Samuel Smith papers, circa 1772 -- 1817

Summary Information

Abstract

Reverend Samuel Smith (1768-1801) graduated from Columbia College in 1786 and became a Presbyterian minister who lived and preached throughout upstate New York and New Jersey. The collection contains personal and ministry-related correspondence, sermons, a manuscript notice issued by Yale regarding income increases for professors of divinity employed there, as well as Smith's diplomas from Columbia University.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series organized by format. Files containing correspondence and sermons retain original order.

• Samuel Smith papers, circa 1772 -- 1817

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains personal and ministry-related correspondence, including letters from Enoch Leonard and Smith's sister, Eliza; sermons given by Smith in Saratoga, New York and Connecticut Farms, New Jersey, between 1789 and 1801, including New Years and Christmas Day celebratory sermons; one unbound manuscript notice dated 1775 issued by Yale University (then Yale College) calling for income increases for professors of divinity employed there; as well as Smith's diplomas from Columbia University.

• Samuel Smith papers, circa 1772 -- 1817

  This series contains personal and ministry-related correspondence, including letters from Enoch Leonard and Smith's sister, Eliza; sermons given by Smith in Saratoga, New York and Connecticut Farms, New Jersey, between 1789 and 1801, including New Years and Christmas Day celebratory sermons; one unbound manuscript notice dated 1775 issued by Yale University (then Yale College) calling for income increases for professors of divinity employed there; as well as Smith's diplomas from Columbia University.

Burke Library record group

Union Theological Seminary Archives: UTS 1, papers of faculty and students

Using the Collection

Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.

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, UTS1: Samuel Smith Papers, 1772-1817, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The exact provenance of this collection is unknown.

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 1988-07-13. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The diplomas were flattened and placed in an oversize box. The finding aid was created by Rebecca Nieto in 2017 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.

Revision Description

2020-09-17 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.

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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Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Reverend Samuel Smith was born in 1768 and, after graduating from Columbia College in 1786, became a Presbyterian minister who lived and preached throughout upstate New York and New Jersey. Smith was licensed in October of 1789 and ordained in January of 1790, the same year he married Elizabeth Van Vechten (1770-1840). Smith served as minister at the Dutch Reform church in Saratoga, N.Y. (January-June 1800), and the Presbyterian church in Connecticut Farms, N.J. (October 1800-October 1801). Smith died suddenly in October of 1801 and was buried in the cemetery of the Connecticut Farms church.