David Livingstone papers, 1856, 1957

Summary Information

Abstract

David Livingstone was a Congregationalist medical missionary assigned to Africa by the London Missionary Society. The collection contains a letter written to the London YMCA and a poster of reprodutions of postcards from the Scottish National Memorial to Livingstone in Blantyre, Scotland.

At a Glance

Bib ID:
4492466 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Livingstone, David, 1813-1873
Repository:
Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
Physical Description:
0.25 linear feet (0.25 linear feet; 1 box)
Language(s):
English .
Access:

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains an original letter from Livingstone to the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) at the Mission House in London, and a poster depicting reproductions of postcards from the Scottish National Memorial to Livingstone in Blantyre, Scotland.

  • David Livingstone papers, 1856, 1957

    This series contains an original letter from Livingstone to the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) at the Mission House in London, and a poster depicting reproductions of postcards from the Scottish National Memorial to Livingstone in Blantyre, Scotland.

Burke Library record group:

Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL1, Africa

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one chronological series.

Using the Collection

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, MRL1: David Livingstone papers, 1856, 1957, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Related Materials

MRL 12: Missionary Biographical Records, Folder 15-16, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

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.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Material was cataloged by Lynn A. Grove on 1988-07-12. Folded items were flattened and placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Acidic items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. The finding aid was created by Brigette C. Kamsler in 2011 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.

Revision Description

2020-08-10 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.

Biographical / Historical

David Livingstone was born in 1813 to Agnes and Neil Livingstone in Scotland. From an early age, Livingstone endeavored to be a medical missionary, and after completing his training and education he arrived in Cape Town in 1840 representing the London Missionary Society. One of his best known adventures occurred in February 1844 when he was attacked by a lion. Livingstone married Mary Moffat, daughter of missionary Robert Moffat, in 1845. Together they had six children. For a stretch of sixteen years, Livingstone traveled and performed medical missionary duties throughout Africa, returning to England in 1856. In 1857, Livingstone resigned from the London Missionary Society to focus on exploring as opposed to missionary work. Livingstone was appointed Consul in the District of Quilimane on the Eastern Coast of Africa. His expeditions were funded by the Royal Geographical Society of England from 1858 to 1864. It was during this time that his book, Missionary Travels, was published. Livingstone again returned in Africa in 1866 for further exploration. Livingstone died of malaria and dysentery in Africa in 1873.

Subject Headings

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

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Genre/Form
Postcards CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Name
Columbia University. Young Men's Christian Association CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Livingstone, David, 1813-1873 CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Subject
Missionaries CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID