John Williams Bradshaw Papers, 1889-1921, undated | Oberlin College Archives

By Sabra Henke

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Collection Overview

Title: John Williams Bradshaw Papers, 1889-1921, undated

ID: RG 30/044

Primary Creator: Bradshaw, John Williams (1849-1912)

Extent: 1.0 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 05/25/1970. More info below under Accruals.

Forms of Material: letters (correspondence), manuscripts, publications, sermons, speeches

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This collection primarily consists of the sermons delivered by John Williams Bradshaw during his pastorate at First Congregational Church in Oberlin (1900-1912, n.d.). Sermon titles include “The efficacy of prayer”, “The ethics of business”, “Evolutionary hypothesis and the idea of God”, and “Changes of 75 years in conceptionof religious life” (delivered in conjunction with Oberlin’s 75th anniversary). The balance of this collection is made up by a biographical file, correspondence (1897), writings by Bradshaw, and an article by C.P. Coffin.

The collection is divided into four series: I. Biographical File; II. Correspondence; III. Sermons and Talks; and, IV. Writings.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I. Biographical File, 1912 (1 folder)

This series consists of a photocopy of the necrology statement for John Williams Bradshaw, The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, October 1912, pages 39-42.

Series II. Correspondence, 1897 (1 folder)

Consists of letters from C.P. Coffin to John Williams Bradshaw concerning religious matters and ministry.

Series III. Sermons and Talks, 1898-1910, n.d. (0.7 l.f.)

This series includes sermons of John William Bradshaw, handwritten and typescript. The sermon titles are listed in the inventory of the finding guide. Also included are talks of Bradshaw (1 folder), that were note delivered in church. The talks are listed separately in the inventory.

Series IV. Writings, 1898, 1902, n.d. (1 folder)

This series consists of four (4) writings by John William Bradshaw covering subjects such as the Bible, Christian Education, and Unitarianism. Also included is an artcle reprint by C.P. Coffin entitled “Peter or Cephas in Pauline Usage”, 1907.

Collection Historical Note

John Williams Bradshaw was born on July 7, 1849 in Crown Point, NY. The son of a minister, Bradshaw represented the ninth successive generation of ministers in his family. Bradshaw received his undergraduate education at Middlebury College, VT, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1869. After spending two ears working for the United States Government in Washington D.C., Bradshaw pursued theological studies at Chicago Seminary, from which he received a degree in divinity. Bradshaw’s ministry included pastorates at Congregational churches in Rochester, MN (1874-1884), Galesburg, IL (1884-1888), and Ann Arbor, MI (1888-1900). In 1900, Bradshaw went to Oberlin, OH to serve as minister of First Congregational Church in Oberlin. During his eleven years as pastor, First Church say the addition of a parish house and social hall, the James Brand House (1909), and a renovation project which included the installation and dedication of a new organ (1910). In 1911, Bradshaw resigned from First Church due to his declining health. He died on September 2, 1912, in Peoria, IL from spinal sclerosis. He was married to Mary Coffin of Bataria, IL and they had four children.

Administrative Information

Repository: Oberlin College Archives

Accruals: Accessions: 103.

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted.

Acquisition Source: Oberlin College Library

Acquisition Method: The John Williams Bradshaw Papers were received from the Oberlin College Library on May 25, 1970.

Finding Aid Revision History: Revised September 19, 1997 by Tara L. Ikenouye; April 10, 2003 by Ken Grossi.

Other URL: http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/archon_pdfs/Bradshaw_John_Inventory.pdf

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[All]

Box 1

Series I: Biographical File, 1912

Folder 1: Biographical File, 1912

Series II: Correspondence, 1897

Folder 1: Letters from C.P. Coffin, 1897

Series III: Sermons and Talks, 1898-1910, undated

Folder 1: Sermon Listing, 1898-1910, J.W. Bradshaw, undated: Sermons listed by number. Not necessarily chronological.
Folder 2: Sermons (Manuscripts), 1903-1921, undated: “Holiness and Heaven,” Nov. 22, 1903 (#386) “Religious training in the home,” Dec. 6, 1903 (#387) “The grace of God,” Dec. 13, 1903 (#388) “The divine nearness,” Sept. 17, 1903 (#389) “The influence from divine love,” undated (#390) “The more excellent way,” May 15, 1904 (#391) “Godʼs measure of time,” Jan. 3, 1904 (#392) “Earth helped the women,” Feb. 19, 1904 (#393) “The lesson of the ant,” Nov. 13, 1921 (#394) “The secret of content,” n.d. (#395) “The sin of one, the suffering of many,” undated (#396) “Quick return investments,” Dec. 9, 1904 (#397) “Christianity as good news,” Dec. 25, 1904 and Jan. 15, 1905 (#398) “Christianity as a way of life,” Jan. 1 and Jan. 22, 1905 (#399) “Christianity as a transforming power,” Jan. 29, 1905 (#400) “The Beauty of the Lord,” April 16, 1905 (#401) “Evolution I,” May 21, 1905 (#402) “The ethics of business,” May 21, 1905 (#403) “The root of all sorts of evils,” June 4, 1905 (#404) “Evolutionary hypothesis and idea of God,” n.d. (#405) “Weighed in the balances,” Dec. 31, 1905 (#406) “A word for the New Year,” undated (#407) “The divine limitations,” undated (#408)

Box 2

Series III: Sermons and Talks

Folder 1: Sermons (Manuscripts), 1906-1909, undated

The imperiled home,” May 20, 1906 (#409) “The question of divorce,” undated (#410) “Lessons from a lazy manʼs garden,” June 30, 1906 (#411) “Our great possibility,” June 17, 1906 (#412) “Universality of religion,” Sept. 30, 1906 (#413) “Ray Palmer and his hymns,” undated (#414) “Revelation,” Nov. 11, 1906 (#415) “Seed by the wayside-–the hard life,” undated (#416) “Seed on rocky places-–the thin life,” Dec. 1906 & July 21, 1906 (#417) “The crowded life,” undated (#418) “The affluent life,” Jan. 13, 1909 (#419) “Godʼs protection, love, victory,” Feb. 2, 1907 (#420) “Living hope by resurrection of Christ,” March 3, 1907 (#421) “Songs of Songs,” undated (#422) “The key to the supreme life,” June 16, 1907 (#423)

Folder 2: Sermons (Manuscripts), 1907-1910, undated

“The fate of the foundation of the church,” undated (#424)

“Foundation stone or stumbling stone,” Dec. 8, 1907 (#425)

“Trustworthy Standards,” Dec. 8, 1907 (#426)

“The fact of sin,” Feb. 16, 1908 (#427)

“The fact of Christ,” March 22, 1908 (#428)

“The fact of reconciliation,” March 29, 1908 (#429)

“Fact of transformation,” April 5, 1908 (#430)

“The divineness of the natural,” April, 1908 (#432)

“The continuous cost,” undated (#433)

“Godliness,” May 17, 1908 (#434)

* “Changes of 75 years in conception of religious life,” (Oberlinʼs 75th Anniversary) June 2, 1908 (#435)

“Horatio Bonar and his hymns,” n.d. (#436)

“Seek first kingdom–,” undated(#437)

“The parable of the unready,” September 27, 1908 (#438)

“The divine considerateness.” October 4, 1908 (#439)

“Pillar and ground of the truth,” October 11, 1908 (#440)

“Coming to oneself,” n.d. (#441)

“The mind of Christ” #1, November 5, 1908 (#442)

“The mind of Christ” #2, November 27, 1908 (#443)

“How the Bible grew—New Testament,” undated (#444)

“Ye born unto grace, the grace that gave Christmas to the world,” December 20, 1908 (#445)

“Fear not—,” undated (#446)

“The welcome to the king,” January 3, 1909 (#447)

“How the Bible grew—the progressive in Scripture,” March 28, 1908 (#449)

* “Where Faith follow --75th Anniversary,” September 12, 1909 (#454)

“The goal of personality and its attainment,” October 10, 1909 (#455)

“The Ideal life audits attainment,” October 1, 1909 (#456)

“The unrecognized Song Man,” November 7, 1909 (#457)

“The warrant to great living,” November 14, 1909 (#458)

“Christmas joy,” December 26, 1909 (#459)

“The Messianic hope,” December 12, 1909 (#460)

“The Sanctions of the perfect life,” January 16, 1910 (#461)

“Mendacious Journalism,” February 2, 1910 (#462)

"Appeal of a risen life,” n.d. (#463)

“Let him that stole steal no more,” May 1, 1910 (#464)

“Paulʼs philosophy of wealth,” 1910 (#465)

“The teachings of the rainbow,” June 12, 1910 (#466)

“After 10 years --,” September 4, 1910 (#467)

Box 3

Series III: Sermons and Talks

Folder 3: Talks, undated: “Richard Watson Gilder,“ n.d. (manuscript) “Indispensable Christ,” n.d. (manuscript) “Effect of Church Union on Denominational Ideals and Life,” n.d. (manuscript)

Series IV: Writings, 1898-1902, undated

Folder 1: "The Higher Criticism of the Bible", undated: Ann Arbor Courier
Folder 2: "A New Problem in Christian Education", 1898 September 15: The Congregationalist
Folder 3: "The Drift Towards Unitarianism; Does It Exist", 1898 November 19: Plymouth Weekly
Folder 4: "The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the First Century", 1902: Reprints from Bibliotheca Sacra.
Folder 5: "Peter or Cephas in Pauline Usage," C.P. Coffin, 1907

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