Rev. M.E.N. Lindsay papers

The M.E.N. Lindsay papers consist largely of correspondence that he received in the aftermath of the publicity that was generated by the anti-Nazi protest in Southbury, Connecticut in November 1937. While most of the correspondence originated from either Connecticut or New York, letters received from as far away as Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California showed that the story of the Southbury protest had been picked up by newspaper wire services and published around the country. Some correspondents simply sent letters or postcards expressing either their support or opposition to the actions in Southbury. Others, however, included newspaper clippings, as well as fliers, leaflets, and other printed material illustrating political viewpoints that ranged across the spectrum, from liberal mainline Protestantism, labor unions, and progressive political organizations; to anti-Communist and pro-American organizations, as well as groups that promoted anti-Semitism and segregationist views. Most of this material came unsolicited to Lindsay, and he apparently did not respond to most of those who sent him such materials. In one case, though, he responded to a letter writer who repeatedly sent him the anti-Semitic and racist publication The New Liberation, attempting to reason with this person and help him question the views espoused by this publication (see file 1:2, Anderson, Ebba). In addition to the correspondence and printed material received by Lindsay, the collection contains the typescript of a sermon that Lindsay delivered from the pulpit of the South Britain Congregational Church in November 1937, titled “Nazism: An Anti-Christian Menace.” Also included is a flier, signed “The Kettletowners,” that was placed in the mailbox of every resident of Southbury, along with a reprint of a magazine article about the German-American Bund, as an incentive to get residents to turn out for the town hall meeting of November 1937, at which Reverend Lindsay and other town leaders urged residents to mobilize in opposition to the planned Bund camp. A photocopy of a master’s thesis, written by Lillian Hicock, the niece of Judge Harold Hicock of Southbury, examining the events surrounding the Southbury protests, is also included (the original is located at the University of Virginia). For an event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Southbury protest in 2012, a group of local residents researched these events, and made photocopies of documents that are held by the Southbury Historical Society in South Britain, Connecticut. These documents include correspondence sent to local leaders, including Judge Hicock and Jennie Hinman, as well as additional correspondence sent to Reverend Lindsay, as well as newspaper clippings. Although these photocopies were not a part of the M.E.N. Lindsay collection, they have been added to this collection because of their topical relevance.