Edward Warren Manuscript Collection

Collection

Identifier: SCM 270

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The collection consists of 36 pages from Warren's journal and 98 pages of correspondence. The last several letters were written by fellow missionaries after Warren's death. The final letter (folder 35) was added to the collection in April, 2024 as part of a donation to Princeton Seminary.

Dates

1813-1819

Language of Materials

English

Access

There are no restrictions to access of this collection. It may be examined by library patrons under the normal rules and conditions of Special Collections.

Biographical Information

Edward Warren was born August 14, 1786, in Marlborough, Massachusetts. A graduate of Middlebury College in 1808 and Andover Theological Seminary in 1812, he became a missionary to Ceylon with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions from 1815 until his death in Capetown, South Africa, August 11, 1818. He was a founder of the American Mission in Ceylon in 1816.

Warren kept a journal for the first several months of his journey from October to December, 1815. Letters to his family before this come from the northeastern United States, particularly Philadelphia, Newburyport, Andover, and Salem. In Ceylon, he writes from Colombo, giving detailed description of the culture and customs of the people there as well as difficulties faced by Warren and his fellow missionaries.