Special Collections & Archives

Correspondence, diaries, biographical notes, record books, sermons, speeches, scrapbooks, correspondence and other papers of Basil Manly (1798-1892) and his two sons, Basil Manly, Jr. (1825-92), Baptist pastor and educator, and Charles Manly (1837-1924).

Samuel Wait (1789-1867) was a Baptist minister and first President of Wake Forest Institute, later Wake Forest University. Wait was born and raised in New England and married Sarah (Sally) Merriam in 1818. This collection includes correspondence between Samuel and Sally during his journeys; correspondence with government and church officials, family members, and others; Sally's journal (1814-1817) and Samuel's journal (1826-1833); other writings; financial, legal, and other documents relating to the Wait family, the Baptist church, and Wake Forest Institute; photographs, including portraits of Samuel and Sally; and a few personal posessions.