Biographical note: Adlai Cornwell Holler graduated from Wofford College in 1921, and following his graduation, he attended Harvard Law School. He earned the LLB degree from the University of South Carolina in 1925 and studied for an MA the next year in education and sociology. He was licensed to preach in May 1925 in Columbia, and earned his BD at Duke Divinity School in 1930. He joined the Upper South Carolina Annual Conference on trial in October 1925, was ordained deacon and received into full connection in 1928, and was ordained elder in 1931.
In his ministry, he served the following appointments:
1926 - Edgewood, Columbia
1928 - Student, Duke University
1931 - Green Street, Union
1933 - Aiken and Williston
1937 - Buford Street, Gaffney
1939 - First Church, Laurens
1945 - Executive Secretary, Board of Education, member of the Trinity, Spartanburg Quarterly Conference
1948 - Myrtle Beach
1952 - St. George
1957 - Editor, South Carolina Methodist Advocate, Trenholm Road Quarterly Conference
1961 - St. Mark, Greenville
1965 - Spartanburg District Superintendent
1971 - Retired
1971 - Retired Supply at Central, Newberry
1972 - Retired Supply at Mill Creek, Richland County
Organization note: The collection is arranged into 3 series: Personal Papers; Official Papers; and Sermons and related materials.
Access note: Unrestricted
Summary note: The personal papers series includes his class notes from law school at Harvard and at the University of South Carolina, his notes from classes at the Duke Divinity School, correspondence and materials from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, correspondence and materials from other social and civic organizations, materials relating to courses he taught at various Methodist Training Schools, and subject files.
The official papers series includes materials that he produced while serving as the secretary of the Annual Conference, as a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences, as a member of the Columbia College Board of Trustees, as a member of the conference Board of Pensions, as the Spartanburg District Superintendent, and as a minister in a number of local churches.
The sermons and related materials series contains typed copies of pastoral prayers, bulletin materials, other liturgical materials, and copies of several hundred sermons and sermon notes. These have been maintained in their original envelopes, with references to texts, hymns, and dates and locations where they were delivered. Some sermons were delivered multiple times, and so no attempt has been made to arrange them by date. These boxes also contain many of his calendars and pastor’s notebooks.
Citation: Cite as: Papers of Adlai Cornwell Holler, Archives, Sandor Teszler Library, Wofford College
Location: Archives, Sandor Teszler Library, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC 29303
Administrative notes: Received from Adlai Cornwell Holler, Jr., 2008. Processed in 2011-2013 by Luther H. Rickenbaker, III and Phillip Stone.
Finding Aid: Box and Folder listing
Box 1
Series 1 – Personal Papers
10 Volumes of Law School notes
Duke alumni materials
Duke Divinity School notes
Duke Chapel Dedication Program
Box 2
Series 1 – Personal Papers (continued)
Sigma Alpha Epsilon materials (4 folders)
Theta Phi materials
American Bible Society
Lion’s Club
Confederate Centennial (2 folders)
Ecumenical Dialogue Address by Cardinal Suenens, Emory U., 1967
Evangelistic Missions Conference, 1953
Sesquicentennial Poster
Second Methodist Conference on Human Relations, 1963 (4 folders)
The Devil’s Advocate, n.d.
United Methodist Youth Movement (2 folders)
Teaching materials on Methodism (6 folders)
General teaching materials
Old Testament teaching materials
Life of Jesus teaching materials
Teaching resources on prayer
Understanding the Bible teaching materials (3 folders)
Church School administration (2 files)
Understanding adults
Young adult teaching materials
Training Schools
Berkeley County Training School
General teaching file
Evangelism teaching file
Alcoholics Anonymous
Counseling the Alcoholic
Alcoholism/Alston Wilkes Society
South Carolina Methodist Pastor’s School (3 folders)
Christian Action Council/Howard McClain
Box 3
Series 1 - Personal Papers, Continued
Human Relations file, 1950-61
Social Action publication 2-1-1936 “Will the Church Demand Racial Justice?”
Senior Citizen Correspondence, etc.
Soil Conservation
South Carolina Social Work Materials, 1942
Lake Junaluska Children’s Building Committee, 1947-52
Lake Junaluska Leadership School, 1948
Lake Junaluska Leadership Minutes, 1947-48
SC Fellowship of Churches- Organizational Correspondence, 1941-43
Lake Junaluska, General File
Lake Junaluska Material
World Council of Churches, 1940’s
National Council of Churches, 1950’s and 60’s
Photo Collection, People and Places
Personal Chicago Post Card Collection
General File, Letters, etc. 1930’s, 40’s 50’s, 60’s
Heptagon Club, Columbia, SC, 1958
Personal Correspondence Notes
Personal Correspondence, 1964
Letters of Appreciation
Personal (3 folders)
Holler on Robert E. Lee
Holler on Franklin D. Roosevelt, April 1945
Holler, Personal (family)
Personal expenses, 1929-1934
Personal “the Studebaker”
Correspondence, Bishop Costen J. Harrell, 1955
Correspondence, Bishop Costen Harrell, 1956.
Correspondence, John J. Rudin III, Duke University
Correspondence
Secular Correspondence
Special Correspondence
Miscellaneous Letters
Correspondence, controversial
News Clippings
Collectibles, Miscellaneous
Local Preacher’s License, 1925, and photos
Correspondence, 1936-38
Correspondence, 1937-38
Correspondence, 1958
Correspondence, 1958-1961
Correspondence, Bishop Paul Hardin Jr.
Correspondence, Bishop Charles Wesley Flint
Correspondence, Bishop Nolan B. Harmon, 1957-68
Correspondence, Charles F. Marsh, 1968
Correspondence, Governor Donald Russell, 1962
Correspondence, Anonymous
Correspondence, South Carolina Conference Statistics, 1940, 1968, 1969
National Laity Conference, Purdue University, 1961
Correspondence, Allen H. Godbey, Duke University
Correspondence-Woodrow Ward controversy
Program Calendars, 1974, 1975, 1978
Box 4
Personal-Church Files
Columbia District, 1973-75
Charleston District
Greenville District
Lake City District-Finance File
Marion District
Rock Hill District
Spartanburg District, 1967-69
Spartanburg District, 1969-70
Spartanburg District,
Spartanburg District
Local Church Materials
Buford Street, Gaffney
Central, Newberry, 4 folders
Edgewood, NC
Graham, NC
Mill Creek Church
Laurens, First
St. George
St. John’s Aiken
St. Mark, Greenville
Holler – Information for Preachers
First Methodist, Myrtle Beach
Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, 1952
Study Committee, Central and Southeastern Jurisdiction Merger, 1967-71 (three folders)
Southeastern Jurisdiction, Episcopal Message, 1964
General Conference, 1967-70
General Conference, 1968-70
Episcopal Addresses, 1964-72
Jurisdictional Conference, 1968
Interjurisdictional Relations, 1966-67
Delegates, Jurisdictional and General Conference, 1960
Box 5
Series 3-Official Files
Conference Board of Evangelism
Office of Ministerial Affairs, Audit, 1965
Conference Board of Pensions, Financial Statement, 1968
General Board of Pensions, Proposed Manual, 1966
General Board of Pensions
Widow’s Income Tax
Letter regarding salaries, 1939
Board of Pensions, Correspondence, 1940s (3 files)
Report, Adequate Support of the Ministry, 1945
Board of Pensions Correspondence, 1940s-1950s
Board of Pensions Correspondence, 1950s
Board of Pensions, 1950s
Board of Pensions Correspondence, 1953
Board of Pensions Correspondence, 1954
Pensions Statistics, 1961-63
Pensions Statistics, 1958-1966
Conference Board of Pensions, 1965-69
Board of Conference Claimants, 1948-51
Judicial Council Briefs on Pensions, 1969
Ministers Social Security Information
Conference Board of Pensions Correspondence, 1958-59 (2 folders)
Conference Board of Pensions Minutes, 1959-67
Institutional Pensions
Pensions, 1951-58 (3 folders)
Pensions, 1960s
Commission on Insurance, correspondence, 1968
Pension News (publication), 1948-56
Box 6
Series 3-Official Files, continued
Christian Higher Education
Columbia College-President’s Annual Report, May 1967
Columbia College-President’s Annual Report, May 1971
Columbia College-Trustee business, 1967-68
Columbia College-Investments, 1970-71
Columbia College-Trustee Minutes, 1964-70
Columbia College-Trustee Minutes, 1967-68
Columbia College-Trustee Minutes, 1970-71
Columbia College-Student Aid Correspondence
Columbia College-Financial Drives, 1978-79
Columbia College Bylaws
Columbia College-Bylaws Correspondence, M. L. Meadors
Emory University Information
Mayfields Campground-Board of Directors Minutes
Advocate-Changing Editors-Holler to Brabham
Advocate Annual Reports, 1954-60
Advocate Board of Trustees, Minutes, 1957-61
Methodist Credit Union, Annual Meeting Agendas, 1962-84
Methodist Credit Union, Board of Directors, Statistics, 1967
Methodist Credit Union, Correspondence, 1971-72
Methodist Credit Union, Statistics, 1980
Methodist Credit Union, Statistics, 1981 (2 folders)
Methodist Credit Union, Statistics, 1982
Methodist Credit Union, Minutes, 1979-80
Methodist Credit Union, Minutes and Statistics, 1981-82
Methodist Credit Union, Statistics, 1983 (2 files)
Methodist Credit Union, Minutes, 1984 (2 files)
Methodist Credit Union, Bylaws
South Carolina Annual Conference, Minutes and Resolutions, 1939-42
South Carolina Annual Conference, Journal, 1971
South Carolina Annual Conference Board of Trustees
Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren, Merger Statistics
Coordinating Council
Correspondence-Standing Rules, 1958-1962
Committee on Nominations-amendments to standing rules
Box 7
Sermons and related materials
Prayers at Mill Creek UMC (2 folders)
Outline of services, 1926-1928
Outline of services, First Church, Laurens, 1938-45
Prayers at St. Mark UMC
Bible reading typescripts (four folders)
Installation services
Bulletin resources
Bulletin collections (5 folders)
Funeral records
Marriage ceremonies
Sermons, lessons, etc
Sermon reference materials (two folders)
Special talks, messages (four folders)
Sermons and lectures
Lake Junaluska 1926, sermon and lecture notes
Early sermons, lecture notes, 1932?
Pastor’s Books, 1926 and after, several items
Boxes 8-9
Sermons and sermon notes, in individual envelopes, with text, hymn, and location references, unarranged
Box 10
Minister’s calendars, notebooks, etc.