Guide to the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Iran Mission

Descriptive Summary

Title

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Iran Mission

Inclusive Dates

1881-1968

Bulk Dates

1911-1965

Call Number

RG 91

Creator(s)

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations

Quantity

25.00 cubic feet

Restrictions on Access

Open for research. Medical, educational, and psychological records of living people are closed.

Digital Content

To browse this collection's digital content visit Pearl.

Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not be available on Pearl or in their entirety.

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Administrative History

American missionary efforts in Persia commenced as early as 1829, when the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions sent the Reverends Eli Smith and Harrison Gray Otis Dwight to explore the regions of northwest Persia. Upon their recommendations, the American Board established a mission to the Nestorian Christians at Urumia. In 1834, the Reverend Justin Perkins, working under the auspices of the American Board, became the first missionary in Urumia, followed by Dr. and Mrs. Asahel Grant the next year.

In 1871, the PCUSA's Board of Foreign Missions assumed responsibility for the American Board's mission station at Urumia, thus formally commencing Presbyterian work in Persia. Within a decade, the Persia Mission had expanded to include new stations at Teheran (1872), Urumia (1873), Tabriz (1873) and Hamadan (1880). Due to the vast distances between the stations, the Persia Mission was divided in 1883. Urumia (renamed Rezaieh after 1925) and Tabriz were organized as the West Persia Mission, while Teheran and Hamadan constituted the East Persia Mission. The East Persia Mission was later to include the new stations of Resht and Kazvin (1906) (the latter being closed in 1918), Kermanshah (1910) and the sacred Persian city of Meshed (1911). The East and West Persia Missions were later reunited in 1931 and were known simply as the Persia, and after 1935, the Iran Mission.

From the outset, Presbyterian work in Persia was three-fold in nature: evangelical, medical and educational. Numerous local churches were organized and placed in the hands of native ministers within the central Evangelical Church of Iran. Medical work began as early as 1835 and was extended in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Formal hospitals were built in Kermanshah in 1882, in Teheran in 1890, and in Tabriz in 1913, followed by similar openings in Meshed, Hamadan, and Resht. Schools were established for the children of missionaries by the 1870s. In time, these grew into multi-national institutions such as the Alborz Foundation (Armaghan Institute), Iran Bethel (Damavand) College, the Community School of Teheran, the Mehr Jordan Schools, and later community outreach programs.

Collection Overview

Record Group 91 documents the Board of Foreign Missions' tripartite mission to the Iranian people against a background of political, economic and social upheaval. Reflected are the effects of world war, civil war and revolution both on the Iranian people at large and on the work of the Presbyterian Mission specifically. Reflected here are both the development and decline of institutions such as Alborz College. In many ways, the decline of mission institutions in the 1950s and especially the 1960s underscores both the success of the Mission in terms of advancing the educational and medical care of the Iranian people as well as the rising tide of Iranian nationalism - a dominant theme throughout this collection.

Although this collection dates from 1881 through the late 1960s, the bulk dates from 1911-1965. Researchers should consult RG 161, Secretaries' Files, Board of Foreign Missions, Iran Mission,
1956-1973, as this collection more completely documents the work of the Church during the last two active decades of the Mission's existence.

Included within the bound annual mission minutes are personal, committee, institutional and the annual mission reports. Prior to 1931, these reports were arranged separately. Included within the station reports are committee and other reports that reflect the activities of the individual station, i.e., medical and educational work.

Series IV is presumably the papers of the various Mission Secretaries. Much of what is contained therein is probably duplicated elsewhere in the collection.

Organization and Arrangement

SERIES I: EAST PERSIA MISSION, 1910-1930 [Boxes 1-3]
Subseries 1: Annual Mission Minutes, 1911-1930
Subseries 2: Personal Reports, 1911-1930
Subseries 3: Station Reports, 1910-1930
Subseries 4: Institutional Reports, 1910-1930
Subseries 5: Statistical Reports, 1911-1930
Subseries 6: Board Letters To Persia Mission, 1911-1930
Subseries 7: Missionary Correspondence, 1926-1930
Subseries 8: Executive Committee Correspondence, 1918-1930
Subseries 9: Miscellaneous/Calendared Correspondence, 1911-1930

SERIES II: WEST PERSIA MISSION, 1911-1930 [Boxes 4-6]
Subseries 1: Annual Mission Minutes, 1911-1930
Subseries 2: Personal Reports, 1911-1930
Subseries 3: Station Reports, 1911-1930
Subseries 4: Institutional Reports, 1911-1930
Subseries 5: Statistical Reports, 1911-1930
Subseries 6: Board Letters To Persia Mission, 1913-1927
Subseries 7: Missionary Correspondence, 1926-1930
Subseries 8: Executive Committee Correspondence, 1926-1930
Subseries 9: Miscellaneous/Calendared Correspondence, 1911-1930

SERIES III: PERSIA/IRAN MISSION, 1931-1968 [Boxes 6-14]
Subseries 1: Annual Mission Minutes, 1931-1957
Subseries 2: Executive Committee Minutes, 1936-1955
Subseries 3: Personal Reports, 1931-1966
Subseries 4: Mission/Station Reports, 1931-1968
Subseries 5: Statistical Reports, 1931-1965
Subseries 6: Board Letters To Persia (Iran) Mission, 1931-1953
Subseries 7: Cables, 1931-1957
Subseries 8: Missionary Correspondence, 1931-1965
Subseries 9: Executive Committee Correspondence, 1931-1955

SERIES IV: MISSION SECRETARY, 1911-1965 [Boxes 14-15]

SERIES V: ALBORZ COLLEGE, 1908-1966 [Boxes 16-18]

SERIES VI: MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE, 1881-1937 [Box 18]

SERIES VII: STATION FILES, 1887-1968 [Boxes 19-20]
Subseries 1: Station Minutes, 1911-1962
Subseries 2: Station Reports, 1911-1962
Subseries 3: Station Letters, 1923-1935
Subseries 4: Institutional Correspondence, 1887-1968

SERIES VIII: MISCELLANY (Subject File), 1900-1966 [Boxes 21-25]

Alternative Formats

Series I and II available on microfilm: MF/POS./1533/r.1-31; see Collection Inventory.

To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.

Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not have been digitized in their entirety.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Processing Information

Researchers should be aware that this collection lacked any discernable order prior to its processing. Therefore, the "original filing scheme" was altered and the materials arranged in such a matter as to enhance their accessibility.

Collection inventoried and preliminary finding aid prepared: 1972
Grace Mullen, Assistant Records Researcher

Collection processed and finding aid prepared: 1983
Frederick J. Heuser, Jr, Archivist

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Corporate Subject

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Missions Iran.

Alborz College (Teheran, Iran)

Alborz Foundation.

Topical Subject

Evangelistic work Iran.

Missions Iran Educational work

Missions, Medical Iran.

Corporate Added Name

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Board of Foreign Missions.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. West Persia Mission.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. East Persia Mission.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Persia Mission.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Iran Mission.

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Iran Mission.

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description	Alternative Formats

1	1	Finding Aid to Record Group 91	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.1

		SERIES I: EAST PERSIA MISSION, 1910-1930

		Subseries 1: Annual Mission Minutes, 1910-1930

1	2	1911-12
1	3	1911-1914; 1916-1917; 1919-1921
1	4	1922-27

1	5	1928-30	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.2

		Subseries 2: Personal Reports, 1911-1930

1	6	1911-15
1	7	1916-22

1	8	1923-24	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.3
1	9	1925-26
1	10	1927-28
1	11	1929-30

		Subseries 3: Station Reports, 1910-1930

1	12	1910-12

1	13	1913	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.4
1	14	1914-15
1	15	1916-17

1	16	1918-19	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.5
1	17	1920
1	18	1921-22
1	19	1923-24

1	20	1925-26	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.6
1	21	1927-28
1	22	1929-30

		Subseries 4: Institutional Reports, 1910-1930

2	1	1910-13	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.7
2	2	1914-19
2	3	1920-24
2	4	1925-26
2	5	1927-30

		Subseries 5: Statistical Reports, 1911-1930

2	6	1911-16	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.8
2	7	1917-24
2	8	1925-30

		Subseries 6: Board Letters To Persia Mission, 1911-1930

2	9	1911-27	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.9
2	10	1929-30

		Subseries 7: Missionary Correspondence, 1926-1930

2	11	1926	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.10
2	12-13	1927

2	14	1928	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.11
2	15	1928
2	16	1929

2	17	1929	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.12
2	18	1929
2	19	1930

3	1-2	1930	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.13

		Subseries 8: Executive Committee Correspondence, 1918-1930

3	3	1918-28
3	4	1929-30

		Subseries 9: Miscellaneous/Calendared Correspondence, 1911-1930

3	5	Non-missionaries, 1926-30	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.14
3	6	Property, 1926-30
3	7	Cables, 1925-30
3	8	Calendared correspondence, 1911
3	9	Calendared Correspondence, 1912
3	10	Calendared Correspondence, 1913

3	11	Calendared Correspondence, 1914	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.15
3	12	Calendared Correspondence, 1915
3	13	Calendared Correspondence, 1916
3	14	Calendared Correspondence, 1917

3	15	Calendared Correspondence, 1918	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.16
3	16	Calendared Correspondence, 1919
3	17	Calendared Correspondence, 1920
3	18	Calendared Correspondence, 1921
3	19	Calendared Correspondence, 1922

3	20	Calendared Correspondence, 1923	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.17
3	21	Calendared Correspondence, 1924

3	22	Calendared Correspondence, 1925	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.18

		SERIES II: WEST PERSIA MISSION, 1911-1930

		Subseries 1: Annual Mission Minutes, 1911-1930

4b	1	1911-20	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.19
4a	2	1911-30
4b	3	1921-25

4a	4	1926-28	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.20
4a	5	1929-30

		Subseries 2: Personal Reports, 1911-1930

4a	6	1911-16	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.21
4a	7	1917-24	Digital
4a	8	1925-27
4a	9	1928-30

		Subseries 3: Station Reports, 1911-1930

4a	10	1911-15	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.22
4a	11	1916-24
4a	12	1925-27
4a	13	1928-30

		Subseries 4: Institutional Reports, 1911-1930

4a	14a	1911-24	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.23
4b	14b	1911-24
4a	15	1925-30

		Subseries 5: Statistical Reports, 1911-1930

4a	16	1911-24
4a	17	1925-30

		Subseries 6: Board Letters To Persia Mission, 1913-1927

5	1	1913; 1923-24	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.24
5	2	1925-26
5	3	1927

		Subseries 7: Missionary Correspondence, 1926-1930

5	4	1926

5	5	1927	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.25
5	6	1928
5	7	1929

5	8	1930	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.26

		Subseries 8: Executive Committee Correspondence, 1926-1930

5	9	1926-28
5	10	1929-30

		Subseries 9: Miscellaneous/Calendared Correspondence, 1911-1930

5	11	Correspondence with Non-missionaries, 1926-30
5	12	General Correspondence, 1926-30
5	13	Cables, 1926-30

5	14	Calendared Correspondence, 1911	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.27
5	15	Calendared Correspondence, 1912
5	16	Calendared Correspondence, 1913

5	17	Calendared Correspondence, 1914	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.28
5	18	Calendared Correspondence, 1915
5	19	Calendared Correspondence, 1916

5	20	Calendared Correspondence, 1917	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.29
5	21	Calendared Correspondence, 1918

6	1	Calendared Correspondence, 1919	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.30
6	2	Calendared Correspondence, 1920
6	3	Calendared Correspondence, 1921

6	4	Calendared Correspondence, 1922	Microfilm: MFPOS 1533 r.31
6	5	Calendared Correspondence, 1923
6	6	Calendared Correspondence, 1924
6	7	Calendared Correspondence, 1925

		SERIES III: PERSIA/IRAN MISSION, 1931-1968

		Subseries 1: Annual Mission Minutes, 1931-1957

6	8	1931-34
6	9	1935-39
6	10	1935-51
6	11	1940-45
6	12	1946-51
6	13	1952-54
6	14	1955
6	15	1957

		Subseries 2: Executive Committee Minutes, 1936-1955

6	16	1936
6	17	1937
6	18	1938
6	19	1939; 1941
6	20	1942-58
6	21	1944-55

		Subseries 3: Personal Reports, 1931-1966

7	1	1931-32
7	2	1933-34
7	3	1934-36
7	4	1937-38
7	5	1939-41
7	6	1942-43
7	7	1944
7	8	1945-46
7	9	1947
7	10	1948
7	11	1949
7	12	1950
7	13	1951-52
7	14	1953-55
7	15	1959
7	16	1960
7	17	1960
7	18	1961
7	19	1962
7	20	1963
7	21	1964-65
7	22	1966

		Subseries 4: Mission/Station Reports, 1931-1968

7	23	1931-32
7	24	1933-34
7	25	1935-38

8	1	1939-41
8	2	1942-43
8	3	1943-46
8	4	1947
8	5	1948
8	6	1949
8	7	1950
8	8	1951-52
8	9	1953-55
8	10	1956
8	11	1956-59
8	12	1957
8	13	1958
8	14	1959
8	15	1961
8	16	1962
8	17	1963
8	18	1964-65
8	19	1966-68

		Subseries 5: Statistical Reports, 1931-1965

9	1	1931-33
9	2	1942-44
9	3	1945-50
9	4	1949-65

		Subseries 6: Board Letters To Persia (Iran) Mission, 1931-1953

9	5	1931-32
9	6	1934
9	7	1935-36
9	8	1937-44
9	9	1945-46
9	10	1947-52
9	11	1953

		Subseries 7: Cables, 1931-1957

9	12	1931-1940
9	13	1948-1957

		Subseries 8: Missionary Correspondence, 1931-1965

10	1-17	1931-36

11	1-19	1936-50

12	1-17	1951-65

		Subseries 9: Executive Committee Correspondence, 1931-1955

13	1-17	1931-1950

14	1-7	1951-1955

		SERIES IV: MISSION SECRETARY, 1911-1965

14	8	1911-23
14	9	1911-57
14	10	1913-61
14	11	1916-49
14	12	1916-57
14	13	1918-26
14	14	1921-36
14	15	1925-31
14	16	1926-30
14	17	1930-32

15	1	1930-32
15	2	1932-40
15	3	1933-38
15	4	1933-46
15	5	1938-43
15	6	1943-69
15	7	1944-53
15	8	1948-54
15	9-10	1954-65

		SERIES V: ALBORZ COLLEGE, 1908-1966

16	1	Minutes, Board of Trustees, 1927-51
16	2	Minutes, Council, 1928-39
16	3	Minutes, Board of Managers, 1929-50
16	4	Calendared correspondence, 1913-30
16	5-19	Correspondence, general, 1926-50

17	1	Alborz Foundation, 1950-52
17	2	Bok, Cary W., 1929-37
17	3	Board of Regents, 1929-41
17	4	Board of Regents, 1927-50
17	5	Council correspondence, 1932-38
17	6	College and Westminster Foundations, 1936
17	7	Dissolution documents, 1930?-49
17	8	Foundation, 1948-49	Digital
17	9	Foundation, 1953-55
17	10	General material, 1908-45
17	11	General material, 1946-50
17	12	Hulac, Charles, 1947-49
17	13-17	Miscellaneous items, 1930?-39?
17	18	Near East Foundation, 1930-31
17	19	Near East College Association, 1929-31
17	20	Pledge Lists, 1930-39
17	21	Property, 1929-39
17	22	Publicity, 1930-36	Digital
17	23	Rockefeller Foundation, 1927-29
17	24	Ward, S.L., 1931-32
17	25	Short-termers, 1931-32
17	26	Rollestone Hall, 1922-50

18	1	Rollestone Hall, 1950-51
18	2	Transcripts of records, 1932
18	3	Travel letters, 1931-34
18	4	Report, Post, 1934
18	5	Financial, 1927-39
18	6	Treasurer's, 1927-37
18	7	Miscellaneous, 1927-39
18	8	General, 1936-1937: 1939-40
18	9	Budgets, 1932-39
18	10	Records, financial, 1931-33

		SERIES VI: MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE, 1881-1937

18	11	Boyce, Annie W., 1906-31
18	12	Boyce, Annie & Arthur, 1926-37
18	13	Cochran, J.D. et. al, 1881-1910
18	14	Labaree, Mary, 1914-15
18	15-19	Speer, Robert E., 1901-28
18	20	Miscellaneous reports/journals, 1901-26
18	21	Miscellaneous station letters, 1918-25
18	22	Miscellaneous reports, 1960s?-70s?

		SERIES VII: STATION FILES, 1887-1968

		Subseries 1: Station Minutes, 1911-1962

19	1	Kermanshah, 1911-40 (incomplete)
19	2	Meshed, 1911-27
19	3	Meshed, 1927-51
19	4	Meshed, 1951-58
19	5	Meshed, 1958-65
19	6	Resht, 1912-25
19	7	Resht, 1925-37
19	8	Resht, 1937-62

		Subseries 2: Station Reports, 1911-1962

19	9	Resht, medical, 1918-44
19	10	Teheran, 1911-32
19	11	medical work, 1922-52
19	12	Reports, itineration, 1919-62
19	13	Work for Women, 1916-34
19	14	Miscellaneous, 1915-55
19	15	Church and evangelistic, 1919-49
19	16	Education, 1924-62
19	17	Medical committee, 1938-41

		Subseries 3: Station Letters, 1923-1935

19	18	Teheran, 1923-25
19	19	Miscellaneous, 1921-26
19	20	Miscellaneous, 1927-28
19	21	Miscellaneous, 1929
19	22	Miscellaneous, 1928-30, 1932
19	23	Urumia, 1930-32
19	24	Urumia, 1933-35

		Subseries 4: Institutional Correspondence, 1887-1968

19	25	Hamadan School, 1888-1939
19	26	Hamadan Faith Hubbard School, 1917-44
19	27	Hamadan Hospital, 1927-56
19	28	Kermanshah Orphanage, 1919-26
19	29	Kermanshah Newsletters, 1944-48
19	30	Kermanshah Hospital, 1927-47

20	1	Meshed Hospital, 1925-48
20	2	Meshed School, 1928-33
20	3	Resht Boys School, 1931-35
20	4	Resht Girls School, 1931-39
20	5	Resht, Good Shepherd Clinic, 1956-64
20	6	Rezaieh Parish, 1962-64
20	7	Hospital, 1926-31
20	8	Resht Hospital, 1931-57
20	9	Tabriz Hospital, 1911-30
20	10	Girls Schools, 1924-38
20	11	Teheran American Hospital, 1928-47
20	12	Bethel Iran Nurbakhash School, 1888-1940; 1964
20	13	Clinic of Hope, 1952-68
20	14	Sage College, 1919-35
20	15	Community School, 1932-53
20	16	Sage College, 1936-42
20	17	Urumia, Fiske Seminary, n.d.
20	18	Miscellaneous station correspondence, 1947-49

		SERIES VIII: MISCELLANY (SUBJECT FILE), 1900-1966

21	1	Afghanistan, 1924-42
21	2	Arabia Mission minutes, 1955-62
21	3	Arabia Mission minutes, 1962-66
21	4	Assyrian relief, 1916-27
21	5	Assyrian relief, 1929-1933
21	6	Assyrian relief, 1934-1948
21	7	Assyrian resettlement, 1918-1919
22	1	Assyrian resettlement, 1918-1919
22	2	Assyrian resettlement, 1919
22	3	Assyrian resettlement, 1919-1920
22	4	Assyrian resettlement, 1920
22	5	Assyrian resettlement, 1922-1925.
22	6	Baptist work, 1897-31
22	7	Browning, G. Lynn, The Indigenous Church, n.d.
22	8	Centennial Correspondence, 1931-36
22	9	Church Union, 1938-42
22	10	Daniels, Marcus G., 1918-46, n.d.
22	11	David, Jacob, 1910-21
22	12	Deputation Reports, 1939
22	13	Educational crisis, nationalization of schools, 1939-40
22	14	Educational crisis, nationalization of schools, 1940
22	15	Education, 1941-1959, including Alborz College, Community School (Tehran)
22	16	Esseltyn, F, correspondence, 1914-18
22	17	Estimates/appropriations, 1938-55
22	18	Evangelical Church of Iran, 1927-47
22	19	Five Year Plan, 1947-51

23	1-3	General correspondence, 1931-54
23	4	Geogtapa Church, 1915-17	Digital
23	5	German Orient Mission, 1923-24
23	6	Historical materials on Iran Mission, 1897; 1925; 1949
23	7	Immigration, 1921-24
23	8-9	Institutional correspondence, 1948-55
23	10	Intermission Literature Committee, 1913-47
23	11	Iranian Churches, 1948-55
23	12	Iranian Legation, 1921-44
23	13	Labaree, Robert M., 1917-35
23	14	Lutheran work in Persia, 1916-31
23	15	Mission Medical Committee, 1946-49
23	16	Mission Medical Committee, 1950-58
23	17	Miscellaneous items, 1900-62?
23	18	Miscellaneous photographs, n.d.
23	19	Near East Vortex, 1935?	Digital
23	20	Nejaf, 1930-31
23	21	Non-missionaries, correspondence with, 1931-40
23	22	Personnel list, 1962-71
23	23	Persian Language, 1894; 1925

24	1-8	Persian Nationals, correspondence, 1911-45
24	9-10	Persian Relief Committee, 1915-16
24	11	Persian Society, 1924-25
24	12	Property, 1931-54
24	13	Register of baptisms/marriages performed by American mission in Teheran, 1904-39
24	14-15	Relief, war news, 1915
24	16	Relief, war news, 1916

25	1	war news, 1916
25	2	war news, 1918
25	3	war news, 1919
25	4-5	Religious Freedom in Schools, 1924-35
25	7	Sargis, Y.A., 1916-18
25	8	Shah of Iran, 1949
25	9	Standing Rules of Iran Mission, 1930; 1938; ca.1950-57
25	10	Trull, George, travel letters, 1929
25	11	War losses, 1919-23
25	12	War losses, 1922-33
25	13	Yosip, Kasha David, 1916-23	Digital

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Guide to the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Iran Mission

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