Collections A-Z
In addition to general collections and online subscription databases, journals, and ebooks, the Library holds more than 500 named collections which are distinguished by their specialized subject matter, age, uniqueness, or value. Most of the listed collections on this page are located in the John Hay Library. To locate digitized collections, see the list available at the Center for Digital Scholarship site and search the Brown Digital Repository.
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Baptist Collection
Holdings in the area of religious history that reflect the University's Baptist origins. Included are the papers of many clergymen, among them Roger Williams, Isaac Backus, Samuel Jones, Thomas Ustick, Jones Very, missionaries (Adoniram Judson and Josiah Nelson Cushing) and several presidents of Brown. The records for the following churches are also available: First Baptist Church in Swansea, MA*; the Baptist Church in Warren, RI*; Shawomet Baptist Church in Warwick, RI; Meshanticut Baptist Church in Cranston, RI; Roger Williams Baptist Church in Providence, RI; Niantic Baptist Church in Westerly, RI, and the Arkwright and Fiskeville Baptist Church in Scituate, RI. There is also a sizeable collection of Baptist periodicals.*PLEASE NOTE: Records of the First Baptist Church of Swansea and the First Baptist Church of Warren are deposit collections, and each church retains ownership and control over its own records. Accordingly, permission is required from the appropriate church before either collection can be made available for research. Please email manuscripts@brown.edu or hay@brown.edu for further details and contact information.
Format(s): Books, Serials, Pamphlets, Manuscripts, Letters, Documents
Library: John John Hay
Access to the collection:
Online Catalog (BruKnow):
Other Online Access:
Exhibit: Early Papers of Brown University (Rhode Island College)
RIAMCO: Education for Everybody:Baptist Brown and Nineteenth Century Education
RIAMCO: Papers of James Manning
In-house Access to the Collection:
There is a typed overview of the collection available on site.
Related Collections:
Backus (Isaac) Papers
Brown University Archives Collection
Palm Leaf Manuscripts Collection
Rider Collection
Metcalf Collection
Denison (Frederic) Baptist Biograpies Collection
Rhode Island Baptist Heritage Center Collection
Shawomet Baptist Church Records
Roger Williams Baptist Church Records
West Exeter Baptist Church Records