Series 1: Henry Ward Beecher, 1819-1958, inclusive

This series includes material that pertains directly to Henry Ward Beecher, his career at and relations with Plymouth Church, and his public and private life. The series opens with both personal and business correspondence, both to and from Beecher. Topics of the correspondence range from Beecher's political stance, to the upkeep of his summer home in Peekskill, N.Y., to the sincerity of one of his product endorsements. Also included within the correspondence section of the series is a copy of Beecher's letter of acceptance of the pastorate at Plymouth Church.

The series includes a section of miscellaneous personal materials relating to Beecher, such as a scrapbook of his final journey to England and a stock certificate, as well as materials pertaining to other members of the Beecher family, including his wife Eunice White Bullard, his sister Harriet Beecher Stowe, and his son William. As a whole, the section of personal and familial papers is primarily made up of correspondence and newspaper clippings. Beecher's sermons, lectures, and publications in both manuscript and print form also form a substantial portion of the series. These include both hand-written manuscripts and typescripts made and compiled by Beecher's stenographer, T. J. Ellinwood.

Beecher's various activities and aspects of his career are well-documented in the series. A few items pertaining to Beecher's tenure in Indianapolis are in the series, including newspaper clippings, reminiscences, and the hundredth anniversary program of the Second Presbyterian Church where he served as pastor. Material on Beecher's anti-slavery activities includes documents relaying Plymouth's position on slavery, materials relating to Rose Ward Hunt (an enslaved girl who Beecher "auctioned" at Plymouth), and a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings and correspondence regarding Beecher's position on slavery, especially expressing opposition to Beecher's stance (box 41). Included here is an audio cylinder with brief remarks from Rose Ward Hunt on the occasion of her return to Plymouth Church in 1927; a digital version of the cylinder recording is available on the Internet Archive. Newspaper accounts of Beecher's activities generally at Plymouth Church are in the series, including material relating to Church events centered around Beecher, such as his "Silver Wedding" Celebration. Beecher's political involvement is reflected in the correspondence of major figures of the day, newspaper clippings relating to Beecher and Lincoln, reactions to Lincoln's assassination, and a memento of General U.S. Grant.

The Beecher-Tilton adultery trial is well documented through contemporary newspaper clippings, the published proceedings of the trial, and pamphlets regarding the trial. Also included in this section is an invitation to visit the Tiltons on their tenth anniversary. A section of the series concerning Beecher's death contains a number of memorials to Beecher, including poetry, memorial booklets, his eulogy, scrapbooks, and photographs. Also found here are artifacts from his funeral and a hand-calligraphed album commemorating the pastor. The series closes with a section on Beecher memorials, containing information regarding several of the organizations founded in Beecher's name following his death, memorial magazines, a Brooklyn City memorial proclamation made in 1958, and reminiscences of friends and congregants, including Irene Ovington's 1895 memories of Beecher with a reference to the Underground Railroad.