The American Home Missionary Society was formed in May 1826 by members of the Presbyterian, Congregational, Dutch Reformed, and Associate Reformed churches with the intention of helping congregations financially so that they could support an established minister and coordinating interdenominational missionary activities across the United States and its territories. The home office of the Society was in New York City. The “New School” Presbyterians withdrew from the Society in 1861 because they felt it favored Congregationalists. In 1893 the Society was no longer interdenominational and changed its name to the Congregational Home Missionary Society.
Source: “A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Papers of the American Home Missionary Society, 1816 (1926-1894) 1936,” David G. Horvath, Editor, 1975
This collection consists of 385 reels of microfilm and one printed index of the American Home Missionary Society records (1816-1936), and includes correspondence and printed material. The records are grouped into five series: incoming correspondence (1816-1983 and undated); outgoing correspondence (1826-1894 and undated); administrative material (1821-1893 and undated); annual reports (1826-1936); and The Home Missionary (1828-1909). Please see the printed guide for the collection for a detailed description of the collection and an index to the reels of microfilm.
Materials in accession #2007-009 were originally held at the Montreat office of the Presbyterian Historical Society. They were transferred to the Austin Seminary Archives in 2007.
Materials are available by appointment only. Contact the archivist for details.
American Home Missionary Society records, microfilm edition, 1816-1936, Austin Seminary Archives, Stitt Library, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Received from the Montreat office of the Presbyterian Historical Society in 2007.
The originals of the American Home Missionary Society records are held at the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.