Bird, Isaac, 1793-1876. Papers, 1824-1836.
Title:
Papers, 1824-1836.
Sent to the Holy Land by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in Boston, Isaac Bird was one of the first American missionaries in the Middle East and his wife, Ann Parker Bird, was the very first American missionary spouse. Collection contains letters sent to Bird from other missionaries and American officials, as well as merchants presumably regarding material for the schools Bird was attempting to establish in Lebanon, where he was based. Includes: Letter from Isaac Bird in Jerusalem, 1824 March 24, to William Goodell in Beirut concerning Mr. Fisk's health and not trusting a "papist" doctor who "suffered the Jew to die because he would not clean a watch for his friend gratis," with a postscript by another missionary, J. King; 1827 Sept. 10, Tripoli, from G. Catziflis to Isaac Bird (in Italian), with a postscript by Ann Bird about the plague there; 1830 April 30, Malta, passport for Antonio Bajada, "a British subject aged twenty-one years," to travel to Beirut; 1830 Dec. 18, Smyrna, from Josiah Brewer mentioning Dr. Yates and Mr. [Joseph] Wolff, whose former servant, "Yooseph," "may have been employed by our common enemies to sow strife amongst brethren;" letter (in Arabic), 1830, from Joseph Wolff to the Maronite Patriarch in Mount Lebanon; letter (in Arabic), 1831, Jaffa, from "Papas Joel;" 1831 July 29, Alexandria, J. Barker (American consul); 1831 Dec. 16, Boston, Rufus Anderson to Isaac Bird and George B. Whiting, Beirut, with news of the A.B.C.F.M.; 1832 May 1, Smyrna, from J. Van Lennep, regarding the travel plans of other missionaries and mentioning the political situation in Greece; 1832 Aug. 1, Malta, from E. Hallock to Ann Bird, regarding the school she is operating and the clothing and other goods she is sending to Beirut; 1833 March 20, Damascus, from Robert Tod, suggesting that [Bird?] counsel the bearer of the letter, "the Moslem Ibrahim," on "the falsehood of the Koran;" 1833 May 8, Baghdad, from John Parnell, with news of missionary activity and the controversial baptisms of Armenian converts; 1833 May 13, Constantinople, from Hanson & Co. regarding a bill of lading; 1834 Jan. 29, from Yusuf Laflufy ["a Greek Catholic ... and a youth of great boldness and decision"], in Arabic; 1834 July 25, Baalbek, from G.B. Whiteley, requesting more Arabic tracts like that of Asaad Shidiak [the "Maronite apostate"] and reporting on missionary activity in the area; 1835 Jan. 21, Jerusalem, from George B. Whiting, reporting on Dr. Dodge's health. See letters of Ann Parker Bird to her family, 1822-1823, detailing passage from Boston to Beirut (Mss. .L697), and daughter Emily Ann Bird's journal, "Shipboard life on barque 'Metamora'," 1836, for an account of the return passage (Mss. .L697 .b). Collection includes miniature wedding portraits of Isaac and Ann Parker Bird, 1822, by the miniaturist Nathaniel Rogers.
ArchivalResource:
19 items in box ; 26 cm.
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