This finding aid is made available for public use following the Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons designation.
This collection is open for research.
Onsite storage.
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.
In the mid-1800s, some citizens of New York became alarmed at the neglect of the "Sabbath Day," believing that with the increased number of immigrants to the city, it was being outstripped in its capacity to meet the needs of a moral and religious culture. They believed that the government and its laws were also not working towards the continued reverence of the Sabbath. The first meeting of the New York Sabbath Committee took place on April 1, 1857. The group consisted of about twenty members, including a number of leading Christians connected with eight denominations. The group did not have plans to undertake extreme measures in society; their primary goal was to remind the citizens of the importance of the Sabbath Day. They would do this via the pulpit, the press, and personal influence. Notable members of the committee include Philip Schaff, UTS professor, who served as the secretary of the committee in the 1860s. The New York Sabbath Committee continued until at least the 1930s.
Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL10, North America
Item description, MRL10: New York Sabbath Committee minutes, 1857-1878, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
Papers processed BCK 11/24/2015.
Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The finding aid was created by Brigette C. Kamsler in 2015 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.
Minutes of the New York Sabbath Comee Commencing Apr. 1st 1857. 1858. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. (microform)
UTS1: Philip Schaff Papers, 1838 - 1896, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.
This collection contains one bound volume containing the minutes of the New York Sabbath Committee from April of 1857 through 1878. The volume also contains an index, and a list of donors and their addresses.
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.
This collection is arranged in original order.