Sereno Edwards Bishop papers, 1795-1937, bulk 1852-1884

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Summary

Creators:
Bishop, Sereno Edwards, 1827-1909.
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Hawaiian Presbyterian missionary and scientist Sereno Edwards Bishop (1827-1909) and three generations of the Bishop family, chiefly dating from 1852 to 1884.
Extent:
7 Linear Feet (10 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sereno Edwards Bishop papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the papers of Hawaiian missionary and scientist Sereno Edwards Bishop, his father, Artemas Bishop, and the Bishop family. This collection condenses nearly a century of missionary life on the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands, and subject matter includes: Hawaii and Hawaiian life; education both in Hawaii and Amherst, Massachusetts; travel; and missionary work. Mainly the papers of Sereno Edwards Bishop, the collection contains letters between Artemas and Sereno. Father and son consulted and discussed widely affairs of family, mission and school, world events, and biblical interpretations in the candid, open way possible only between persons who fully trust each other. These discussions likely influenced Sereno's attitudes and success as a writer and editor, and encouraged him in his scientific investigations such as on the effects of volcanic eruptions on atmospheric conditions. Letters between Sereno and his wife, Cornelia Ann (Sessions) Bishop, give a comprehensive picture of life on the Islands through the decades 1850s-1880s. There are also letters from other family members, and from friends, missionaries, and business associates, both in the Islands and on the mainland. The collection also contains several journals. Of the journals in the collection, of note is a journal of Cornelia Ann Sessions Bishop (written between 1856-1862) (BSH 509) and a journal of Sereno E. Bishop kept in passage from Hawaii to Newport, Rhode Island, on the ship, William Lee (1839-1840), which discusses whaling (BSH 708). There is also a manuscript "Childhood Recollections of the Old Mission House, between 1831 and 1839" by Sereno E. Bishop (BSH 709). Correspondents represented in the collection include: the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, American Seamen's Friend Society, Artemas Bishop, Cornelia Ann Sessions Bishop, Edward Fletcher Bishop, Luther Halsey Gulick, Albert Francis Judd, and John Sessions.

Biographical / historical:

Sereno Edwards Bishop (1827-1909), son of Presbyterian missionary Artemas Bishop (1795-1872), was born in Kaawaloa, Hawaii, educated at Amherst College, Massachusetts, and returned to Hawaii as a teacher at Lahainaluna Seminary and as a missionary. He wrote widely on native and public affairs, and married Cornelia Ann Sessions Bishop (1826-1920) in 1852. Sereno and Cornelia Bishop had five children: Edward Bishop (1853-1875), Charles Bishop (1855-1857), George Bishop (1856-1859), John Sessions Bishop (1859-1951), and Elizabeth Delia Bishop Shaw (1862-1937). Bishop's father Artemas Bishop was 27 years old and had been married only about 10 days when he and his wife Elizabeth Edwards Bishop (1796-1828) sailed on the Thames in November 1822 from New Haven, Connecticut, to Hawaii with the second missionary company. 158 days later they reached Honolulu. Elizabeth lived only six years after leaving her home, and left two children, Jane Elizabeth (1825-1904) and Sereno Edwards. After Elizabeth's death, Artemas married Delia Stone (1800-1875), who had arrived as an unmarried member of the third missionary company. Delia aided her husband and was a teacher in the missionary school.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Robert Van Dyke, 1977.
Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

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]. Sereno Edwards Bishop papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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