Overview
This collection contains Andrew Bigelow's correspondence, sermons, writings; as well as letters from his family. The papers span 1823-1861.
Dates
- Creation: 1823-1861.
Access
There are no restrictions on access to this collection.
Extent
1 boxesThis collection includes professional and personal correspondence. The latter category contains letters from Bigelow's wife, Amelia; his father, Timothy; his sister, Elizabeth; his son, Timothy; the younger Timothy's wife, Louisa; their daughter, Louise; and Andrew's niece, Katherine Bigelow Lawrence, concerning her engagement and the death of her father, Abbott Lawrence. The collection also includes an obituary for the elder Timothy, a signed contract for Andrew Bigelow's second book, Travels in Malta and Sicily, with Sketches of Gibraltar in 1827, and a handwritten biography of Mary Whitwell Hale, a member of Bigelow's congregation in Taunton and author of a collection of poems. Sermons, personal ledgers, political writings, and academic material are also included in this collection.
Biographical / Historical
Andrew Bigelow (1795-1877) was born in Groton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College in 1814 and studied law before turning to divinity. He graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1817 and spent some time in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was ordained as an Evangelist in 1820 and subsequently ministered in Eastport, Maine, for one year. In 1823 he was installed as a Unitarian minister at First Parish, Medford, Massachusetts, and afterward led congregations in Washington, D.C.; Taunton, Massachusetts; South Danvers (now Peabody), Massachusetts; and Boston. He married Amelia Sargent Stanwood on January 26, 1824. In 1846 he resigned his post at Pitts Street Chapel to become a minister at large. From that time until his death he was known for his work among the poor. During his lifetime he published two books and a number of sermons. He died in Boston on April 1, 1877.
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
This collection was processed by Robert Swartz, July 2007.
- Title
- Bigelow, Andrew. Papers,1823-1861: A Finding Aid.
- Author
- Andover-Harvard Theological Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- div00685
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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