GB 0102 CWM/LMS South Seas Special Personal Boxes 1-16 - Newell, James Edward

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0102 CWM/LMS South Seas Special Personal Boxes 1-16

Title

Newell, James Edward

Date(s)

  • 1850s-1947 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

16 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, 1852; trained at Lancashire Congregational College; appointed London Missionary Society (LMS) missionary to Savai'i, Samoa, was ordained in Farnworth, married Elizabeth Emma Sidlow (d 1882), and sailed for the South Pacific, 1880; arrived and began his service at Matautu, Samoa, 1881; sailed to Sydney, 1883; married Honor Jane Gill (1857-1922; daughter of the LMS missionary in the Cook Islands, W W Gill) in Sydney, 1884; sailed frequently on the mission ship the John Williams III to place and visit students in Tokelau, Niue, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Papua; visited the mission outstations, 1885; served at the Malau seminary on Upolu, which trained pastors and teachers for Samoa and for missionary service within Oceania, from 1887; visited England, 1891-1893; visited the outstations, 1894, 1896; mediated between Samoans and contending colonial powers, 1898-1899; an expert on Samoan law and custom; edited the Christian magazine Sulu (Torch) and guided formation of the council of elders (Au Toeaina) - the Samoan presbytery, nucleus of the future self-government of the Samoan church; when Western Samoa became a German colony (1900), his knowledge qualified him as LMS adviser and negotiator with the governor Wilhelm Solf; visited England, 1901-1902; improved his German and visited missionary societies in Germany to recruit German-speaking staff for Samoa, 1902; persuaded the Samoan orator-chief and deacon of the church, Lauaki Mamoe of Savai'i, of the inadvisability of a revolt against Germany, 1908; with August Hanke, a leader in the Rhenish (Barmen) mission, planned to send Samoan LMS missionaries to the Madang field of German New Guinea, and following the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh went to Barmen to make arrangements, but died of pneumonia at Gütersloh, Germany, 1910.

Archival history

The papers were deposited with the London Missionary Society and form part of the special series of personal papers of individual LMS missionaries and officers.
GB 0102 CWM/LMS South Seas Special Personal Boxes 1-16 1850s-1947 Collection (fonds) 16 boxes Newell , James Edward , 1852-1910 , missionary
Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, 1852; trained at Lancashire Congregational College; appointed London Missionary Society (LMS) missionary to Savai'i, Samoa, was ordained in Farnworth, married Elizabeth Emma Sidlow (d 1882), and sailed for the South Pacific, 1880; arrived and began his service at Matautu, Samoa, 1881; sailed to Sydney, 1883; married Honor Jane Gill (1857-1922; daughter of the LMS missionary in the Cook Islands, W W Gill) in Sydney, 1884; sailed frequently on the mission ship the John Williams III to place and visit students in Tokelau, Niue, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Papua; visited the mission outstations, 1885; served at the Malau seminary on Upolu, which trained pastors and teachers for Samoa and for missionary service within Oceania, from 1887; visited England, 1891-1893; visited the outstations, 1894, 1896; mediated between Samoans and contending colonial powers, 1898-1899; an expert on Samoan law and custom; edited the Christian magazine Sulu (Torch) and guided formation of the council of elders (Au Toeaina) - the Samoan presbytery, nucleus of the future self-government of the Samoan church; when Western Samoa became a German colony (1900), his knowledge qualified him as LMS adviser and negotiator with the governor Wilhelm Solf; visited England, 1901-1902; improved his German and visited missionary societies in Germany to recruit German-speaking staff for Samoa, 1902; persuaded the Samoan orator-chief and deacon of the church, Lauaki Mamoe of Savai'i, of the inadvisability of a revolt against Germany, 1908; with August Hanke, a leader in the Rhenish (Barmen) mission, planned to send Samoan LMS missionaries to the Madang field of German New Guinea, and following the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh went to Barmen to make arrangements, but died of pneumonia at Gütersloh, Germany, 1910.

The papers were deposited with the London Missionary Society and form part of the special series of personal papers of individual LMS missionaries and officers.

Deposited on permanent loan with the records of the London Missionary Society by the Congregational Council for World Mission (later Council for World Mission) in 1973.

Papers, 1850s-1947, of and relating to James Edward Newell, comprising diaries, 1870-1887, 1891-1892, 1898-1908, describing his life and activities, including life in Samoa; correspondence, c1880-1910, including letters received and letterbooks containing copies of outgoing letters; notes by Newell, 1870s-1900s, including various notebooks and commonplace books, and his recollections of Robert Louis Stevenson; sermon notes; typescript and manuscript mission reports, 1880s-1900s; printed and manuscript papers, 1880s-1900s, including talks and articles by Newell and others, relating to Samoan life, culture and anthropology, and missionary work, also including various printed proclamations and the Samoan constitution; press cuttings, 1850s-1900s, on Samoa, including colonial politics, on missionary affairs, and on Newell himself; copies of the newspaper Samoanische Zeitung, 1907; papers relating to Newell, 1910-1947, including manuscript notes, reminiscences, press cuttings, and a photograph of his grave in Gütersloh.

Unrestricted.

No publication without written permission. Apply to archivist in the first instance.
English, Samoan and German

Unpublished handlist.

Published on microfiche by IDC Publishers.

The School of Oriental and African Studies holds the records of the London Missionary Society (Ref: CWM/LMS), including letters from individual missionaries, among them Newell (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Incoming Correspondence); his candidate's papers (Ref: CWM/LMS Candidates' Papers Box 12 No 33); his LMS journals, describing his visits to the outstations of the Samoan mission, 1885, 1894, 1896 (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Journals Box 12 Files 188, 194, 196); his reports from Samoa, 1886-1909 (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Reports Boxes 2-6 passim); a letter from Newell to Talbot Wilson, 1900 (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Personal Box 5/2); photographic portraits of Newell, one with his wife Elizabeth (Ref: CWM/LMS General Portraits Box 4); photographs of Newell and his mission work in Samoa (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Photographs Box 1).

Compiled by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Sources: Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, ed Gerald H Anderson (1998); LMS Register of Missionaries, ed James Sibree. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. Mar 2002 Communications media Ancient religions Asia and the Pacific Authors Christianity Christians Clergy Colonial administration Colonial conflicts Colonial countries Colonization Commonplace books Congregationalism Congregationalists Constitutional law Constitutions Cultural anthropology Diaries Documents Educational missionaries Educational missionary work Europe Evangelistic missionaries Evangelistic missionary work Germany Government Gütersloh Information sources Literary forms and genres Literature Manuscripts Missionaries Missionary Society x LMS , London Missionary Society x London Missionary Society Missionary work National cultures Newell , James Edward , 1852-1910 , missionary Newspaper press Newspapers Nonfiction Oceania Oceanic cultures Ordained missionaries Periodicals Photographs Political systems Press Press cuttings Primary documents Prose Protestantism Protestant nonconformists Protestant nonconformity Protestants Public administration Publications Public law Religions Religious activities Religious doctrines Religious groups Religious texts Sermons Stevenson , Robert Louis , 1850-1894 , author and traveller Theology Travel Travel abroad Visual materials Western Europe Western Samoa Writers Information sciences Nonconformity

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Deposited on permanent loan with the records of the London Missionary Society by the Congregational Council for World Mission (later Council for World Mission) in 1973.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Papers, 1850s-1947, of and relating to James Edward Newell, comprising diaries, 1870-1887, 1891-1892, 1898-1908, describing his life and activities, including life in Samoa; correspondence, c1880-1910, including letters received and letterbooks containing copies of outgoing letters; notes by Newell, 1870s-1900s, including various notebooks and commonplace books, and his recollections of Robert Louis Stevenson; sermon notes; typescript and manuscript mission reports, 1880s-1900s; printed and manuscript papers, 1880s-1900s, including talks and articles by Newell and others, relating to Samoan life, culture and anthropology, and missionary work, also including various printed proclamations and the Samoan constitution; press cuttings, 1850s-1900s, on Samoa, including colonial politics, on missionary affairs, and on Newell himself; copies of the newspaper Samoanische Zeitung, 1907; papers relating to Newell, 1910-1947, including manuscript notes, reminiscences, press cuttings, and a photograph of his grave in Gütersloh.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Unrestricted.

Conditions governing reproduction

No publication without written permission. Apply to archivist in the first instance.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English, Samoan and German

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

The School of Oriental and African Studies holds the records of the London Missionary Society (Ref: CWM/LMS), including letters from individual missionaries, among them Newell (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Incoming Correspondence); his candidate's papers (Ref: CWM/LMS Candidates' Papers Box 12 No 33); his LMS journals, describing his visits to the outstations of the Samoan mission, 1885, 1894, 1896 (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Journals Box 12 Files 188, 194, 196); his reports from Samoa, 1886-1909 (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Reports Boxes 2-6 passim); a letter from Newell to Talbot Wilson, 1900 (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Personal Box 5/2); photographic portraits of Newell, one with his wife Elizabeth (Ref: CWM/LMS General Portraits Box 4); photographs of Newell and his mission work in Samoa (Ref: CWM/LMS South Seas Photographs Box 1).

Finding aids

Unpublished handlist.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Published on microfiche by IDC Publishers.

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

School of Oriental and African Studies

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area