The Archive of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church resides in Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. Materials in the archive are collected, organized, and preserved for the use of anyone interested in the history of the North Texas region.

 

 

 

About the Collections

 

The Archive consists of more than 150 linear feet of published and unpublished historical research materials dating back to the 1800s, including such items as:

· Annual Conference business records

· Annual Conference journals

· quarterly conference records

· membership records

· records of discontinued churches

· published church histories

· biographies of ministers

· Methodist family histories

· Photographs

 

Of Special Note:

Journals of the North Texas Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1844-1938), the Methodist Church (1939-1967), and the United Methodist Church (1968-present) include reports, statistics, and leadership appointments made for the coming year. They are a good resource for answering questions about church organization at the local and regional level. The Conference Archive has copies of Journals from these years: 1867, 1869, 1881, 1885, 1888-89, 1890, and 1896-2009.

 

The North Texas Conference Archive also includes the Walter L. Zimmerman Photograph Collection. Every third year between 1977 and 1998, Rev. Zimmerman took photographs of pastors and other North Texas Conference leaders for inclusion in the Conference Journal. Upon retirement, Rev. Zimmerman gave these photographs and negatives to the Conference Archive. This collection is an excellent resource for those who do not have pictures of a relative who was a member of the North Texas Annual Conference over the past thirty years.

 

 

 

Accessing the Collections

 

Persons wishing to use the resources of the North Texas Annual Conference Archive must make an appointment with Conference Archivist Frances Long (efrances3@verizon.net). Research requests may also be submitted to Frances Long at the same email address. Research service fees may apply for assistance with genealogical inquiries.