Creator: Manly, Basil, 1825-1892.
Collection number: 486-z
View finding aid.
Abstract: Basil Manly, Jr. (1825-1892) was a prominent Baptist minister and educator in South Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia. Chiefly correspondence, 1842-1885, of Basil Manly, Jr., and his brother Charles Manly (1837-1924), also a Baptist minister. Personal correspondence, 1850-1881, consists of letters to Charles Manly from his family, especially Basil Manly, Jr., and letters written by Basil Manly, Jr., to his parents and siblings. The letters detail family matters; church politics and activities; religious views; Basil Manly, Jr.’s teaching career in South Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia; and national politics, including secession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Items of interest include a description of the February 1865 evacuation of Columbia, S.C., during Sherman’s occupation; an 1870 letter describing black members of the South Carolina legislature; and letters of condolence at the death of Basil Manly, Sr. (1798-1868), a Baptist minister and educator and president of the University of Alabama. There are also many letters, 1842-1885, to Basil Manly, Jr., from fellow ministers and educators, discussing church business, personalities, and politics; conflicts with Baptists in the North and other denominations; theological questions and controversies, especially the issue of pedobaptism; the publishing of Southern religious literature; and Basil Manly, Jr.’s career as an administrator and professor at various Baptist colleges and seminaries. There are also several letters describing missionary activities in Shanghai, China, and among Turkish Armenians in the 1880s. There are also 22 letterbooks, 1852-1893, of Basil Manly, Jr., while he was president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., and at other institutions.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: A 1 April 1867 letter describes African Americans and voting in South Carolina after the war.