Henry Pelham Burn letters on the Moral Re-Armament movement, 1957 -- 1962

Summary Information

Abstract

This collection contains letters written by Henry Pelham Burn to his family in England, while he was in the US South and in Michigan working for the Moral Re-Armament movement for 4.5 years, beginning at age 18. The letters describe his involvement in the movement as well as his travels and personal activities. Formats include handwritten letters and postcards, and some photographs.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one chronological series.

• Henry Pelham Burn letters on the Moral Re-Armament movement, 1957 -- 1962

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains letters written by Henry Pelham Burn to his family in England, while he was in the US South and in Michigan working for the Moral Re-Armament movement for 4.5 years, beginning at age 18. The letters describe "what it was like to be a grunt at the low end of the totem pole caught up in a self-proclaimed world-wide ideological movement, at [a] pivotal time in this country," as well as his travels and personal activities. Formats include handwritten letters and postcards, and some photographs.

• Henry Pelham Burn letters on the Moral Re-Armament movement, 1957 -- 1962

  This series contains letters written by Henry Pelham Burn to his family in England, while he was in the US South and in Michigan working for the Moral Re-Armament movement for 4.5 years, beginning at age 18. The letters describe "what it was like to be a grunt at the low end of the totem pole caught up in a self-proclaimed world-wide ideological movement, at [a] pivotal time in this country," as well as his travels and personal activities. Formats include handwritten letters and postcards, and some photographs.

Burke Library record group:

General collections

Using the Collection

Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

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.

Preferred Citation

Item description, Henry Pelham Burn letters on the Moral Re-Armament movement, 1957-1962, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Related Materials

WAB: Oxford Group Moral Re-Armament records, 1930-1961, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Burn, Henry Pelham. Letters from America : 1957-1961+. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/16624323

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated by Henry Pelham Burn. Received in May 2022, accession GEN-2022-010.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The finding aid was created by by Leah Edelman in 2022.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Henry Pelham Burn was born in England circa 1939 to Major Ian Maitland Pelham Burn and Helen Pamela Rowlatt, and great-grandson to Henry Pelham Burn of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He flew to the United States in September 1957 to return a Mughal-era sword-- acquired by his great grandfather in 1857 at the Siege of Delhi-- to the Indian representation at the Moral Re-Armament movement hub on Mackinac Island, Michigan. He became involved with the movement, working in Michigan and the US South, for nearly five years before returning to England.