News

February 1, 1877.  The Woman’s Baptist Home Mission Society was organized with headquarters in Chicago.  This group also founded the Baptist Missionary Training School and send women missionaries to both foreign and home missions.  ABHS has the minutes and publications from the WBHMS which merged with other home mission societies to form the current American Baptist Home Mission Societies.

January 30, 1864. James Hickey began the First Church of Monterey, the first Baptist church in Mexico. ABHS has foreign missionary correspondence for several missionaries who served in Mexico like George Pixley and Albert Benjamin Howell.  In the beginning Mexico was considered part of the Home Mission effort, and the WAHMS sent many women missionaries.

January 30, 1864. James Hickey began the First Church of Monterey, the first Baptist church in Mexico. ABHS has foreign missionary correspondence for several missionaries who served in Mexico like George Pixley and Albert Benjamin Howell.  In the beginning Mexico was considered part of the Home Mission effort, and the WAHMS sent many women missionaries.

January 25, 1783: William Colgate, founder of American Bible Union, was born in England. He is noted for being a philanthropist and founder of the Colgate Company (1806). ABHS has his papers dating from 1820 to 1850. Samuel Colgate, William’s son, started a library that became the heart  of the ABHS book collection.

January 24, 1811:  Sansom Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia was founded with William Staughton as pastor.  ABHS has some of Sansom Street’s original church records and Staughton’s sermon notes (1807-1823) and correspondence (16 letters).  We also have the original drawings of the dome of the church.

January 24, 1811:  Sansom Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia was founded with William Staughton (left) as pastor.  ABHS has some of Sansom Street’s original church records and Staughton’s sermon notes (1807-1823) and correspondence (16 letters).  We also have the original drawings of the dome of the church.

On January 22, 1862, Lulu (Louise) C. Fleming was born. She is the first female medical missionary appointed by Baptists. She served in the Congo from 1886-1899.  ABHS has her correspondence while she was in the Congo and a bio file which includes photographs. One of the ABHS membership circles is named for her.

On January 22, 1862, Lulu (Louise) C. Fleming was born. She is the first female medical missionary was appointed by Baptists. She served in the Congo from 1886-1899.  ABHS has her correspondence while she was in the Congo and a bio file which includes photographs. One of the ABHS membership circles is named for her.

January 21.  The Eglise Baptiste de la Nouvelle Naissance in Spring Valley,  New York celebrates their 25^th anniversary under the leadership of Rev. Philippe W. Antoine.

On January 21, 1525, Anabaptists (Baptists) organized for the first time under the leadership of Conrad Grebel near Zurich, Switzerland. ABHS has a biography of Grebel, and many books and articles about the Anabaptists in Europe.

January 16, 1821: Prominent black missionaries Lott Cary and Collin Teague sailed to Liberia from Norfolk, VA.  ABHS has a folder of Lott Cary’s correspondence as a missionary.  His information is in our on-line collection called ArchivesSpace.

January 15:  Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is celebrated today.  ABHS has digitized several of his speeches at various American Baptist events.  This digitization is possible because of the At Your Fingertips campaign.  More information about At Your Fingertips is available on “support ABHS page.”

Mercer University’s Center for Theology and Public Life and McAfee School of Theology, in partnership with the Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies (ACBAS) and the American Baptist Historical Society(ABHS), announce the program details for an international scholarly conference in recognition of the centenary of Professor Walter Rauschenbusch’s death.

“The Legacy of Walter Rauschenbusch” will take place April 9-11, 2018, on the University’s Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus in Atlanta. This same campus hosts the American Baptist Historical Society, a premier religious historical society, which houses the most extensive collection of Rauschenbusch family papers, and will host a reception and display on the first night of the conference.

The conference will begin with dinner on Monday, April 9, and end at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, April 11.

Confirmed speakers include: Bill Brackney (Acadia University), Heath Carter (Valparaiso University), Wendy Deichmann (United Theological Seminary), Ralf Dziewas (Theological Seminary, Elstal), Gary Dorrien (Union Seminary, NY), Christopher Evans (Boston University), Dominik Gauthier (University of Oldenburg), David Gushee (Mercer University), Roger Prentice (Acadia University, Andrea Strubind (University of Oldenburg), and Darryl Trimiew (past president, Society of Christian Ethics).

See detailed information about the schedule and register on the Mercer web site.

January 12, 1724:  Samuel Harris, the persecuted defender of religious liberty, was born in Hanover County, VA.  ABHS has booklets, tracts and sermons about the importance of religious liberty (especially in the matter of baptism) in colonial America, some dating to 1700.

January 8, 1841.  Judson College was chartered in Marion, AL, as Judson Female Institute.  It was founded by members of Siloam Baptist Church; the three individuals  who were most instrumental in the founding were Julia Tarrant Barron, General Edwin D. King, and Milo P. Jewett.  ABHS has information from and about many of the Baptist related colleges.

January 7, 1821: The first Baptist church in Florida was organized.  It is the Pigeon Creek church in present-day Nassau County.  ABHS has original church records from many states.  The earliest is First Baptist, Philadelphia, dating to 1691. ABHS gives anniversary certificates to churches who request them for a significant anniversary

January 5, 1527:  Felix Manz, Swiss Anabaptist, was sentenced to death by the Zurich Council for his beliefs.  Freedom of religion was not a common concept prior to the Constitution of the United States.

The National Museum of American Religion has undertaken a project to save and restore Chapel Car Good Will.  Good Will was one of seven chapel cars put on the rails by the American Baptist Publication Society and the American Baptist Home Mission Society.  If you are interested in this project to save an important artifact of American Baptist history please view this link.     Other Chapel Cars are Grace, Evangel,  Emmanuel, Glad Tidings, Messenger of Peace, and Herald of Hope.  These cars traveled all over the country with missionaries who helped bring the word of God to newly settled areas.   ABHS has books, CDs and videos about the Chapel Cars.

January 2:  The Legacy of Walter Rauschenbusch conference will take place April 9-11, 2018, on Mercer University’s Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus in Atlanta. Detailed information is available. Download a registration form.

This campus is home to the American Baptist Historical Society, which holds the most extensive collection of Rauschenbusch family papers.  ABHS is one of the conference sponsors, and will host a reception and display on the first night of the conference.

Conference speakers include Gary Dorrien, Christo­pher Evans, Andrea Strubind, Roger Prentice, Adam Bond, Wendy Deichmann, and Dominik Gautier.

Registration closes March 25.