a minister, prayers used in Duke Chapel, and other writings.
The Correspondence Series includes correspondence with colleagues and family. Individual items of particular interest are letters from R.L. Flowers dealing with the aftermath of the deaths of James B. Duke and William Preston Few. Other correspondents include Sarah Pearson Duke, Josephus Daniels, Horace R. Kornegay, Sam J. Ervin, Jr., Y.E. Smith, William A. Erwin, and William B. Umstead. A few items within the correspondence deal with local Methodist affairs in the N.C. conference, particularly with ministerial appointments. Most of the correspondence is routine, although it occasionally reflects historical events such as the Great Depression and World War II.
Other series in the collection include Personal and Family Papers, Pastoral Records, Lake Junaluska, Duke University, and Subject Files.
Material directly related to Duke University is scanty. There are three folders of tests and examinations administered by Myers in his classes. Individual items of interest include Myers' reminiscences at the the 1960 alumni reunion and a copy of a poetic tribute to B. N. Duke by Wilbur F. Tillett of Vanderbilt University in 1928.
These and related materials may be accessed under the following subject headings in the Duke University Libraries online catalog.
Includes biographical information about Myers, family mementos, certificates, information about honorary memberships, blueprints for the Myers' home, notes on vacations, and photographs.
The honorary certificate that Myers received
from Duke Memorial Methodist Church,
Includes records from churches pastored by Myers, as well as records for the N.C. Conference of the Methodist Church and the Council of Bishops.
Includes class records, information about the Lake Junaluska Summer School, tests, and notes.
Includes examination questions used by Myers in his classes at Duke University.
Includes a copy of a poetic tribute to B.N. Duke by Wilbur F. Tillett of Vanderbilt University.
Includes Myers' reminiscences at the 1960 alumni reunion.
Includes notes on
Includes prayers delivered in Duke Chapel services.
Includes the typed and manuscript texts of approximately three hundred sermons and Sunday School lessons given by Myers.
Includes three notebooks that contain Myers' writings about the apostle Paul.
Includes notes, jottings, copied quotations, and meditations dealing with both religious and nonreligious themes.
Includes correspondence with colleagues and family. Individual items of particular interest are letters from R.L. Flowers dealing with the aftermath of the deaths of James B. Duke and William Preston Few. Other correspondents include Sarah Pearson Duke, Josephus Daniels, Horace R. Kornegay, Sam J. Ervin, Jr., Y.E. Smith, William A. Erwin, and William B. Umstead. A few items within the correspondence deal with local Methodist affairs in the N.C. conference, particularly with ministerial appointments. Most of the correspondence is routine, although it occasionally reflects historical events such as the Great Depression and World War II.
Includes pamphlets and other types of printed materials about a wide variety of subjects. Topics include biblical instruction, integration, prohibition, the Middle East, Palestine, surveys of religion curricula in colleges and universities, U.S. diplomatic representation at the Vatican, and biblical archaeology.