A Guide to the Presbyterian Foreign Missions Board Records, 1840-1846

Historical Note

Organized by the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.) in 1837, the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions marked the culmination of a debate over whether missionary activities should be managed by voluntary organizations or the Church. The goal of the Board was to convey the Gospel to non-Christians throughout the world, which in the United States meant to the Jewish and Native American populations. The mission to Texas lasted from 1839 through 1845.

Source:

Presbyterian Historical Society. "Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., Board of Foreign Missions, Department of Missionary Personal Records, 1832-1852, Finding Aid to Record Group 360." Accessed August 3, 2011.

Scope and Contents

Composed of 29 letters, the Presbyterian Foreign Missions Board Records, 1840-1846, documents religious, economic, and social conditions in the Texas Republic. Correspondence also details the coming of the Mexican War, Native American attacks, politics, living conditions, and educational facilities. Letters are predominantly from Houston, Galveston, and Victoria, Texas. The correspondence of from William G. Blair, I. J. Henderson, and I. Weston Miller comprise the bulk of the collection.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Presbyterian , Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers