Hi everyone- time to introduce you to the Levi and Jewell Terrill collection. This couple has deep ties to Georgia and the history of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia (GMBCGA) and the National Baptist Convention USA (NBCUSA).

Levi Maurice Terrill was born in Missouri on September 18, 1899. He came to Atlanta, Georgia in 1922 to enter Morehouse College, and practiced pharmacy at the old Gate City Drug Store in Atlanta to help with college expenses. He was ordained into the ministry in Athens, Georgia at the First Baptist Church, and preached around the area until he was called in 1943 to Zion Hill Baptist Church in Atlanta Georgia, staying there until his death in 1971. Aside from the active pastorate, he served as Vice President of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia for twenty years and as President from 1959 until his death. He was also the first Director of the Morehouse School of Religion for several years, and Professor of Baptist History and Polity at the Interdenominational Theological Center from 1953 to 1962. In 1969, Terrill was elected Vice President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. – a promotion from assistant secretary which was a position he held for many years.

Jewell Evelyn Middlebrooks was born March 4, 1907 in Griffin, Georgia and also baptized at an early age. She was a Normal student at Atlanta University where she graduated with a certificate; she then attended Savannah State College for one year. She married Levi Terrill in 1929, and had three children together. For twelve years she was the First Lady of the 500,000-member General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia, Inc. and established a strong record of service at a variety of Baptist organizations.

Some interesting items in this collection relate to the organizations with which the Terrills were associated, documenting the various programs and associations of the GMBCGA. A bulk of the collection materials document the work of the GMBCGA and its previous presidents and directors, including C.C. Crawford, S. S. Broadnax, James H. Gadson, and D. A. Arnold. These materials contain a large amount of programs, reports and minutes of the numerous boards, auxiliaries, and associations associated with the GMBCGA. Of note in these materials are reports, land deeds, and correspondence relating to the creation and subsequent turmoil over the closing of Central City College in Macon, Georgia. This school was founded in October 1889 by the Reverend E. K. Love under the auspices of the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia. It served as a co-educational institution of learning for African American students at high school and college levels. It was renamed Georgia Baptist College in 1938, but beset by financial woes, the school closed in 1956.

The photographs within this collection document trips taken by the Reverend and Mrs. Terrill – notably one to London – as well as other images of buildings and people from the GMBCGA.  They are currently available through Digital Commons. You can find more information about the Terrills and the GMBCGA through the finding aid here. A few audio recordings found in the collection will soon be available, so be sure to check back on Digital Commons to see what’s new!