Smith, Eli. ( Syria,1821-1857). Papers, 1819-1869
Overview
Eli Smith was a missionary in the Middle East and translator of the Bible into Arabic, 1826-1857. The papers include missionary and family correspondence and scholarly papers chiefly on philology and geography.
Dates
- Creation: 1819-1869
Conditions Governing Access
A portion of this collection is shelved offsite. Retrieval requires advance notice. Check with Houghton Public Services staff.
Much of ABC 1-91 is open for research.
A portion of this colleciton is housed offsite. Retrieval requires advance notice. Readers should check with Houghton Public Services staff about retrieval policies and times.
Parts of this collection to which access is restricted are: (1) manuscripts, correspondence and other materials of the last forty years; and (2) some materials specifically marked "Restricted". Since the ABCFM came to an end as a separate body in 1961, it is broadly the case (since June 2001) that the forty-year rule no longer affects the present collection. However, there are some items that contain material after this date and to which the rule applies. Where only parts (e.g. single folders) within an item are affected, it is only these parts that are restricted. Items specifically "Restricted" include the minutes of the Prudential Committee (ABC 80.1). Restricted items may be examined only with the written permission of the Executive Minister of Wider Church Ministries.
A portion of this collection is available on microfilm and surrogates must be used. Surrogate information is available with the description of the material throughout the finding aid. For access to the originals, consult curatorial staff.
Extent
3.5 linear feet (3 boxes)The papers span the whole of Smith's career 1826-1857 and include a few items before that. His correspondence was chiefly but not exclusively with missionary colleagues and with his family. There are also papers of his first wife Sarah L. Smith, of his widow Hetty Smith (down to 1869), and a few items from his children including Charles L. Smith. Eli Smith's own letters are mostly copies made in a copying press, the bulk of them from the years 1835-1839.
Biographical / Historical
Eli Smith (1801-1857) was a missionary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, stationed in the Middle East, briefly in Malta (1826) and then, until his early death, in Beirut. He also traveled in Greece (1829), Armenia and Persia (1830-1831), and Palestine (1838 and 1852). He is remembered as a translator of the Bible into Arabic. Smith was married three times, to Sarah Lanman Huntington (1833-1836), Maria Ward Chapin (1841-1842), and Hetty Simpkins Butler (1846- ).
Processing Information
Processed by: J. F. Coakley. Integrated into the main ABC 1-91 finding aid during processing, 2024.
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.
Harvard Yard
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2440
Houghton_Library@harvard.edu