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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 FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 2.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1,600 items) |
| Abstract | George William Lay was an Episcopal clergyman and teacher or rector of St. Mary's School, Raleigh, N.C.; St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H.; and academies in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York. The collection includes correspondence concerning family matters, school and church activities, including work among African Americans in eastern North Carolina, and various civic interests. Among the papers are two brief notes, 1907 and 1912, from Woodrow Wilson prior to his presidency. Genealogical data on the Lay and Atkinson families also is included. |
| Creator | Lay, George W. (George William), 1860-1932. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The 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.
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Biographical
Information
George William Lay (1860-1932) was an Episcopal clergyman and teacher or rector of St. Mary's School, Raleigh, N.C.; St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H.; and academies in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York. Lay was born in Huntsville, Ala., to Henry Champlin Lay and Elizabeth Withers Atkinson Lay. He was educated at St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H.; Yale University; and General Theological Seminary.
He was ordained deacon in Protestant Episcopal Church, 1885, and priest, 1886. He served as the acting minister of St. Paul's Church, Erie, Pa., 1885-1887; rector of St. George's Church, Newburgh, N.Y., 1887-1888; teacher at St. Paul's School, 1888-1907; rector of St. Mary's School, Raleigh, N.C., 1907-1918; assistant rector Christ Church, Springfield, Mass., 1918-1919; rector of St. Paul's Church, Beaufort, N.C., 1919-1928; assistant in charge of St. Clement's Mission and priest in charge of St. Andrew's Church at Morehead City, N.C.; and acting rector of Church of the Good Shepherd, Raleigh, N.C., 1930.
He also served as alternate deputy from New Hampshire to General Convention at Richmond, Va., 1907; secretary of board of managers and missions for Diocese of New Hampshire, 1895-1907; member executive council and chairman of committee on canons of Diocese of East Carolina; vice-chairman of department of religious education, Province of Sewanee, N.C.; correspondent of the Living Church, 1884-1885; and contributor to North Carolina State Health Bulletin, as well as to the daily press and various church periodicals; member American Association for the Advancement of Science, North Carolina Academy of Science, and Good Roads Association.
He married Anna Booth Balch in 1894, daughter of Rear Admiral George B. Balch, United States Navy, and Mary Ellen Booth Balch. They had eight children.
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Scope and Content
The collection includes correspondence concerning family matters, school and church activities, including work among African Americans in eastern North Carolina, and various civic interests. Amongst the papers are two brief notes, 1907 and 1912, from Woodrow Wilson prior to his presidency. Genealogical data on the Lay and Atkinson families also is included. Papers of George William Lay before 1886 are in a related collection, the papers of his father, Henry Champlin Lay, #418.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Chronological Series, 1886-1946 and undated.
Papers consist of correspondence of George W. Lay with members of his family throughout his lifetime, as well as correspondence and other papers relating to his work as a priest and educator, and writer of articles on a variety of subjects.
Papers, 1886-1908, are largely family letters to and from George W. Lay, his mother Eliza Lay, and also his brothers Henry C. Lay Junior and Bierne Lay and his sister Louisa. Eliza Lay and Louisa Lay lived in Baltimore, Md., and were active in the Episcopal Church there. There is some correspondence about property in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the 1890s and early 1900s and the beginning of George W. Lay's correspondence concerning his church work. Henry C. Lay Junior was in Colorado in the 1890s.
Papers, 1909-1932, include letters received by George W. Lay, carbon copies of letters written by him, and brief articles written by him on various subjects. Family correspondence continues throughout the period. During the time when Lay was rector of St. Mary's School, Raleigh, N.C., he was also concerned with civic matters, public health, public education, mental health, roads, and frequently contributed public letters and short articles to newspapers and magazines. Among his correspondents were Walter L. Fleming, Mrs. Richard Peters, and James K. Hall. There are two brief notes from Woodrow Wilson, 12 August 1907 and 2 April 1912, one suggests that Lay may have been involved in the education of Wilson's daughter.
During the period 1919-1928, while Lay was rector at Beaufort, N.C., and doing mission work in Morehead City and Hertford, N.C., there is constant correspondence between him and Bishop Thomas Darst and other officers of the Diocese of Eastern North Carolina. In addition to his parish work, his papers are concerned with his interest in Episcopal Church work among African-Americans and meetings of the Southern Federation of Episcopal Educational Institutions, the business of the Diocese, and his writings for church magazines.
After his retirement to Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1928, his interests mentioned above continued and his writing of articles increased. His correspondence with Bishop Darst continued; also letters from Bishop Joseph B. Cheshire; articles based on addresses made by Lay to the North Carolina Academy of Science each spring; an article on temperance; and papers concerning Lay's service at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Raleigh, N.C.
Papers dated after Lay's death in 1932 are primarily letters received by his widow from Mrs. Frederick E. Sears and Alexander Andrews.
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Series 2. Genealogical Series
The genealogical series consists chiefly of correspondence and notes and studies compiled by Henry C. Lay Junior in the 1880s, but includes also genealogical papers of other members of the Lay family and from various sources.
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Subseries 2.1. Genealogical Correspondence, 1877-1972.
Arrangement: chronological.
Includes letters, 1877-1888, recieved by Henry C. Lay Junior in response to his requests for family data on the Atkinson, Lay, Withers, Burwell, Carter, Randolph, Grammer, and allied families. Later items are scattered correspondence of George W. Lay regarding genealogy, some letters have genealogical data attached.
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Subseries 2.2. Genealogical Data
Arrangement: alphabetical by family name.
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Items Separated
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, October 2009
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
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