Guide to the Thomas Clinton Pears Papers
Open for research.
Thomas Clinton Pears, Jr. was educated at Princeton University, graduating in 1907, and at Western Theological Seminary, graduating in 1910. In 1935, Washington and Jefferson College conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Literary Humanities. His pastoral service included calls at the First Presbyterian Churches in Follansbee, WV and Braddock, PA. He also served as assistant pastor at Third and Waverly Presbyterian Churches in Pittsburgh. In 1933, he became manager of the Department of History of the Presbyterian Church and remained in that position until his death.
Dr. Pears' research interests were varied. In 1936, he presented a paper about the 17th century Scots settlement in Panama entitled "Design in Darien." In 1942, Princeton Theological Seminary did him the honor of asking him to deliver the annual lectures for the Stone Foundation. These five lectures were entitled "This American Wilderness--A Study of Some of the Main Currents of Colonial American Presbyterianism." Dr. Pears published a number of other notable papers, including the "Documentary History of William Tennent and the Log Cabin."
Record Group 30 deals entirely with Dr. Pears' personal research.
SERIES 1: RESEARCH/LECTURE NOTES ON "THIS AMERICAN WILDERNESS," 1940S
SERIES 2: RESEARCH/LECTURE NOTE ON THE SCOTS SETTLEMENT AT DARIEN, 1935-1945
SERIES 3: MISCELLANEOUS RESEARCH NOTES, UNDATED
SERIES 4: CORRESPONDENCE/PERSONAL ITEMS, 1919-1941
SERIES 5: PRESBYTERIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1933-1943
Collection processed: April 1969
Grace Mullen, Assistant Records Researcher
Collection reprocessed and guide created: 1983
Frederick J. Heuser, Jr., Archivist
Collection rearranged and finding aid revised: September 1991
Stephanie Muntone, Processing Archivist
Box | Folder | Description | |
1 | 1 | Finding Aid to Record Group 30 | |
SERIES 1: RESEARCH/LECTURE NOTES ON "THIS AMERICAN WILDERNESS," 1940S | |||
1 | 2 | Printing of "This American Wilderness," 1941-44 | |
3 | List of 1878-1942 | ||
4 | "This American Wilderness" | ||
5 | Lecture II, typed copy | ||
6 | Lecture III, outline | ||
7 | Lecture IV, outline | ||
8 | Lecture V, "Influence of the Great Awakening" | ||
9 | Lecture V, miscellaneous notes | ||
10 | Lecture V, outline | ||
11 | Notes, outlines | ||
12 | Notes | ||
SERIES 2: RESEARCH/LECTURE NOTE ON THE SCOTS SETTLEMENT AT DARIEN, 1935-1945 | |||
1 | 13 | Manuscript "The Design of Darien" | |
14 | Chronology, maps | ||
15 | Address given at Canterbury Club | ||
16 | Chronological bibliography | ||
17 | Bibliography | ||
18 | Outline of Borland's "History of Darien" | ||
19 | Burned books | ||
20 | Notes on Caldonian Harbour and Settlement | ||
21 | Charleston hurricane | ||
22 | Church of Scotland and the Darien Company | ||
23 | Papers and contents | ||
24 | Notes from Sir John Dalrymple | ||
25 | Notes from Fasti Ecclesias Scoticanae | ||
26 | First expedition voyage | ||
27 | Acts of General Assembly | ||
28 | Letters from the Commission of the General Assembly | ||
29 | Information concerning L'Affaire de Darien | ||
30 | Excerpt from "History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina" (George Howe) | ||
31 | Notes from Briggs' American Presbyterianism | ||
32 | Notes from New Jersey Archives | ||
33 | Notes from New York Archives | ||
34 | Pamphlet warfare | ||
35 | Theodore Roosevelt | ||
36 | Spanish investment | ||
37 | Samuel Sewall–Massachusetts Archives | ||
38 | Virginia Letters about Darien--American Historical Review | ||
39 | Notes from Justin Winsor "Narrative and Critical History of America" | ||
40 | Verse | ||
41 | Spanish title | ||
42 | Rare Americana catalogue | ||
43 | Presbytery of Caledonia | ||
44 | PHS check of Scott's List--PHS titles not in Scott | ||
45 | Notes from Veitch | ||
46 | Ministers | ||
47 | Additional contemporary titles | ||
48 | Description | ||
49 | Causes | ||
50 | Tables of contents | ||
51 | Miscellaneous notes | ||
SERIES 3: MISCELLANEOUS RESEARCH NOTES, UNDATED | |||
1 | 52 | Webster Correspondence | |
53 | James Latta sermons | ||
54 | Index of Joseph Engles papers | ||
55 | Notes in Latin and Greek | ||
56 | Elders, ordination | ||
57 | Pennsylvania Archives | ||
58 | The Querists | ||
59 | Schism | ||
60 | Early Philadelphia Presbyterians | ||
61 | John Witherspoon | ||
62 | Associate Reformed Synod | ||
63 | Catechisms | ||
64 | Extracts from minutes | ||
65 | Cases about indenture of 1721 and deed of 1742 | ||
66 | West of Mountains--missionaries and supplies | ||
67 | West of Mountains--chart | ||
68 | West of Mountains--Donegal supplies, Newcastle | ||
69 | Expansion of the Presbyterian Church in Colonial America | ||
70 | Western Pennsylvania | ||
71 | Account of Bordel's voyage to Brazil | ||
72 | Opening devotional of 152nd General Assembly | ||
73 | "Michael and the Dragon" | ||
74 | Work of the Westminster Assembly in the American Tradition | ||
75 | "Inarticulate and Unconscious" | ||
76 | William Tennent | ||
77 | "History by Hearsay" | ||
78 | Articles | ||
79 | "John Milton and the Westminster Assembly" | ||
80 | "Charity and Truth United"--Introduction | ||
81 | "The First Assembly" | ||
82 | Notes | ||
83 | Calvin | ||
84 | Early Church fathers | ||
85 | Petitions, answers, etc. of 1642-43 | ||
86 | List of Hazard manuscripts | ||
87 | List of Boudinot papers | ||
88 | Index of pamphlets about Pennsylvania history | ||
89 | "Beyond the Mountains" | ||
90 | Romanism | ||
91 | Pre-Redstone | ||
92 | The Presbytery | ||
93 | The Presbytery--members | ||
94 | Index to Roche papers | ||
95 | Wheelock Tracts–Eleazar Wheelock | ||
96 | Memorial services | ||
2 | 1 | Genealogy of American Princeps | |
2 | Samuel Davies works | ||
3 | New England Synod minutes | ||
4 | Asolamus to Erasmus | ||
5 | Londonderry pamphlets | ||
6 | American revision of Watts' Psalms | ||
7 | Colonial schools | ||
8 | Synods | ||
9 | Presbyterian and Reformed Churches | ||
10 | Statistics of Presbyterian Churches at intervals of 20 years | ||
11 | Minutes of General Assembly--printing and editions | ||
Presbyterian Board of Publication | |||
2 | 12 | Board of Publication | |
13 | History | ||
14 | Periodicals and digest | ||
15 | Hymnal | ||
16 | Westminster question book | ||
17 | Catalogues | ||
18 | Index of Boston Presbytery | ||
19 | Burning Bush | ||
20 | Milton and the Westminster Assembly | ||
21 | "Charity and Truth" (Davies' notes) | ||
22 | Schism of 1741 | ||
23 | Log College graduates | ||
24 | The Presbytery | ||
25 | First Church elders | ||
26 | Washington Presbytery | ||
27 | Amendments to draft | ||
28 | Draft--form of government (Hanover Presbytery) | ||
29 | Notes and correspondence | ||
30 | Faitoute's draft | ||
31-32 | Philadelphia, PA--First Presbyterian Church records | ||
33 | Philadelphia Presbytery--miscellaneous minutes | ||
34 | Renewal of the Covenant--copy of 1748 pamphlet | ||
35 | New York--Third Presbyterian Church | ||
36 | Kentucky, early records | ||
37 | John Brodhead Romeyn | ||
38 | 16th-century imprints | ||
39 | "Michael and the Dragon"--copy of pageant | ||
40 | "Journal of Nicholas Cresswell" | ||
41 | University of Delaware | ||
42 | Smiths of Newport Pagnell | ||
43 | Confessional articles on relationship of Christians to the state | ||
44 | From S.W. Carruthers | ||
45 | Gilbert Tennent–sermons | ||
46 | William Tennent Sr.--Log College | ||
47 | James Logan | ||
48 | Old synod paper | ||
49 | Miscellaneous | ||
50 | The Infallible Rule of Faith and Practice | ||
51 | Westminster Confessions--Calling of the Assembly | ||
52 | Westminster Assembly--People present | ||
53 | Westminster Assembly | ||
54 | Larger Catechism | ||
55 | Shorter Catechism | ||
Westminster Confession | |||
2 | 56 | "The Printing of the Westminster Confession" | |
57-58 | Rothwell's edition | ||
59 | Bostock-Lithgow editions | ||
60 | Kincaid | ||
61 | Typed text | ||
62 | Cumberland recension | ||
63 | USA amendments | ||
64 | American edition of British text | ||
65 | British editions | ||
66 | "of public authority" | ||
67 | "first agreed upon" | ||
68 | New School | ||
69 | Dr. Carruthers' lists | ||
70 | with Scriptures at large | ||
71 | Proof texts | ||
72 | Editions in PHS library | ||
73-76 | Notes | ||
77-80 | Errors | ||
81 | Confession and Shorter Catechism--errors | ||
82 | Westminster Catechism--translations | ||
83 | Catalogue of Frames--Alison Library, 1938 | ||
84 | Carruthers, S.W, 1939, 1943; Nolan Harmon, 1943 | ||
SERIES 4: CORRESPONDENCE/PERSONAL ITEMS, 1919-1941 | |||
2 | 85 | McEwan, William, 1919-20 | |
86 | "The Design of Darien," 1935-37 | ||
87 | Mudge, Lewis Seymour | ||
88 | Personal correspondence, 1937-41 | ||
89 | Sermon preached at Ben Avon, 1931 | ||
SERIES 5: PRESBYTERIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1933-1943 | |||
2 | 90 | Minutes concerning PHS in 1867 | |
91 | Book Reports | ||
92 | PHS Papers | ||
93-94 | Lists of Periodicals | ||
95 | List of manuscript collection | ||
96 | List of books--gifts of Dr. Roberts | ||
97 | Important accessions since April 1933 |