Holdings Information

Bibliographic Record Display

• Author/Creator:Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (Great Britain)
  
• Title:American material in the Archives of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 18th century [microform].
  
• Physical Description:Manuscripts.
  

• Yale Holdings

  Holdings Record Display

  • Location:LSF- Divinity Special Collections
    Request for use at Divinity Library Special Collections
    
    
  • Call Number: Film Ms88
    
  • Status:Not Checked Out
    

   
• Notes:Microfilm. East Ardsley : Micro Methods, 1964. 27 reels ; 35 mm.
  Originals located at the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, London.
  
• Organization:Arranged in three series: A. Letter books, vols. 1-26, 1702-1737 (8 reels); B. Letter books, vols. 1-25, 1701-1786 (14 reels); C. Copy letter books, vols. 1-15, 18th century (5 reels).
  
• Access and use:Permission must be obtained from the Archivist of the SPG in order to quote from, reproduce or publish material in these films.
• Biographical / Historical note:The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts was founded by Royal Charter granted in 1701. The primary object was to provide clergy to live among the American colonists for religious and educational purposes. Their efforts soon expanded to other parts of the world. In the first half of the 18th century, the Society was at work in America, Newfoundland, the West Indies and the Bay of Honduras. In the 19th century, work expanded to other islands in the West Indies, British Guiana and India. The Society entered South Africa in 1821 and expanded further into Africa within the next 30 years.
  Before 1840, they established congregations in Australia. The Society entered the Pacific islands, working in Melanesia in 1796, Polynesia in 1880 and the Hawaiian islands in 1862. They established missions in Borneo in 1846, Malaya in 1861, Japan in 1873, China in 1874 and Korea in 1883. They had sent out teachers since the early 18th century and, by 1911, also formed a medical missions department. In 1965, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts merged with the Universities' Mission to Central Africa to form the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
  
• Summary:Series A consists of manuscript letter books, dating 1702-1737, kept by the first three secretaries of the Society. The letters and papers are from and to the missionaries appointed by the SPG to the American colonies, the governors of the colonies, private persons and church wardens, as well as a few from subscribers in England and churches in Europe. The letters were copied chronologically into the letter books and the original letters are no longer extant.
  Series B contains original in-letters and drafts or copies of out-letters to and from the American colonies, dating 1701-1786. Series C consists of 18th century original letters from the colonies, not bound, but kept in boxes. There are also 65 letters, dating 1731-1733, from the Secretary of the Society, the Rev. Dr. David Humphreys, to missionaries and others.
  
• Format:Archives or Manuscripts
• Indexes/Finding aids:A series of typescript calendars has been filmed preceding each volume of letters they describe.
  
• Cite as:American material in the Archives of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 18th century. Microfilm. Film Ms88. Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library.
  
• Subjects:Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (Great Britain)
  Church of England--Missions.
  United States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.
  
• Subjects (Local Yale):World Christianity