Basil Manly Jr. (1825-1892) was a prominent Baptist minister and educator in South Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia. Chiefly correspondence, 1842-1885, of Basil Manly Jr., and his brother Charles Manly (1837-1924), also a Baptist minister. Personal correspondence, 1850-1881, consists of letters to Charles Manly from his family, especially Basil Manly Jr., and letters written by Basil Manly Jr., to his parents and siblings. The letters detail family matters; church politics and activities; religious views; Basil Manly Jr.'s teaching career in South Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia; and national politics, including secession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Items of interest include a description of the February 1865 evacuation of Columbia, S.C., during Sherman's occupation; an 1870 letter describing black members of the South Carolina legislature; and letters of condolence at the death of Basil Manly, Sr. (1798-1868), a Baptist minister and educator and president of the University of Alabama. There are also many letters, 1842-1885, to Basil Manly Jr., from fellow ministers and educators, discussing church business, personalities, and politics; conflicts with Baptists in the North and other denominations; theological questions and controversies, especially the issue of pedobaptism; the publishing of Southern religious literature; and Basil Manly Jr.'s career as an administrator and professor at various Baptist colleges and seminaries. There are also several letters describing missionary activities in Shanghai, China, and among Turkish Armenians in the 1880s. There are also 22 letterbooks, 1852-1893, on microfilm of Basil Manly Jr., while he was president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., and at other institutions.
