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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.

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.   Find and use map of Estonia

Recently we found a volume written by George W. Williams (1849-1891) who was born in Pennsylvania (a free state), and was a soldier before entering Howard University in 1869. As the first black student at Newton Theological Institute he graduated in 1874, and was ordained and installed as the pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church in Boston. After moving to Ohio, he was elected to the House of Representative of the Ohio General Assembly for a term.

His enduring legacy is as an antislavery activist and writer, having authored the first history of African Americans in the United States.  ABHS has a first edition of this book entitled History of the Negro Race in America 1619-1880 which  includes a chapter on ‘Colored Baptists of America.’  This two volume   book can be found on-line at https://archive.org/details/historyofnegrora00willrich.

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.

February 5, 1631.  After 56 days aboard the ship Lyon, Roger Williams arrived from London in the midst of winter.  He is mentioned often in these posts because his fight for religious liberty caused much uproar in the colonies that were determined to keep their worship practices and theological understandings unchallenged.  Williams  was expelled from Massachusetts eventually traveled to Rhode Island and established a colony which was a haven for those “distressed of conscience.”

ABHS has Black History month resources including a bulletin insert entitled “Liberty To Vote,” that can be downloaded from our ‘For Churches’ page.  In addition a recent issue of the American Baptist Quarterly (Vol. 2, summer, 2013) has articles related to black history.  Individual issues of the ABQ can be purchased by clicking on the Give Now button to the right.

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 sent 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. Pictured here is a report of the American Baptist Home Mission Board of work in Mexico.

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.

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 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 17:  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.  Pictured here is his birth home.

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 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 5, 1527:  Felix Manz, Swiss Anabaptist, was sentenced to death by the Zurich Council for his beliefs.  ABHS has an extensive collection of publications by and about Anabaptists from the 16th-17th centuries.

June 4– In 1768 Five Virginia Baptists were imprisoned by the state for ‘disturbing the peace’. That could be anything from preaching in public to complaining about the lack of religious freedom, or any other number of offenses. Baptists were not free to preach, baptist, or meet together without government sanction.

Dec. 30, 1798.  Isaac Backus commented against Federalist Party foreign policy in opposition to France.  Backus was a leading Baptist preacher during the era of the American Revolution who campaigned against state-established churches in New England.   Isaac Backus joined John Brown, Nicholas Brown, William Ellery, Stephen Hopkins, James Manning, Ezra Stiles, Samuel Stillman, Morgan Edwards and several others as an original fellow or trustee for the chartering of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (the original name for Brown University), the first Baptist school of higher learning.  Backus served as a delegate from Middleborough to the Massachusetts ratifying convention, which ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. He voted in favor of ratification.  ABHS has a collection of Isaac Backus’ papers and many volumes by and about him.

Dec. 28   Seattle First Baptist Church in Seattle, WA, celebrated 150 years of faithful service; Rev. Dr. Tim Phillips, pastor.

Dec. 25   American Baptist Historical Society wishes all of you a most Merry Christmas.  May you find joy and peace in all you do.