Dear Friends of the Archives,
The year 2020 has brought challenges of historic proportions, but the Crumley Archives has also experienced so very many blessings in this year. Although the threat of the coronavirus required us to limit our office hours, and most unfortunately, temporarily close our doors to our dear patrons, we’re grateful to report that we have simultaneously enjoyed quite a growth in online research requests and overall interest in our content. While some folks have taken up hobbies in baking and gardening during the pandemic, it seems that many have developed a keen interest in congregational archives and genealogy. So while we lament the many setbacks that 2020 has brought, we are at the same time grateful that the stories we hold in trust remain meaningful and important to new generations of seekers.
Our story began nearly 30 years ago at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary under leaders like Dr. Dorothy Jeffcoat and Ms. Helen Sanders. At that time they lovingly cared for the records of the Seminary and the Southeastern and Florida-Bahamas Synods. The meaningfulness of their work was appreciated not only by Lutheran history enthusiasts, but by laity interested in supporting the historical documentation of the Lutheran Church in the South. Congregational Heritage Workshops and the Friends of the Archives Banquets became highlights every year. The North Carolina and South Carolina Synods, recognizing the viability and worthiness of our mission, deposited their archives with us, as did many of their institutions such as Newberry College, Lowman Home, and Novus Way.
Within the last five years, the Crumley Archives has become the honored recipient of the Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church, St Thomas, VI collection, records of a congregation founded in 1666 that tell the story of the oldest Lutheran church in the Western hemisphere. Just last year, we completed the full scope of the regional archival collection with the acquisition of the Virginia Synod collection.
As we reflect upon our humble beginnings, we acknowledge how blessed we are to maintain Region 9’s records and serve congregations by teaching them how to retain their most important records and how to preserve them. But reflecting upon the past is only one dimension of our mission. We must also look to the future and anticipate our needs so that we can continue to function as a full-service repository within the Lutheran Church.
Updates to our facility, to our technology, and to our archival supplies will be necessary. Your financial provision ensures that these needs will be met. As you consider your end-of-year giving, we humbly ask that you remember the James R. Crumley Jr. Archives. Your support promises a legacy for another three decades, and more.
Wishing you all a blessed Christmas,
Shannon Smith Susan W. McArver
Become a "Friend of the Archives"
Thanks to the continuous generosity of our donors, the archives has remained an institution for nearly 25 years.
Try our convenient online donation resource, "PayPal", or send your donation to:
Crumley Archives, 4201 N. Main St., Columbia, S.C. 29203
Donate through Paypal,
debit, or credit card.
We are most grateful for these gifts because they enable us to preserve our church’s history and to assist researchers, congregations, and institutions in their work.
If you have made a contribution before April 21, 2020, and your name is not listed here, please accept our apologies and send us a note indicating the amount and date of your gift. Also, if you’ve made a donation in honor of others, be assured we have written them directly.
If your congregation could make a gift to the Archives, that would be a wonderful support. We would be glad to supply any information you might need to help you make such a request at your church. Many thanks for your gifts!
Honorariums
Bishop Kevin Strickland, Atlanta, GA
The Rev. & Mrs. David Donges
Raymond & Julie Hendrix, Columbia, SC
Ann Dasher
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fink, Faith, NC
Anne Ficken
Dr Susan Wilds McArver, Columbia, SC
Archives Staff
Bishop Kevin Strickland, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Susan McArver
The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. Murray Shull
Moore, SC
Mr. & Mrs. E. P. Martin
Dr. Susan McArver, Columbia, SC
Sister Marilyn Stauffer
Dr and Mrs. David Keck, Mooresville, NC
The Rev. & Mrs. Don Poole
Thomas & Diane Milburn
Winchester, VA
The Rev. & Mrs. Don Poole
The Rev & Mrs. Carl Fisher, Matthews, NC The Rev. & Mrs. Donald Poole, Jr
The Rev Robert Loshuertos, Madison, AL
The Rev. Don Poole
Mr. & Mrs. David Lever, Lexington, SC
The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. James Aull
Sara Lineberger, Cameron, SC
The Rev. Eric Little
The Rev Mary Finklea, Effingham, SC
The Rev. Steven Galego
The Rev Bob Shoffner, Hickory, NC
The Rev. Dr. George Anderson
The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. William Trexler
Mt. Pleasant, SC
Trudy Bouknight
Gifts
The Rev. & Mrs. James Addy
N. Charleston, SC
Randy & Mary Alice Akers, Columbia, SC
Tom & Ina Berkey, Williamsburg, VA
Dr. & Mrs. Mack Branham, Irmo, SC
Huger Caughman, Newberry, SC
Terry Clever, Hendersonville, NC
Memorials
Joyce Lybrand, Columbia, SC
Al Lybrand
The Rev. Dr. Mary and
the Rev. Frank Anderson, Columbia, SC
Diane Aull Barton
The Rev. Eric Fink, West Columbia, SC
Dr. Carl Ficken
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Fink, Faith, NC
Dr. Carl Ficken
Catherine B. Norris, Hickory, NC
Jeff L Norris
Robert & Sally Duncan, Chapin, SC
The Rev. Charles J Shealy
Robert & Sally Duncan, Chapin, SC
Sara Paysinger Shealy
Raymond & Julie Hendrix, Columbia, SC
Robert Dasher
Mrs. Judy Woolly Columbia, SC
The Rev. Dr. Donald E Woolly
George Kegley, Roanoke, VA
The Rev. Dr. James Crumley