News

Tremont Baptist Burns for Third Time

March 19, 1893, Tremont Baptist Temple burned for the third time.  Originally built as a theater, in 1843 Baptists in Boston purchased it and remodeled it as a church which would also provide ‘free seats’ for the poor and strangers coming into the city to seek work, and were not able to rent pews (which was the common practice then).  In burned for the first time in 1852, was rebuilt, and burned again in 1879.  After the third fire in 1893, it was rebuilt again and still serves the people of Boston.  ABHS has many items in the Congregational Files from Tremont Temple.

 

Printer Goes to India as Missionary

March 18, 1913, Reverend Edward W. Clark passed away after serving, with his wife, as a missionary for forty- two years in India.  In 1868 he took charge of the mission printing press in Assam, India. Clark developed the language into writing, translated some of the Gospels and printed many books for use in the schools.  His last work was the Ao-Naga-English Dictionary.  ABHS has 13 folders of correspondence between Clark and the mission board, including one folder of correspondence from his wife, Mary who is pictured here.

National Baptist Convention Publisher Born

March 15, 1843.  Richard Henry Boyd, publisher for the National Baptist convention, USA, was born in Shelby, NC.  ABHS has issues of the National Baptist newspaper 1865-1894, and the National Baptist convention Series for 1900, 1902, and 1936. National Baptist Convention) is the largest predominantly African-American Christian denomination in the United States. It is headquartered at the Baptist World Center in Nashville, Tennessee.  The denomination claims approximately 31,000 congregations.  The Convention reports having an estimated 7.5 million members.

 

Francis Wayland Born

March 11, 1796.  Francis Wayland, professor and president of Brown University was born in New York City.  He was also the pastor of the first Baptist church in American in Providence, RI.  In Washington, D.C., Wayland Seminary was established in 1867, primarily to educate former slaves, and was named in his honor. ABHS has about 100 items, books, magazine articles or newspaper articles by or about Francis Wayland.

Letter-to-the-Editor Attackes Baptists

March 9, 1780:  A letter to the Continental Journal attacked Baptists for their opposition to state-supported religion.  The Journal was published in Boston from 1776-1787.  ABHS has many tracts and other publications that document the Baptist struggle for religious freedom.   Brown University (started by Baptists in New England) has microfilm copies of the Continental Journal.

Debate on Infant Baptism

March 7, 1668 The Governor of Massachusetts ordered a debate on infant Baptist between Baptist and Puritan ministers.  Thomas Goold led the Baptist side of the debate against the formidable Congregational minister John Allen and others.   At the end of the debate, the court remained unconvinced and the magistrates banished Goold. Refusing to leave, he was again imprisoned. ABHS has many early papers which argued for religious freedom and believer’s baptism.

Church Doors Nailed Shut

March 6, 1680: The doors of First Baptist Church of Boston were nailed shut by court order; the Bay Colony was not tolerant of anyone who advocated for believers’ baptism.  Men and women were banished from the colony and others were put to death. The Baptists in Boston continued to meet outside in the freezing church yard for several weeks until one Sunday they found the doors unlocked so went in to worship with no repercussions.  ABHS has some of the original church records of First Baptist Church of Boston from 1771-1960.

William Penn Given Charter

March 4, 1681.  Britain’s King Charles II granted a charter to William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania in order to offer religious freedom to those who settled there.  Then, as now, Baptists strongly upheld religious freedom and opposed a state-supported church.

ABHS has many tracts and essays from early Baptists defending religious freedom.  The national offices of the American Baptist Churches, USA,and their affiliated mission societies, are in Pennsylvania.  ABHS has several tracts written by William Penn, mostly about religious freedom.

Tragedy at Sea

March 3, 1854 marks the date that Martha Beecher died at sea while returning from Burma where she and her husband, John, were missionaries.  Although John was the one commissioned by the church, Martha, like many missionary spouses, felt called to mission work also.

In 1878 a marble plaque was dedicated to Beecher’s memory.  He was given  “the distinguished honor of establishing the first Christian school in Burma on the basis of the indigenous support.”  ABHS has two folders of correspondence between the Beechers and the foreign mission board.  The picture above is a depiction of John Beecher.

Colby College Founded at Literary and Theological Institution

On February 27, 1813, the Maine Literary and Theological Institution was founded in Waterville, Maine.  Later the name was changed to Colby College.  It is considered a pioneer in higher education because:

in 1833, students organized the first collegiate anti-slavery society;
in 1871, Colby, previously an all-male college, admitted women;
in 1975, they participated in the first intercollegiate women’s varsity ice hockey game;
in 1983, Colby became the first college to issue e-mail accounts to all students.

ABHS has files on Colby College from 1875 to 1960.

General Tract Society Formed

In 1824, on February 25, the Baptist General Tract Society was formed in Washington, DC.  The purpose was to publish Christian Literature and Sunday School materials.  Two years later the Society moved to Philadelphia.

In 1841 the first colporters were appointed to distribute the publications.  Out of this society came the American Baptist Historical Society (1853), the Board of Education and Publication (1888), and eventually the Publishing arm was named Judson Press.  The picture above is one of the first colporter wagons.  ABHS has many records from the Tract Society, and a complete collection of books published by Judson Press and its predecessors.  ABHS collections also include many pictures of various colporters using horses and buggies, trains, boats, and automobiles.

Judsons Sail for India as First Missionaries

On February 19, 1812, Ann and Adoniram Judson sailed for India as missionaries commissioned by the Congregational church (see post on February 6).  On the long journey they studied the Bible in order to be prepared to defend the Congregationalist position on baptism; like most other churches, the Congregational church practiced infant baptism.  Unexpectedly, the Judsons’ study effected a change of heart and the conviction that Believers’ baptism was the biblical practice, and upon arriving in India, they asked the British Baptist William Ward to baptize them by immersion.

Because of the political situation between England and the United States, Americans were unwelcome in India, so the Judsons traveled to Burma where they witnessed to the Burmese.  They began translating the Bible into the local language, wrote tracts, and made friends.  The picture here shows the house Judsons lived in, drawn by Howard Malcom.  ABHS has many books about the Judsons, their original letters to the mission society in the United States, and several artifacts used by Judson in his ministry.

Isaac Backus Forms Church Against Law

On February 16, in 1747, Isaac Backus formed a church with 16 people in Titicut, MA.  He was going against legal requirements.  Backus spoke out for separation of church and state, and was one of the original trustees for Brown University, the first Baptist school of higher learning.  In 1751, Backus became the pastor of Middleborough Baptist church in Massachusetts.   The accompanying photo shown Backus listed as the pastor of Middleborough in the 1790-1795 Baptist Register.  ABHS has a collection of Backus’ personal papers and many books by and about him. 

Boston Church Disguised as a Brewery

On February 15, 1679, Boston Baptists met for the first time in a meeting house secretly built as a ‘Brewery’.  ABHS has original church records from four churches in Boston: Bowdoin Square BC, 1840-1876; Central Square BC and Society, 1843-1915;  First BC, 1771-1960; and Trenton Street BC, 1908-1929.  Association Records from Boston date to the mid 1800s.

Estonian Baptists Begin with Nine Believers

In 1884, on February 11, nine believers were baptized, the beginnings of the Baptist witness in Estonia. The first Estonian Baptist church was started in Haapsalu in 1884. From that time  Baptist churches have been  planted across the country. The period of Soviet dominion 1940 – 1990 seriously hampered the growth of Baptist churches since religious activities were allowed only in church buildings and leaders were regularly interrogated by the communist state.  Currently the Union of Evangelical Christian and Baptist Churches of Estonia numbers almost 6200 members worshipping in 84 local congregations.

 

Judson and Others Ordained for Missionary Service

February 6, 1812, marks the day five young men were ordained for missionary service at the Tabernacle UCC Church in Salem, MA.  Adoniram Judson, Samuel Newell, Samuel Nott, Gordon Hall and Luther Rice were Congregationalists.  Adoniram had married Ann Hasseltine the previous day, and they sailed for India on Feburary 19.  After intensive Bible study during the long voyage, the Judson’s decided to become Baptists. Denied admission to India, they went to Burma where they both ministered until their deaths, Ann in 1826, Adoniram in 1850.  ABHS has Ann and Adoniram’s correspondence, and documentation of their work on Burma.