Guide to
C. I. (Cyrus Ingerson) Scofield Papers
1889-1909 and undated, bulk 1889-1892
.04 linear feet
Accession Number: 2004-3
Collection Number: CN 001
Prepared by Lolana Thompson
April 2004
Abstract: Pastor, theologian, and author. Correspondence with another pastor.
Preferred Citation:
[Identification of the Item], C. I. (Cyrus Ingerson) Scofield Papers, CN 001, Folder 1, Archives,
Dallas Theological Seminary.
Archives, Dallas Theological Seminary, 3909 Swiss Ave., Dallas, TX 75204
Biographical Sketch:
Cyrus Ingerson Scofield was born August 19, 1843 in Michigan, the seventh child of Elias and
Abigail Scofield. He served in the Confederate Army. In 1866, Scofield married Leontine Cerré
in St. Louis, Missouri. They settled in Atchison, Kansas, where he practiced law and was elected
to the lower house of the Kansas legislature in 1871 and 1872. He served as U.S. District
Attorney of Kansas in 1873. Undisclosed problems caused Scofield to resign his post within six
months. Cyrus and Leontine had three children, Abigail, Helene (sometimes shortened to Helen),
and Guy. Guy died when he was still a child. Scofield’s wife obtained a legal separation in 1877,
and they were eventually divorced in 1883. Scofield returned to St. Louis in 1879, where he
drank heavily until he became a Christian later that year. Scofield worked in the evangelistic
campaign of D. L. Moody in St. Louis, 1879-80. Scofield served as acting secretary of the
YMCA in the city, and was licensed to preach in 1880. Scofield accepted a call to pastor a small
mission, First Congregational Church in Dallas, Texas, and was ordained by the North Texas
Congregational Association in 1883. In 1884 he married Hettie Hall van Wart. Other variations
on Hettie’s maiden name include Wartz, von Wartz, Wark, van Wark, and van Hart. C. I. and
Hettie’s only child, Noel Paul, was born in 1888. Scofield served as secretary of the Department
of Texas and Louisiana of the American Home Missionary Society. In 1890, he helped found the
denominational Lake Charles College in Louisiana, then served as chairman of its board of
trustees. He also developed a Bible correspondence course and edited the periodical The
Believer. In 1888, he wrote the book Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, defending
dispensational premillennialism. Scofield’s church in Dallas grew from fourteen to over eight
hundred members by the time he left in 1895 to become pastor of D. L. Moody’s church, the
Trinitarian Congregational Church of East Northfield, Massachusetts. Scofield returned to pastor
his church in Dallas in 1903, but was often absent preparing a Bible with study notes. Oxford
University Press published this very popular Scofield Reference Bible in 1909, and a revised
edition in 1917. In 1908 the First Congregational Church in Dallas withdrew from the local
Congregational association citing increased liberalism as the reason. Scofield resigned from the
Dallas church in 1909 and moved to New York, where he remained active although his health
was poor. In 1914 he helped found the Philadelphia School of the Bible. Over the years he was a
regular speaker at Bible conferences, such as Niagra and Northfield. Scofield died July 24,
1921. Scofield had a great impact on evangelical fundamentalism and became a leading defender
of dispensational premillennialism.
Sources:
Be Vier, William A. “A Biographical Sketch of C. I. Scofield.” M.A. thesis, Southern Methodist
University, 1960.
Goss, Glenn R. “Cyrus Ingerson Scofield and the Scofield Reference Bible.” 2003. Online.
Scofield Memorial Church. Available: http://www.scofield.org/visitors/history.asp.
September 22, 2003.
Hannah, John D., “Cyrus Ingerson Scofield” in American National Biography, ed. John A.
Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, v.19, 480-481. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
CN 001 Guide to C. I. (Cyrus Ingerson) Scofield Papers Page 3 of 3
System of Arrangement:
This collection is in one series, correspondence arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note:
This collection consists of fifteen letters, on 46 leaves, written by C. I. Scofield to Frank W.
Boyle, who was apparently the pastor of a church in Sherman, TX. Scofield mentions other
pastors in the area, discusses theological questions, comments about his activities and poor
health, and offers encouragement to Boyle.
Selected Search Terms:
Scofield, C. I. (Cyrus Ingerson), 1843-1921
Donor/Source:
These letters were donated to Dallas Theological Seminary by Mr. Joshue Durant in May 2002.
Custodial History:
Mr. Joshue Durant inherited the letters from Mrs. Mary B. DeRoos, the daughter of Frank W.
Boyle. (Mrs. DeRoos helped found the children’s home where Mr. Durant was raised.)
Literary Rights:
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Related Material:
Additional information concerning C. I. Scofield may be found in the following collection in the
Archives of Dallas Theological Seminary: CN 003 C. I. Scofield Papers, 1909, 1918.
Check the library catalog for books by and about C. I. Scofield.
Note to the Researcher:
The papers are fragile and already have a few corners missing. They must be handled very
carefully.
Container List
Series I. Correspondence 1898-1909 and undated
Folder# Title, Dates, Description
1 Frank W. Boyle 1898-1909 and undated
15 letters on various topics including Christ as man and God, salvation,
baptism, marriage of a believer to an unbeliever, sin, eternal life, election,
Central American Mission (CAM), YMCA, “Simpson folks,” the publication "The
Believer," Lake Orion Conference, and sending a Bible to Bro. DeRoos in
Managua.
