London Missionary Society aggregated collection of records

fonds

1801-1963

9661262

2 metres of textual material (27 volumes, 7 boxes and 9 folders)

The London Missionary Society (LMS) commenced missionary activity in the South Seas, with the first overseas mission to Tahiti in 1796. The LMS established further Missionary Stations in the Cook Islands (1820s), Western Samoa (1830), Niue (1846), and Tokelau (1860s). Little is known about early London Missionary Society work in Australia. A mission was established to work amongst aboriginal peoples at Lake Macquarie by LMS missionaries from the South Seas field in 1825, but the mission was soon suspended as a result of conflict between the Society's agent Samuel Marsden and the missionary Lancelot Threlkeld. Evidence of active missionary work in Australia beyond this is unclear, but certainly Australia proved to be a useful base for LMS activities in the South Pacific, and many early missionaries found haven in Sydney and New South Wales during times of conflict in Tahiti. Later, the mission to the Torres Straits Islands and Papua New Guinea were started from Cape York in Northern Queensland. The role of the LMS and its activities in Australia and New Zealand was supporting and administrative, rather than directly carrying out missionary work.
Rev. Joseph King served in Samoa, 1863-1872. Rev. Harry Dauncey settled at Port Moresby in 1888, and Delena, 1893. Rev. Archibald Hunt was appointed to Samoa, 1890, and worked in Port Moresby, from 1894 to 1902. Rev. John Holmes settled at Orokolo, Papua, in 1897, in 1904 was at the Purari Delta, Papua and settled at Urika in 1906. Rev. Benjamin Butcher arrived at Torres Straits Mission, 1905, and was appointed to Aird Hill, Papua, 1912. Rev. Harold Short, was appointed to Boku, Papua, in 1921. Rev. Percy Chatterton settled at Delena, 1939, while continuing to hold a special brief for the Society's educational policy throughout Papua. Rev. Yadiki Joseph and his wife were the first Indian missionaries to be sent out by the Society.
Reference: JISC and The School of Oriental and African Studies Library, University of London,

COLLECTION 1:
London Missionary Society records, 1801-1959

COLLECTION 2:
London Missionary Society further records, 1867-1963

COLLECTION 3:
London Missionary Society further records, 1884-1900

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