Hercules Wilson collection

Collection — Box: 1-3

Identifier: 0000-0000-0000-0121

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Hercules Wilson collection spans the years 1928 to 1971, and primarily highlights Reverend Wilson’s sermon writings (the bulk of these are in the 1940s and 1950s). These sermons reference bible passages and various topics on morality, Christian faith, as well as politics and world events of the times. Other items of interest are a photograph of Rev. Wilson, a small amount of correspondence between friends and school colleagues, and eulogies of church members written with personal care depict Rev. Wilson as a warmhearted man. Church programs, meeting minutes, miscellaneous notes, and receipts that document church earnings are also in the collection.

Dates

Creation: 1928 - 1971

Conditions Governing Use

All materials in this collection are either protected by copyright or are the property of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc., and/or the copyright holder as appropriate. For more information, please contact archives@auctr.edu.

Biographical / Historical

The Reverend Hercules Wilson (b. April 13,1883 – d. February, 1978) was an African American Presbyterian minister and a native of Darien, McIntosh County, Georgia. He received his early training in the St. Cyprian Episcopal and the public school of his home town. In 1908 he graduated from the College Department of Biddle University (now known as Johnson C. Smith University), with a degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was a 1911 graduate of the theological seminary at Biddle, and was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Systematic Theology. Biddle, which was founded for the expressed purpose of the “training of colored preachers, catechists and teachers of their own race”, was a cornerstone of intellectual, social, and spiritual life of Charlotte’s African American community, and a strong regional influence on the Presbyterian Church. Wilson’s first assignment was most likely St. Lloyd Presbyterian, as a small country church located in Sharon Township, North Carolina. Later he would serve at the larger and more socially prestigious Woodlawn and Brooklyn Presbyterian Churches. Rev. Wilson was the first minister at Brooklyn (a predecessor church to the current First United Presbyterian Church) in metropolitan Charlotte, North Carolina. Rev. Wilson is also associated with Westminster Presbyterian Church in Concord, NC; Green Street Presbyterian Church in Morganton, NC; and Bethel United Presbyterian Church in Waxhaw, NC.

Extent

1.25 Linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in two series: Personal Papers and Church Documents.

Related Materials

This collection will compliment the Archives Research Center Religion subject guide available at:http://webimages.auctr.edu/sjones/RELIGION_1.pdf

Processing Information

The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library acknowledges the generous support of the National Endowment for Humanities - Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Implementation Project Grant in supporting the processing and digitization of a number of its major archival collections as part of the project: Spreading the Word: Expanding Access to African American Religious Archival Collections at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library