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Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary |
Summary InformationAbstract
At a Glance
ArrangementArrangementThis collection is arranged in one chronological series.
DescriptionScope and ContentsThis collection contains a transcription of Ashbel Green Simonton's journal, requested by his wife Helen Murdoch Simonton, covering his years at Princeton Seminary and his first years as a Presbyterian missionary in Brazil.
Burke Library record group:Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL9, Latin America Using the CollectionBurke Library at Union Theological Seminary Conditions Governing AccessThe collection is open for research. Onsite storage. Conditions Governing UseSome 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 CitationItem description, MRL9: Ashbel Green Simonton journal, 1852-1866, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York. Related MaterialsThe original manuscript journal may be part of a collection on Simonton at Princeton Theological Seminary. Another transcript copy can be found in the Historical Museum of the Presbyterian Seminary in Campinas, Brazil. Custodial HistoryThe journal was first sent to Robert E. Speer by A.G. Simonton's daughter who asked that copies of it be made and distributed. Immediate Source of AcquisitionFormerly part of the independent Missionary Research Library (MRL), these records were originally donated by Robert E. Speer of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. to Charles H. Fahs, director of the Missionary Research Library, in 1918. The records were accessioned by the Burke Library at the time of the MRL's closure in 1976. About the Finding Aid / Processing InformationColumbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary Processing InformationFolded materials were flattened. Staples, rubber bands, and metal clips were removed and replaced with plastic clips. All materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes. The finding aid was created by Miguel Escobar in 2006, reviewed and updated by Brigette Kamsler in 2014 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020. Revision DescriptionJuly 1, 2014 XML Instance Created by Sarah Davis. 2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration. 2020-07-09 EAD spot checked and corrected and description updated by Leah Edelman. Subject HeadingsThe 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. All links open new windows. Subject
History / Biographical NoteBiographical / HistoricalAshbel Green Simonton (1833-1867) was an American Presbyterian pioneer missionary in Brazil. A graduate of Princeton Seminary, he was sent to Brazil by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, arriving in Rio de Janeiro in August 1859. In 1860 Simonton organized the first Sunday school with five children, and began evangelistic work in Portuguese. He converted, baptized, and ordained a former Roman Catholic priest, José Manoel da Conceicão, the first Brazilian Presbyterian minister. He organized the first Presbyterian Church in Rio de Janeiro and was the founder of the first evangelical newspaper. Simonton returned to the United States in 1862 and married Helen Murdoch. She died in 1864 after giving birth to a daughter. Simonton died in 1867 of yellow fever at age 36. |