Presbyterian Historical Society
The Presbyterian Historical Society offers an intimate, friendly atmosphere for conducting research that is a bit more laid back than other larger locations. The staff is very friendly and willing to help. If you've never visited archives before, the personal attention makes this a great place to start - there is less pressure to know all the ropes, and you're sure to receive helpful, personal attention while research your project.
However, don't let the smaller size and friendly atmosphere fool you. In my personal opinion, PHS has one of the best collections available in Philadelphia for conducting primary document research on East Asia. They have hundreds, if not thousands, of relevant records readily available.
Why Visit PHS?
Unsurprisingly, the Society's main strength is missionary records. But this doesn't mean that the collection's scope is limited. Even if you're not interested in missionaries per sae, they ran hospitals, taught at schools, and visited small towns that no other westerners were interested in. Thus, their observations give unique insight into cultural trends and political tensions of the time, as well as allowing a detailed look at religion and perceptions of East Asia at the turn of the century.
Just as a note of interest, PHS houses a number of original letters written by Pearl S. Buck, author of the famous book The Good Earth.
Where to Start
- Many Finding Aids are available online. They can be accessed here and cover many ministers and missionaries' personal papers (the records are searchable).
- But beware - the records don't display on Apple computers or with Firefox on Windows computers. You must use Internet Explorer to view these finding aids online. A free version of Internet Explorer for PC's can be downloaded here. There is no version available for Macs. That technical problem aside, a quick search for China turns up 73 records and Japan, 38.
Other Finding Aids for records processed a long time ago may be available only in print form. These are available in the "Open Stacks" (in the reading room). If looking into the room with your back to the entrance, they are to the far right on the book shelves. Ask a librarian for help in locating them.
- CALVIN is PHS's online search engine. It searches both the archives (i.e. manuscript collections) and book collection at the same time. Thus, it returns many more results than just searching the Finding Aids, but its worth taking a look. NOTE: this doesn't search collections processed before 1980, which is why the printed card catalog and finding aids are important.
- Foreign Missionary Personnel Files "may contain missionary application forms, “Candidate Reference Blanks,” “Missionary Profiles,” school records, photographs, incoming and outgoing correspondence, medical and financial records, obituaries, and/or other printed material."
- As mentioned above, the card catalog remains important. It is located in the reading room.
- A few online exhibits are also on the PHS website. One in particular on Korean missionaries can be found here (this is the source of the picture to the right).
- A number of printed materials available in the Open Stacks (the reading room) are also very important. Librarians can help you locate and use these sources:
- The Journal of Presbyterian Historical Society (later the name was changed to the Journal of Presbyterian History)
- Minutes of the General Assembly (reports published in the early years are divided into separate volumes called Minutes of the General Assembly and Reports of Missionary and Benevolent Bds.). These are extremely useful because they often mention the names of missionaries. These names can then be searched in the card catalog and the online Finding Aid directory.
- Don't forget PhillyResearch.net.
- Click here for some suggestions from Anne Ostendarp, a librarian at the Historical Society
Other Tips
- Access to materials from the last 50 years is restricted and available only on a case-by-case basis. The researcher must submit a letter of application with details of why the specific records need to be accessed. The library can help draft the letter, but has no control over the final approval (the letter is sent to a person off-site).
- It is often helpful to understand the Presbyterian Church's structure before beginning research in its archives (i.e. what is the role of the General Assembly, how does the church hierarchy work, etc.) A brief historical background of the Presbyterian Church is available here.
- Look for information on Women's Organizations. They funded much of the missionary work done by the Presbyterian Church.
- Check PHS's own "Tips for Researchers" page, especially the bottom section titled "For National and Global Presbyterian Mission History"