Livermore, Abiel Abbot, 1811-1892. Papers, 1836-1869.
Overview
Papers of Congregational minister, president of Meadville Theological School, and publisher Abiel Abbot Livermore (1811-1892), the bulk of which is sermons, and also includes photocopies of his diaries. The papers span 1836-1869.
Dates
- Creation: 1836-1869.
Access
There are no restrictions on access to this collection.
Extent
4 boxesThe bulk of this collection consists of Livermore’s sermons. It is arranged according to Livermore’s own numerical organization, which for the most part is chronological. Most of the sermons were delivered in Keene, New Hampshire, although some are addressed to his congregation in Yonkers, New York. Some of the sermons contain references (often accompanied by newspaper clippings) to contemporary historical events including the death of John Quincy Adams; U.S. territorial expansion in the West; the assassination of Abraham Lincoln; and eulogies for George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The collection also contains photocopies of some of Livermore’s diaries (1850-1869). The location of the original diaries from which these photocopies were made is not known. Diaries from 1836-1848 are at the New Hampshire Historical Society.
Biographical / Historical
Abiel Abbot Livermore (1811-1892) graduated from Harvard College in 1833 and the Cambridge Divinity School in 1836. Ordained in 1836 to the Congregational Church of Keene, New Hampshire, Rev. Livermore also served parishes in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Yonkers, New York. He was the president of Meadville Theological School (Pennsylvania) from 1863 to 1890, and also served as the publisher of the Christian Inquirer from 1856 to 1863. He published a multivolume commentary on the New Testament between 1841 and 1881 and Lectures to Young Men on Their Moral Dangers and Duties (1864).
Arrangement
Organized into the following series:
- Series I. Photocopies of diaries
- Series II. Sermons, 5-40
- Series III. Sermons, 79-93
- Series IV. Sermons, 1-198
- Series V. Sermons, 152-250
- Series VI. Sermons, 301-365
- Series VII. Sermons, 451-650
- Series VIII. Sermons, 688-700
- Series IX. Sermons, 701-799
- Series X. Sermons, 850-899
- Series XI. Sermons, 994, 1085, 1091, 1100-1149
Acquisition Information
The sermons were donated by Phyllis Tallarico in 2011. The photocopied pages from the diaries in box 1 were donated to the library by Frank W. Carpenter in 1979.
General note
The number after the slash in each entry in the following list indicates the box number, and the number in parentheses is the folder number.
Processing Information
Processed by Joseph Florez, 2011.
- Title
- Livermore, Abiel Abbot, 1811-1892. Papers, 1836-1869: A Finding Aid.
- Author
- Andover-Harvard Theological Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- div00716
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard University Repository
Special Collections at Harvard Divinity School Library preserves and makes accessible primary source materials documenting the history of religion and theology, with particular historical emphasis on American liberal religious traditions. Though the historical strengths of the collections have been in the field of Christianity, other religious traditions are increasingly reflected, in step with Harvard Divinity School's evolving focus on global religious studies. Known as Andover-Harvard Theological Library since 1911, it was renamed the Harvard Divinity School Library in 2021.
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