Biographical / Historical Sketch: Born in Pelham, TN on August 25, 1899, to James Carter and Melvina (Henley) Partin. On August 4, 1930, he married Sidnah McDonald Sherard. He received the B.S. degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 1927 and, from George Peabody College for Teachers he received the MA in 1928 and the Ph.D. in 1935. He did postgraduate work at Columbia in 1932. He taught at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia during 1927-28, at Peabody College during 1928-29, at Selma High School from 1929 to 1937 and at Auburn University after 1937. He served as president of the Auburn University Faculty Forum during 1945-46, and was a member of the American, Southern, Alabama, and Tennessee Historical Associations and Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Alpha Theta honor societies. He died April 2, 1980.

Scope/Content: The papers of Robert Partin, Professor of History; published and unpublished manuscripts, correspondence, notes from classes, newspaper clippings, copies of Civil War letters, and copies of nineteenth century newspaper clippings.

Partin bibliography:

• The Administration of Isham G. Harris. M.A. Thesis, George Peabody College for Teachers, 1928.
• "Alabama's Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878."  The Alabama Review, January, 1957.
• "Dr. Jerome Cochran, Yellow Fever Fighter."  The Alabama Review, January, 1960.
• The Sustaining Faith of an Alabama Soldier. [n.p.] State University of Iowa, 1960.
• Lee County Jokes 100 Years Ago; A Case Study in Reconstruction Humor in Alabama.  Loachapoka, Lee County (Alabama) Historical Society, 1973.

Inventory:

Box 1

1. Lee County Jokes 100 Years Ago (Drafts)
2. Lee County Jokes 100 Years Ago (Drafts)
3. Lee County Jokes 100 Years Ago (Drafts)
4. Lee County Jokes 100 Years Ago (Drafts)
5. Lee County Newspaper Humor
6. Longhand Copies of Newspaper Humor in Reconstruction Alabama
7. "Newspaper Humor In Alabama During the Hard Times of the Gay Nineties"
8. Gay Nineties Newspaper Humor (Notes, 1 of 2)
9. Gay Nineties Newspaper Humor (Notes, 2 of 2)
10. Longhand Copies of Newspaper Articles on Index Cards
11. Notes from Newspapers of the Gay Nineties
12. Newspaper Humor in Selma in the Gay Nineties (1 of 2)
13. Newspaper Humor in Selma in the Gay Nineties (2 of 2)
14. Longhand Copies of Newspaper Humor from the 1890s
15. Longhand Copies of Newspaper Humor from the 1890s
16. Notes on Humor
17. "Fish Lying" (Drafts and Discarded Material)
18. "Fish Lying" and Other Lying Humor
19. "Fish Lying" and Other Lying Humor
20. "The Place of Humor in the Art of Teaching"
21. Newspaper Clippings from the 1960s Concerning Humor and Current Events (1 of 2)
22. Newspaper Clippings from the 1960s Concerning Humor and Current Events (2 of 2)
23. Lions Speech: " So You Think the Joke You Heard Is New"
24. Rotary Club: Speeches on Humor
25. The Didactic Element in 20^th Century English and American Biography
Box 2
1. Newspaper Clippings and Correspondence
2. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
3. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
4. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
5. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
6. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
7. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
8. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
9. Various Notes and Manuscripts on Humor
10. Miscellaneous Notes and Articles (1 of 2)
11. Miscellaneous Notes and Articles (2 of 2)
12. "A Few Hints to Newspaper Readers"
13. Notes on Biography (1 of 3)
14. Notes on Biography (2 of 3)
15. Notes on Biography (3 of 3)
16. Notes on Leadership
17. Ten of the World’s Greatest Biographies (1 of 2)
18. Ten of the World’s Greatest Biographies (2 of 2)
19. Typed Manuscripts on Biography (1 of 2)
20. Typed Manuscripts on Biography (2 of 2)
21. Service Report from Fall, 1959, and Notes on Biography
22. Newspaper Clippings on Great Leaders
23. Notes on Biography
24. Notes on the Destructiveness of WWI and on Great Leaders
25. Writings on Biography (1 of 3)
26. Writings on Biography (2 of 3)
27. Writings on Biography (3 of 3)
Box 3
1. The Great Man Theory in the Works of Charles A. Beard
2. "The Sustaining Faith of an Alabama Soldier" & "The Money Matters of a Confederate Soldier"
3. "The Vivid Prose of a Confederate Private-Sergeant"
4. "The Causes of East Tennessee’s Adherence to the Union in 1861"
5. Letter from RC McCalla; "A Confederate Mare, Her Colt, and a Little Boy;" Typed Copies of Civil War Letters
6. Notes on McCalla; Typed Copies of Civil War Letters
7. Material on General James H. Lane
8. Photographs of Civil War Letters
9. "The Revolt in East Tennessee: The Causes of the Revolt"
10. "The War Letters of a Confederate Soldier, (1861-1864)"
11. "An Alabama Confederate Soldier’s Report to his Wife" & "A Confederate Sergeant’s Report to his Wife"
12. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters & Notes on Fort Morgan, Fall 1861
13. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters & Notes on Fort Morgan, Winter 1861-62
14. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters & Notes on Fort Morgan, Spring 1862
15. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters & Notes on Fort Pillow, April 1862
16. "School Teaching Days in Clarke County Before the War"
17. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters & Notes on Fort Morgan, Summer 1861
18. " Summary of Events in Alabama in 1860 and Early 1861" & a Sketch of Hiram Talbert Holt
19. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
20. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
21. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters
22. "The War Letters of a Confederate Soldier" (1 of 5)
23. "The War Letters of a Confederate Soldier" (2 of 5)
24. "The War Letters of a Confederate Soldier" (3 of 5)
25. "The War Letters of a Confederate Soldier" (4 of 5)
26. "The War Letters of a Confederate Soldier" (5 of 5)
27. "The Humor of a Confederate Soldier"
28. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
29. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
30. Index to Questionnaires of Civil War Veterans & Correspondence Regarding Richard C. McCalla
31. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
32. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
33. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
34. Notes on H.T. Holt
35. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
36. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters by H.T. Holt and Others & A School Contract by Holt, 1858
37. Typed Copies of Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
38. Typed Manuscript Concerning the Civil War Letters of H.T. Holt
Box 4
1. "The Causes of the Anti-Secession Revolt in East Tennessee" & Notes Concerning a Democratic School Program
2. Miscellaneous Notes
3. "Upon Possessing an Oil Painting of Great Age and Unknown Value"
4. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin (1 of 5)
• "Why Do People Write"
• "An Alabama Confederate Soldier’s Report to His Wife"
• "Captain Richard C. McCalla: Confederate Railroad Bridge Builder of East Tennessee"
• "My Favorite Biography: Freeman’s R. E. Lee"
• "Black Bend Grange, 1873-77: A Case Study of a Subordinate Grange of the Deep South"
• "Biography is Still an Instrument of Moral Instruction"
5. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin (2 of 5)
• "The Civil War in East Tennessee as Reported by a Confederate Bridge Builder"
• "George Washington: Paragon and Person, as Seen by Biographers from Weems to Freeman"
• "A Confederate Sergeant’s Report to His Wife during the Bombardment of Fort Pillow"
• "The Momentous Events of the Civil War as Reported by a Confederate Private-Sergeant"
6. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin (3 of 5)
• "Dr. Jerome Cochran: Yellow Fever Fighter"
•  Review of The Clays of Alabama
• "Report of a Corporal of the Alabama 1^st Infantry on Talk and Fighting Along the Mississippi, 1862-63"
• "Black Bend’s Grange, 1873-77: A Case Study of a Subordinate Grange of the Deep South"
7. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin (4 of 5)
• "George Washington: Paragon and Person, as Seen by Biographers from Weems to Freeman"
• "The Sustaining Faith of an Alabama Confederate Private-Sergeant"
• "How Dr. J.C. Godbold of Black’s Bend Spent His Time and Money During the Year 1880"
8. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin (5 of 5)
• "A Settler’s Report (1863) on Santa Anna’s Defeat and Land Prospects in Texas"
• "The Place of Humor in the Art of Teaching"
• "This is Our American Heritage"
• "The Forbes Letters, 1847-66"
• "Alabama during the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878"
9. "The Wartime Experiences of Margaret McCalla"
10. Writings on Robert E. Lee & Notes on Biography
11. "George Washington: Paragon and Person, as Seen by Biographers from Weems to Freeman" & "This is the American Heritage"
12. "The Meaning of History in the 1960s"
13. Notes on Villains and Heroes
14. Notes on Great Leaders (1 of 2)
15. Notes on Great Leaders (2 of 2)
16. Notes on the Separation of Church and State & Miscellaneous Material
17. Notes on Great Leaders and on the Constitution & Notes from 1890s Newspaper Articles
18. "History: Bunk or Prophecy? Event or Record? Art or Science?" (1 of 2)
19. "History: Bunk or Prophecy? Event or Record? Art or Science?" (2 of 2)
20. Notes on the Use of History (1 of 2)
21. Notes on the Use of History (2 of 2)
22. Notes on History in the Age of Space Ships and Nuclear Bombs (1 of 2)
23. Notes on History in the Age of Space Ships and Nuclear Bombs (2 of 2)
24. Notes on the Nature of History (1 of 2)
25. Notes on the Nature of History (2 of 2)
26. Notes on Carlyle
27. "Facts About Alabama From a Traveling Guide Published 150 Years Ago"
28. Note on "The Dangerous Age of ‘Great Fear’"
29. Notes on Teaching and Studying History & The American Observer, Dec. 7, 1942
30. Notes on Carlyle and His Theories
31. Notes on Carlyle and His Theories
32. Notes on Professional Historians, Including Carlyle & The Rotarian, Aug. 1974
Box 5
1. Notes on Carlyle: "Do Leaders or Masses Make History?"
2. Notes: "The Importance of Leaders Today" & "The Titans During the Second World War"
3. "Why Do People Write?" & "Seven Men Went to War" & Miscellaneous Notes
4. "A Few Hints to Newspaper Readers" & "Positive Proof of the Advantages of Education" & Notes on Poetry & Miscellaneous Notes
5. Writings on a Democratic School System & Miscellaneous Writings (1 of 2)
6. Writings on a Democratic School System & Miscellaneous Writings (2 of 2)
7. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin
• "Seven Men Went to War"
• "The Meaning of Democracy"
• Writings on Sherman G. Forbes
• "The Nature of Sovereignty"
• Miscellaneous Writings
8. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin
• "The Voice of the Uneducated"
• "How the War Lords Control Japan"
• "A Protest against the Attempt to Integrate History and Poetry"
• "Dogs That Are Different"
• "The Causes of the Revolt in East Tennessee"
9. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin
• "Voices from the Illiterates"
• "A Consideration of the Democratic School Program from a Practical Point of View"
• "Can the Word Democracy Be as Precisely Defined as the Words Communism, Fascism, and Nazism?"
• "Is the Free Discussion of Democracy Threatened by Copyright Restrictions?"
• "What Kind of Democracy Shall We Teach?"
• "Are the Korean People Capable of Independence?"
• Miscellaneous Notes and Writings
10. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin
• "Let Us Integrate the Theories and Practices of School Discipline"
• "Who Are the Progressive Educators?"
• Suggested Readings for HY 534
• "American Culture: Present Adverse Criticism and Future Prospects (by David Snedden)
• Review of Rivers of Alabama
• "WWI Guilt Question: A Comparison of the Theories of the World’s Leading Historians" (by Cook for HY 639)
• "The Great Man Theory in the Works of Charles A. Beard"
• Miscellaneous Writings
11. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin
• "Voltaire’s Historical Witticisms: A Case of Invalid Charges Against the Discipline"
• "The Meaning of History: A Different Approach Entirely from that of Professor Szasz"
• "History is not a ‘Lie,’ a ‘Pack of Tricks,’ a ‘Register of Crimes,’ ‘Rumor,’ or Bunk’"
• "The Truth about Henry Ford and History is Bunk"
• "The Use of History in the Daily Lives of Alabamians"
• Review of John Williams Walker: A Study in the Political and Cultural Life of the Old Southwest
12. Notes on Great Leaders
13. Notes on Great Leaders
14. Notes on Great Leaders
15. Notes on Great Leaders
16. "Ghandi: An Appraisal"
17. Miscellaneous Notes (1 of 2)
18. Miscellaneous Notes (2 of 2)
19. Miscellaneous Notes
20. Notes on Great Leaders
21. Notes on Great Leaders
22. Notes on Great Leaders
23. Notes on Great Leaders
24. Notes on Great Leaders
25. Notes on Great Leaders
26. Notes on Great Leaders
27. Correspondence from Mrs. John L. Curry
28. Correspondence: The Progressive Farmer, The Selma-Times Journal, and the East Tennessee Historical Society
29. Miscellaneous Correspondence
30. Income Tax Forms: 1966, 1972 and 1973
31. Miscellaneous Receipts
32. Publications List of Dr. Partin, Correspondence, Pamphlets, & Miscellaneous Material
Box 6
1. Correspondence, Pamphlets, & Miscellaneous Material
2. Correspondence & Copies of Newspaper Articles
3. Correspondence
4. "The Wartime Religion of An Alabama Confederate Private-Sergeant"
5. Correspondence
6. Correspondence
7. Correspondence
8. Correspondence
9. Correspondence
10. Correspondence
11. Two Grade Books
12. Textbook Outline and an HY 208 Test
13. Miscellaneous Class Materials
14. Notes on Leaders
15. Copies of Tests
16. Notes on Leadership
17. Notes on Leaders
18. Notes on Leaders
19. Notes on Leadership and Power (1 of 2)
20. Notes on Leadership and Power (2 of 2)
21. Notes on Leaders
22. Miscellaneous Notes, Articles, & Correspondence
23. Notes on Leaders
24. Notes on Leaders
25. Notes on Leaders
26. Notes on Leaders
Box 7
1. Notes on Leaders
2. Notes on Leaders
3. Notes on Leaders
4. Notes on Leaders
5. Notes on Leaders
6. Notes on Leaders
7. Notes on Leaders
8. Notes on Leaders
9. Notes on Leaders
10. Notes on Leaders
11. Beatles Photograph
12. Notes on Charles Beard
13. Journal Articles by Dr. Partin (1 of 2)
14. Journal Articles by Dr. Partin (2 of 2)
15. Journal Articles by Dr. Partin
16. 1963 Alabama Highway Map, Pamphlet: "Our Southern Heritage," & a Newspaper Article
17. "East-European, Russian, and Asian Studies at Auburn University, 1972"
18. "A Compilation of Current Christian Illustrations and Evidences from Physics," 1970
19. Photocopies of 1890s Newspaper Articles
20. Notes on Philosophy and Science
21. A Book Review by Dr. Partin & Miscellaneous Material
22. Miscellaneous Papers and Class Material
23. Miscellaneous Notes
24. Miscellaneous Notes and Writings (1 of 2)
25. Miscellaneous Notes and Writings (2 of 2)
26. Miscellaneous Notes, Letters, & Articles
27. Miscellaneous Notes and Writings
28. The Social Studies, 1970 & Three Papers by Dr. Partin
• "Biography as an Instrument of Moral Instruction"
• "Eminent Victorians and R. E. Lee: A Case Study in Contrasts"
• "The Changing Images of George Washington from Weems to Freeman"
Box 8
1. Notes on Leaders (1 of 2)
2. Notes on Leaders (2 of 2)
3. Miscellaneous Notes and Articles
4. Miscellaneous Notes and Articles
5. Reading Lists
6. Collected Writings of Dr. Partin
• "They Are Poles Apart"
• "The Changing Images of George Washington from Weems to Freeman"
• "Remarks to the Faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences, October 14, 1968"
• "Introduction to Political Philosophy"
• "Old Things around the House: An Appreciation"
• "Some of the World’s Most Influential Historians"
7. Miscellaneous Notes and a Reading List
8. Miscellaneous Notes and Articles
Box 9
1. Miscellaneous Notes (1 of 2)
2. Miscellaneous Notes (2 of 2)
3. Rubber Signature Stamp
4. The Tennessee Historical Quarterly: 3 Issues, March 1959, Sept. 1963, & Spring 1965
5. The Social Studies: 2 Issues, Feb. 1965 & Nov. 1969
6. The Alabama Historical Quarterly: Summer 1974

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