William Carey letter, 1800-12-09

Summary Information

Abstract

William Carey was an English Baptist missionary in England, known as the "father of modern missions," who founded the English Baptist Missionary Society (1792). He translated the Bible into Bengali, and was subsequently appointed Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali at Fort William College in Calcutta. He founded the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India (1820), as well as hundreds of schools and churches. This collection contains one handwritten letter by William Carey, written in December 9, 1800, soon after Carey had relocated from Bengal to Serampore. The letter addresses an individual who Carey calls "My Dear Bro."

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series in original order.

• William Carey letter, 1800-12-09

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains one handwritten letter by William Carey, written in December 9, 1800, soon after Carey had relocated from Bengal to Serampore. The letter addresses an individual who Carey calls "My Dear Bro." The letter is difficult to read and is in some areas illegible.

• William Carey letter, 1800-12-09

  This series contains one handwritten letter by William Carey, written in December 9, 1800, soon after Carey had relocated from Bengal to Serampore. The letter addresses an individual who Carey calls "My Dear Bro." The letter is difficult to read and is in some areas illegible.

Burke Library record group:

Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL3, South Asia

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, MRL 3: William Carey letter, box 1, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Related Materials

Baptist Missionary Society Archives. Microfilm. Film Ms. 56. Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library

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

The letter was placed in a glass frame. The finding aid was created by Jessica Patterson in 2013 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2022.

Revision Description

2022-10-27 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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Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

William Carey was born into humble beginnings in Paulerspury, Northhamptonshire, England in 1761. Carey joined the Baptist Church at the age of twenty-two in 1783, and became an English Baptist missionary in England, known as the "father of modern missions." He founded the English Baptist Missionary Society (1792), translated the Bible into Bengali, and was subsequently appointed Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali at Fort William College in Calcutta. Carey continued to translate the Bible into various India dialects, and founded the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India (1820), as well as hundreds of schools and churches. He successfully campaigned against infanticide and the practice of suttee (widow burning). Carey died in Serampore in 1834.