Guide to the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Chile Mission

Descriptive Summary

Title

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Chile Mission

Inclusive Dates

1866-1972

Bulk Dates

1911-1955

Call Number

RG 160

Creator(s)

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations.

Quantity

10.00 cubic feet

Language

Some materials in Spanish

Restrictions on Access

Open for research. Medical, educational, and psychological records of living people are closed.

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Administrative History

Protestant missionary efforts in Chile originated in 1845 with the arrival in Valparaiso of David Trumbull. Sponsored by the Seamen's Friends Society and the American Foreign Christian Union, he organized the Union Church for English speaking Protestants in 1847. In 1873, the work he commenced was transferred to the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions with the Board assuming responsibility for Trumbull and the other missionaries in the field.

The first station of the Chile Mission was established in Valparaiso in 1868, followed by another at Santiago the same year. Taltal station was organized in Northern Chile in 1888, followed by the opening of Concepcion a decade later. The last station, Curico, was established in 1912. Although missionaries were appointed periodically, the staff of the Chile mission was always small in proportion to the size of the mission field.

The work of the Board in Chile was primarily evangelistic and educational. Ministering to the peoples' spiritual well-being resulted in the establishment of numerous churches. Concern for their educational needs was manifested by the founding of schools such as Ecsuela Popular, the Instituto Ingles, the Union Bible Seminary and the Woman's Union Training School, the latter two being supported by the Presbyterian and Methodist missions. A religious weekly newspaper, El Heraldo Evangelico, later renamed El Heraldo Cristiano, was published in addition to numerous books and tracts. Though no medical work was undertaken as in the other Latin American fields, the needs of children and young mothers were attended to by institutions like the Madre e Hijo hospital and the San Martin baby dispensary.

Collection Overview

This collection documents the history of the Chile Mission from 1866-1972. Although the collection contains materials prior to 1900, its essence dates from 1911-1955. The collection offers insights into the difficulty of mission work in Chile that resulted from either governmental restrictions, local prejudices, which in many cases the Roman Church was responsible for, or differences in philosophy shared by those missionaries serving in the field.

Mission minutes, various reports and correspondence files, Board letters and statistical summaries dominate this collection. Provenance was respected whenever possible, though the original order of this collection was frequently not discernable. It's arrangement has been chronological except for the missionary correspondence, the alphabetical arrangement of which was retained. A separate series was created for the materials regarding the Chile Presbytery. A general correspondence file that documents a variety of mission projects was also created.

It is suspected that this collection reflects not only the Secretaries' files but the mission treasurer's files as well, notably those of S.C. Henderson. Mission property/financial records, much of which were in Spanish, were found, devoid of any distinguishable order. These materials, which constitute approximately 40% of the present collection, were organized into a separate series at the end of this collection.

Organization and Arrangement

Box 1 SERIES 1: MISSION MINUTES

SERIES 2: ANNUAL MISSION/STATION/COMMITTEE REPORTS

Box 2 SERIES 3: ANNUAL MISSIONARY REPORTS

SERIES 4: BOARD LETTERS TO CHILE MISSION

Box 3 SERIES 5: BOARD GENERAL LETTERS

SERIES 6: LATIN AMERICAN FIELD COUNCIL

SERIES 7: CALENDARED CORRESPONDENCE

SERIES 8: EXECUTIVE CORRESPONDENCE

Box 4 SERIES 9: MISSIONARY CORRESPONDENCE

SERIES 10: CORRESPONDENCE/REPORTS RE CHILE PRESBYTERY

Box 5 SERIES 11: CORRESPONDENCE RE INSTITUTO INGLES

SERIES 12: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE/MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Box 6 SERIES 13: MISCELLANEOUS MINUTES

SERIES 14: STATION CORRESPONDENCE

SERIES 15: MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

SERIES 16: CABLES

SERIES 17: STATISTICAL SUMMARIES

SERIES 18: MISSION TREASURER (SECRETARY) CORRESPONDENCE

Box 7 SERIES 19: MISSION TREASURER (SECRETARY) CORRESPONDENCE

Box 7 SERIES 20: ANNUAL/QUARTERLY MISSION TREASURER REPORTS

Box 8 SERIES 21: PROPERTY RECORDS

SERIES 22: MISCELLANEOUS FINANCIAL/PROPERTY RECORDS

Box 9 SERIES 23: LEDGER BOOKS

Box 10 SERIES 24: MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Arrangement is roughly chronological.

Alternative Formats

Materials from the 1872-1900 period are available on microfilm.

Administrative Information

Processing Information

The folders in this collection are numbered consecutively within each series rather than within each box. Therefore, the researcher must specify a series number in addition to a box and folder number when requesting materials.

Materials from the 1872-1900 period are available on microfilm, though it should be noted that the quality of this work is poor.

The researcher should be advised that sizeable portions of this collection, especially the Mission Treasurer correspondence (Series 18 and 19) and the property documents (Series 21) are in Spanish. A reading knowledge of Spanish is essential for using these parts of the collection.

Until approximately 1940, the Board of Foreign Missions utilized a correspondence classification scheme. Each type of correspondence was numbered in the upper right hand corner. The following is a key to that scheme:

1 Minutes, estimates, appropriations.
2 Station reports, educational reports, narrative reports
3 Correspondence with nations, former missionaries. Those not regular missionaries.
4 Cables.
5 Letters from the Board to the Mission.
6 Mission News Bulletins.
7 Correspondence with Mission secretary.
8 Personal labor reports.
9 Statistical summaries.
10 Property correspondence.
11 Missionary correspondence. Usually each missionary was given a number beginning with 11, 12, 13..

Collection processed and finding aid prepared: August 1982
Frederick J. Heuser, Jr, Archivist

Finding aid revised: July 1992
Stephanie Muntone, Processing Archivist

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Corporate Subject

American Seamen's Friend Society.

American and Foreign Christian Union.

Instituto Inglés (Santiago, Chile)

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Presbytery of Chile.

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Presbytery of Chile.

Topical Subject

Presbyterian Church Missions Chile.

Missions Societies, etc.

Presbyterian Church Chile Educational work.

Missions, American Chile.

Education Chile.

Schools Chile Santiago.

Genre-form

Statistics. aat

Property records. aat

Financial records. aat

Minutes. aat

Reports. aat

Corporate Added Name

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Board of Foreign Missions.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Chile Mission.

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Chile Mission.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Latin American Field Council.

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description

1	1	Finding Aid to Record Group 160

		SERIES 1: MISSION MINUTES

1	1a	1911
	2-9	1912-19
	10-19	1920-29
	20-30	1930-39
	31-40	1940-49
	41-46	1950-55
	47	1962

		SERIES 2: ANNUAL MISSION/STATION/COMMITTEE REPORTS

1	1-9	1910-19
	10-20	1920-29
	21-30	1930-39
	31-40	1940-49
	41	1950
	42	1951
	43	1952
	44	1952-1953; 1955; 1959

		SERIES 3: ANNUAL MISSIONARY REPORTS

2	1-9	1911-19
	10-17	1920-27
	18-28	1929-39
	29-38	1940-49
	39-44	1950-55
	46	1962; 1965-1966; 1970
	47	1969

		SERIES 4: BOARD LETTERS TO CHILE MISSION

2	1	1912
	2-3	1914-15
	4-14	1919-29
	15-24	1930-39
	25-34	1940-49
	35-40	1950-55


		SERIES 5: BOARD GENERAL LETTERS

3	1	1917
	2	1919
	3-11	1921-39
	12-20	1930-39
	21	1940
	22	1941; 1943-46
	23-26	1946-49
	27	1950; 1952-55; 1957; 1959
	28	1950
	29	1951
	30	1953
	31	1954
	32	1960; 1962-65

		SERIES 6: LATIN AMERICAN FIELD COUNCIL

	1	Minutes, 1946-50
	2	Miscellaneous items, 1947-49
	3	Annual Reports of the Secretary for Evangelism in Latin America, 1951-53

		SERIES 7: CALENDARED CORRESPONDENCE

	1-9	1911-19
	10-15	1920-25

		SERIES 8: EXECUTIVE CORRESPONDENCE

	1	1936
	2	1939-40
	3-11	1941-49
	12	Executive Correspondence re Chile Plan, Resource File of 1931-47, 1949
	13-19	1950-56
	20-26	1959-65
	27	1969

		SERIES 9: MISSIONARY CORRESPONDENCE

4	1	1911-16
	2-6	1926-30
	7	Reverend/Mrs. A.M. Alexander, 1933-56
	8	Mrs. W.B. Boomer, 1931
	9	Dr./Mrs. W.E. Browning, 1933-42
	10	Miss H.M. Christensen
	12	Reverend/Mrs. George B. Dutton, 1931-48
	13	Mr./Mrs. R.B. Elmore, 1932-46
	14	Reverend P. Evaul, 1948-52
	15	Reverend/Mrs. Paul Fisk, 1945-50
	16	Reverend/Mrs. Donald R. Fletcher, 1945-56
	17	Mr./Mrs. James F. Garvin, 1932-36
	18	Reverend/Mrs. R.M. Gilchrist, 1933-40
	19	Mr./Mrs. I. Grimshaw, 1945-47
	20	Reverend/Mrs. S.C. Henderson, 1931-54
	21	Mrs. A.T. Macnab, 1949-56
	22-23	Reverend J.H. McLean, 1931-60
	24	Reverend/Mrs. P. Mcmillen, 1944-51
	25	Miss Rose I. Paden, 1931-60
	26	Reverend/Mrs. I. Paul, 1930-50
	27	Reverend H. Peters, 1951

4	28	Miss M. Lawler, 1931
	29	Reverend/Mrs. J. Rapp, 1950-56
	30	Reverend Humberto Reyes, 1951-54
	31	Miss Elenor Rodisch, 1947-50
	32	Miss M.A. Schultze, 1931-63
	33	Reverend/Mrs. E.G. Seel, 1931-34
	34	Miss Cora Smith, 1942-50
	35	Miss Florence E. Smith, 1933-35
	36	Reverend/Mrs. Jessie Smith, 1931-45
	37	Reverend/Mrs. J.P. Van Eaton, 1931-42
	38	Reverend/Mrs. F.L. White, 1942-44
	39	Miscellaneous, A-Z, 1949-54

		SERIES 10: CORRESPONDENCE/REPORTS RE CHILE PRESBYTERY

	1	Church Reports, 1924
	2	Minutes, Chile Presbytery, 1930-38; 1946-47
	3	Miscellaneous Reports, 1932-38; 1941; 1944
	4	Correspondence, 1932-50
	5	Correspondence, re Five Year Plan, 1947-48
	6	Correspondence, 1948-52
	7	Correspondence, re Ten Year Plan, 1950
	8-11	Correspondence, 1953-59
	12	Correspondence/Miscellaneous items re conflict with Chile Presbytery, 1960
	13	Correspondence, 1961-64
	14	Correspondence/Reports, 1965
	15	Correspondence, 1966-72

		SERIES 11: CORESPONDENCE RE INSTITUTO INGLES

5	1	Correspondence/Miscellaneous items, 1911; 1915
	2	Correspondence, 1922
	3	Correspondence/Miscellaneous items, 1922-47
	4	Report, 1924
	5-10	Correspondence, 1925-29
	11-21	Correspondence, 1930-39
	22	Correspondence, 1941
	23	Correspondence, 1942
	24	Correspondence, 1945
	25	Correspondence, 1946
	26	Correspondence/Reports re investigation of Instituto Ingles, 1946 -47
	27	Correspondence, 1947
	28	Confidential Report of Commission to investigate Instituto Ingles, 1947
	29-31	Correspondence, 1948-50
	32	Photographs

		SERIES 12: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE/MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

	1	Miscellaneous property records, 1898-1921

5	2	Correspondence re Normal School, 1899; 1916-23
	3	Charter/By-Laws of Union Evangelica, 1905; 1930; 1957
	4	Correspondence--removal of W.E. Browning, 1916-17
	5	Correspondence--El Sembrador Bookstore, 1917-57
	6	Correspondence--Miscellaneous, 1917-65
	7	Annual Reports of Madre E Hijo Hospital (incomplete), 1924-46
	8	Historical Resource File, 1924-62
	9	Correspondence--New Plan for Cooperation, 1925-32
	10	Correspondence--Non-Missionaries, 1926-39
	11	Correspondence--Property, 1927; 1929-32; 1936-42
	12	Bibliography on Latin America, 1926
	13	Correspondence--Progress in Chile, 1927
	14	Correspondence--Foyer De Estudiantes, 1927-32
	15	Correspondence--El Verjel, 1930-44
	16	Annual Reports of El Sembrador Bookstore, 1932-46
	17	Correspondence--Madre y Hijo Hospital, 1932-55
	18	Correspondence--Evangelical Union Hospital, 1944-45
	19	Correspondence--New Life Movement, 1948
	20	Property correspondence, 1948-56; 1961-62; 1972
	21	Miscellaneous items, 1948-69
	22	Correspondence--Audio Visual Education/Evangelism, 1949-53
	23	Correspondence--Con Con Rest Home, 1950-52
	24	Correspondence--Chilean Institutions, 1951-71
	25	Correspondence--H. Peters, Field Administrator for Fellowship of Presbyterian Missionaries, 1952-53
	26	General Reports, 1957-62
	27	Miscellaneous items re Presbyterian Church, 1958
	28	Correspondence--Interchurch Services, 1958
	29	Correspondence--Calama Project, 1964-65
	30	Correspondence--General, 1964-67
	31	Correspondence--J.H. Sinclair, Latin American Office, 1965
	32	Correspondence/Annual Report of Comunidad Teologica Evangelica de Chile, 1966-67; 1969
	33	Correspondence re Student Christian Movement, 1970
	34	New Releases re Chilean Politics, 1970; 1972
	35	Article, "The Agrarian Problem in Chile"
	36	Floor Plans for proposed Evangelical Hospital and School of Nursing
	37	Miscellaneous news clippings

		SERIES 13: MISCELLANEOUS MINUTES

6	1	Joint Comity Committee, Presbyterian/Methodist-Episcopal Mission, 1914-21
	2	Joint Building Committee, Presbyterian/Methodist-Episcopal Mission, 1919
	3	Santiago Station, July 1932-July 1949

		SERIES 14: STATION CORRESPONDENCE

6	4	Station Letters/Bulletins--Santiago/Valparaiso, 1929-37
	5	Correspondence--Santiago/Valparaiso, 1931
	6	Correspondence--Santiago, 1943-45
	7	Correspondence--Valparaiso, 1943-44; 1946-47
	8	Correspondence--Santiago/Valparaiso, 1926-27
	9	Correspondence--Valparaiso, 1929-30
	10	Correspondence--Santiago/Valparaiso, 1928-29
	11	Photographs of Foyer De Estudiantes (Santiago Hostel), ca. 1930

		SERIES 15: MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

6	12	Historical Resource File; Constitution/By-Laws/ Charter of Union Evangelica, 1888-1967
6	13	Deputation Reports, 1939; 1950

		SERIES 16: CABLES

	1	1926; 1928-31
	2	1932-34
	3	1935-40
	4	1946-50
	5	1951-54
	6	1964-65
	7	1971
	8	1972

		SERIES 17: STATISTICAL SUMMARIES

	1	1911; 1913-1917
	2	1912
	3	1917
	4	1918-21
	5-11	1922-29
	12-17	1930-34
	18-21	1942-46

		SERIES 18: MISSION TREASURER (SECRETARY) CORRESPONDENCE

	1-4	1926-29
	5-14	1930-39
	15	1940
	16	1946-66
	17-20	1952-55
	21-25	1957-66
	26	1968

		SERIES 19: MISSION TREASURER (SECRETARY) CORRESPONDENCE

7	1-3	Miscellaneous items, 1946-49
	4	Correspondence: J.B. Thompson, 1949
	5	Correspondence: A-E, 1949
	6	Correspondence: F-P, 1949
	7	Correspondence: R-Z, 1949
	8	Correspondence: A-Z, 1949
	9	Correspondence: A-E, 1950
	10	Correspondence: F-P, 1950
	11	Correspondence: R-Z, 1950
	12-17	Correspondence: S.C. Henderson, 1950
	18	Correspondence: M. De Leyton, 1950
	19	Correspondence: F.T. Herrera, 1950
	20	Correspondence: H. Gonzalez, 1950
	21	Correspondence: H. Reyes, 1950
	22-24	Miscellaneous items, 1950

		SERIES 20: ANNUAL/QUARTERLY MISSION TREASURER REPORTS

	1-5	1945-49
	6-13	1950-57

		SERIES 21: PROPERTY RECORDS

8	1	Property documents, 1866-1911
	2	Property documents, 1886-1920
	3	Property documents, 1889-1905
	4	Property documents, 1899-1915
	5	Property documents, 1889-1930
	6	Property documents, 1890-1949
	7	Property documents, 1906-50
	8	Property documents, 1908-38
	9	Property documents, 1910-34
	10	Property documents, 1918; 1945-46
	11	Property documents, 1920?
	12	Property documents, 1920-38
	13	Property documents, 1926-49
	14	Property documents, 1926-49
	15	Property documents, 1929-30
	16	Property documents, 1939-40
	17	Property documents, 1946-48
	18	Property documents, Undated
	19	Notebook/miscellaneous items of Florence E. Smith, 1914-18
	20	Miscellaneous property documents/correspondence, 1919-22
	21	Mission policy documents re preparation and use of property lists, 1921-26
	22	Mission Property reports (revised), 1925
	23	Property roll/lists, 1929-32; 1936-37

		SERIES 22: MISCELLANEOUS FINANCIAL/PROPERTY RECORDS

8	1	Photos (3)/blueprint of Vallinar Church, 1930?
	2	Summaries of Chile properties and their value, 1939
	3	Correspondence/estimates/reports: Concepcion -Casa Y Tempo Y Sala, 1945-51
	4	Estimates of M. Schindler (architect) for Union Evangelica, 1946-48; 1952-53
	5	Estimates of J. Schalchis (architect) for Union Evangelica, 1946-48
	6-10	Bills of Exchange books, 1944-57
	11	Blueprint of Iglesia Evangelica
	12	Floor plans of Instituto Ingles
	13	Blueprints of Concepcion construction project
	14	Index of mission properties with historical notes
	15	Register of Chilean missionaries
	16	Index of properties (by town) of Chile mission

		SERIES 23: LEDGER BOOKS

9	1	Seminario Biblica, 1932-38
	2	Biblioteca Circulante, 1933-36
	3	Libro De Caja/Seminario Biblica, July 1936-December 1952
	4	Libro De Caja/Heraldo Evangelico, 1937-40
	5	La Granja - De F. Ramos, 1938-45
	6	La Granja/Caja, 1938-44
	7	Escuela Mesilla, Valparaiso, 1939-48
	8	Project Quilpue, 1942-49
	9	El Heraldo Evangelico, 1944-45
	10	Cuentas Del Mayor, general ledger book (?), 1949-56
	11	Northfield District Mission Accounts #1, March 1950-December 1953
	12	Escuela Biblica Presbiteriana, Valparaiso, 1950-53
	13	Escuela Biblica Presbiteriana, Valparaiso, September 1950-March 1953
	14	Escuela Biblica Presbiteriana, Valparaiso, September 1950-March 1953
	15	Northfield District Mission Accounts, 20 March 1950- 6 February 1956
	16	Northfield District Mission Accounts #2, January 1954- January 1956

		SERIES 24: MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

10	1	Hogar Estudiantil Presbiteriana, 1955-1958
	2	Project Quilpue, 1946-1951
	3	Escuela Biblica Presbiteriana/Caja, September 1950-March 1953
	4	Upper Sini Mission Residence Accounts, 1940s?
	5	Minutes, Joint Bible Seminary Committee, 1914-37
	6	Account book of El Salvador Church, 1917-18
	7	Patient register (?), Colombo-American Clinic, (n.d.)
	8	Notes on Escuela Popular, 1926; receipt book of El Salvador Church, 1918
	9	Northfield property register, 1940-41; unidentified receipt book, 1937 (?)-38 (?)
	10	Mission bank draft notices, 1953-54
	11	Mission bank draft notices, 1942-53
	12	Certificate of credit books, 1946-48
	13	Certificate of credit books, 1948-52
	14	Miscellaneous items, 1948-49
	15	Bank statements, 1955-56
	16-17	Miscellaneous notebooks

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Guide to the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Chile Mission

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