Born August 2, 1899 in Anderson, SC, Samuel Orr Capers was the fourth in a line of ordained ministers. His father, William Theodotus Capers, was bishop of the Diocese of West Texas. Samuel Capers’ grandfather, Ellison Capers, served as the Bishop of South Carolina and as a brigadier general in the Confederate army. Samuel Capers’ great-grandfather William Capers was a bishop in the Methodist Church who earned the honorific “Apostle to the Slaves” for his work on behalf of African-Americans. This archive documents four generations of Protestant ministers. The Capers Papers are concentrated in the years 1919-1945, with some earlier and later material relating to family members extends the full span from 1790 to 1984.
