Daniel Johnson Fleming papers, circa 1900 -- 1949

Creator:

Fleming, Daniel Johnson, 1877-1970

Abstract:

Daniel Johnson Fleming was a Presbyterian missionary to India and Professor of Missions at Union Theological Seminary from 1918-1944. The collection includes a Buddhist primer, correspondence, pamphlets, and photographs.

Extent:

0.25 linear feet 0.25 linear feet; 1 box

Language:

English , Telugu .

Scope and content:

This collection contains a handwritten manuscript in the Telugu language, thought to be a Buddhist primer, as well as correspondence from 1936 written by Fleming and Missionary Research Library staff regarding this primer. Two of Fleming's shorter writings are also included: his pamphlet "The Missionary Occupation of India" from 1918 details Christian missionary presence in India, and his booklet "Education through Stone and Glass" circa 1949 discusses the religious symbolism of the architecture of UTS. Also included are two photographs, one of Booker T. Washington and C. F. Andrews, and the other of Deaconess Ellen Lakshmi Goreh, the daughter of Nehemiah Nilankantha Goreh, an early convert in India.

Biographical / historical:

Daniel Johnson Fleming (1877-1970) was a Presbyterian missionary in India and Professor of Missions at Union Theological Seminary. Fleming was born in Xenia, Ohio, and graduated from the College of Wooster in 1898. After a short mission assignment in India, he returned to the U.S. for graduate studies, earning a Master of Science in chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1903 and a Master of Arts in physics from Columbia University in 1904. He also studied theology at Union Theological Seminary from 1901-1903, and he was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1903. He married Elizabeth Cole in 1904, with whom he had two daughters and a son. He and Elizabeth served for eight years as Presbyterian missionaries in Lahore, India, where Fleming lectured at Forman Christian College. Fleming earned a PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1914. Starting in 1915, he served as the director of the department of Foreign Service at Union Theological Seminary and then as Professor of Missions from 1918-1944. After Elizabeth's death in 1955, he married Helen Mack Howard.

Perhaps Fleming's largest contribution to Christian missions was his prolific writing, in which he explores issues of missionary work in relation to the social sciences, Christian symbolism, greater global awareness, and ethical approaches to other cultures. Some of his most well-known books include Schools with a Message in India (1921), Building with India (1922), Contacts with Non-Christian Cultures: A Case Book in the Christian Movement Abroad (1923), Whither Bound in Missions (1925), Each with His Own Brush: Contemporary Christian Art in Asia and Africa (1938), and Christian Symbols in a World Community (1940).

Acquisition information:: Formerly part of the independent Missionary Research Library (MRL), these records were accessioned by the Burke Library at the time of the MRL's closure in 1976.
Processing information:: Material was cataloged by Lynn A. Grove on 1988-07-19. Metal clips and staples were removed from materials where possible and folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Acidic items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. Any items in an advanced state of deterioration were placed in Mylar envelopes. Photocopies were made of deteriorating papers and included in the collections alongside the originals. The finding aid was created by Leanora Lange in 2012 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.
Arrangement:: This collection is arranged in one series organized by format.
Rules or conventions:: appm
Other information:: Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL3, South Asia

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

Terms of access:

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred citation:: Item description, MRL3: Daniel Johnson Fleming Papers, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Location of this collection:: Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

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Contact:: burke@library.columbia.edu

Collection