American Baptist Historical Society

American Baptist Historical Society Founded in 1853, ABHS holds the largest and most diverse collection of Baptist-related materials in the world.

Our historical library holds upwards of 55,000 volumes. Browse our catalog of archival materials via our website: ABHSarchives.org Our mission is to preserve Baptist history and share its contribution to church and society. Baptist history is religious history, American history, global history. Our collection includes:

• Books and pamphlets
• Original correspondence and church records
• Periodicals representing the Baptist press worldwide
• State and Association minutes of many Baptist denominations and a few international bodies
• The archives of the national mission boards of the American Baptist Churches, USA (formerly the Northern Baptist Convention)
• Archives of the Baptist World Alliance
• Artifacts from missionaries
• Memorabilia from Baptist institutions (colleges, city community centers, homes, and hospitals). Our location (we consolidated our two sites Rochester, NY & Valley Forge, PA to Atlanta, GA in the fall of 2008) contains approximately 6 miles of shelving.

October 8. 1609. John Clarke was born in Suffolk England. He was a physician, Baptist minister, co-founder of the Col...
10/08/2026

October 8. 1609. John Clarke was born in Suffolk England. He was a physician, Baptist minister, co-founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, author of its influential charter, and a leading advocate of religious freedom in the Americas. He arrived in Boston where Baptists were considered heretics and were banned, in 1637 and decided to go to Rhode Island. But Clarke wanted to make inroads there and spent time in the Boston jail after making a mission trip to the town of Lynn. The fledgling Rhode Island colony needed an agent in England, so Clarke handled the colony's interests. All of the other New England colonies were hostile to Rhode Island. After the restoration of the monarchy in England in 1660, it was imperative that Rhode Island receive a royal charter to protect its territorial integrity. It was Clarke's role to obtain such a document, and he saw this as an opportunity to include religious freedoms never seen before in any constitutional charter. He negotiated for months with Connecticut over territorial boundaries. Finally, he drafted the Rhode Island Royal Charter and presented it to the king, and it was approved with the king's seal on 8 July 1663. This charter granted unprecedented freedom and religious liberty to Rhode Islanders and remained in effect for 180 years, making it the longest-lasting constitutional charter in history.

The latest issue of Foundations is out: a tribute to Baptist historian Bill Brackney. Copies are available for $25. T...
10/06/2026

The latest issue of Foundations is out: a tribute to Baptist historian Bill Brackney. Copies are available for $25. To order yours, contact ABHS.

October 5, 1783. William Carey was baptized in Northampton County, England. Carey is known as the "father of modern mi...
10/05/2026

October 5, 1783. William Carey was baptized in Northampton County, England. Carey is known as the "father of modern missions." He was a Particular Baptist minister, translator, social reformer and cultural anthropologist who founded the Serampore College and the Serampore University, the first degree awarding University in India. He translated the Hindu classic the Ramayana into English, and the Bible into Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Arabic, Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit. When Adoniram and Ann Judson landed in India, they sought out Carey to talk about Baptist beliefs.

October 4, 1861. Walter Rauschenbusch was born in Rochester, NY. He is considered the father of the Christian social g...
10/04/2026

October 4, 1861. Walter Rauschenbusch was born in Rochester, NY. He is considered the father of the Christian social gospel. From 1891-1892, Rauschenbusch studied economics and theology at the University of Berlin and industrial relations in England, Rauschenbusch's work influenced, among others, Martin Luther King; Desmond Tutu; and his grandson, Richard Rorty. Rauschenbusch's view of Christianity was that its purpose was to spread the Kingdom of God, not through a "fire and brimstone" style of preaching, but by the Christlike lives led by its members. Rauschenbusch did not understand Jesus' death as an act of substitutionary atonement; rather, he came to believe that Jesus died "to substitute love for selfishness as the basis of human society." Rauschenbusch wrote that "Christianity is in its nature revolutionary" and tried to remind society of that. He taught that the Kingdom of God "is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven." ABHS has a large collection of Rauschenbusch family papers, correspondence, photographs, and lectures.

ABHS celebrates Primera Iglesia Bautista Carolina in Puerto Ricco on their 125th anniversary!
10/02/2026

ABHS celebrates Primera Iglesia Bautista Carolina in Puerto Ricco on their 125th anniversary!

Here in the state of Georgia, October is designated as Archives Month! Archives Month is a way to celebrate the value o...
10/01/2026

Here in the state of Georgia, October is designated as Archives Month! Archives Month is a way to celebrate the value of Georgia’s historical records, publicize the many ways historical records enrich our lives, and recognize those who maintain our communities’ historical records.
We here at the American Baptist Historical Society work to preserve such diverse materials as missionary correspondence and personal collections, American Baptist Churches/USA organizational records, and original church records. ABHS records come from all over the world, and we take the time this month to celebrate *all* archives’ protection and sharing of original and unique records.

Sept 26, 1832. Joanna P. Moore was born in Clarion County, PA. She became a lifelong teacher of freed slaves. She tau...
09/26/2026

Sept 26, 1832. Joanna P. Moore was born in Clarion County, PA. She became a lifelong teacher of freed slaves. She taught literacy, started boarding schools for younger students, and homes for the elderly. Her publication HOPE gave instructions for home schooling, called ‘Fireside Schools’. Moore also started training schools so others would carry on her teaching legacy. ABHS has some of Moore’s personal papers, photographs, and issues of HOPE from 1885-1961.

Sept 23, 1895. The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc, was organized in Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. It ...
09/23/2026

Sept 23, 1895. The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc, was organized in Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. It was a merger of the Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, the National Baptist Convention of America and the National Baptist Education Convention. Reverend E. C. Morris from Little Rock, Arkansas was chosen as the president of this merged body. ABHS has books and articles about the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc, the minutes of their conventions, as well as several National Baptist periodicals.

Sept 22, 1886. Ernest and Ida Roscoe arrived at Kodiak Island. They were the first Baptist missionaries to Alaska. Among...
09/22/2026

Sept 22, 1886. Ernest and Ida Roscoe arrived at Kodiak Island. They were the first Baptist missionaries to Alaska. Among other things, they started a school and the Baptist Mission at Kodiak. ABHS has a book their son, Fred, wrote of his life growing up in Alaska where there was no local government and no federal control except for customs collections.

Sept 19, 1749. Philadelphia Baptist Association stated its support for local church autonomy. The Church of England and ...
09/19/2026

Sept 19, 1749. Philadelphia Baptist Association stated its support for local church autonomy. The Church of England and Methodist church had a defined hierarchy that left little local church autonomy, but the Baptists had only loose Associations, and a local church could choose which Association they wanted to join. Other decisions like which pastor to call, and who could join the church were decided by the local congregation. The Philadelphia Association was influential; ABHS has records from this association beginning in 1763.

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