The Charles Rosenbury Erdman Manuscript Collection

Collection

Identifier: SCM 001

Staff Only

Scope and Content

This collection includes the personal papers Dr. Erdman. Among these are scrapbooks, correspondence, diaries, daybooks, lecture notes, sermon outlines, article manuscripts, printed materials, photographs, and memorabilia.

Dates

1887-1960

Language of Materials

English

Access:

There are no special restrictions to access of this collection. It may be examined by library patrons under the normal rules and conditions of Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

The following is the acceptable citation for publication: The Charles Rosenbury Erdman Manuscript Collection. Special Collections, Princeton Theological Seminary Library.

Chronology

1866 July 20
: Born, Fayetteville, New York
1886
: B.A., College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)
1887-1891
: Student, Princeton Theological Seminary
1890
: Travel
1891 May 8
: Ordained in the Presbytery of Philadelphia North, PCUSA
1891-1897
: Pastor, Overbrook Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia
1897-1906
: Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Germantown, Pennsylvania
1905-1936
: Professor, Practical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary
1924-1934
: Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Princeton, New Jersey
1960
: Died, Princeton, New Jersey

Biographical Information

Dr. Erdman also received honorary doctorates from the College of Wooster (1912), Davidson College (1924), and Princeton University (1925). He was the author of over thirty popular biblical commentaries and books of pastoral theology. Professor Erdman was elected the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1925.

Extent

9 Linear Feet (16 Boxes)

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in eight series: Diaries and Daybooks, Correspondence, Manuscripts (sermons, notes, lectures, and articles), Sermon outlines, Scrapbooks, Printed material, Clippings and Miscellany, and Addendum.

Related Material

See also the following materials in Special Collections:

The John Gresham Machen Manuscript Collection

The Alexander Napier MacLeod Manuscript Collection

The Joseph Ross Stevenson Manuscript Collection

The Robert Dick Wilson Manuscript Collection

The PTS Board of Directors Records

See also the following oral histories in the PTS Audio Cassette Collection:

Oswald Allis (Tape #0514)

Muriel Jennings (Tapes #0339-0342)

Allan A. MacRae (Tapes #0314,0323-0324,0467)

Carl McIntire (Tapes #0310,0404)

Edwin Rian (Tapes #0331-0334)

Eloise Smith Wolferteig (cook for the Erdmans) (Tape #1414, interview by Matthew Reeder, 2002)

Processing Information:

Dr. Erdman's papers were donated by his family, following his death in 1960. The collection was semi-organized some years ago (probably in the 1960's), though no finding aid was developed. The items were assigned call numbers (each beginning with "Doc .E") and cataloged . This collection remained in library storage and was not generally available to library patrons. In April of 1996 the collection was reorganized and a finding aid was written by Raymond D. Cannata, under the direction of William O. Harris, Archivist. At that time additional papers from the Seminary archive's department files and from "File D" were joined to the collection as addendum. The finding aid was edited in June 2008 by Sarah Malone.