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America in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1635–1928

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A crowd of people stand in a square surrounded by buildings. The people are wearing formal dress, including top hats and bonnets.

Missionary records from North America, 1635–1928

The circumstances which led to the establishment of the Society were closely linked with the era of expanding trade in the later seventeenth century and in particular with the history of the American colonies.
Isobel Pridmore, former USPG archivist

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Explore the activities and attitudes of British missionaries in North America throughout three centuries

Robert W. Weir’s painting Embarkation of the Pilgrims. A group of people gather, one holding a book, another with his hands outstretched.

America in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1635–1928, was curated in association with the Bodleian Library.

This collection contains records compiled by the United Society Partners in Gospel (USPG), a UK-based Anglican missionary organisation that operates globally. From the eighteenth to the early twentieth century, the USPG went by the name of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG).

This collection contains letters and supplementary materials compiled by its North American branch during the period 1635–1928. The papers provide students, researchers, and educators with a unique insight into the evolution of Christianity in the American colonies, the United States, and Canada.

This collection is accompanied by a contextual essay written by Isobel Pridmore, formerly the archivist at the USPG. This institution’s archives are now held at Rhodes House Library in Oxford.

Contents

America in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1635–1928...

Missionary records from North America, 1635–1928

Discover 
A drawing of a ship "The Dartmouth" in Boston Harbour, as seen from the dock. A group of men gather to watch the ships.

Highlights

Section of the front page of a typed journal titled A Journal of the Travels and Ministry of the Reverend George Keith, A. M..

Licensed to access A journal of the travels and ministry of the Reverend George Keith, 1702–1704

Reverend George Keith was the first missionary sent to North America by the SPG and an anti-slavery campaigner. This document contains his journal, which describes his missionary activities.

Section of a document titled Introduction to An Account of Two Missionary Voyages by Thomas Thompson, A. M..

Licensed to access Reverend Thompson’s account of two missionary voyages

Thomas Thompson was notable for being the first missionary to visit Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast. This document contains a section of Thompson’s journal, providing a first-hand account of voyages to New Jersey and the Coast of Guiney (Guinea).

Section of a handwritten letter addressed from the King of Hawaii to the Archbishop of Canterbury, dated 28 January 1871.

Licensed to access Honolulu letters received, 1871–1910

This document contains letters which reveal the relationship between the Anglican Church and Hawaii. The content includes references to the annexation of Hawaii by the United States in 1898.

Handwritten list of names.

Licensed to access SPG chaplaincy services to emigrants, 1821–1864

This document contains a range of materials relating to the chaplaincy services that the SPG offered to emigrants during the period 1821–1864.

Insights

  • The content in this collection presents a unique opportunity to understand how Christianity, specifically Anglicanism, was disseminated throughout North America between 1635 and 1928.

  • The collection contains journals from two missionaries: Rev. George Keith and Rev. Thomas Thompson. These journals provide first-hand accounts of the duties and objectives of missionaries from the SPG during the eighteenth century.

  • The sources in this collection provide insights into the activities of rival Christian sects, as their respective missionaries endeavoured to convert existing Christians. For example, Reverend George Keith, a missionary for the SPG in America between 1702 and 1704, focused on converting Quakers to Anglicanism.

  • The letter books contain correspondence and papers penned by the missionaries appointed by the SPG. The B and C series letter books contain life reports that were written during the American Revolution.

  • This collection covers the period when John Wesley served as an SPG missionary in America in the 1730s. He later founded his own Protestant tradition called Methodism, which he argued was firmly rooted in the teachings of the Church of England. Following Wesley’s death in 1791, Methodism became a separate denomination.

British Papua New Guinea Port Moresby or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea 13 April 1922

Licensed to access 'Bray Schools' in Canada, America and the Bahamas, 1645-1900

1645   1915
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The launch of the Missionary Ship The John Wesley at West Cowes, Isle of Wight, September 23rd 1846. People gather at the dock to watch the ship.

Licensed to access Colonial Women Missionaries of the Committee for Women's Work, 1861-1967

1861   1967
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Native American warriors and their wives, arranged for a group sitting.

Licensed to access Colonial Missionaries' Papers from America and the West Indies, 1701-1870

1701   1870
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An illustration of a priest celebrating Mass in a Andean village near the river.

Licensed to access South American Missionaries' Records, 1844-1919

1844   1919
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