Daniel Johnson Fleming papers, circa 1900 -- 1949

Summary Information

Abstract

Daniel Johnson Fleming was a Presbyterian missionary to India and Professor of Missions at Union Theological Seminary from 1918-1944. The collection includes a Buddhist primer, correspondence, pamphlets, and photographs.

At a Glance

Bib ID:
4492557 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Fleming, Daniel Johnson, 1877-1970
Repository:
Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
Physical Description:
0.25 linear feet (0.25 linear feet; 1 box)
Language(s):
English , Telugu .
Access:

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a handwritten manuscript in the Telugu language, thought to be a Buddhist primer, as well as correspondence from 1936 written by Fleming and Missionary Research Library staff regarding this primer. Two of Fleming's shorter writings are also included: his pamphlet "The Missionary Occupation of India" from 1918 details Christian missionary presence in India, and his booklet "Education through Stone and Glass" circa 1949 discusses the religious symbolism of the architecture of UTS. Also included are two photographs, one of Booker T. Washington and C. F. Andrews, and the other of Deaconess Ellen Lakshmi Goreh, the daughter of Nehemiah Nilankantha Goreh, an early convert in India.

  • Daniel Johnson Fleming papers, circa 1900 -- 1949

    This series contains a handwritten manuscript in the Telugu language, thought to be a Buddhist primer, as well as correspondence from 1936 written by Fleming and Missionary Research Library staff regarding this primer. Two of Fleming's shorter writings are also included: his pamphlet "The Missionary Occupation of India" from 1918 details Christian missionary presence in India, and his booklet "Education through Stone and Glass" circa 1949 discusses the religious symbolism of the architecture of UTS. Also included are two photographs, one of Booker T. Washington and C. F. Andrews, and the other of Deaconess Ellen Lakshmi Goreh, the daughter of Nehemiah Nilankantha Goreh, an early convert in India.

Burke Library record group:

Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL3, South Asia

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series organized by format.

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, MRL3: Daniel Johnson Fleming Papers, box #, folder #, 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 1988-07-19. Metal clips and staples were removed from materials where possible 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. Photocopies were made of deteriorating papers and included in the collections alongside the originals. The finding aid was created by Leanora Lange in 2012 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.

Revision Description

2020-07-29 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.

Biographical / Historical

Daniel Johnson Fleming (1877-1970) was a Presbyterian missionary in India and Professor of Missions at Union Theological Seminary. Fleming was born in Xenia, Ohio, and graduated from the College of Wooster in 1898. After a short mission assignment in India, he returned to the U.S. for graduate studies, earning a Master of Science in chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1903 and a Master of Arts in physics from Columbia University in 1904. He also studied theology at Union Theological Seminary from 1901-1903, and he was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1903. He married Elizabeth Cole in 1904, with whom he had two daughters and a son. He and Elizabeth served for eight years as Presbyterian missionaries in Lahore, India, where Fleming lectured at Forman Christian College. Fleming earned a PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1914. Starting in 1915, he served as the director of the department of Foreign Service at Union Theological Seminary and then as Professor of Missions from 1918-1944. After Elizabeth's death in 1955, he married Helen Mack Howard.

Perhaps Fleming's largest contribution to Christian missions was his prolific writing, in which he explores issues of missionary work in relation to the social sciences, Christian symbolism, greater global awareness, and ethical approaches to other cultures. Some of his most well-known books include Schools with a Message in India (1921), Building with India (1922), Contacts with Non-Christian Cultures: A Case Book in the Christian Movement Abroad (1923), Whither Bound in Missions (1925), Each with His Own Brush: Contemporary Christian Art in Asia and Africa (1938), and Christian Symbols in a World Community (1940).

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
Photographic prints CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Name
Andrews, C. F. (Charles Freer), 1871-1940 CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Goreh, Achimiah CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Goreh, Ellen Lakshmi CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915 CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Subject
College teachers CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Missionaries CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Missions -- India CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID