Marse and Marian Grant Papers
Marse and Marian Grant were two of the best known North Carolina baptists. Married for 66 years, they had three children. Marse Grant served as editor for the publication Children and Charity from 1949-1959 and for The Biblical Recorder from 1960-1982. Marian Grant served as a columnist for both Charity and Children and The Biblical Recorder as well as serving as the chair for the North Carolina Women's Forum. These papers document both the personal and professional lives of Marse and Marian Grant. They are accounts of the couples correspondence with their family, other members of the baptist community, and other editors and publishers. In addition, they include various news clippings both related to the correspondence and recording the writing of Marse and Marian. This collection also includes copies of the publication Children and Charity, as well as some personal artifacts including books and plaques.
Biographical and Historical Note
J. Marse Grant was born September 13, 1920, in High Point, N.C. to Leonidas L. and Elsie Blankenship Grant. Grant attended High Point College, graduating in 1941. His early career was spent as a journalist at several N.C. newspapers. By 1949, Grant was Editor of Children & Charity, the long running news publication of the N.C. Baptist Children's Homes. He remained in this role until January 1960, when he became Editor of the Biblical Recorder, is the official journal for the N.C. Baptist State Convention. He stayed in this position from 1960-1982. In 1970, he wrote the book The Scandal of Drinking and Driving.
Grant married Marian Sanford Gibbs on June 16, 1941, and soon after their marriage Marian began working alongside her husband. Throughout her long career, she contributed numerous articles to Children & Charity and later to the Biblical Recorder. Marian Grant was the first woman to serve as chairperson of the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Order of Business and was recording secretary of the N.C. Woman's Missionary Union. Married for 66 years, Marse and Marian had three children together.
Marse Grant died October 17, 2008 and Marian Grant died March 15, 2017.
Collection Overview
These papers document both the personal and professional lives of Marse and Marian Grant. The collection includes the couples' correspondence with their family, other members of the Baptist community, and other editors and publishers. News clippings related to the correspondence and recording the writings of Marse and Marian are also present along with copies of the publication Children and Charity and a small number of personal artifacts, books, and plaques. Materials are listed in original order.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Riley Richards, 2017 November 1
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Marse and Marian Grant Papers (MS625), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.