Rev. Lee Haywood Simpson: An Inventory of His Records at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Restrictions

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Description of Series

I. Pleasant Hill Baptist Church

II. Sermons

III. Baptist Ministers

IV. Correspondence and Foreign Tour Files

V. Organizations and Programs

VI. Obituary and Funeral Attendance Registers

VIII. Miscellaneous

IX. Texas Southern University Annuals

XI. Photographs

Rev. Lee Haywood Simpson:

An Inventory of His Records at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library


Descriptive Summary
	Creator	Simpson, Rev. Lee Haywood
	Title:	Rev. Lee Haywood Simpson Papers
	Dates:	1921-1976
	Identification:	MSS 0239
	Extent	9.3 linear feet: 12 document boxes, 1 flat box, 3 additional document boxes & 1 rs box containing miscellaneous material.
	Language	Materials are in English.
	Repository	Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library

Biographical Note

Rev. Lee Haywood Simpson, known as Rev. L.H. Simpson, was born in Calvert, Texas on July 20, 1884. In 1925 he was elected as the pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, located in the Fifth Ward section of Houston. When he began as pastor there were six members, but within fifteen years there were over three thousand members.

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church received much of the media's attention while under the direction of Rev. Simpson, and there was rarely any negative press. Rev. Simpson was not only active in the many facets of Pleasant Hill, but he was also very involved with other organizations in the community. He was chosen to head the Colored Baptist Minister's Association in 1939. He was reelected consistently over a thirty year period. The N.A.A.C.P. elected him as the director of their local chapter. Rev L.H. Simpson was also associated with many other organizations and institutions. Politics was another arena in which Rev. L.H. Simpson took part. He ran for a seat on city council in 1946, although he was not elected, the fact that he received positive press concerning his attempt during such a racially aware time in such a racially aware city was an accomplishment within itself. The mayor of Houston at that time, Mayor Hofheinz, officially declared the day in which Rev. L.H. Simpson married Ms. Julie Josey as Josey-Simpson Merger Day.

When Rev. L.H. Simpson was laid to rest in 1967, he was mourned by over one thousand people from all over the nation.

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Scope and Contents

This collection is compiled of papers concerning the many, varied activities of Rev. L.H. Simpson. The history and activities of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church make up a large portion of this collection. The other areas cover Rev. L.H. Simpson's involvement in different groups, such as the Gibralter Benevolent Association, N.A.A.C.P., the Houston Housing Reclamation Commission, and the National Baptist Convention of America. This material covers a fifty year span from the 1920s through the 1970s.

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Arrangement
	This collection is divided into ten subgroups. The first subgroup is information on Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. The second subgroup contains Rev. L.H. Simpson's sermons, some are complete, some are fragments, and there are also some notes. The third subgroup consists of the Baptist Ministers' Association information. The fourth and fifth subgroups deal with correspondence and different organizations. The sixth subgroup concerns Rev. L.H. Simpson's death and funeral. The seventh through tenth subgroups involve clippings, miscellaneous items, Texas Southern University Annuals, and some awards Rev. L.H. Simpson received.

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Restrictions

Use Restrictions

None

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Index Terms

	Subjects
		African American men--Texas--Houston
		African Americans--Texas--Houston
		African American churches--Texas--Houston
		African American clergy--Texas--Houston
	Organizations
		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (Houston, Tex.)
	Other names
		Simpson, Lee Haywood

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Rev. Lee Haywood Simpson Papers. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library

Acquisition Information

Donated by Julie Simpson on August 3, 1983

Processing Information

Processed by Nikeesha Burrell, February 9, 1996

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Detailed Description



I. Pleasant Hill Baptist Church
box	folder
1	1		The History of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, undated
	2		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 1920s-1930s
	3		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 1940s
	4		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 1950s
	5		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 1960s and 1970s
	6		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, undated
	7		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Mission Society `Minutes', 1938-1939
	8		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Mission Society `Minutes', 1939-1941
	9		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Architecture Material, 1939-1940
	10		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Real Estate Records 1943, 1949, 1966, undated
	11		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Financial Records, 1930-1958
	12		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Miscellaneous Financial Records, 1933-1959
	13		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Miscellaneous Financial Records 1960-1968, some undated
	14		Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Miscellaneous Church Bulletins, 1932-1973

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II. Sermons
box	folder
2	1		Address to Pullman Porters (1940s?)
	2		Complete Sermons, 1929-1961
	3		Complete Sermons, undated
	4		Complete Sermons, undated
	5		Complete Sermons, undated
	6		Complete Sermons, undated
	7		Complete Sermons, undated
	8		Sermon Fragments 1938, 1937, 1941, 1957
	9		Sermon Fragments, undated
	10		Notes Collection
	11		Roberts' Sermons

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III. Baptist Ministers
box	folder
3	1		Houston Colored Baptists Ministers' Association 1939, 1940-1942, 1953, 1956, 1958-1963, 1965, 1967-1968, 1971-1972
	2		Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas 1935, 1940, 1955, 1960, 1967
	3		General Central (Baptist) District Association of Texas 1941, 1959-1960, 1962-1964, 1966
	4		National Baptist Convention of America 1939-1941, 1952, 1955, 1961-1964
	5		Journal, National Baptist Convention of America, 1958
	6		Journal, National Baptist Convention of America, 1962
	7		Program, Annual Session of the Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Congress, 1961-1962

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IV. Correspondence and Foreign Tour Files
box	folder
3	8		Correspondence 1929, 1937, 1941, 1943-1947, 1949
	9		Correspondence 1950, 1952-1959
	10		Foreign Tour: Correspondence, 1954-1955
	11		Foreign Tour: Miscellaneous, 1955
box	folder
4	1		Correspondence, 1960-1962
	2		Correspondence, 1963-1968
	3		Correspondence, undated

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V. Organizations and Programs
box	folder
4	4		Ownership Transfer, Colored Orphans Home (New Waverly, TX.) 1927
	5		Annual Report, Houston Community Chest, 1930
	6		Gibralter Benevolent Association, 1936, 1955
	7		Program, Booker T. Washington High School Graduation, 1943
	8		Annual Report, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.), 1943
	9		Program, Watchtower's Annual Roundup and Outing, 1944
	10		Program, Conroe Normal and Industrial College, 1945, 1950
	11		Financial Records, Houston Training School for Negro Blind, 1946
	12		N.A.A.C.P. 1951-1952, 1956, 1958-1959, 1963-1964, 1969, some undated
	13		Minutes, Northside Business and Professional, Political, Labor, and Civic League, 1953-1956
	14		Minutes, Houston Housing Reclamation Commission, 1954
	15		Retirement Home New Waverly, TX., 1958-1964
	16		Program, Independent District Association of Texas Meeting, 1961
box	folder
5	1		Mary Allen College, 1960, 1962-1963
	2		Program, 4th Annual Town and Rural Ministries Conference, Prairie View A&M College, 1963
	3		The Prairie View Standard, 1964
	4		Program, Ross Mortuary 27th Anniversary Service, 1965
	5		"Profile of the Houston Negro Community with Special Tribute to Barbara Jordan" by The Harris County Council of Organizations, 1967
	6		Working Draft, The Clever Leader, by Julie Simpson
	7		Book, The Clever Leader, and related documents
	8		Election of Rev. L.H. Simpson 1946
	9		Miscellaneous, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1961-1967, 1970, 1976, some undated

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VI. Obituary and Funeral Attendance Registers
box	folder
5	10		Obituary
	11		Funeral Roster
	12		Funeral Roster
	13		Funeral Roster
	14		Funeral Roster
	15		Funeral Roster

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VII. Press
box	folder
6	1		Various Clippings, dated and arranged
	2		Press, undated
	3		Miscellaneous

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VIII. Miscellaneous
box	folder
6	4		Pamphlets
	5		Essays
	6		Miscellaneous
	7		Rev. L.V. Bolton

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IX. Texas Southern University Annuals

box

folder

6

8

Texas Southern University Annual, The Tiger, 1957

9

Texas Southern University Annual, The Tiger, 1958

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X. Awards
box	folder
7	1		First Forty Congratulations Certificate
	2		Proclamation of Josey-Simpson Merger Day, 1954
	3		Greater 5th Ward Citizens League Board Member's Certificate, 1952-1953
	4		Great Thinker Plaque
	5		Distinguished Service Award Plaque, 1964
	6		Outstanding Political Development Plaque, 1951
box	item
8	1		Conroe Normal and Industrial College, Honorary D.D. Degree, 1937
	2		Councilman At Large Flyer, 1946 (2 copies)
	3		Erma Hughes Business College, Honorary Science of Business Degree, 1950
	4		Membership Certificate to The United Supreme Council, 32 degrees of Freemasonry, 1951
	5		N.A.A.C.P. Lifetime Membership Certificate, 1952
	6		Union Baptist Theological Seminary, Doctor of Laws Degree, 1960
	7		Top Award and 78th Birthday Plaque, 1962
	8		Proclamation of Rev. L.H. Simpson Day, 1964

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XI. Photographs

box

9-13

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