bMS 398

West, Abigail Phippea. Sermon Books, 1822-1826. 

Summary Information:

• Call Number: bMS 398
• Title: West, Abigail Phippea. Sermon Books, 1822-1826.
• Repository: Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-1911
• Quantity: 1 box

Administrative Information:

• Acquisition Information: Gift of Jonathan Carey, 1980.
• Access: There are no restrictions on access to this collection. 

Biographical Information:

Abigail Phippea West, born in 1808, was the daughter of Elizabeth Mosely and Captain Thomas West. Her father was a master mariner and an officer at the Customs House in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail was a member of the Salem North Church, and in 1835 she married Richard Gardner. Abigail was the aunt of Ephraim Emerton, who was the Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard Divinity School from 1882 to 1918. 

Scope and Content:

This collection consists of three volumes of abstracts of sermons which were delivered in the North Church in Salem, Massachusetts. These abstracts were written by Abigail West between 1822 and 1826, when she was from fourteen to sixteen years of age. Each volume records the date on which each sermon was given, the text that was the subject of the sermon, the name of the preacher, the place, and the page number on which the sermon appears. 

Container List:

• bMS 398/1 (1) Letter from Ephraim Emerton about the gift, June 11, 1932.
• bMS 398/1 (2) Volume One - March 24, 1822-March 14, 1825. Contents: Preachers who filled the pulpit; texts of sermons; and very often summaries of sermons.
• bMS 398/1 (3) Volume Two - April 1, 1824-March 17, 1825. Contents: Preachers, texts, sermon summaries.
• bMS 398/1 (4) Volume Three - May 1, 1825-July 16, 1826. Contents: Preachers, texts, sermon summaries.