bMS 135

Eliot, Samuel Atkins, 1862-1950. Papers, 1885-1950.

Summary Information:

• Call Number: bMS 135
• Title: Eliot, Samuel Atkins, 1862-1950. Papers, 1885-1950. 
• Repository: Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-1911
• Quantity: 26 boxes

Administrative Information:

• Acquisition Information: Gift of Charles W. Eliot II, 1974. 
• Access: There are no restrictions on access to this collection. 

Biographical Information:

For biographical information, see bMS 496.

Scope and Content:

The collection is organized into twelve series:

• Series I. College Papers
• Series II. Sermons and Addresses
• Series III. Sermons by Special Subjects
• Series IV. Sermons, undated
• Series V. Sermons, fragments
• Series VI. Worship Materials
• Series VII. Letters, 1888-1950
• Series VIII. Subject Files
• Series IX. Scrapbooks, 1885-1926
• Series X. Biographical File
• Series XI. Sermons and Lectures, 1888-1945
• Series XII. Miscellaneous
•  

See also bMS 594 and bMS 11183; see bMS 496 for Eliot's AUA Presidential Papers.

Container List:

Series I. College Papers

• bMS 135/1 (1) College Papers, 1885.
• bMS 135/1 (2) College Papers. Bowdoin Prize Essay, "Forests and Rainfall." 1885.
• bMS 135/1 (3) College Paper. 1886.

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Series II. Sermons and Addresses

• bMS 135/1 (4) Sermon, 1888.
• bMS 135/1 (5) Remarks, 1889.
• bMS 135/1 (6) Sermons, 1890.
• bMS 135/1 (7) Sermon, 1891.
• bMS 135/1 (8) Sermons, 1892.
• bMS 135/1 (9) Sermons, 1893.
• bMS 135/1 (10) Sermons, 1894.
• bMS 135/1 (11) Sermons, 1895.
• bMS 135/1 (12) Sermons, 1896.
• bMS 135/1 (13) Sermons, 1897.
• bMS 135/1 (14) Sermons, 1899.
• bMS 135/1 (15) Address, 1900.
• bMS 135/2 (1) Address, 1904.
• bMS 135/2 (2) Sermons, 1905.
• bMS 135/2 (3) Addresses, 1907.
• bMS 135/2 (4) Sermons, 1909.
• bMS 135/2 (5) Sermons, 1913.
• bMS 135/2 (6) Address, 1917.
• bMS 135/2 (7) Sermon, 1918.
• bMS 135/2 (8) Address, 1919.
• bMS 135/2 (9) Address, 1921.
• bMS 135/2 (10) Sermons, 1922.
• bMS 135/2 (11) Addresses, 1923.
• bMS 135/2 (12) Addresses, 1924.
• bMS 135/2 (13) Addresses, 1925.
• bMS 135/2 (14) Sermons, 1927.
• bMS 135/2 (15) Sermons, January-March, 1928.
• bMS 135/2 (16) Sermons, April-June, 1928.
• bMS 135/2 (17) Sermons, July-December, 1928.
• bMS 135/2 (18) Sermons, January-June, 1929.
• bMS 135/3 (1) Sermons, July-December, 1929.
• bMS 135/3 (2) Sermons, 1930.
• bMS 135/3 (3) Sermons, January-March, 1931.
• bMS 135/3 (4) Sermons, April-June, 1931.
• bMS 135/3 (5) Sermons, July-December, 1931.
• bMS 135/3 (6) Sermons, January-March, 1932.
• bMS 135/3 (7) Sermons, April-June, 1932.
• bMS 135/4 (1) Sermons, September-December, 1932.
• bMS 135/4 (2) Sermons, January-March, 1933.
• bMS 135/4 (3) Sermons, April, 1933.
• bMS 135/4 (4) Sermons, September-December, 1933.
• bMS 135/4 (5) Sermons, January-May, 1934.
• bMS 135/4 (6) Sermons, August-November, 1934.
• bMS 135/4 (7) Sermons, December, 1934.
• bMS 135/5 (1) Sermons, January-March, 1935.
• bMS 135/5 (2) Sermons, April-May, 1935.
• bMS 135/5 (3) Addresses and sermons, 1936.
• bMS 135/5 (4) Address and sermon, 1937.
• bMS 135/5 (5) Address and sermon, 1938.
• bMS 135/5 (6) Address and sermon, 1939.
• bMS 135/5 (7) Sermons, 1940.
• bMS 135/5 (8) Addresses and sermons, 1941.
• bMS 135/5 (9) Address and sermons, 1942.
• bMS 135/5 (10) Addresses and sermons, 1943.
• bMS 135/6 (1) Sermons, 1944.
• bMS 135/6 (2) Addresses and sermons, 1945.
• bMS 135/6 (3) Addresses, April, 1946.
• bMS 135/6 (4) Addresses and sermons, May-November, 1946.
• bMS 135/6 (5) Addresses and sermons, 1947.
• bMS 135/6 (6) Addresses and sermons, 1948.
• bMS 135/6 (7) Addresses and sermons, 1949.
• bMS 135/6 (8) Addresses, 1950.

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Series III. Sermons by Special Subjects

• bMS 135/6 (9) Appleton Chapel, Harvard University.
• bMS 135/6 (10) Channing, William Ellery.
• bMS 135/6 (11) Christian Unity.
• bMS 135/6 (12) Christmas.
• bMS 135/7 (1) Communion addresses.
• bMS 135/7 (2) Good Friday addresses.
• bMS 135/7 (3) Memorial addresses (all printed).
• bMS 135/7 (4) War and Peace.

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Series IV. Sermons, undated

• bMS 135/7 (5) Sermons, undated.
• bMS 135/7 (6) Sermons, undated.
• bMS 135/7 (7) Sermons, undated.
• bMS 135/7 (8) Sermons, undated.
• bMS 135/7 (9) Sermons, undated.
• bMS 135/8 (1) Sermons, undated.
• bMS 135/8 (2) Sermons, undated.

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Series V. Sermons, fragments

• bMS 135/8 (3) Sermons, fragments.
• bMS 135/8 (4) Sermons, fragments.
• bMS 135/8 (5) Sermons, fragments.
• bMS 135/8 (6) Sermons, fragments.
• bMS 135/8 (7) Sermons, fragments.
• bMS 135/8 (8) Sermons, fragments.

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Series VI. Worship Materials

• bMS 135/9 (1) Prayers.
• bMS 135/9 (2) Prayers.
• bMS 135/9 (3) Prayers.
• bMS 135/9 (4) Prayers.
• bMS 135/9 (5) Prayers.
• bMS 135/9 (6) Prayers.
• bMS 135/9 (7) Prayers.
• bMS 135/9 (8) Prayers for national holidays and patriotic subjects.
• bMS 135/9 (9) Prayers for funerals.
• bMS 135/10 (1) Christening services.
• bMS 135/10 (2) Communion services.
• bMS 135/10 (3) Marriage services.
• bMS 135/10 (4) Invocations at Boston Rotary Club.
• bMS 135/10 (5) Sentences and prayers for the opening of the worship service.
• bMS 135/10 (6) Sentences and prayers for the opening of the worship service.
• bMS 135/10 (7) Sentences for the opening of the service of worship, offering sentences, benedictions.
• bMS 135/10 (8) Sentences for the opening of the service of worship, offering sentences, benedictions.
• bMS 135/11 (1) Prayers for Special Services.
• bMS 135/11 (2) Obituaries by SAE.
• bMS 135/11 (3) Funeral Remarks.
• bMS 135/11 (4) Funeral Remarks.

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Series VII. Letters, 1888-1950

A. General letters

• bMS 135/11 (5) "A" Lawrence W. Abbott, John Coleman Adams.
• bMS 135/11 (6) "B" Warren W. Bailey, Everett Moore Baker, Willard Bartlett, David N. Beach, Arthur S. Bennink, M.A. Bird, William M. Blatt, Elizabeth Bolster, Bradlee, Howard N. Brown, William Channing Brown, Elizabeth Buckley.
• bMS 135/11 (7) "C" Catlin, Chafee, J.W. Chadwick, Cobb, Louis C. Cornish, Cressler.
• bMS 135/11 (8) "D" V. Dabney, Max F. Daskam, V.D. Davis, Stuart Debard, Francis P. Denny, Robert C. Dexter.
• bMS 135/11 (9) "E" Ethel Cook Eliot, Frederick May Eliot, T.L. Eliot, Endicott.
• bMS 135/11 (10) Letters by Samuel Atkins Eliot to various persons.
• bMS 135/11 (11) "F" H. Faber, Frederick L. Fagley, Elizabeth Faxon, A.L. Forbes, Maynard Ford, Raymond Fosdick, Frederick Fraley, Stephen H. Fritchman, William Frothingham.
• bMS 135/11 (12) "G" Frederic J. Gauld, Philip H. Goepp, George Green, Mary Guild.
• bMS 135/11 (13) "H" E.F. Hallack, M.B. Halldorson, Marion Franklin Ham, G. Hardy, Laurence Hayward, Sam Hoar, Frank O. Holmes, John Haynes Holmes, Franklin Hooper, Charles Hopkinson, H.W.B. Howard.
• bMS 135/11 (14) "I" Lucie Isaacs.
• bMS 135/11 (15) "J" E. Jackson, Frances Jacobs, Henry James, P. James, Frank Jennings, Richard L. Jones.
• bMS 135/11 (16) Letters to and by SAE on his memorial address for Rufus Jones.
• bMS 135/11 (17) "K" Eliza Kidder.
• bMS 135/11 (18) "L" Ellenor Lane, John Howland Lathrop, Charles E. Lauriat, Jr., G.E.E. Lindquist, Amos Little, Catherine B. Lowell.
• bMS 135/11 (19) "M" Arthur Cushman McGiffert, Jr., Parker E. Marean, Mrs. Oscar E. Mertz, Wilburn B. Miller, Grace Moore.
• bMS 135/12 (1) "N" Laurence I. Neale, J. Homer Nelson, Nichols.
• bMS 135/12 (2) "P" Elizabeth H. Parker, Parker, John C. Perkins, Alice Priest, Putnam.
• bMS 135/12 (3) The George Herbert Palmer Memorial Fund Committee.
• bMS 135/12 (4) "R" W.T. Reid, Grindall Raynolds, Louise Richardson, Robbins, J. Robinson, Mortimer Rowe.
• bMS 135/12 (5) "S" Waitstill H. Sharp, M.A. Shaw, Stebbins, W.C. Stevens, George W. Stone.
• bMS 135/12 (6) "T" Martha Terry, Mrs. William C. Thomas.
• bMS 135/12 (7) "V" Carl Hermann Voss.
• bMS 135/12 (8) "W" Lucy B. Walsh, Ward, M.B. Wellington, Charles W. Wendte, Wheelock, Frank S.C. Wicks, White, Earl Morse Wilbur, P.S. Wild, Anson R. Williams, David Rhys Williams, John Henry Wilson.
• bMS 135/12 (9) Unidentified

B. Special Letters

• bMS 135/12 (10) 1897. Letters (samples only) regarding Eliot's accepting the secretaryship of the American Unitarian Association.
• Names brought out:
• George Batchelor, Samuel McChord Crothers, William Wallace Fenn, Paul Revere Frothingham, Edward Everett Hale, Minot Judson Savage.
• bMS 135/12 (11) 1897. More letters regarding Eliot's accepting the secretaryship of the AUA.
• bMS 135/12 (12) 1897. More letters - Secretaryship AUA.
• bMS 135/12 (13) 1897. More letters - Secretaryship AUA.
• bMS 135/12 (14) 1900. Letters (samples only) received by Eliot in regard to his call to the South Congregational Church, Boston, Mass.
• Names brought out:
• Samuel McChord Crothers, Edward Everett Hale, Minot Judson Savage, Earl Morse Wilbur.
• bMS 135/12 (15) 1900. More letters - South Congregational Church.
• bMS 135/12 (16) 1900. More letters - South Congregational Church.
• bMS 135/13 (1) 1900. Letters (samples only) received by Eliot in regard to the proposal to elect him president of the American Unitarian Association.
• Names brought out:
• Samuel McChord Crothers, Earl Morse Wilbur.
• bMS 135/13 (2) 1900. More letters - President of the AUA.
• bMS 135/13 (3) 1913. March-April. Letters (samples only) of those received by Eliot from friends when he was in the hospital for an operation.
• bMS 135/13 (4) 1913. More hospital letters.
• bMS 135/13 (5) 1935. Letters received by Eliot when he retired from Arlington Street Church, Boston, Mass.
• bMS 135/13 (6) 1938. Letters regarding Eliot's tribute to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
• Names brought out:
• Alger Hiss.
• bMS 135/13 (7) 1946-1947. Letters (samples only) of the many acknowledgments received by Eliot in regards to his Rotary Club prayer booklet, "Bundle of Blessings."
• bMS 135/13 (8) 1946-1947. More letters - "Bundle of Blessings."
• bMS 135/13 (9) 1948. Letters received by Dr. Eliot in connection with his 50th Anniversary Dinner.
• bMS 135/13 (10) 1949. Letters (sample only) received by Eliot on the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the ministry.

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Series VIII. Subject files

• bMS 135/13 (11) American Unitarian Association. Annual Addresses.
• bMS 135/13 (12) AUA. Billings Lectureship. Report, 1945.
• bMS 135/13 (13) AUA. Church Extension and Maintenance.
• bMS 135/13 (14) AUA. Commission of Appraisal. Correspondence. 1935.
• bMS 135/13 (15) AUA. Ministerial Union. Maintenance Fund.
• bMS 135/13 (16) AUA. Statement Concerning the Relief and Pension Funds Available for Unitarian Ministers and Their Widows. 1915.
• bMS 135/13 (17) AUA. Unitarian-Universalist Commission for Federated Churches. 1925. 1926. 1949.
• bMS 135/13 (18) AUA. Unitarian-Universalist Negotiations. Addresses on this topic by Eliot.
• bMS 135/14 (1) Arlington Street Church, Boston, Mass. Sunday Church calendars containing brief articles by Eliot.
• bMS 135/14 (2) Arlington Street Church. More church calendars.
• bMS 135/14 (3) Arlington Street Church. Letters received by Eliot. 1928-1929.
• bMS 135/14 (4) Arlington Street Church. Questionnaire, 1927.
• bMS 135/14 (5) The Boston Contest, 1944. Folder One.
• bMS 135/14 (6) The Boston Contest, 1944. Folder Two.
• bMS 135/14 (7) The Boston Contest, 1944. Folder Three.
• bMS 135/14 (8) The Boston Contest, 1944. Folder Four.
• bMS 135/15 (1) The Boston Contest, 1944. Folder Five.
• bMS 135/15 (2) The Boston Contest, 1944. Folder Six. File Copy of Report, June 19, 1944.
• bMS 135/15 (3) Church Calendars and Handbooks with excerpts by Eliot. See also Arlington Street Church, Church calendars.
• bMS 135/15 (4) Committee on Sanctions. Correspondence, 1933.
• bMS 135/15 (5) Committee on the Cause and Cure of Crime. Reports and correspondence. 1931-1933.
• bMS 135/15 (6) Czechoslovak Relief. Letters, and Minutes of Meetings, 1940-1944.
• bMS 135/15 (7) Czechoslovak Relief. Addition material.
• bMS 135/15 (8) Harvard Divinity School. Addresses, notes, letters.
• bMS 135/16 (1) International Association for Religious Freedom. (Current name.) Addresses by Eliot.
• bMS 135/16 (2) Jewish Advocate. Message by Eliot.
• bMS 135/16 (3) League of Nations Association. Minutes, letters, 1929-1933. Folder One.
• bMS 135/16 (4) League of Nations Association. Folder Two.
• bMS 135/16 (5) Massachusetts Bay Tercentenary. Papers and addresses and notes, 1929-1930. Folder One.
• bMS 135/16 (6) Massachusetts Bay Tercentenary. Folder Two.
• bMS 135/16 (7) Massachusetts Council of Churches (Boston Federation of Churches). 1924, 1929-1933, 1944, 1948-1949.
• bMS 135/16 (8) Ministry. Pamphlets prepared by Eliot. 1940.
• bMS 135/16 (9) Osborne (Thomas Mott) Memorial Committee. Eliot's addresses and letters. 1927. See also Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/16 (10) Pacific Unitarian School for the Ministry. (Now Starr King.) Reports and letters, 1938-1939.
• bMS 135/17 (1) Palmer Memorial. Letters, 1925-1937. Folder One.
• bMS 135/17 (2) Palmer Memorial. Folder Two.
• bMS 135/17 (3) Palmer Memorial. Folder Three.
• bMS 135/17 (4) Peabody, Francis Greenwood. Material by and about Peabody. Some by Eliot. Folder One.
• bMS 135/17 (5) Peabody, Francis Greenwood. Folder Two.
• bMS 135/17 (6) Peace.
• bMS 135/17 (7) Pilgrim Tercentenary, 1920. Papers and notes.
• bMS 135/17 (8) Planned Parenthood.
• bMS 135/18 (1) Prison Chaplaincy. Letters, Reports, Minutes of Committee meetings, 1929-1933. Folder One.
• bMS 135/18 (2) Prison Chaplaincy. Folder Two.
• bMS 135/18 (3) Prison Reform. Material concerning Eliot's interest in this area. Includes material on the Society of Penal Information and the Osborne Association. Material consists of letters, reports, minutes of meetings, addresses. 1923-1942.
• bMS 135/18 (4) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/18 (5) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/18 (6) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/18 (7) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/18 (8) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/19 (1) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/19 (2) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/19 (3) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/19 (4) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/19 (5) Prison Reform.
• bMS 135/19 (6) Society for Promoting Theological Education. Pamphlet written by Eliot in 1940.
• bMS 135/19 (7) United Prison Association. 1947-1951.
• bMS 135/19 (8) World Alliance for International Friendship. 1923-1930.
• bMS 135/19 (9) World Court. Letters, 1930-1935.

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Series IX. Scrapbooks, 1885-1926

• bMS 135/19 (10) Scrapbook, volume I, 1885-1893.
• bMS 135/20 (1) Scrapbook, volume II, 1894-1901.
• bMS 135/20 (2) Scrapbook, volume III, 1901-1907.
• bMS 135/21 (1) Scrapbook, volume IV, 1908-1915.
• bMS 135/21 (2) Scrapbook, volume V, 1918-1926.
• bMS 135/22 (1) Scrapbook, 1889-1896.

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Series X. Biographical File

• bMS 135/23 (1) Biography. (Includes a picture).
• bMS 135/23 (2) Bibliography.
• bMS 135/23 (3) Sermon titles.
• bMS 135/23 (4) Special services Eliot took part in.
• bMS 135/23 (5) Miscellaneous.
• bMS 135/23 (6) Magazine clippings.
• bMS 135/23 (7) Magazine and newspaper clippings.
• bMS 135/24 (1) Eliot's Date books.
• Given July 1993 by Michael McGiffert, the son of Cushman McGiffert, author of the biography of Eliot, Pilot of a Liberal Faith. These were manuscripts used by him in that biography.
• bMS 135/25 (1) Letter concerning the gift.

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Series XI. Sermons and Lectures, 1888-1945

• bMS 135/25 (2) List of Eliot's sermons prepared by Cush McGiffert.
• bMS 135/25 (3) Sermons - 1888.
• bMS 135/25 (4) Sermons - 1889.
• bMS 135/25 (5) Sermons - 1890.
• bMS 135/25 (6) Sermons - 1892.
• bMS 135/25 (7) Sermons - 1893.
• bMS 135/25 (8) Sermons - 1894.
• bMS 135/25 (9) Sermons - 1896.
• bMS 135/25 (10) Sermons - 1897.
• bMS 135/25 (11) Sermons - 1901.
• bMS 135/25 (12) Sermons - 1908.
• bMS 135/25 (13) Sermons - 1920.
• bMS 135/25 (14) Sermons - 1922.
• bMS 135/25 (15) Sermons - 1927.
• bMS 135/25 (16) Sermons - 1928.
• bMS 135/25 (17) Sermons - 1929.
• bMS 135/25 (18) Sermons - 1930.
• bMS 135/25 (19) Sermons - 1931.
• bMS 135/25 (20) Sermons - 1932.
• bMS 135/26 (1) Sermons - 1933.
• bMS 135/26 (2) Sermons - 1934.
• bMS 135/26 (3) Sermons - 1935.
• bMS 135/26 (4) Sermons - 1937.
• bMS 135/26 (5) Sermons - 1938.
• bMS 135/26 (6) Sermons - 1940.
• bMS 135/26 (7) Sermons - 1943.
• bMS 135/26 (8) Sermons - 1945.
• bMS 135/26 (9) Fragments, dated.
• bMS 135/26 (10) Fragments, undated.

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Series XII. Miscellaneous

• bMS 135/26 (11) Book Reviews.
• bMS 135/26 (12) Family Letters.

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