How can I consult the missionary papers in the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM)?

The main collection of ABCFM papers consists of documents, minutes and letters sent by the missionaries to the Board, arranged geographically by location of mission, then chronologically, then alphabetically by name of the missionary. The finding aid for the ABCFM papers at Houghton is available online.     

Many of the papers of the ABCFM have been published in microfilm format, and we ask readers to use the microfilm copies whenever possible. Harvard faculty, students, staff, and proxies can access this material in Lamont. Researchers who are not Harvard affiliates can request the microfilm for use in Widener Library Reading Room 150.

You may also be able to order copies of these microfilms via interlibrary loan or find these reels in a library near you (ask your librarian to help you search the WorldCat database to find other holding libraries). You can also order reels directly from the publisher, Primary Source Media.

You can find a reel listing of the microfilm set, as well as an index of the missionaries represented in the microfilm, online.

Items that are not microfilmed can be consulted in the Houghton Reading Room.