HARRELL, COSTEN JORDAN, 1885-1971.
Costen Jordan Harrell papers, 1828-1970

Restrictions on Access

Collection stored off-site. Researchers must contact the Rose Library in advance to access this collection.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Related Materials in This Repository

Charles Crawford Jarrell papers

Source

Gift, 1970.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Costen Jordan Harrell papers, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Processing

Processed by KS, December 1972.

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Biographical Note

Bishop Costen Jordan Harrell was born at "Holly Grove," Gates County, North Carolina, on February 12, 1885, the son of Samuel Isaac Harrell, a farmer, and Isadore Costen Harrell. He attended preparatory school at Sunbury Academy, Sunbury, North Carolina. He later enrolled at Trinity College (now Duke University), Durham, North Carolina, where he earned an A.B. degree in 1906. Harrell received M.A. and B.D. degrees at Vanderbilt University in 1910. Later in his career, he received honorary D.D.'s from Randolph Macon College, Duke University, and Emory University; a Litt. D. from Birmingham Southern College; and LL.D.'s from Wofford College and American University.

Harrell was admitted into the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1910. He was ordained a deacon in 1911 and an elder in 1913. He held his first pastorates in Raleigh, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina, and Wilson, North Carolina. He later served as pastor of the First Methodist Church, Atlanta, Epworth Church, Norfolk, Virginia, and Monument Methodist Church, Richmond, Virginia. Harrell was pastor of West End Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, from October 1933 until June 24, 1944, when he was consecrated bishop of the Methodist Church, Southeastern Jurisdiction. His initial assignment was the Birmingham (Alabama) area (which included Cuba). In 1948, Bishop Harrell was assigned to the Charlotte (North Carolina) area, which he served until his retirement in 1956.

In addition to his ministerial career, Bishop Harrell had teaching associations with Methodist-related Duke and Emory Universities. He was instructor in Old Testament at Trinity College, 1914-1915. During the summers of 1923 and 1928, he served as visiting professor in the fields of pastoral ministry and practical theology at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, a position that he reassumed upon his retirement in 1956.

During his active ministry and his retirement, Bishop Harrell figured prominently in the affairs of the Methodist Church and Emory University, serving on various boards and commissions of the Church, and as a trustee of the university. He was fraternal messenger to the Methodist Protestant General Conference, 1932, a member of the Methodist Uniting Conference of 1939, and a member of the General Conferences of 1938, 1940, and 1944. From 1940-1944, he served as Secretary to the Methodist Commission on World Service and Finance. As bishop, he was Chairman of the Methodist Advance Committee, as well as of the Commission to write local church legislation. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of Emory University in 1931, and served in that capacity for 33 years. He was also a member of the University Planning Committee in 1964.

A prolific writer, Bishop Harrell contributed many articles to church periodicals, and was the author of the following books: The Bible: Its Origin and Growth, 1926; Walking with God, 1928; In the School of Prayer, 1929; Friends of God, 1931; The Prophets of Israel, 1933; The Radiant Heart, 1936; A Methodist Child's Membership Manual, 1940; The Way of the Transgressor, 1942; The Word of His Grace, 1943; The Local Church in Methodism, 1952; Stewardship and the Tithe, 1953; I Believe in God, 1958; Christian Affirmations, 1961; The Wonders of His Grace, 1966.

Bishop Harrell married the former Amy Patton Walden (d. 1969) in 1917. The couple had one child, Julius Walden Harrell (1921-1941). Bishop Harrell died in Decatur, Georgia on November 29, 1971, at the age of 86.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of the personal papers of Bishop Costen Jordan Harrell from 1828-1970. The papers include correspondence, newspaper clippings, Harrell writings, family materials, miscellaneous materials, and photographs.

Correspondence (June 25, 1881-August 28, 1970) and newspaper clippings (September 27, 1895-May 14, 1970) are concerned primarily with Harrell's lifetime associations with the Methodist Church and Emory University, Harrell publications, and family and personal matters. Correspondents include: Bishop Warren A. Candler, Wilburn Cartwright, The President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Harvey W. Cox, Carter Glass, Luther Hodges, Richard Russell, Daniel Webster, and Goodrich C. White.

Writings of Costen J. Harrell included in the collection are in the form of printed addresses, articles, sermons, meditations, etc.; pamphlets and tracts; notes and typescripts; manuscripts; and notebooks. Manuscripts include: Walking with God; In the School of Prayer; Friends of God; The Prophets of Israel; The Way of the Transgressor; The Word of His Grace; The Local Church in Methodism; Stewardship and the Tithe; The Unfolding Glory; I Believe in God; Christian Affirmations; The Wonders of His Grace; and The History of the Canon. In a series of notebooks, Bishop Harrell preserved typescripts of his sermons (complete and in outline form), addresses, meditations, and lectures. Additional notebooks contain clippings, notes, lessons, contributed articles, and miscellaneous materials. Reviews of Bishop Harrell's books accompany these collected writings.

Materials in the collection concerning the Harrell family include: various legal and financial papers of Bishop Harrell; articles, notes, and typescripts of Amy Walden Harrell; correspondence, clippings, etc., associated with Julius Walden Harrell; and genealogical materials concerning the Costen, Harrell, and Walden families. Also included is an autograph book belonging to "Willie Olmsted," which Amy Walden Harrell inherited. Pasted inside the back cover is a letter, dated June 12, 1828, from Daniel Webster to Robert Field Stockton, from whom Amy Walden Harrell was directly descended.

In the category of miscellaneous materials, the collection includes: materials associated with Bishop Harrell's classes, Candler School of Theology, Emory University; and surveys, reports, and other materials concerning the Committee to Study Church Membership of the Methodist Church. In addition, there is miscellaneous printed matter (bulletins, pamphlets, journals, reports, etc.), which is arranged--first chronologically, then topically--according to the following subjects: the jurisdictional system of the Methodist Church; the union of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches; the Methodist Federation for Social Action; Methodist higher education; and studies of Methodist ritual and doctrine. Additional topically arranged printed matter deals generally with Emory University, as well as segregation and race relations.

The Harrell photograph collection contains images of Costen J. Harrell, members of the Harrell family, West End Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, and miscellaneous subjects.

Arrangement Note

Arranged by record type.