Western Methodist Book Concern. Papers, 1865-1875

This collection contains printed questionnaires and handwritten replies, sent out by the Cincinnati office of the Western Methodist Book Concern to various Methodist educational institutions throughout the nation, especially in the Midwestern states, and returned by them, 1865-69 and 1871. The returns, at least 70 each year, give statistical information about the students, staff, buildings, budget, and other aspects of each institution.

The collection also includes questionnaires sent to Methodist Conferences and their returns which give the number of the preachers and members, finances, missionary activities, and other data about the Conference. The collection contains some 52 returns for the years 1865, 1870, 1871, and 1874.

The questionnaires were distributed and collected by Poe & Hitchcock and by Hitchcock & Walden, the Western Methodist Book Concern's agents in Cincinnati. The collection came to the Library in the early twentieth century.