4492558William Carey letter4492558Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
3041 BroadwayNew York, NY 10027Telephone: (212) 851-5606burke@library.columbia.eduURL:

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This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-01-22 21:03:19 -0500.Description is written in: English, Latin script.2022-10-27PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman. Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary William Carey letter Carey, William, 1761-1834 4492558 English /repositories/5/resources/6653 2 linear feet 2 linear feet; 1 OS box 1800-12-09 William Carey was an English Baptist missionary in England, known as the "father of modern missions," who founded the English Baptist Missionary Society (1792). He translated the Bible into Bengali, and was subsequently appointed Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali at Fort William College in Calcutta. He founded the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India (1820), as well as hundreds of schools and churches. This collection contains one handwritten letter by William Carey, written in December 9, 1800, soon after Carey had relocated from Bengal to Serampore. The letter addresses an individual who Carey calls "My Dear Bro." Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

 Immediate Source of Acquisition

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.

 Biographical / Historical

William Carey was born into humble beginnings in Paulerspury, Northhamptonshire, England in 1761. Carey joined the Baptist Church at the age of twenty-two in 1783, and became an English Baptist missionary in England, known as the "father of modern missions." He founded the English Baptist Missionary Society (1792), translated the Bible into Bengali, and was subsequently appointed Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali at Fort William College in Calcutta. Carey continued to translate the Bible into various India dialects, and founded the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India (1820), as well as hundreds of schools and churches. He successfully campaigned against infanticide and the practice of suttee (widow burning). Carey died in Serampore in 1834.

 Burke Library record group:

Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL3, South Asia

 Preferred Citation

Item description, MRL 3: William Carey letter, box 1, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

 Processing Information

The letter was placed in a glass frame. The finding aid was created by Jessica Patterson in 2013 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2022.

 Related Materials

Baptist Missionary Society Archives. Microfilm. Film Ms. 56. Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library

 Scope and Contents

This collection contains one handwritten letter by William Carey, written in December 9, 1800, soon after Carey had relocated from Bengal to Serampore. The letter addresses an individual who Carey calls "My Dear Bro." The letter is difficult to read and is in some areas illegible.

 Conditions Governing Use

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.

 Arrangement

This collection is arranged in original order.

 Missions -- India India -- Religious life and customs William Carey letter/repositories/5/archival_objects/14745961800-12-091