Ladies' Gleaning Circle of Newburyport records, 1801-1854 (majority within 1828-1854)

Summary

Creator:

Ladies' Gleaning Circle of Newburyport

Abstract:

The Ladies' Gleaning Circle of Newburyport, Mass., was a missionary aid society with close ties to the Massachusetts Missionary Society, one of the earliest and most influential of the nineteenth-century home missionary societies. The bulk of the Ladies' Gleaning Society Records consists of receipts for donations made by the Circle, mostly to the Massachusetts Missionary Society, and letters from grateful missionaries who have received parcels of clothing, books, or other supplies.

Extent:

39 items

Language:

English

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Rob S. Cox

Background

Scope and Content:

The bulk of the Ladies' Gleaning Society Records consists of receipts for donations made by the Circle, mostly to the Massachusetts Missionary Society, and letters from grateful missionaries who have received parcels of clothing, books, or other supplies. The latter letters are especially fascinating because many of the missionaries freely discuss the tribulations and successes of their daily lives and evangelical work. Interestingly, the missionaries seem most appreciative of the books sent them. The collection also includes several lists enumerating the articles sent to missionaries.

Of special interest is a letter of Frederick Ayer (January 1854), which details his work among Indians in the Minnesota Territory, and that of Gordon S. Johnson (14 January 1846), which gives an account of religious conditions and attitudes in Swanton, Ohio. A receipt (15 December 1852) from noted missionary George Henry Atkinson (1819-1889) for a donation to his female seminary in Oregon is also included among the Circle's papers.

Biographical / Historical:

The Ladies' Gleaning Circle of Newburyport, Mass., was a missionary aid society with close ties to the Massachusetts Missionary Society, one of the earliest and most influential of the nineteenth-century home missionary societies. The principal activities of the Ladies' Gleaning Circle consisted of gathering donations of money, clothing, and various items -- especially books -- and sending these to worthy missionaries and their families in the West. The Circle chose their missionaries based upon recommendations received from the West.

Acquisition Information:

1983. M-2080.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Partial Subject Index

Adoption	January 1854
American Missionary Society	January 1854
Atkinson, George Henry, 1819-1889	15 December 1852
Conversion	14 January 1846
Female Seminary (Clackamas County, Ore.)	15 December 1852
Greenville (Ill.)--Description and travel	16 August 1849
Home missions	21 August 1828; 3 September 1829; 29 August 1845; 30 July 1846; 8 October 1846; 2 January 1849; 15 December 1852; January 1854; undated
Home missions--Oregon	15 December 1852
Indians of North America--Minnesota	January 1854
Indians of North America--Missions	January 1854
Ladies' Gleaning Circle of Newburyport	passim
Massachusetts Missionary Society	21 August 1828; 2 Spetember 1829; 13 August 1833; 11 August 1834; 30 September 1835; 9 August 1837; 17 August 1840; 26 August 1843; 10 December 1844; 14 March 1850; 14 May 1850; 6 December 1852; undated
Missionaries	29 August 1845; 14 January 1846; 7 July 1846; 30 July 1846; 8 October 1846; 2 August 1847; August 1847; 2 January 1849; 16 August 1849; 14 March 1850; 18 August 1851; 15 January 1852; 15 December 1852; 22 October 1853; January 1854; October 1854; undated
Newburyport (Mass.)--Description and travel	14 November 1852
Ohio--Moral conditions	14 January 1846; 15 January 1852; 6 October 1852
Revivals--Illinois	8 October 1846
Revivals--Massachusetts	14 October 1801
Women missionaries	15 December 1852

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Home missions.
Missionaries.

Formats:

Receipts (financial records)

Names:

Ladies' Gleaning Circle of Newburyport.
Massachusetts Missionary Society.