WESLEY, CHARLES H. (CHARLES HARRIS), 1891-1987.
Charles H. Wesley collection, 1923-1996

Restrictions on Access

Special restrictions apply: Use copies have not been made for audiovisual material in this collection. Researchers must contact the Rose Library at least two weeks in advance for access to these items. Collection restrictions, copyright limitations, or technical complications may hinder the Rose Library's ability to provide access to audiovisual material.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

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

Source

Purchase from Constance Uzelac, 2010.

Custodial History

Originally received as part of the James A. Porter papers. Constance Uzelac was the daughter of James A. Porter and the stepdaughter of Charles H. Wesley.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Charles H. Wesley papers, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Appraisal Note

Acquired by Curator of African American Collections, Randall Burkett, as part of the Rose Library's holdings in African American culture and history.

Processing

Arranged and described to the file level by Sarah Quigley and Anastasiia Strakhova, May 2015.

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Biographical Note

Charles Harris Wesley (1891-1987), African American historian, educator, and minister, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 2, 1891 to Matilda and Charles Snowden Wesley. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in history from Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee) in 1911, he continued his education earning a master's degree from Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut) in 1913 and a doctoral degree from Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in 1925, becoming the third African American doctoral graduate from Harvard. In 1928, Wesley also earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio). Wesley held positions as the dean of the Liberal Arts College and Dean of the Liberal Arts Graduate School at Howard University, the president of Wilberforce University, the founder and president of the Central State University, the director of research and publications for the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and the director of the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia. He was also an ordained minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

He was married to Louise Johnson from 1915 until her death in 1973. The couple had two children: Charlotte Wesley Holloman and Louise J. Wesley. In 1979, he married Dorothy Porter, librarian and widow of art historian and artist, James A. Porter. Wesley died on August 16, 1987, in Washington, D.C.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of the papers of Charles H. Wesley from 1923-1987 including correspondence, personal papers, article reprints, some article drafts, and other printed material. There is a typescript of "Jonathan Davis, 1820-1874: Pioneer Druggist and Physician, Fraternal Organizer and Civil Rights Activist," as well as typescript of Wesley's review of Teach the Freeman: The correspondence of Rutherford B. Hayes and The Slater Fund for Negro Education, 1888-1893, edited by Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Audio recordings are primarily dictated letters and other dictated works during a period of convalescence following a stroke. Correspondence documents Wesley's work with the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and his research on the life of Johnathan Davis. The collection also contains a project plan for the "Encyclopedia of the Negro," proposed by Wesley while president of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Photographs consist of snapshots of Wesley alone and at events.

Arrangement Note

Arranged in alphabetical order.