Robert Whitfield Miles papers

Descriptive Summary

Title
Robert Whitfield Miles papers
Date
1907-1964 (inclusive)
Bulk, 1907-1952 (bulk)
Creator
Miles, Robert Whitfield, 1890-1952
Extent
8.09 Cubic feet
Subjects
Correspondence.
Drafts.
Presbyterian Church--Clergy--Correspondence.
Presbyterian Church--United States.
Sermons.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by subject.
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Julie Williams
Preferred Citation
75M17: [identification of item], Robert Whitfield Miles papers, 1907-1964, bulk 1907-1952, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Minister and historian, Robert Miles was born in Richmond, Virginia, and attended Richmond College, Davidson College and Union Theological Seminary. He was a secretary in the Young Men's Christian Association, and in that capacity, accompanied American troops to France in World War I. He began his ministerial career as assistant pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1920, and next was pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Auburn, Alabama (in fall of 1921). In 1925, he was named University Secretary for the "Presbyterian Church in the United States" (based in Louisville, Kentucky), a position in which he travelled to supervise church work for students at colleges and universities. In March 1927, he was appointed as pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he served until 1933, when he was appointed as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky; Miles held the position until his death in 1952. He was on the Board of Trustees of Centre College from 1934 to 1941.
In addition to his ministerial reponsibilities, Miles was interested in historical research. His first book, That Frenchman, John Calvin, was published in 1939. His next work, Christian Reconstruction (1944), was widely used throughout the Presbyterian Church in the United States. A biography of Robert J. Breckinridge, the Kentucky minister and pioneer educator, remained unfinished at the time of Miles' death.
Scope and Content
The Robert Whitfield Miles papers consist of the writings of Robert Whitfield Miles, a prominent minister of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Correspondence composes the bulk of the papers and is primarily personal in nature with some church business following 1921. Additionally, the papers include sermons; photographs; journals; diplomas, degrees, and other awards; a genealogical chart; correspondence concerning Centre College; biographical information; sympathy cards, guest register, and other letters concerning Miles's death; and the draft of and notes for the first nine chapters of the Breckinridge biography.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Use Restrictions
The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections.

Contents of the Collection

Correspondence, 1907-1964

Scope and Contents note

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the papers and consists of personal and business letters. The business portion of the correspondence concerns church business after 1921.

, 1907-1913

  • Box 1, Folder 1
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, 1914-1915

  • Box 1, Folder 2
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, 1916 March-June

  • Box 1, Folder 3
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, 1916 July-August

  • Box 1, Folder 4
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, 1916 September-December

  • Box 1, Folder 5
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, 1917 January-May

  • Box 1, Folder 6
To top

, 1917 June

  • Box 1, Folder 7
To top

, 1917 July

  • Box 1, Folder 8
To top

, 1917 August

  • Box 1, Folder 9
To top

, 1917 September

  • Box 1, Folder 10
To top

, 1917 October

  • Box 2, Folder 1
To top

, 1917 November

  • Box 2, Folder 2
To top

, 1917 December

  • Box 2, Folder 3
To top

, 1918 January 1-19

  • Box 2, Folder 4
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, 1918 January 20-31

  • Box 2, Folder 5
To top

, 1918 February 1-16

  • Box 2, Folder 6
To top

, 1918 February 17-28

  • Box 2, Folder 7
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, 1918 March

  • Box 2, Folder 8
To top

, 1918 April

  • Box 2, Folder 9
To top

, 1918 May 1-16

  • Box 3, Folder 1
To top

, 1918 May 17-31

  • Box 3, Folder 2
To top

, 1918 June 1-16

  • Box 3, Folder 3
To top

, 1918 June 17-30

  • Box 3, Folder 4
To top

, 1918 July-October

  • Box 3, Folder 5
To top

, 1918 November 1-20

  • Box 3, Folder 6
To top

, 1918 November 21-December

  • Box 3, Folder 7
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, 1919

  • Box 3, Folder 8
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, 1920 January-April

  • Box 3, Folder 9
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, 1920 May

  • Box 4, Folder 1
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, 1920 June

  • Box 4, Folder 2
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, 1920 July, October

  • Box 4, Folder 3
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, 1921 January-July

  • Box 4, Folder 4
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, 1921 August-December

  • Box 4, Folder 5
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, 1922 January

  • Box 4, Folder 6
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, 1922 February

  • Box 4, Folder 7
To top

, 1922 March

  • Box 4, Folder 8
To top

, 1922 April

  • Box 4, Folder 9
To top

, 1922 May 1-15

  • Box 4, Folder 10
To top

, 1922 May 16-31

  • Box 4, Folder 11
To top

, 1922 June 1-9

  • Box 5, Folder 1
To top

, 1922 June 10-29

  • Box 5, Folder 2
To top

, 1922 July

  • Box 5, Folder 3
To top

, 1922 August-September

  • Box 5, Folder 4
To top

, 1922 October

  • Box 5, Folder 5
To top

, 1922 November-December

  • Box 5, Folder 6
To top

, 1922

  • Box 5, Folder 7
To top

, 1923 January

  • Box 5, Folder 8
To top

, 1923 February

  • Box 5, Folder 9
To top

, 1923 March

  • Box 5, Folder 10
To top

, 1923 April

  • Box 5, Folder 11
To top

, 1923 May

  • Box 6, Folder 1
To top

, 1923 June

  • Box 6, Folder 2
To top

, 1923 July

  • Box 6, Folder 3
To top

, 1923 August-September

  • Box 6, Folder 4
To top

, 1923 October

  • Box 6, Folder 5
To top

, 1923 November

  • Box 6, Folder 6
To top

, 1923 December

  • Box 6, Folder 7
To top

, 1923

  • Box 6, Folder 8
To top

, 1924 January

  • Box 6, Folder 9
To top

, 1924 February

  • Box 6, Folder 10
To top

, 1924 March

  • Box 7, Folder 1
To top

, 1924 April

  • Box 7, Folder 2
To top

, 1924 May

  • Box 7, Folder 3
To top

, 1924 June-1924 July

  • Box 7, Folder 4
To top

, 1924 August

  • Box 7, Folder 5
To top

, 1924 September

  • Box 7, Folder 6
To top

, 1924 October

  • Box 7, Folder 7
To top

, 1924 November

  • Box 7, Folder 8
To top

, 1924 December

  • Box 7, Folder 9
To top

, 1925 January 1-15

  • Box 8, Folder 1
To top

, 1925 January 16-31

  • Box 8, Folder 2
To top

, 1925 February

  • Box 8, Folder 3
To top

, 1925 March

  • Box 8, Folder 4
To top

, 1925 April

  • Box 8, Folder 5
To top

, 1925 May

  • Box 8, Folder 6
To top

, 1925 June 1-9

  • Box 8, Folder 7
To top

, 1925 June 10-30

  • Box 8, Folder 8
To top

, 1925 July

  • Box 8, Folder 9
To top

, 1925 August

  • Box 9, Folder 1
To top

, 1925 September 1-19

  • Box 9, Folder 2
To top

, 1925 September 20-30

  • Box 9, Folder 3
To top

, 1925 October

  • Box 9, Folder 4
To top

, 1925 November

  • Box 9, Folder 5
To top

, 1925 December

  • Box 9, Folder 6
To top

, 1926 January

  • Box 9, Folder 7
To top

, 1926 February

  • Box 9, Folder 8
To top

, 1926 March

  • Box 9, Folder 9
To top

, 1926 April-June

  • Box 9, Folder 10
To top

, 1926 July

  • Box 10, Folder 1
To top

, 1926 August

  • Box 10, Folder 2
To top

, 1926 September 1-20

  • Box 10, Folder 3
To top

, 1926 September 21-30

  • Box 10, Folder 4
To top

, 1926 October

  • Box 10, Folder 5
To top

, 1926 November

  • Box 10, Folder 6
To top

, 1926 December

  • Box 10, Folder 7
To top

, 1926

  • Box 10, Folder 8
To top

, 1927 January

  • Box 10, Folder 9
To top

, 1927 February

  • Box 10, Folder 10
To top

, 1927 March

  • Box 10, Folder 11
To top

, 1927 April

  • Box 11, Folder 1
To top

, 1927 May

  • Box 11, Folder 2
To top

, 1927 June

  • Box 11, Folder 3
To top

, 1927 July-August 12

  • Box 11, Folder 4
To top

, 1927 August 15-September 14

  • Box 11, Folder 5
To top

, 1927 September 15-1927 October

  • Box 11, Folder 6
To top

, 1927 November

  • Box 11, Folder 7
To top

, 1927 December

  • Box 11, Folder 8
To top

, 1928 February-July

  • Box 11, Folder 9
To top

, 1928 August-November

  • Box 11, Folder 10
To top

, 1929 January-June

  • Box 11, Folder 11
To top

, 1929 Jul-December

  • Box 11, Folder 12
To top

, 1930

  • Box 12, Folder 1
To top

, 1931

  • Box 12, Folder 2
To top

, 1932

  • Box 12, Folder 3
To top

, 1933 January-May

  • Box 12, Folder 4
To top

, 1933 July-December

  • Box 12, Folder 5
To top

, 1934 January-May

  • Box 12, Folder 6
To top

, 1934 June-December

  • Box 12, Folder 7
To top

, 1935

  • Box 12, Folder 8
To top

, 1936

  • Box 12, Folder 9
To top

, 1937

  • Box 12, Folder 10
To top

, 1938

  • Box 12, Folder 11
To top

, 1939

  • Box 12, Folder 12
To top

, 1940 January-March

  • Box 13, Folder 1
To top

, 1940 April-May

  • Box 13, Folder 2
To top

, 1940 June-December

  • Box 13, Folder 3
To top

, 1941

  • Box 13, Folder 4
To top

, 1942

  • Box 13, Folder 5
To top

, 1943 January-March

  • Box 13, Folder 6
To top

, 1943 April-December

  • Box 13, Folder 7
To top

, 1944 January-February

  • Box 13, Folder 8
To top

, 1944 June-December

  • Box 13, Folder 9
To top

, 1945 January-June

  • Box 13, Folder 10
To top

, 1945 July-December

  • Box 13, Folder 11
To top

, 1946 January-August

  • Box 14, Folder 1
To top

, 1946 September-December

  • Box 14, Folder 2
To top

, 1947

  • Box 14, Folder 3
To top

, 1948 February-March

  • Box 14, Folder 4
To top

, 1948 May-November

  • Box 14, Folder 5
To top

, 1949 January-March

  • Box 14, Folder 6
To top

, 1949 April-July

  • Box 14, Folder 7
To top

, 1949 August-December

  • Box 14, Folder 8
To top

, 1950 January-March

  • Box 14, Folder 9
To top

, 1950 April-July

  • Box 15, Folder 1
To top

, 1950 August-September

  • Box 15, Folder 2
To top

Sympathy cards (A-F), 1952 January

  • Box 15, Folder 3
To top

Sympathy cards (G-P), 1952 January

  • Box 15, Folder 4
To top

Sympathy cards (R-Z), 1952 January

  • Box 15, Folder 5
To top

, 1952 January 7-9

  • Box 15, Folder 7
To top

, 1952 January 10-11

  • Box 15, Folder 8
To top

, 1952 January 12-15

  • Box 16, Folder 2
To top

, 1952 January 16-31

  • Box 16, Folder 3
To top

, 1952-1955, 1957, 1962-1964

  • Box 16, Folder 6
To top

, undated

  • Box 16, Folder 7
To top

Compositions, undated

Scope and Contents note

The Compositions series includes articles, sermons, and talks composed by Miles. Additionally, the series contains notes and drafts of Miles' unfinished biography of Robert J. Breckinridge.

Talks and sermons, undated

  • Box 16, Folder 9-10
To top

Articles, undated

  • Box 17, Folder 1
To top

Robert J. Breckinridge notes and manuscripts, undated

  • Box 17, Folder 2
To top

Centre College correspondence, 1934-1941

Scope and Contents note

The Centre College correspondence series consists of Miles' correspondence while he served as a member of Centre College's Board of Trustees.

Centre College correspondence, 1934-1936

  • Box 17, Folder 3
To top

Centre College correspondence, 1937

  • Box 17, Folder 4
To top

Centre College correspondence, 1938

  • Box 17, Folder 5
To top

Centre College correspondence, 1939-1940 May

  • Box 17, Folder 6
To top

Centre College correspondence, 1940 June-1941 March

  • Box 17, Folder 7
To top

Genealogy, undated

Scope and Contents note

The Genealogy series contains biographical information and photographs concerning Miles as well as a genealogical chart of his wife Dorothy Ankeney Moomaw's family.

Biographical information and photographs, undated

  • Box 17, Folder 8
To top

Genealogical chart for Dorothy Ankeney Moomaw Miles' family, undated

  • Box 18, Folder 3
To top

General, 1909-1952

Scope and Contents note

The General series consists of materials relating to Miles' death and funeral as well as certificates, diplomas, and degrees for him and his wife Dorothy. Dorothy Ankeney Miles' material includes her high school diploma, her diploma from Randolph-Macon Woman's College, and her membership certificate for the Daughter's of the American Revolution. Robert Whitfield Miles' material includes his Baccalaureate in Divinity from the Union Theological Seminary, his degree from Davidson College, and an honorary doctorate from Washington and Lee University.

Visitor's register and list, 1952 January 8

  • Box 15, Folder 6
To top

Envelope: "cards for flowers sent to house", undated

  • Box 16, Folder 1
To top

Guests register, undated

  • Box 16, Folder 4
To top

Binder, undated

  • Box 16, Folder 5
To top

Miscellaneous material, undated

  • Box 16, Folder 8
Scope and Contents note

This file contains two newspaper articles; one newsprint comic/picture; one instruction booklet; one magazine article; one pagent booklet; one journal; and one calling card.

To top

Diplomas and degrees, 1909-1930

  • Box 18, Folder 1
To top

Certificates, 1917-1918, 1924, 1951

  • Box 18, Folder 2
To top

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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.

Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.

Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.

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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.

If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.