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

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Ordination of the First American Foreign Missionaries at Salem Massachusetts in February 1812. Among the newly ordained Missionaries were Adoniram Judson 1788-1850 Samuel Newell and Samuel Nott.

The archives of the Associates of Dr Bray to 1900

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Learn how religious groups in North America grappled with the moral and economic consequences of slave trade and displacement of Indigenous Native Americans

The Associates of Dr. Bray was a group comprised of English clergymen and philanthropists who created and funded schools for Black, and to a lesser extent, Indigenous North American, children in the American Colonies between 1758 and 1776. Their aim was not only to educate, but also to Christianise their pupils.  

This collection contains correspondence files, minute books, and financial reports compiled by the Associates during the period 1724-1900. It also includes some relevant documents that pre-date the organisation itself. 

The impact that Bray’s schools had cannot be overstated. His were some of the first schools tasked with eradicating indigenous cultures and replacing them with Christian doctrines. They were founded on the principles of fearing for the souls of their pupils, but seemingly cared little for their freedom from enslavement, nor for their religious or cultural autonomy.

Contents

'Bray Schools' in Canada, America and the Bahamas, 1645-1900...

The archives of the Associates of Dr Bray to 1900

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

Volumes

Licensed to access Administrative records and letters of the Associates

BRAY/f These documents include minute books, letter books and account books for the Associates of Dr Bray. The minute books...

Licensed to access Printed books in the archive

BRAY/Printed Books These items were intended to be used for religious guidance. The majority of these texts were published between...

Licensed to access Rules and reports of the Associates

BRAY/REP. These documents discuss the founding ambitions of the Associates of Dr Bray and the rules of the organisation; through...

Licensed to access Correspondence and records for schools in America

BRAY/N.AMERICA. Four boxes of correspondence between those in various locations within America and the Associates. The correspondence covers donations, including...

Licensed to access Correspondence and records concerning the school in the Bahamas

BRAY/BAHAMAS These items focus on the Associates' school at Nassau in New Providence. The correspondence includes that from high-ranking figures...

Licensed to access Correspondence on the establishment of schools in Canada

BRAY/CANADA These documents contain information ranging from the more day-to-day business of which subjects children are taught to the formation...

Licensed to access General correspondence and records of the Associates

BRAY/GENERAL With an emphasis on financial matters, these items encompass correspondence with the Charity Commission, opinions on the Catholic Church,...

Insights

  • The Canadian correspondence focuses on establishing schools in Nova Scotia. The schools were in Digby, Halifax, Hammonds Plains, and Birchtown.
  • These items include copies of some 17th and 18th century books that were intended to provide religious guidance. Most of these books were written by the society's founder Thomas Bray.
  • Reviews of libraries reveal which books the associates were using to teach the local populations they lived with. Some of these missionaries' libraries were located in England.
  • The society's accounts enable the reader to see how finances affected the spread of the schools and how the associates tried to address falling donations during the 19th century.

Licensed to access Power and Profit: British Colonial Trade in America and the Caribbean, 1678-1825

1678   1825

Licensed to access The American Revolution from a British Perspective, 1763-1783

1763   1784

Licensed to access British Army Lists of Officers, 1740-1784

1740   1784

Licensed to access American Records in the House of Lords Archive, 1621-1917

1621   1917
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