Title: Edward Increase Bosworth Papers, 1852-1934

ID: RG 30/196

Extent: 2.2 Linear Feet

Predominant Dates: 1898-1927

Edward Increase Bosworth (1861-1927) was born in Dundee, Illinois in 1861 and grew up in Elgin, where his family ran a business selling lumber and coal. In 1879, Bosworth enrolled at Oberlin College and after two years transferred to Yale University where he received the B.A. in 1883. He returned to Oberlin to pursue the B.D. degree at Oberlin Theological Seminary (as the Graduate School of Theology was then called), supporting himself by teaching Latin and Mathematics in the Preparatory Department. From Oberlin, he received the B.D. in 1886, the M.A. in 1893 after study at the Universities of Leipzig (1890) and Athens (1891-92), and the D.D. in 1901. Following his ordination to the Congregational ministry, he became Pastor of the Congregational Church at Mt. Vernon, Ohio. In 1887, Bosworth was called by the Oberlin Theological Seminary to teach for the newly inaugurated English Bible course. Thus began a forty-year association with Oberlin, which included his deanship of the Graduate School of Theology (1903-23) and his service as acting President of the College (1918-19).

In 1892, Bosworth was elected Chair of New Testament Language and Literature. As a teacher, he exerted a profound influence on generations of seminary students, many of whom felt their lives dramatically altered by his guidance and friendship. His favorite questions in class were, "Just what do you mean by that?" and "Just why do you say that?" In his teaching, according to Professor of Old Testament Kemper Fullerton (1865-1941), Bosworth enabled students "to effect an intellectual change of base without the loss of a genuine religious experience."

Bosworth's gifts as a teacher, preacher, and New Testament scholar were in high demand outside Oberlin, in churches, at conferences, institutes, and other seminaries. Several of his books became the standard texts used in the study classes of the Y.M./Y.W.C.A. These included Studies in the Teaching of Jesus and His Apostles (1901), Studies in the Acts and Epistles (1898), Studies in the Life of Jesus Christ (1904), and the very popular Christ in Everyday Life (1910). His writings were praised for their author's ability to translate Christian teaching into a bold vernacular easily grasped by working men and women.

Throughout his career, Bosworth actively promoted the work of missionaries. He served on the Board of Trustees for the Kyrias Girls School in Albania. In 1907, under the auspices of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, he traveled to Japan. In 1911, he journeyed to Istanbul to attended the Conference of the World's Student Christian Federation, a student missionary organization. His last lectures, "The Christian Religion and Human Progress," were delivered in Athens at the School of Religion in 1927.

Bosworth's personal life was marred by loss. He and his wife, Bertha McClure (A.B. 1889) of Elgin, Illinois, endured the death of their oldest son, Lawrence, in 1911. Mrs. Bosworth was ill for several years before her death in 1923. Supported by his many friends, Bosworth continued to teach, having retired from the deanship in 1923. He traveled to Europe with his daughter, Sarah, in 1926. On July 1, 1927 after an attack of pneumonia, Bosworth died unexpectedly, leaving all of Oberlin stunned and bereaved.

SOURCES CONSULTED

The faculty file of Edward I. Bosworth (RG28/3) and the student file of Edward I. Bosworth (RG28).

Author: Valerie S. Komor

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Scope and Contents:

The Edward Increase Bosworth Papers, 1852(1898-1926)-1934, comprise correspondence, journals, writings and photographs documenting Bosworth's personal and professional life during his tenure (1892-1927) as Chair of New Testament Language and Literature at Oberlin's Graduate School of Theology. The correspondence includes early letters (1852) from family, "steamer" letters, and letters from colleagues regarding speaking engagements, missionary work, job offers, biblical interpretation and spiritual matters. Several letters from Oberlin President Henry Churchill King (1858-1934) describe King's war service (1918-19) with the Y.M.C.A. in Paris. The correspondence of Ernest Pye (1934) includes personal reminiscence from Bosworth's friends, solicited by Pye preparatory to his writing The Biography of a Mind, Bosworth of Oberlin (New York, [1948]). In his journals (1886-1927), Bosworth recorded his travels, personal reflections, and reading notes. His writings include manuscript drafts of talks, printed articles, and the book Christ in Everyday Life.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I. Correspondence, 1852, 1890-1926, 1934 (8 folders, 0.40 l.f.)

The correspondence of Bosworth is separated from the correspondence of his biographer, Ernest Pye. Each subseries is chronologically arranged.

Series II. Journals and Student Notes, 1877-1927 (4 folders, 0.30 l.f.)

The four journal volumes are chronologically arranged and include accounts of an European Tour in 1892. The student notes consist of notes on Greek exegesis (1883), and a notebook dated 1877-86, which includes debates of the literary society.

Series III. Talks and Sermons, 1877, 1894-1919, 1923-27, n.d. (27 folders, 0.95 l.f.)

The series is arranged by accession, then by type of material. Accession 1988/155 consists of 0.20 l.f. of talks and sermons (titles listed on the inventory). Accession 1997/154 includes talks (arranged alphabetically by title), and sermons that are arranged chronologically. In addition, the sermon titles for two folders, 1894-1910 and n.d., are listed.

Series IV. Writings, 1882, 1898, 1903-13, 1916, 1919, 1927, n.d. (10 folders, 0.30 l.f.)

The writings are divided into two subersies: 1. Writings by Edward I. Bosworth; and 2: Writings of others collected by Bosworth. Bosworth’s writings cover topics such as prayer, Christian Theology, “The Christian Witness in War", Oberlin, and the life of St.Paul. Titles are arranged alphabetically.

Series V. Photographs, 1880s-90s, ca. 1920s, n.d. (0.2 l.f.)

This series consists of photographs of Edward I. Bosworth, along with those of his family and friends. Also present is a newspaper article concerning the Monroe-Bosworth house at 78 S. Professor, along with 2 separate photographs of this Bosworth residence.

Series VI. Diplomas, 1877, 1883, 1886

This series consists of diplomas earned by Edward I. Bosworth at Elgin Academy (College Prep with Honors, 1877), Yale University (A.B., 1883), and Oberlin College (B.D., 1886).

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