Guide to the Ballston Female Heathen School Society Records

Descriptive Summary

Title

Ballston Female Heathen School Society Records

Inclusive Dates

1817-1885

Call Number

RG 422

Creator(s)

Ballston Female Heathen School Society

Quantity

0.17 cubic feet (1 box)

Language

Materials in English

Restrictions on Access

Open for research.

Digital Content

To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.

Repository

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

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Administrative History

The Ballston Female Heathen School Society was founded in 1817, by fifty-seven women from the Ballston region of New York, to support the work of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) and the Theological Seminary at Princeton. Several of the women were members of the Presbyterian congregation at Ballston Center. The society's stated purpose was to aid the missionary establishments at Brainerd, North Carolina, Ceylon, and the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey. Its scope later broadened to include support for mission work in Beirut, Syria, Iran, and with Native Americans near Detroit.

Collection Overview

This collection consists of the 1817 constitution, several annual reports, a subscriber roll with contributions, acknowledgments of contributions, and correspondence from recipients of support. These records document the organization and work of the society up to 1885, including its expansion beyond its initial purpose. The fifth annual report (1822) mentions clothing donations to mission work with the "Western Indians" near Detroit. Receipts, from the corresponding secretary of the Albany Branch of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church, note gifts dedicated to mission work in Beirut, Syria, and Teheran, Persia (1880-1884).

Organization and Arrangement

SERIES I: CONSTITUTION, 1817

SERIES II: ANNUAL REPORTS, 1820, 1822-1824, 1850

SERIES III: SUBSCRIBER ROLL WITH CONTRIBUTIONS, 1817-1824

SERIES IV: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS OF CONTRIBUTIONS, 1819-1884

SERIES V: CORRESPONDENCE FROM RECIPIENTS OF SUPPORT, 1821-1885

Alternative Formats

To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

These materials, found among the family papers of Rev. Herbert Calkins, were donated to the Presbyterian Historical Society by Alden and Elizabeth Davis in 1987. Rev. Calkins was the grandfather of Alden Davis.

Processing Information

Collection processed and finding aid prepared: August 2003
Ellen C. Rutherford, Archives Volunteer

Catalog Headings

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

Corporate Subject

Ballston Female Heathen School Society.

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

Princeton Theological Seminary.

Topical Subject

Women--Societies and clubs--New York (State)--19th century.

Women in missionary work--19th century.

Genre-form

Constitutions. aat

Annual reports. aat

Correspondence. aat

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description	Alternative Formats

1	1	Finding Aid to Record Group 422

		SERIES I: CONSTITUTION, 1817

1	2	Constitution, 1817	Digital

		SERIES II: ANNUAL REPORTS, 1820, 1822-1824, 1850

1	3	Annual Reports, 1820, 1822-1824, 1850, n.d.	Digital

		SERIES III: SUBSCRIBER ROLL WITH CONTRIBUTIONS, 1817-1824

1	4	Subscriber Roll with Contributions, 1817-1824	Digital

		SERIES IV: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS OF CONTRIBUTIONS, 1819-1884

1	5	Acknowledgments of Contributions, 1819-1884, n.d.	Digital

		SERIES V: CORRESPONDENCE FROM RECIPIENTS OF SUPPORT, 1821-1885

1	6	Correspondence from Recipients of Support, 1821-1885, n.d.	Digital