Incoming Correspondence, 1816-1893

Boxes 50-365

The incoming correspondence is divided into geographical subseries by state. There is a subseries for each of the states, with the exception of Alaska and Arizona. Correspondence from Canada and other foreign correspondence is found following the file for Wyoming. Files for U.S. territories were included with those of the states that they became or, in some cases, with those of the states from which they were later separated. For example, correspondence concerning North Dakota before it became a state in 1889 was placed in the file for South Dakota. Likewise, West Virginia correspondence is contained in the file for Virginia prior to 1861. Some of the incoming correspondence has been lost. There is no correspondence for 1874-1875 and 1878-1891.

Within the state files, organization is chronological by year and then alphabetical within each year by author, with the exception that letters about a particular missionary are generally filed with the letters from that missionary. Undated correspondence is located at the end of the dated correspondence for each state. Two folders of miscellaneous undated correspondence and unsigned articles (of unknown origin) for The Home Missionary are located at the end of this series. Alphabetical divisions within each year for each state are indicated by targets on the microfilm.

1. The correspondence between 1816 and 1826 in any state file relates to the activities of the Young Men's Missionary Society of New York or to the United Domestic Missionary Society. This correspondence was originally part of the files of the United Domestic Missionary Society, whose operations were assumed by the American Home Missionary Society in 1826.

2. The largest quantity of incoming correspondence consists of the letters received by the society from its missionaries. These letters contain annual and quarterly reports, information on the missionaries' relations with parishioners, finances, and other matters and problems encountered by the missionaries and their families in fulfilling their commissions. The letters vary in length and content. Many employ conventional religious phraseology; some include statistics of conversions, sermons preached, and miles traveled. Many of these letters also contain comments on and descriptions of the local residents and their social, economic, and religious conditions. There is correspondence relating to the details of life on the frontier, and later about the work with immigrant groups and in city missions.

3. Similar in content to the missionaries' correspondence, but generally more detailed, are the reports from the society's agents, as well as reports from the officers of the major state missionary societies that were auxiliaries to the American Home Missionary Society. These reports contain comments on particular missionaries, attitudes of local citizens toward the society, and financial matters, in addition to overall observations on the missionary field and the general social and religious conditions under which the society's missionaries carried on their work.

4. Another type of incoming correspondence is comprised of letters about a particular missionary. This correspondence from local citizens, church elders, former associates, and other clergymen contains character references and reasons for or against the granting of aid. These letters are filed alphabetically under the last name of the missionary.

5. The last type of incoming correspondence includes letters from individuals and organizations that do not relate to any particular missionary. They contain general requests for aid; praise, criticism, or inquiries concerning the society's operations; and notices of legacies, donations, and other contributions.

MISSIONARY TABLES

For research requiring the location of a particular missionary's correspondence, or the correspondence from a specific location, the missionary tables that the society included in each annual report are most valuable. These tables contain data supplied by the missionaries, including postal addresses, number of conversions, size of congregations, temperance subscribers, date and amount of commissions, and miscellaneous comments.

The society's fiscal or business year was from May to May. Every missionary employed by the society in a given year is listed in the tables for the report covering that year. For example, for information pertaining to the Rev. Rufus Smith in 1843, the missionary table for 1843 should be consulted. This table reports that Reverend Smith was commissioned on May 1, 1842, to work in East Hampton, Connecticut. Referring to the Connecticut correspondence for 1843 under "S" shows whether there is any correspondence from Rufus Smith for that year. Likewise, for information on Milton, Connecticut, the geographical column of the missionary tables should be scanned. This search indicates that the Rev. Ralph Smith was the American Home Missionary Society's representative in that town. Consulting the Connecticut correspondence for 1843 under "S" will determine whether there is any material from the Rev. Ralph Smith concerning Milton.

Because of their usefulness as an access guide for the incoming correspondence, these tables have been extracted from the annual reports and are filmed in chronological order. They are included on Reel 1 of this microfilm edition.

SUB-SERIES BY STATE

To provide the researcher with more specific information about the various state files of incoming correspondence, sub-series descriptions were prepared. The information contained in the sub-series description includes the following:

1) Name of state:

2) Inclusive dates of correspondence:

3) First missionary: (date of the first missionary commission granted in that state)

4) Notable correspondents: (names of society agents, superintendents, or officials; names of secretaries and treasurers of state missionary societies; and names of prominent citizens or clergymen whose correspondence appears in this state file. A date following a name means that there is correspondence from that individual for only the year or years indicated.)

5) Amount of material: (number of Hollinger boxes or folders that comprises the state file)

6) Gaps in correspondence: (year(s) within the inclusive dates for which no correspondence exists. For all files there is no correspondence for 1874-1875 and 1878-1891)

7) Comments: (facts concerning the history of American Home Missionary Society operations in the state and information about the content of the correspondence)

To illustrate how these sub-series can be of assistance, researchers should refer to the example provided below for the state of Connecticut. Sub-series descriptions for each state are arranged alphabetically by the name of the state and are listed at sub-series within Series 1: Incoming Correspondence. There are no sub-series for Alaska or Arizona.

State: Connecticut

Inclusive dates of correspondence: 1825-1893

First missionary: 1830

Notable correspondents: Leonard Bacon, Chauncey Goodrich, Horace Hooker, Ward W. Jacobs, William H. Moore, E. W. Parsons, Francis Parsons, C. Shelton, Theodore D. Woolsey

Amount of material: 9 boxes

Gaps in correspondence: 1869, June-December; 1870, January-May; 1871, June-December; 1872, January-May; 1873, June-December, few missionary reports; 1874-1875; 1876, January-May; 1877, June-December; 1878-1891; 1892, eight items; 1893, June-December

Comments: The Missionary Society of Connecticut, formed in 1798, maintained its own missionary operations until 1832 when it became an auxiliary of the AHMS. Letters from the Missionary Society of Connecticut are filed under its secretaries' and treasurers' names. These officers are listed in the annual reports. Routine correspondence with missionaries was handled by the Missionary Society of Connecticut, and only the missionaries' annual reports were forwarded to the AHMS. Presidents of the Missionary Society of Connecticut were Horace Hooker (1832-1862) and William H. Moore (1862-1899). Treasurers included A. Kingsbury (1832-1839), E. W. Parsons (1840-1871), J. L. Chapman (1871-1876), and Ward W. Jacobs (1876-1906).

There are numerous letters from and about former and future missionaries since many AHMS missionaries either originally came from Connecticut, or attended Yale Divinity School or Hartford Theological Seminary, or were placed through the efforts of the Missionary Society of Connecticut. The Connecticut file also contains correspondence that relates to the activities of local church groups and auxiliaries, as well as letters of reference for missionaries. About 1876 the AHMS, through the Missionary Society of Connecticut, began to hire students from Yale Divinity School and Hartford Theological Seminary to work in the western states during their summer vacation. Some letters and reports from these students are located in the Connecticut file, while others are filed with the correspondence for the state in which they worked. The placement of these letters and reports was determined by the AHMS staff. In 1892 the AHMS hired an eastern field secretary, the Rev. C. Shelton, who worked out of Birmingham, Connecticut.

MISCELLANEOUS ORGANIZATIONAL NOTES

1) Letters from auxiliary societies, both state and local, have been filed under the name of the secretary or treasurer of the auxiliary. These names can be found in the annual reports for each year.

2) Some of the major agencies of the society were responsible for missionary operations in more than one state. The Philadelphia Agency, for example, maintained missionaries in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. Correspondence from the Philadelphia Agency may contain references to these states. The Philadelphia Agency correspondence, as well as that of all agencies, is filed under the last name of the agent.

3) Enclosures were microfilmed before their letters of transmittal.

4) When the letters were originally filed, each letter was folded (4 x 5 inches) and placed in a bundle for filing by the corresponding secretary, who added a synopsis of each letter. These "endorsements" generally contain the name of the sender, place of origin, date, and a brief description of the contents (quarterly report, application for aid, etc.). The endorsement is generally located on the back of the last page of the letter or on an attached slip of paper.

5) Many letters, especially missionary and agent reports, contain editorial deletions and comments made by the staff of The Home Missionary magazine and the editors of the annual reports. These were generally done with red pencil and usually do not obscure the original copy.

6) Most foreign-language letters were translated by the staff of the society, and the translations were filed with the original letter. However, some letters in French and German were not translated.

7) Occasionally a letter is filed under a geographical or corporate entry (Stillwater, New York, or Yale College). These rare exceptions occur in the cases of anonymous letters and multiply endorsed petitions.

8) "Mc" and "Mac" last names are filed before "Ma" to be consistent with the alphabetical listing of missionaries in the missionary tables.