Title: Chester R. Young Papers
Predominant Dates:1931-1998
Primary Creator: Young, Chester Raymond -- 1920-1999
Extent: 74.0 MS boxes
Arrangement:
The collection has been arranged in the following series and subseries:
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Personal documents and records
Subseries 1: Boy Scouts
Subseries 2: Family History
Subseries 3: General
Series 3: Personal education
Subseries 1: High School and undergraduate
Subseries 2: Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Subseries 3: University of Hawaii
Subseries 4: Vanderbilt University
Series 4: Mission work
Subseries 1: Foreign Mission Board
Subseries 2: Community mission work
Subseries 3: Hawaii religions
Subseries 4: Kentucky Baptist Convention
Series 5: Cumberland College
Subseries 1: General
Subseries 2: Phi Alpha Theta, Upsilon Upsilon chapter
Subseries 3: Kentucky History class
Series 6: Manuscripts
Subseries 1: Research and notes
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 1: Dictionary of Oceania
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 2: Westward into Kentucky
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 3: To Win the Prize
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 4: Baptists on the American Frontier
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 5: “The Effects of the French and Indian War on Civilian Life in the Frontier Counties of Virginia, 1754-1763”
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 6: Cumberland College History
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 7: Baptist History
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 8: American history
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 9: Kentucky history
Subseries 1-Sub-subseries 10: Miscellaneous research
Subseries 2: Publishing contracts and correspondence
Subseries 3: Marketing and public relations
Subseries 4: Manuscripts and typescripts
Subseries 5: Note cards
Series 7: Photographic materials
Series 8: Audio tapes
Series 9: Microfilm and slides
Date Acquired: 07/00/1996
Subjects: Adair County (Ky.) -- History., American University (Washington, D.C.), Baptists -- History., Berea College, Cumberland College (Williamsburg, Ky.)., Hawaii -- History., Hawaii -- Religion., Jones, Loyal -- 1928-, Lindsey Wilson College., Missionaries -- Hawaii., Southern Baptist Convention., Southern Baptist Convention. Foreign Mission Board., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary., Taylor, John -- 1752-1835, Trabue, Daniel -- 1760-1840, University of Hawaii at Manoa., Vanderbilt University., Young, Chester Raymond -- 1920-1999
Chester Young was born July 2, 1920 in rural Adair County, Kentucky to parents Joseph and Sarah Young and moved to Columbia, Kentucky at the age of three. During his childhood, Young was a member of Columbia Baptist Church, the Royal Ambassadors and the Boys Scouts, later becoming a Scoutmaster and a Star Scout.
Young graduated from Columbia High School in 1938, then graduated from Lindsey Wilson College in 1940, received his B.A. from Berea College in 1943 and attended briefly attended American University in Washington, D.C., studying archival practices. He received a Masters of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1949 and his Masters of Theology in 1959, a Masters in History from the University of Hawaii in 1964 and his Ph.D. in History from Vanderbilt University in 1969.
Young served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Washington, D.C. and in Hawaii from 1942-1946 and joined the Southern Baptist Convention Foreign Mission Board as a missionary to Hawaii in 1949 where he lived with his wife Florence and three children, Charlotte (Cookie), Virginia and Chester Jr., until moving back to the mainland in 1964. While in Hawaii, he edited the Hawaii Baptist from 1949-1952, served as President of the Hawaii Baptist Convention from 1952-1954, and pastored Kalihi Baptist Church from 1950-1964.
After living in Nashville and Jellico, Tennessee, Young moved to Williamsburg, Kentucky to teach history at Cumberland College, a Baptist college. He started the Upsilon Upsilon chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, a history honors society, and served as advisor of the organization from 1974-1985. The chapter received the Best Chapter in the Nation award for 18 out of 19 years. He retired from teaching in 1985.
Young was the author of three books: Westward Into Kentucky: The Narrative of Daniel Trabue, published by the University Press of Kentucky in 1981; To Win the Prize, a history of the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, Ky. published in 1983; and Baptists on the American Frontier, the edited work of John Taylor, published by Mercer University Press in 1995. He also wrote historical and religious articles for various publications, including entries for the Encyclopedia of Southern Religions. He was awarded the Certificate of Commendation from the American Association for State and Local History in 1982 for Westward into Kentucky, and the DAR National History Award by the Office of the Historical General, Washington, D.C. in 1996 in recognition of his scholarship and commitment to American history.
Chester R. Young died in 1999.
Adair County (Ky.) -- History.
American University (Washington, D.C.)
Baptists -- History.
Berea College
Cumberland College (Williamsburg, Ky.).
Hawaii -- History.
Hawaii -- Religion.
Jones, Loyal -- 1928-
Lindsey Wilson College.
Missionaries -- Hawaii.
Southern Baptist Convention.
Southern Baptist Convention. Foreign Mission Board.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Taylor, John -- 1752-1835
Trabue, Daniel -- 1760-1840
University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Vanderbilt University.
Young, Chester Raymond -- 1920-1999
Repository: Berea College Special Collections and Archives Catalog
Access Restrictions: Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College.
Use Restrictions: Certain records within the collection are restricted (as noted on the Box List). Federal copyright regulations apply to all materials.
Acquisition Source: Chester R. Young
Acquisition Method: The Chester R. Young Papers were donated by Chester R. Young and accessioned into the Berea College Special Collections & Archives for disposition in the Southern Appalachian Archives in July 1996.
Preferred Citation: [Object identification], Chester R. Young Papers, Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Berea, KY.
Processing Information: The collection opened for research in August 2008 following arrangement and description by Janice Childers, graduate intern from the University of Kentucky. Additional arrangement and integration of found materials was conducted between 2009 and 2011. The finding aid was updated in January 2016.
Other Note: BCA 0111 SAA 111
