James Morris Whiton papers, circa 1819 -- 1929
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Bib ID:
- 4492516 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Whiton, James Morris, 1833-1920
- Repository:
- Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
- Physical Description:
- 10.5 linear feet (10.5 linear feet; 22 boxes)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
-
This collection is open for research.
All boxes in this collection are located offsite. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.
Description
Scope and Contents
This collection contains writings, correspondence, journals, material on the New York State Conference of Religion, photographs, and scrapbooks.
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Series 1: Journals, 1847 -- 1920
This series contains diaries and logs of journeys for Whiton. There are multiple diaries for the late 1880s period specifically.
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Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1819 -- 1929
This series contains letters to individuals, publishers, companies, organizations and committees that Whiton was involved with. Included are letters from Herbert A. Youtz at Auburn Seminary and letters regarding an essay prize that Whiton won at Talladega College. In the folders with the topic of Modern Theology are writers such as Walter Rauschenbusch and McGiffert, W. Dougla MacKenzie at Hartford Theological Seminary, Charles Francis Carter, Nathanial Schmidt, and Frederic Palmer. Also contained in the series are two bound letter books. The first, called "Valuable Letters," contains material related to a proposition to become pastor at a church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; settlement in Lynn; and overtures from other churches that Whiton declined. These letters are from a variety of locations, not just Massachusetts. Also includes letters from parents regarding their sons' work during the term and a memorial service booklet for President James A. Garfield from 1881.The second book, "Letters worth keeping," contains similar material including from the American Home Missionary Society; about his emigration to England; the New York Society of Christian Socialists; and from a variety of theological seminaries.
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Series 3: Writings, 1848 -- 1919
This series contains manuscript and print addresses, essays, and notes, as well as sermons. The newspaper articles were either by or about Whiton. There are also articles that influenced or were collected by Whiton himself. Whiton was an active reviewer of books and other publications, and this series also contains information on those. The "topic files" contain information and articles on specific organizations and people that influenced Whiton. This includes Henry Ward Beecher, the Federal Council of Churches in America, liturgy, slavery, Church Union, and Westminster Catechism.
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Series 4: New York State Conference of Religion, 1898 -- 1915
This series contains information about the New York State Conference of Religion (NYSCR). Included is the original register of those in attendance, correspondence related to the Conference, published proceedings of the conference, and addresses to and related to the Conference. The addresses before the New York State Conference of Religion usually contained four numbers in the series with meetings being held regularly through the year. Some of the numbers are missing in each year. Meetings were held throughout the state, including in Poughkeepsie and Schenectady. Whiton was very involved in the conference and served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee. Other members of the Executive Committee were Josiah Strong, Henry Mottet, Reverend W. C. Gannett, and L. A. Maynard. Reverend Leighton Williams served as the General Secretary, with Thomas Whittaker as Treasurer.
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Series 5: Photographs and scrapbooks, circa 1870 -- 1916
This series contains photographs depicting Whiton himself, locations he lived, and other well-known theologians in the field, as well as scrapbooks with loose papers, pamphlets, correspondence, and newspaper clippings.
Burke Library record group:
Union Theological Seminary Archives: UTS 1, papers of faculty and students
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in five series: Series 1: Journals; Series 2: Correspondence; Series 3: Writings; Series 4: New York State Conference of Religion; and Series 5: Photographs and scrapbooks.
- Series 1: Journals, 1847 -- 1920
- Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1819 -- 1929
- Series 3: Writings, 1848 -- 1919
- Series 4: New York State Conference of Religion, 1898 -- 1915
- Series 5: Photographs and scrapbooks, circa 1870 -- 1916
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
All boxes in this collection are located offsite. 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: James Morris Whiton papers, series #, 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
Some metal clips and staples were removed from materials and folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Acidic items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. Any items in an advanced state of deterioration were placed in Mylar envelopes.The collection was updated in 2015 as part of the Henry Luce Foundation grant. At this time the collection was fully processed and certain boxes were combined. The Project Archivist, Brigette Kamsler, was assisted in the refoldering and describing of materials by two student assistants, Carolyn Bratnober and Alex W. Black. The finding aid was updated and edited by Leah Edelman in 2024.
Revision Description
2024-04-29 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.
Biographical / Historical
James Morris Whiton, Jr. was born April 11, 1833 in Boston, Massachusetts to James Morris Whiton (1809-1857) and Mary Elizabeth (Knowlton) Whiton (1809-1906). At the age of 11 he began at Boston Latin School. In 1849, James Whiton entered Yale College; his first connection with the press came during his sophomore year when he began to write book notices for a periodical. He graduated from Yale in 1853 and soon after accepted a teaching position at a high school in Worcester, Massachusetts. His interest in the ministry continued to grow, having joined the church after his younger sister's death in 1847. He later accepted the position of Rector at Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, Connecticut. James married Mary Bartlett, the sister of a close friend, on May 1, 1855. In 1859, Whiton was licensed to preach by the New Haven West Association. He wrote a Latin Primer and Greek Primer while pursuing his PhD from Yale from which he graduated in 1861. This was the first year that a PhD degree was awarded at Yale, with James being one of three individuals earning the degree. It is said that his thesis was comprised of six pages all in Latin. In May 1865, Whiton was ordained and installed as minster of the First Congregational Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, having studied theology at Andover Seminary for a year. He became principal of the Williston Seminary in Easthampton, Massachusetts in 1876, but resigned two years later because of "theological animosities excited by his book, 'Is Eternal Punishment Endless?'" From 1879-1885 he was pastor of the First Congregational Church in Newark, New Jersey, followed in 1886 by Trinity Congregational Church in New York City. Due to poor health, he retired from pastoral work in 1891 and dedicated himself to teaching, writing, and occasional preaching. Over the next twenty years, Whiton would travel extensively as a guest preacher both on the northeast and into England. He was a member of the staff of Outlook, a large publishing house, and contributing editor for the Homiletic Review. Whiton is recognized as a writer on theological and ethical themes, and a preacher of the social gospel. He authored countless newspaper and magazine articles, and ten books. James Morris Whiton Jr. died in New York City on January 25, 1920 (1919 in some reports) and is buried at the Grove Street Seminary in New Haven, Connecticut.
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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