Scope and arrangement
The Hollis R. Lynch papers, dating from 1920 to 2021 (bulk dates 1940 to 2007), trace the life and career of the Tobagonian historian. The collection highlights Lynch's research; professional duties at Columbia University and other institutions; and his influence as a notable Black historian and shaper of Black studies programs at American universities. It also offers insight into Lynch's personal life and ownership of the Tobagonian plantation home Richmond Great House.
Lynch's papers contain professional and personal correspondence, primary materials and notes used for his academic writings, and subject files. The research materials include documents related to modern African history and the Pan-Africanism movement of the 19th and 20th centuries. In particular, there are many primary sources gathered by Lynch for his research into K.O. Mbadiwe and the African Academy of Arts and Research.
Original folder titles, supplied by Lynch, are maintained whenever possible.
The Hollis R. Lynch papers are arranged in four series:
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1959-20077.92 linear feet (19 boxes)
Series I contains Lynch's subject files, dating from 1959 to 2007. This series focuses on Lynch's professional activities as a historian, educator, editor, and shaper of departments at Columbia University and other institutions. Some materials related to Lynch's personal life are present in this series, including files on his children.
Much of this series consists of correspondence between Lynch and others. While Series III contains correspondence arranged by date and name, the correspondence throughout this series is in the context of particular subjects, and is often accompanied by other materials: notes, forms, book reviews, and memorandums being the most prominent. Series II, as well, overlaps in subject matter with this series. But whereas Series II holds primary materials Lynch collected for research, this series contains administrative materials and correspondence generated by Lynch and his colleagues and contemporaries.
The series holds files on Lynch's major books, namely his first book published in 1967, Edward Wilmot Blyden: Pan-Negro Patriot, 1832-1912. Correspondence about the book's publication, later editions, and its use in classrooms is present, as are initial reviews of the book. There are materials for K.O. Mbadiwe: A Nigerian Political Biography, 1915-1990, including correspondence from throughout Lynch's decades-long research process, a draft of chapter four, and reviews. Lynch's extensive research materials for this book can be found in Series II.
A large amount of correspondence and notes for the Oxford University Press series of Black biographies are present in this series; Lynch's letters to authors and other editors about biography proposals exist here. There are files on other book publishers with which Lynch was involved as an author or editor, notably Andronicus Publishing Company, Garrard Publishing Company, Greenwood Press, and Houghton Mifflin.
The series holds subject files relating to Columbia University, such as Wallach Hall, the Institute of African Studies, and proposed professorship and chair appointments. The Wallach Hall materials are especially extensive, with press about Lynch's residency, and notes and correspondence about events held at the residence.
Also of note are files on the University of British Columbia and University of London, which feature several papers Lynch wrote about African history and Pan-Africanism. Additionally, the series holds dissertations and papers by students for whom Lynch was an advisor, along with notes and correspondence about their research.
Other subject files concern social issues such as Black police in cities and minorities at Columbia University; graduate students; and institutions at which Lynch lectured or taught. There is also a set of recommendations Lynch wrote for professors and students.
The files on Lynch's children are mostly made up of news clippings about Shola and Nnenna Lynch's careers as track and field athletes, as well as their college activities and marriages.
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1920-2000s9.25 linear feet (23 boxes)
This series, which dates from 1920 to the 2000s, contains Lynch's extensive collection of primary sources and his own notes that he used for books, academic articles, and courses that he taught. Some overlap in topics exists between this series and Series I; where the latter consists of administrative documents and correspondence generated by Lynch and others, this series holds materials gathered by Lynch specifically for research purposes.
The primary sources consist mostly of correspondence, writings, memorandums, and forms. Lynch's notes, which are less prevalent than the primary sources, generally feature direct quotes from newspaper articles and academic papers. His notes have citations, and were mostly written and assembled in the 1970s and 1980s.
There are numerous research materials related to the African Academy of Arts and Research (AAAR) in this series. The AAAR materials date chiefly from 1945 to 1947, and include letters, memorandums, and forms relating to administrative matters. In particular, there are many materials for the AAAR's 1945 and 1946 dance and music festivals of which Eleanor Roosevelt was a guest. Also present are membership lists, meeting minutes, the organization's by-laws and constitution, financial plans, promotional materials, fundraising documents, and drafts of AAAR's yearbooks. A significant amount of the correspondence in the AAAR materials includes letters written by K.O. Mbadiwe. A separate group of Mbadiwe research materials is held in the series; these materials largely date from the 1960s and 1970s, and address Mbadiwe's political activities in Nigeria.
Elsewhere, this series holds dozens of Lynch's notecards with quotes he copied from African American newspapers of the 1940s and 1950s. The quotes mostly concern the activities of African citizens in the United States at the time. There are also research files on topics such as Black urban America, Black urban religion, the Council on African Affairs, and West Africa.
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1957-20218.75 linear feet (21 boxes)
This series contains Lynch's correspondence dating from 1959 to 2021. Correspondence is present in all other series, in the context of particular subjects. This series, on the other hand, features a sustained assemblage of correspondence organized by date or correspondent name. The majority of the correspondence here relates to Lynch's professional activities, though personal letters exist throughout the series. Occasional clippings, fliers, and notes are included with the correspondence.
The earliest correspondence originates from Lynch's time as a student at the University of British Columbia and the University of London. There are letters from his mother, as well as letters from professors and university administrators addressing Lynch's academic progress. Also present are letters from Lynch's time at the University of Ibadan from 1964 to 1966, some of which discuss the contemporary political climate in Nigeria. Correspondence from 1968 to 1969 touches on Lynch's appointments at the State University of New York at Buffalo and Columbia University; the publication of his first book, Edward Wilmot Blyden: Pan-Negro Patriot, 1832-1912; and the development of the Black studies program at Buffalo.
Much of the 1970s and 1980s correspondence concerns administrative and educational matters at Columbia. There is correspondence addressing Lynch's residency at Wallach Hall, events and lectures at Columbia and other institutions, courses taught by Lynch, and the Institute of African Studies. Some correspondence is about publishing matters, the status of other Columbia professors, and students.
Correspondence from the 1990s to 2021 is more personal than professional. There are letters to and from Lynch's friends, relatives, and colleagues, including thank you cards and holiday cards. Some personal correspondence, specifically from the 1990s, relates to Richmond Great House; additional Richmond Great House materials are in Series IV.
The correspondence by name largely includes letters to and from Lynch's former students. They touch on personal matters, such as travel, as well as academic aspects of their careers.
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1973-20112.5 linear feet (6 boxes)
Series IV holds materials related to Richmond Great House, the 18th century plantation home in Tobago that Lynch purchased in 1973. The series dates from 1973 to 2011.
A significant portion of the series consists of forms and correspondence concerning the maintenance of the building and its grounds. There are materials for building extensions, remodeling projects, and industrial developments. The original deed from 1973 is held here, as are other documents involved in the purchase.
Also present are press clippings about Richmond Great House, mostly from the 1990s and 2000s. A set of guest correspondence is included, which features letters to Lynch thanking him for his hospitality, or following up on tasks. Some guest correspondence is also in Series III.