Augusta E. Stetson Papers: Finding Aid mssAS
Gayle M. Richardson
The Huntington Library
December 2020
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on March 15, 2024, by Gayle M. Richardson
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Augusta E. Stetson papers
Creator:
Stetson, Augusta E.
(Augusta Emma), 1842?-1928
Identifier/Call Number: mssAS
Physical Description:
21.41 Linear Feet
(15 boxes, 2 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1862-1957
Abstract: A collection of material related to the
life and work of Augusta Emma Stetson, organizer of First Church of Christ, Scientist, New
York.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Readers are required to use the microfilm copy (MS Film 374) of the letters of Mary Baker
Eddy (boxes 1-3). The remainder of the collection (boxes 4-15) is open for use by qualified
researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for
more information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Augusta E. Stetson papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts of Mrs. Charlotte B. MacLaren, 1956-1960.
Biographical / Historical
Augusta Emma (Simmons) Stetson (approximately 1842-1928) was born in Waldoboro, Maine; she
married Frederick J. Stetson and studied under Mary Baker Eddy at the Massachusetts
Metaphysical College. In 1886 she organized the First Christian Science Church in New York
and was ordained as a pastor there in 1890. In 1891, Augusta Stetson established the New
York City Christian Science Institute. A rift between her and Mary Baker Eddy led to Augusta
Stetson's excommunication in 1909. She, however, retained her post as principal of the New
York Christian Science Institute and continued to preach her version of Christian Science
until her death in Rochester, New York, on October 12, 1928.
Scope and Contents
A collection which consists of personal and professional correspondence, other papers,
notebooks, a scriptural album, transcriptions, and ephemera related to Augusta E. Stetson.
Included are letters from Mary Baker Eddy and several members of her family and household
staff. Besides Mary Baker Eddy, the correspondents include Ebenezer J. Foster Eddy, Calvin
A. Frye, Clara M. Shannon, and others. Also included are carbon copies of Augusta Stetson's
letters to her students, press, and other papers. The correspondence deals with Augusta
Stetson's religious and professional life, including her relationship with Mary Baker Eddy,
the First Church of Christ, Scientist, and her teaching and writings.
Processing Information
Processed by Huntington Library staff, December 1958. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the
finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
General
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssAS 1-610.
Related Materials
Augusta E. Stetson letters (1906-1925) to James H. Hayes and Florence Belle Hayes (mssHM
19831-19871).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Christian Science -- History
Christian Scientists
Women -- Religious life -- United States -- History
New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Religious aspects -- Christian
Science
United States -- History -- Religious aspects -- Christian
Science
Ephemera -- New York (State) -- New York
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Personal papers -- New York (State) -- New York
Professional papers -- New York (State) -- New York
Eddy, Ebenezer J.
Foster
Frye, Calvin A. (Calvin
Augustine), 1845-1917
Shannon, Clara M. Sainsbury,
1858-1930
First Church of Christ,
Scientist (New York, N.Y.) -- History
New York City Christian
Science Institute -- History
Box 13
Ephemera
Scope and Contents
Material includes: a diptych of Mary Baker Eddy; installation program of Augusta
Stetson, New York City (1890); First Church of Christ, Scientist, program of dedication
(1903); treatises by Mary Baker Eddy; flyer advertising Mary Baker Eddy class in Boston;
Mary Baker Eddy calling cards; postcards of Church of Christ, Scientist, in New York and
Boston (approximately 1900); and sheet from Christian Science Sentinel, vol. IX, no.
41.
Box 14
MS Film 374, transcriptions, correspondence, and notebooks
1871-1957
Box 15
Scriptural album, notebooks, and transcriptions
1862-1915
Folder 1
Photograph of Augusta E. Stetson
Folder 2
Scrapbook: Letters from Rev. M. B. Eddy to A. E. Stetson AS 610
1889-1909
