The Guy Yoakum papers document the life and work of a Congregational minister during the first half of the twentieth century, his social and political concerns, wide-ranging interests, and desire to share his thoughts through his writings. The papers are arranged in five series: BIOGRAPHICAL, PROFESSIONAL, CORRESPONDENCE, WRITINGS, and VISUAL MATERIALS.
The BIOGRAPHICAL series includes birth and marriage documents, school and armed service records, news clippings, and a photocopy of a diary that details Yoakum's life during part of his tenure as pastor of Hope Congregational Church in Sturgeon Bay. Also included are the patent, correspondence, and news clippings for the car tire chains Yoakum invented for winter driving when he was living in Wisconsin.
The PROFESSIONAL series includes papers from the various pastorates where Yoakum served, a well-documented aspect of the collection. News clippings included with the pastorate files document the social concerns that characterized his ministry and the subsequent difficulties he sometimes encountered because of his opinions. Also included are papers from Yoakum's work as Civic Director of the City Club of Chicago.
The CORRESPONDENCE series includes extensive correspondence between Yoakum and the Rev. Ella W. Brown, who was his former teacher, a women's suffragist, and the minister who performed the marriage ceremony for Guy Yoakum and Eunice Abbot. Some of the correspondence to Rev. Brown and to Yoakum's family was written during his service with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF, 1918-1919). Also included is personal and professional correspondence concerning his many interim pastorates in the Midwest and Southwest.
The WRITINGS series includes typewritten chapter drafts of Yoakum's unpublished book on American religion, as well as sermons, articles, columns, and poetry.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series includes group photographs from his work with the Wisconsin Congregational Conference and the City Club of Chicago, family photos, and his car tire chain invention. Also includes a poster for a public debate on politics in which Yoakum participated in Ephraim, Wisconsin, and a 4th Division road map from his work with the AEF.
