This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 10.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5700 items) |
Abstract | Oscar Jackson Coffin was a journalist, professor of journalism, 1926-1956, and the first dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina, 1950-1953. The collection includes correspondence, writings, and other items of Oscar Jackson Coffin and family members. The original deposit includes correspondence with friends, colleagues, and former students concerning jobs and newspaper affairs, 1926-1956. Among the correspondents are John Harden, John D. Langston, Holt McPherson, and Roy Parker. Few items pertain to the University of North Carolina directly. Also included are clippings about Randolph County and Asheboro, N.C., especially of Coffin's column, "Shucks and Nubbins," which appeared in the Greensboro Daily News, and, after 1956, personal letters of Coffin's widow, Gertrude Wilson Coffin. The addition of 1995 includes letters, writings, photographs, and other items chiefly relating to Coffin's journalism career. Of note are letters from former students, including a few women journalists, who reported on their career progress, and letters from and photographs of Robert Ruark. Other papers include verses, articles, lectures, and newspaper clippings about and by Coffin. There is a small amount of school materials and writings of Gertrude Wilson Coffin. The addition of 2003 includes letters, writings, photographs and other items relating to Coffin's journalism career, especially while he was editor of the Raleigh Times. Also included are family letters, school materials, church materials, financial materials, and photographs relating to Gertrude; her father, J. E. Wilson (Joseph Edward Wilson), a physician, and her mother, Cordelia Mann Wilson, a school teacher, both of Haywood County, N.C.; her sister, Inez Wilson Dixon; and other members of the Mann and Wilson families. |
Creator | Coffin, O. J. (scar Jackson), 1887-1956. |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English |
Processed by: Suzanne Ruffing and SHC Staff, March 1996 with subsequent additions
Encoded by: Roslyn Holdzkom, August 2004
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Oscar Jackson Coffin was a journalist, professor of journalism, 1926-1956, and the first dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina, 1950-1953.
Back to TopThe collection includes correspondence, writings, and other items of journalist and professor of journalism Oscar Jackson Coffin and family members. The original deposit includes correspondence with friends, colleagues, and former students concerning jobs and newspaper affairs, 1926-1956. Among the correspondents are John Harden, John D. Langston, Holt McPherson, and Roy Parker. Few items pertain to the University of North Carolina directly. Also included are clippings about Randolph County, N.C., and Asheboro, N.C., especially of Coffin's column, "Shucks and Nubbins," which appeared in the Greensboro Daily News, and, after 1956, personal letters of Coffin's widow, Gertrude Wilson Coffin. The addition of 1995 includes letters, writings, photographs, and other items chiefly relating to Coffin's journalism career. Of note are letters from former students, including a few women journalists, who reported on their career progress, and letters from and photographs of Robert Ruark. Other papers include verses, articles, lectures, and newspaper clippings about and by Coffin. There is a small amount of school materials and writings of Gertrude Wilson Coffin. The addition of 2003 is comprised of letters, writings, photographs and other items relating to Coffin's journalism career, especially while he was editor of the Raleigh Times . Also included are family letters, school materials, church materials, financial materials, and photographs relating to Gertrude; her father, J. E. Wilson (Joseph Edward Wilson), a physician, and her mother, Cordelia Mann Wilson, a school teacher, both of Haywood County, N.C.; her sister, Inez Wilson Dixon; and other members of the Mann and Wilson families.
Materials in the original deposit have been maintained in the order as received from Oscar Jackson Coffin's file cabinets. Additions have been arranged in series as per the original deposit. Because similar material appears in all series, researchers may need to look at more than one series to find all of the items of interest to them.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological and topical.
The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters to and from former students seeking help in finding jobs and editors asking Oscar Jackson Coffin to recommend people to fill job openings. Most of the correspondence concerns journalism in North Carolina, but little appears to concern University events, current politics, or daily life in Chapel Hill, N.C. The rest of the correspondence is from friends, mainly in relation to his column "Shucks and Nubbins" in the Greensboro Daily News and correspondents including John Harden, John D. Langston, Holt McPherson, and Roy Parker. Correspondence, 1956-1967, is chiefly to and from Coffin's wife Gertrude Wilson Coffin. Included are many letters of condolence, 1956-1957, on Oscar Jackson Coffin's death.
Other papers include verses, articles, and lectures. There are also three volumes: a Randolph County, N.C., scrapbook of Hal M. Worth with clippings of "Shucks and Nubbins" and items about Randolph County and Asheboro, N.C.; Oscar Jackson Coffin's scrapbook with clippings of writings by Coffin including "Shucks and Nubbins" and the "State House Anthology" series (1917); and a portfolio of newspaper clippings with feature articles about and tributes to Oscar Jackson Coffin.
Folder 1 |
1916; 1923; 1926-1927 |
Folder 2 |
1929 |
Folder 3 |
1930-1932 |
Folder 4 |
1934-1939 |
Folder 5 |
1940-1941 |
Folder 6 |
1942-1943 |
Folder 7 |
1944 |
Folder 8-9
Folder 8Folder 9 |
1945 |
Folder 10-12
Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12 |
1946 |
Folder 13-16
Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16 |
1947 |
Folder 17-19
Folder 17Folder 18Folder 19 |
1948 |
Folder 20-22
Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22 |
1949 |
Folder 23-26
Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26 |
1950 |
Folder 27-31
Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31 |
1951 |
Folder 32-34
Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34 |
1952 |
Folder 35-38
Folder 35Folder 36Folder 37Folder 38 |
1953 |
Folder 39-41
Folder 39Folder 40Folder 41 |
1954 |
Folder 42-43
Folder 42Folder 43 |
1955 |
Folder 44-46
Folder 44Folder 45Folder 46 |
1956 |
Folder 47 |
1957 |
Folder 48 |
1958-1959 |
Folder 49 |
1960-1967 |
Folder 50-53
Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53 |
Undated |
Folder 54-55
Folder 54Folder 55 |
Miscellaneous |
Folder 56-59
Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59 |
Verses |
Folder 60 |
Enclosures from Randolph County, N.C., scrapbook |
Folder 61 |
Enclosures from Oscar Jackson Coffin's scrapbook |
Folder 62 |
Volume 1: Scrapbook: Randolph County, N.C., 1934, 50 pp. |
Folder 63 |
Volume 2: Scrapbook: Oscar Jackson Coffin, 200 pp. |
Folder 64 |
Volume 3: Portfolio: Clippings about Oscar Jackson Coffin |
Folder 65-73
Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73 |
Clippings: Oscar Jackson Coffin, 1930s-1950s |
Folder 74-78
Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78 |
Clippings: Oscar Jackson Coffin newspaper tributes and obituaries, 1956-1957 |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Incoming and carbons of outgoing correspondence by and about students in the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina. These materials were maintained separately by Oscar Jackson Coffin and are filed alphabetically by the name of the student. Note that folder A is missing.
Folder 79 |
B |
Folder 80 |
C |
Folder 81 |
D |
Folder 82 |
F |
Folder 83 |
G |
Folder 84 |
H |
Folder 85 |
I |
Folder 86 |
J |
Folder 87 |
K |
Folder 88 |
L |
Folder 89 |
Mc |
Folder 90 |
M |
Folder 91 |
N |
Folder 92 |
O |
Folder 93 |
P |
Folder 94 |
Q |
Folder 95 |
R |
Folder 96 |
S |
Folder 97 |
T |
Folder 98 |
V |
Folder 99 |
W |
Arrangement: topical.
Incoming and carbons of outgoing correspondence between Oscar Jackson Coffin and journalists, press and professional organizations, former students, University colleagues, and other professional associates. These materials were maintained separately by Coffin and mostly concern his students. Some letters are filed by correspondent, others by newspaper, location, or organization. Unless noted, newspapers and locations are in North Carolina.
Image Folder PF-3907/1 |
Photograph of Colonel Ritch in full American Legion Commander's regalia, undated |
Photograph of Hitesburg Baptist Church, undated |
Arrangement: arranged in series as per original deposit.
Letters, writings, photographs, and other items chiefly relating to Oscar Jackson Coffin's journalism career. Of note are letters from former students, including a few women, who reported on their career progress, and letters from and photographs of Robert Ruark. Other papers include verses, articles, lectures, and newspaper clippings about and by Oscar Jackson Coffin. There is a small amount of school materials and writings of Gertrude Wilson (Coffin).
Arrangement: chronologial and topical.
Chiefly letters received from former students and newspaper colleagues concerning journalism in North Carolina. Of note are letters from former students, including a few women, who reported on their career progress. Most female correspondents are filed in the "Lois Byrd, etc." folder. There are also several letters from Robert Ruark and a separate file for letters of condolence sent on Coffin's death. Other papers include verses, articles, lectures, and newspaper clippings about and by Oscar Jackson Coffin. Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Folder 157-158
Folder 157Folder 158 |
1905-1919 |
Folder 159-165
Folder 159Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162Folder 163Folder 164Folder 165 |
1920-1929 |
Folder 166-172
Folder 166Folder 167Folder 168Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171Folder 172 |
1930-1939 |
Folder 173-175
Folder 173Folder 174Folder 175 |
1940-1949 |
Folder 176-177
Folder 176Folder 177 |
1950-1959 |
Folder 178 |
1956: Letters of condolence |
Folder 179 |
1966 |
Folder 180-182
Folder 180Folder 181Folder 182 |
Undated |
Folder 183 |
Joe Bobitt and Bob Mason, 1929-1943 |
Folder 184 |
Lois Byrd, etc., 1928-1948, 1982 |
Folder 185 |
E. C. Daniel and Burke Davis, 1933-1951 |
Folder 186 |
Dowds of the Charlotte News, 1933 and undated |
Folder 187 |
Carl Durham and congressional concerns, 1938-1939, 1949 |
Folder 188 |
James T. McAden and Karl Sprinkle, 1935-1956 |
Folder 189 |
Holt McPherson and Capus Waynick, 1926-1956 |
Folder 190 |
John Mebane and Joe Bobbitt, 1930-1953 |
Folder 191 |
Jack Riley, 1933-1949 |
Folder 192 |
Robert Ruark, 1938-1965 and undated |
Folder 193 |
Jake Strother, 1936-1942 |
Folder 194 |
Carl Thompson, Clay Thompson, Kay Thompson, 1933-1941 |
Folder 195 |
Sonny Tilghman and George Bradham, 1931-1936 |
Folder 196 |
Roy Wilder, 1935-1947 |
Folder 197-201
Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201 |
Miscellaneous |
Folder 202 |
Verses |
Folder 203-205
Folder 203Folder 204Folder 205 |
Clippings: About and by Oscar Jackson Coffin |
Folder 206 |
Datebook, 1955? |
Black-and-white photographs of Oscar Jackson Coffin, Gertrude Wilson Coffin, Robert Ruark, and others.
Image Folder PF-3907/2 |
Gertrude Wilson Coffin, ca. 1906 |
Image Folder PF-3907/3 |
Oscar Jackson Coffin, ca. 1919 |
Image Folder PF-3907/4 |
Identified people, ca. 1910-1950 |
Image Folder PF-3907/5 |
Unidentified people, ca. 1900 |
Miscellaneous school materials of Gertrude Wilson and several issues of The Guilford Collegian that feature her writings.
Folder 207-209
Folder 207Folder 208Folder 209 |
Gertrude Wilson: Bible study, ca. 1902 |
Folder 210 |
Gertrude Wilson: School materials |
Folder 211 |
Gertrude Wilson: The Guilford Collegian, 1904-1906 |
Arrangement: arranged in series as per original deposit.
Letters, photographs, writings, and other items relating to Oscar Jackson Coffin's journalism career, especially while he was editor of the Raleigh Times . Also included are family letters, school materials, church materials, financial materials, and photographs relating to Coffin's wife, Gertrude Wilson Coffin; her father, J. E. Wilson (Joseph Edward Wilson), a physician, and her mother, Cordelia Mann Wilson, a school teacher, both of Haywood County, N.C.; her sister, Inez Wilson Dixon; and other members of the Mann and Wilson families.
Arrangement: chronologial and topical.
Chiefly letters to Oscar Jackson Coffin regarding editorials published while he was the editor of the Raleigh Times. Other letters are from friends and former students serving in the military during World War II. Also included are letters to his wife, Gertrude Wilson Coffin, from her sister Inez Wilson Dixon; from Jake Strother, a longtime friend from the newspaper business; and from other family and friends. Other materials include newspaper clippings; a scrapbook; lectures and other writings of Coffin; materials relating to Gertrude's death; and miscellaneous membership cards, certificates, and biographical material.
Folder 212 |
1908-1916 |
Folder 213 |
1918 |
Folder 214 |
1919-1920 |
Folder 215 |
1921 |
Folder 216 |
1922 |
Folder 217 |
1923 |
Folder 218 |
1924 |
Folder 219 |
1925 |
Folder 220 |
1926 |
Folder 221 |
1927-1934 |
Folder 222 |
1935-1939 |
Folder 223 |
1941-1942 |
Folder 224 |
1943-1944 |
Folder 225 |
1945 |
Folder 226 |
1946-1947 |
Folder 227 |
1948-1952 |
Folder 228 |
1953 |
Folder 229 |
1954-1965 |
Folder 230 |
1966-1967 |
Folder 231 |
Undated |
Folder 232-234
Folder 232Folder 233Folder 234 |
Inez Dixon, 1950-1953 and undated |
Folder 235-238
Folder 235Folder 236Folder 237Folder 238 |
Jake Strother, 1955-1967 and undated |
Folder 239 |
Clippings |
Folder 240 |
Gertrude Wilson Coffin: Death |
Folder 241 |
Lectures |
Folder 242 |
Other writings |
Folder 243 |
Scrapbook: Letters, chiefly tributes to Oscar Jackson Coffin (disassembled; see P-3907/6 for photographs) |
Folder 244 |
Miscellaneous |
Black-and-white photographs of Oscar Jackson Coffin, Gertrude Wilson Coffin, other members of the Mann and Wilson families, and miscellaneous houses and other buildings.
Image Folder PF-3907/6 |
Scrapbook: Photographs of Oscar Jackson Coffin with family, colleagues, and students (see also folder 243) |
Image Folder PF-3907/7 |
Oscar Jackson Coffin |
Image Folder PF-3907/8 |
Gertrude Wilson Coffin |
Image Folder PF-3907/9 |
Inez Dixon and Alfred Dixon |
Image Folder PF-3907/10 |
Mann family |
Image Folder PF-3907/11 |
J. E. Wilson (Joseph Edward Wilson) and Cordelia Mann |
Image Folder PF-3907/12 |
Jesse Wilson |
Image Folder PF-3907/13 |
Wilson family |
Image Folder PF-3907/14 |
Unidentified people |
Image Folder PF-3907/15 |
Miscellaneous |
Correspondence, school materials, church materials, physician's account books, medical licenses, receipts, telephone bills, and other miscellaneous material relating to Gertrude Wilson Coffin; her father, J. E. Wilson (Joseph Edward Wilson), and her mother, Cordelia Mann Wilson, a school teacher, both of Haywood County, N.C.; and other Mann and Wilson family members.
Folder 245 |
Mann family genealogy |
Folder 246 |
C. E. McCloud algebra notebook, 1880 |
Folder 247-248
Folder 247Folder 248 |
Cordelia Mann Wilson, 1881-1939 and undated |
Folder 249 |
Cordelia Mann Wilson: School materials, 1976-1880 |
Folder 250 |
Gertrude Wilson Coffin: School materials, 1903-1906 |
Folder 251-263
Folder 251Folder 252Folder 253Folder 254Folder 255Folder 256Folder 257Folder 258Folder 259Folder 260Folder 261Folder 262Folder 263 |
J. E. Wilson, 1879-1929 |
Folder 264 |
J. E. Wilson: Bethel Church and Academy, 1887-1908 |
Folder 265 |
J. E. Wilson: Check register, 1903-1904 |
Folder 266 |
J. E. Wilson: Prescription pad, 1924 |
Folder 267-275
Folder 267Folder 268Folder 269Folder 270Folder 271Folder 272Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275 |
J. E. Wilson: "Physician's Visiting List," 1894-1895, 1897-1899, 1903, 1922-1923 |
Folder 276-290
Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279Folder 280Folder 281Folder 282Folder 283Folder 284Folder 285Folder 286Folder 287Folder 288Folder 289Folder 290 |
J. E. Wilson: "Physician's Memorandum," 1902-1917 |
Folder 291-292
Folder 291Folder 292 |
Miscellaneous |
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-3907/1 |
Oversize papers |
Oversize Image Folder OP-PF-3907/1 |
Oversize images |
Separated materials include oversize papers (OP-3907/1-4); oversize pictures (OP-P-3907/1-5); pictures (P-3907/folders 1-15).
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