Henry Ballantine papers, 1888

Creator:

Ballantine, Henry, 1846-1914

Abstract:

Mimeograph manuscript originally written by Henry Ballantine (1846-1914), merchant to Bombay and son of American missionary to India Henry Ballantine (1813-1865), describing a trip to the Himalayas and Nepal.

Extent:

0.25 linear feet 0.25 linear feet; 1 box

Language:

English .

Scope and content:

This collection contains one seventy-eight page mimeographed manuscript describing Henry Ballantine's trip to the Himalayas and Nepal. Ballantine details the terrain and weather of each location, as well as those accompanying him on the journey. He explains the definition and importance of select terms in the Indian language, information on the army, historical events, and clothing of indigenous people. Ballantine describes the gods worshipped by the Indians, along with ceremonies for visitors. A version of this document was later published in Harper's Magazine as "Nepaul, the Land of the Goorkhas."

Biographical / historical:

Henry Ballantine was born on November 18, 1846 in Ahmednagar, India to missionary parents Elizabeth and Henry Ballantine. His father, Henry Ballantine (1813-1865) was an 1834 graduate of Andover Theological Seminary who travelled to India in 1835. Henry Sr. served the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) Marathi Mission for over thirty years, becoming a well-known leader in India before dying at sea on his way back to the United States in 1865.

Henry Ballantine graduated from Amherst College in 1868. The following year he married Charlotte Elizabeth, with whom he had four children. He worked as a merchant in Bombay from 1870 to 1872, and then in New York until 1891, when he returned to Bombay to serve as consul from 1891-1896. Ballantine later worked as a claims adjuster for an insurance company, and he maintained offices in Bombay, Calcutta, and other cities in India until his death in Seattle, WA on October 30, 1914. Ballantine was the author of two books about his travels in South Asia.

Acquisition information:: Formerly part of the independent Missionary Research Library (MRL), these records were donated by Mabel Hay Barrows Mussey (daughter of Isabel Chapin Burrows, whose first husband was William Wilberforce Chapin, another missionary in India as part of the ABCFM) on May 13, 1931, and 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 1988-07-18. Metal clips and staples were removed from materials and folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The finding aid was created by Melissa Lemons in 2007, reviewed and updated by Kristen Leigh Southworth and Brigette C. Kamsler in 2013 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.
Arrangement:: This collection is arranged in one series in original order.
Related material:: MRL 12: American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions records, 1878-1958, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
Other information:: Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL3, South Asia

Access and use

Restrictions:

The 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: Henry Ballantine papers, 1888, 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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Collection