{"value"=>"<p>The <span class=\"title\">Bishopric,</span>1871-1986, subseries is arranged to reflect the structure of the Church. Hence the first ten divisions of the subseries contain material regarding the First through Tenth Episcopal Districts. The last District was formed after Bunton's term as Bishop of the C.M.E. Church. Each District subdivision consists of folders pertaining to the bishops of the District, the District's Annual Conferences and the districts of those Conferences. The folders regarding bishops contain their correspondence with Bunton in their capacity as bishops as well as holders of other positions in the C.M.E. Church. These folders contain few letters from Bunton. The letters reflect the concerns, requests, and administration of these clergymen. In some cases the correspondence of a bishop may be found within more than one subdivision because he may have presided over more than one Episcopal District during his career and over an Annual Conference in another District. In addition to correspondence, the bishops' folders contain clippings, printed matter, certificates, programs and souvenir journals. The files pertaining to the Annual Conferences and their districts contain correspondence, clippings, minutes, financial statements, programs, and printed matter. This subseries contains the oldest document in the entire collection: the minutes of the Colored Georgia Conference, January 1871.</p> <p>The Seventh Episcopal District subdivision is the largest in this subseries. This is also the District to which Bunton was assigned from 1962 to 1978 during his bishopric. This subdivision contains correspondence, clippings, deeds, depositions, indentures, and statements of closing, documents of incorporation, minutes and agendas, financial statements, journals, programs, souvenir journals, marriage licenses, and certificates. The certificates folder contains certificates of appointment to C.M.E. Church offices in the Seventh Episcopal District and transfer certificates to individuals transferring from Conferences in other Episcopal Districts to ones within Bunton's District. This subdivision also contains two bound handwritten journals of the Washington District, 1902-1938.</p>"}