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Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia Records

1842-2011

Guide to the Collection

Record Group II of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records is stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance. Contact the Library at library@masshist.org or (617) 536-1608 to request materials. Please discuss your request with the reading room staff before requesting cartons by barcode.

Table of Contents
Collection Summary

Historical Information

Sources

Collection Description

Related Materials

Arrangement Note

Acquisition Information

Restrictions on Access

Organization

Detailed Description of Record Group I

Detailed Description of Record Group II

Preferred Citation

Access Terms

Photographs Removed from the Collection


Collection Summary

Creator:Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia
Title:Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records
Dates:1842-2011
Physical Description:15 document boxes, 2 pamphlet boxes, 15 volumes in cases, and 1 oversize box (stored onsite); 3 record cartons and 2 document boxes (stored offsite)
Call Number:Ms. N-1777 (Record Group I)
Call Number:OFFSITE STORAGE (Record Group II)
Repository:Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
library@masshist.org
Abstract:

This collection consists of the records of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, 1842-2011, pertaining to the activities of the organization whose mission was to build and maintain a college or university in Liberia.

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Historical Information

Historical Sketch

The Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia (Trustees of Donations) was founded by Massachusetts Colonization Society president Simon Greenleaf and secretary Joseph Tracy in 1848, about twenty-five years after the first group of Liberian American colonists settled on the northeastern coast of Africa, and one year after Liberia had declared itself an independent nation. The Massachusetts Colonization Society, a local branch of the American Colonization Society, was founded in 1841 to support the emigration of free-born African Americans and emancipated slaves from the United States, specifically Massachusetts, to Liberia.

Liberia had a public school system in place by 1848, but they did not have an established college or university, leaving most of their citizens with limited educational opportunities. Concerned that without educated men to run Liberia, the newly formed nation would not succeed, Greenleaf and Tracy wrote to the American Colonization Society to describe their idea. After much discussion and planning an act was passed in the Massachusetts General Court on 19 March 1850 incorporating Simon Greenleaf, George N. Briggs, Joel Giles, and their associates and successors as the Trustees of Donations with the power to manage funds to be used to promote education in Liberia. With the help of Liberia's first president, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the Liberian Legislature passed an act on 24 Dec. 1851 establishing a charter for Liberia College and incorporating the Liberia College Board of Trustees.

The cornerstone of Liberia College was laid at Cape Mesurado, within the city limits of Monrovia, Liberia on 25 Jan 1858. Over the next few years the Liberian Legislature passed a series of acts granting twenty acres of land in Monrovia as a site for the college and an additional one thousand acres within the four counties of the republic to the Trustees of the College. In 1861 the Trustees of Donations appointed Liberia College's first three faculty members: Joseph Jenkins Roberts as President and Professor of Jurisprudence and International Law, Alexander Crummell as Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and of the English Language and Literature, and Edward W. Blynden as Professor of Greek and Latin Language and Literature. On 23 Jan. 1862 Liberia College was incorporated. A year later, on 2 Feb. 1863, the doors of Liberia College were opened to their first seven students, and subsequently to the Preparatory Department a few months later. In 1864 The Laws of Liberia College, Enacted by the Board of Trustees was published, and in the Annual Report of the Trustees of Donations that year it was recorded, "Thus, after so many years of patient, careful, hopeful labor, after overcoming such obstacles and discouragement, Liberia College is established and in successful operation."

As the interest in Liberia waned over the next eighty years, the Trustees of Donations struggled unsuccessfully to raise the funds necessary for the growing expenses at Liberia College. Repeated difficulties with the staff and faculty, frequent turnovers in the college president's position, and a low number of interested or qualified students also threatened toe future of the college. By the mid-20th century, the role of the Trustees of Donations evolved from their initial hands-on management of the college to a more philanthropic role.

In 1951, Liberia College became the University of Liberia still supported by the Trustees of Donations today.

Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia list of officers

Presidents

1850-1855
George Nixon Briggs
1855-1875
Albert Fearing
1876-1885
Andrew Preston Peabody
1885-1895
Joseph Samuel Ropes
1896-1906
Judson Smith
1907-1923
Daniel Dulany Addison
1924-1927
Charles Knowles Bolton
1928-1936
Daniel Dulany Addison
1937-1944
Gardner Weld Allen
1945-1963
Frederic A. Turner
1963-ca. 1969
William Hathaway Forbes
ca. 1969-
John Otis Brew

Vice Presidents

1853
Simon Greenleaf
1854-1855
Albert Fearing
1855-1869
William Ropes
1885-1896
Judson Smith
1896-1907
Daniel Dulany Addison
1907-1912
Elnathan Ellsworth Strong
1912-1923
Charles Knowles Bolton
1924-1927
James Melville Hunnewell
1928-1929
Charles Knowles Bolton
1930-1937
William Marshall Warren
1938-1944
Charles E. Goodspeed
1945-1958
Theodore Eaton
1958-ca. 1969
John Otis Brew
ca. 1969-1977
Ernest Stanley Dodge
1977-1983
William Bradford Osgood
1983-
Charles Dunn

Secretaries

1850-1874
Joseph Tracy
1874-1909
James Chandler Braman
1910-1914
Francis Everett Blake
1914-1923
Charles Knowles Bolton
1924-1927
Gardner Weld Allen
1927-1944
George G. Wolkins
1945-1956
Stanwood K. Bolton
1956-1973
Walter Muir Whitehill
1973-
Rodney Armstrong

Treasurers

1850-1862
Stephen Fairbanks
1862
Charles Peter Clark
1862-1899
Charles Edward Stevens
1899-1906
George Moulton Adams
1906-1914
Francis Everett Blake
1914-1939
James Melville Hunnewell
1940-1961
Robert Jackson Cram
1961-1969
Alfred P. Putnam
1969-
Giles M. S. Tod

Liberia College Presidents

1856-1877
Joseph Jenkins Roberts
1878-1879
John B. Pinney
1880-1884
Edward Wilmot Blyden
1885-1889
Martin H. Freeman (pro tem until 1888)
1890-1894
Garretson W. Gibson
1895-1899
Orator F. Cook
1900-1901
Garretson W. Gibson (second term)
1902-1912
Robert B. Richardson
1913
James J. Dossen
1914-1917
Arthur Barclay
1918-ca. 1940
Nathaniel H.B. Cassell
ca. 1940-1950
T. Ebenezer Ward
1950-1954
J. Max Bond
1955-1958
Kermit C. King
1959-1971
Rocheforte L. Weeks
1972-ca. 1975
Advertus A. Hoff
ca. 1975-1978
J. Bernard Blamo
1978-1984
Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman
1984-
Joseph G. Morris

Table of Contents

Sources

Gardner W. Allen, The Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia: A Story of Philanthropic Endeavor, 1850-1923 (Boston, 1923).

Table of Contents

Collection Description

The bulk of this collection consists of letters written and received by the officers of the organization. The incoming correspondence and retained copies of outgoing correspondence (letterpress books and later carbon copies) reflect the relationships between the Trustees of Donations and the Liberian government; the faculty, staff, and board at Liberia College; and the American Colonization Society, among other like-minded organizations. The correspondence also reflects the continual challenges faced by the Trustees of Donations: fundraising; the building and maintenance of the college; the high turnover rate of president and faculty positions; the lack of eligible students; and the general unrest in Liberia. Of special interest is a letter, dated 14 Apr. 1848, written by Joseph Tracy, secretary of the Massachusetts Colonization Society and future secretary of the Trustees of Donations, to the American Colonization Society, describing his and Massachusetts Colonization Society president Simon Greenleaf's idea for the creation of a college or university in Liberia.

Administrative records include, but are not limited to, meeting minutes, Trustees of Donations president and secretary reports, various addresses, records created at Liberia College, records pertaining to wills and endowments, and other legal documents. Of special interest is a draft of the Constitution of the Trustees of Donations written in 1850.

In addition to correspondence and administrative records, the collection also includes financial records and printed materials. Financial records include annual reports from the treasurers and accountants, account books, bills, and bank statements. Printed materials include Liberian newspapers, clippings, ephemera, and bound publications pertaining to and created by the Trustees of Donations, Liberia College, and the country of Liberia.

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Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records:

Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia visual materials collection, ca. 1885-1925. Photo. Coll. 49.

Table of Contents

Arrangement Note

This collection consists of two record groups acquired at two different times from the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia. The two record groups are arranged and stored separately, but contain some overlap in names, dates, and subjects. Record Group I is stored onsite at Ms. N-1777. Record Group II is stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance.

Table of Contents

Acquisition Information

Record Group I deposited by Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, ca. 1970. Record Group II deposited by Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, February 2012.

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Restrictions on Access

Record Group II of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records is stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance. Contact the Library at library@masshist.org or (617) 536-1608 to request materials. Please discuss your request with the reading room staff before requesting cartons by barcode.

Table of Contents

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following record groups:

Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records I
I. Correspondence, 1844-1939
A. Loose correspondence, 1844-1939
B. Letterpress books, 1853-1906
II. Administrative records, 1842-1927
A. Meeting minutes, 1842-1927
B. Reports, 1842-1926
C. Addresses, 1858-1918 (with gaps)
D. Liberia College records, 1845-1908
E. Wills, endowments, and donations, 1851-1898
F. Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia resolutions, acts, deeds, and bills, 1848-1893
G. Draft of the Constitution of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, 1850
H. Miscellaneous administrative records, 1850-1910
III. Financial records, 1842-1936
A. Loose financial records, 1842-1936
B. Bound financial records, 1866-1924
IV. Printed materials, 1850-1936
A. Bound printed materials, 1850-1933
B. Other printed materials, 1856-1936
Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records II
I. Correspondence, 1924-1997
II. Administrative records, 1905-1991
A. Meeting minutes, 1905-1987
B. Reports, 1927-1951
C. Addresses, 1945-1967
D. Liberia College records, 1951-1969, 1991
III. Financial records, 1899-1989
A. Loose financial records, 1914-1989
B. Bound financial records, 1899-1975
IV. Printed materials, 1916-2011
A. Liberia College printed materials, 1925-2011
B. Liberia and Africa printed materials, 1916-1955
C. Other printed materials, 1927-1997

Table of Contents

Detailed Description of Record Group I

BoxFolderVolumeContents
I. Correspondence, 1844-1939
This series contains letters received by the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia from 1844-1939 and letterpress books containing retained copies of outgoing correspondence written from 1853-1906 by secretaries Joseph Tracy (1850-1974), James Chandler Braman (1874-1909), Francis Everett Blake (1910-1914), and Charles Knowles Bolton (1914-1923). The correspondence relates to all facets of the Trustees' activities, including the founding and membership of the organization; obtaining donations for education in Liberia; and the founding, staffing, and maintenance of the facilities of Liberia College. Correspondents includes Liberian officials and countrymen; Liberia College presidents, faculty, and staff; officials and members of the American Colonization Society, New York Colonization Society, and other like-minded organizations; donors and supporters; financial institutions; and tradesmen, among many others. The series also includes letters received and sent by Trustee presidents and treasurers, and related reports and accounts.
For additional correspondence, 1924-1997, see Record Group II, Series I.
A. Loose correspondence, 1844-1939
Arranged chronologically.
Box 11844-1863
Box 21864-1871
Box 31872-1883
Box 41884-1891
Box 51892-1900
Box 61905-1919
Box 71920- July 1925
Box 8Aug. 1925-1936
Box 9Folder 1-21937-1939
B. Letterpress books, 1853-1906
Arranged chronologically.
Vol. 129 Oct. 1853-20 Oct. 1860
Vol. 228 Oct. 1860-12 Sep. 1864
Vol. 37 Sep. 1864-3 July 1869
Vol. 48 July 1869-23 Oct. 1880
Vol. 514 Oct. 1880-4 Mar. 1891
Vol. 64 Mar. 1891-23 Jan. 1906
BoxFolderVolumeContents
II. Administrative records, 1842-1927
See also I.A. Loose correspondence.
A. Meeting minutes, 1842-1927
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes loose and bound meeting minutes and extracts kept primarily by Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia secretaries Joseph Tracy (1850-1874), James Chandler Braman (1874-1909), Francis Everett Blake (1910-1914), and Charles Knowles Bolton (1914-1923). Minutes include votes and resolutions on membership, donations, construction and management of Liberia College, and politics in Liberia, among other topics, and overviews of the president, secretary, treasurer, and other reports.
For additional meeting minutes, 1905-1987, see Record Group II, Series II, Subseries A.
Box 9Folder 3-12i. Loose meeting minutes, 1842-1927 (with gaps)
Vol. 7ii. Bound meeting minutes, 1849-1906
B. Reports, 1842-1926
This subseries includes reports relating to education in Liberia written by presidents of Liberia College, secretaries of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, and related organizations.
Box 9Folder 13-16Liberia College presidents' reports, 1850-1926 (with gaps)
Includes reports written for the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia by Liberia College president Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1861-1879), Edward W. Blyden (1880-1884), Martin H. Freeman (1885-1889), Orator F. Cook (1896-1899), Richardson B. Wells (1902-1912), Arthur Barclay (1914-1917), and Nathaniel H. B. Cassell (1918-). Reports include descriptions of the current Liberia College board, faculty, staff, and students; conditions of the campus buildings and supplies; and appropriations for the past year. This subseries also includes reports written for the Trustees of Donations by Monrovia Seminary president A.P. Camphor, 1897-1898.
Box 9Folder 17 Secretaries' reports, 1913-1914, 1920
Includes annual reports written by Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia secretaries Francis Everett Blake (1910-1914) and Charles Knowles Bolton (1914-1923). Reports include summaries of correspondence received from the president of Liberia College and important event from the previous year.
Box 9Folder 18Benjamin Brawley report, 1920
Includes a report written for the New York Colonization Society by Benjamin Brawley, who taught at Liberia College for a few months in early 1920. The report describes the political, economic, and social conditions in Monrovia, Liberia and gives recommendations for the future of education and society in Liberia. This subseries also includes a brief summary of conditions in Monrovia, written by Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia secretary Charles Knowles Bolton, after a meeting held with Brawley in June 1920.
Box 9Folder 19Miscellaneous reports, 1842-1918
Includes complete and incomplete reports about Liberia and education in Liberia written by various representatives of Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, the American Colonization Society, and other colonization societies.
Box 10Folder 1-2C. Addresses, 1858-1918 (with gaps)
This subseries includes an address given by Liberia College president Joseph Jenkins Roberts, ca. 1861, an address given by Chief Justice of Liberia B. J. Drayton, 1862, and an inaugural addresses given by Liberia College president Edward W. Blyden, ca. 1880-81, among others.
D. Liberia College records, 1845-1908
This subseries includes records that pertain primarily to Liberia College. Records include lists of books in the library, final exams from the senior class, grade reports, and the Education Committee notes and meeting minutes. Also includes maps of Liberia and plans for the construction of the college.
Box 10Folder 3-5Records, 1858-1908
Box 10Folder 6Maps and plans, n.d.
Box OSFolder 1Oversize maps and plans, 1845-1878
(Oversize)
Box OSFolder 2Oversize draft of a Liberia College diploma, 1864, and an oversize copy of class regulations and schedules, 1881
(Oversize)
Box 10Folder 7-10E. Wills, endowments, and donations, 1851-1898
This subseries contains legal records relating to individual bequests to the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia. The subseries includes records pertaining to a legal battle over the will of Nathaniel Storrs and also includes records pertaining to endowments and other large donations received by the Trustees of Donations.
Box 10Folder 11-12F. Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia resolutions, acts, deeds, and bills, 1848-1893
Box 10Folder 13G. Draft Constitution of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, 1850
Box 10Folder 14-16I. Miscellaneous administrative records, 1850-1910
This subseries contains notes, lists, summaries, and extracts, among other miscellaneous documents created by the Trustees of Donations.
BoxFolderVolumeContents
III. Financial records, 1842-1936
A. Loose financial records, 1842-1936
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes financial reports written primarily after an annual audit by Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia treasurers Stephen Fairbanks (1852-1862), Charles Peter Clark (1862-1899), Francis Everett Blake (1906-1914), and James Melvin Hunnewell (1914-1924). The reports pertain to income such as donations and account interest and expenditures such as salaries and advertising. The subseries also includes annual bank statements, supply lists and bills, receipts to donors, accounts payable, returned checks, and treasurers' notes from 1842-1922.
Box 11Folder 1-6i. Treasurers' reports, 1852-1924 (with gaps)
ii. Bank statements, bills, receipts, returned checks, and notes, 1842-1936
Box 11Folder 7-131842-1859
Box 121860-1910
Box 131911-1922
Box 141923-1936
B. Bound financial records, 1866-1924
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes account books, bank books, and expenditure books kept by the treasurer and other members of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia from 1866-1924. Other than the first account book listed (Vol. 8), most of the volumes contain very little information.
Vol. 8Account book, 1866-1898
Vol. 9-10Donation account books, 1868
Vol. 11-12Bank books, 1906-1909
Vol. 13Expense book, 1914-1924
BoxFolderVolumeContents
IV. Printed materials, 1850-1936
A. Bound printed materials, 1850-1933
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes bound printed materials pertaining to the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, Liberia College, and Liberia, including reports, acts and laws of the Trustees of Donations, 1852-1882; proceedings, reports, addresses, and catalogs of Liberia College, 1862-1888; and reports, case studies, dissertations, and addresses pertaining to politics, social issues, and education in Liberia, 1850-1933.
i. Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia printed volumes, 1852-1882
Box 16Folder 1The Laws of Liberia College Enacted by the Board of Trustees, n.d.
Box 16Folder 2Second Annual Report of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, 14 Jan. 1852
Box 16Folder 3Third Annual Report of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, 12 Jan. 1853
Box 16Folder 4Act Incorporating Liberia College and By-Laws of the Trustees of the College, 1864
Box 16Folder 5The Laws of Liberia College in Monrovia, Liberia Enacted by the Board of Trustees, 1864
Box 15Folder 17 Sixth Report of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, 12 Apr. 1865
Box 16Folder 6The Laws of Liberia College in Monrovia, Liberia Enacted by the Board of Trustees, 1882
ii. Liberia College printed volumes, 1862-1881
Box 16Folder 7Proceedings at the Inauguration of Liberia College at Monrovia, 23 Jan. 1862
Box 16Folder 8Report of the Conditions of Liberia College Made to the New York State Colonization Society and the Trustees of Donations for Education in Africa of the State of Massachusetts, 25 Mar. 1879
Box 16Folder 9Inaugural Address: The Aims and Methods of a Liberal Education for Africans, delivered by president of Liberia College Edward W. Blyden, 5 Jan. 1881
Box 15Folder 21Draft copy of the Inaugural Address: The Aims and Methods of a Liberal Education for Africans, delivered by president of Liberia College Edward W. Blyden, 5 Jan. 1881
Box 16Folder 10 Report of the President of Liberia College to the Board of Trustees, Dec. 1881
Box 15Folder 22Draft copy of the Report of the President of Liberia College to the Board of Trustees, Dec. 1881
Box 16Folder 11Catalogue and Register of Liberia College, 1892
Box 16Folder 12Proceedings and Addresses on the Occasion of the Inauguration of The Rev. Garretson Warner Gibson as President of Liberia College, 21 Feb. 1900
Box 16Folder 13The Report of Liberia College for the Year 1906
Box 16Folder 14The Annual Report of Liberia College, Jan. 1906
Box 16Folder 15The Report of Liberia College For 1909, 1911
Box 16Folder 16The Baccalaureate: A Discourse Delivered by The Rev. Nathaniel H. B. Cassell, Professor of Mental and Moral Science, Liberia College, to the Graduating Class of 1914
Vol. 14-15Liberia College Catalogue, 1916
Box 15Folder 18Liberia College Catalogue, 1919
iii. Liberia printed volumes, 1850-1933
Box 16Folder 17Liberia and Her Educational Problems, n.d.
Box 16Folder 18Sketches of Liberia: Comprising a Brief Account of the Geography, Climate, Productions, and Diseases of the Republic of Liberia, by J. W. Lugenbeel, 1850
Box 15Folder 19Case and Opinion Upon the Will of Anson G. Phelps, The Elder, 1854
Box 16Folder 19Message of the President of the Republic of Liberia to the Legislature, at the Commencement of Their Sessions, Dec. 1858
Box 16Folder 20Twenty-First Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Massachusetts Colonization Society, 28 May 1862
Box 16Folder 21 Synopsis of the Effort Made in Behalf of the American Colonization Society To get Control of the Field of the New York State Colonization Society, in Violation of the Pledge of Non-Interference, 1870
Box 16Folder 22 Proceedings on the Occasion of the Inauguration of the Hon. W. F. Nelson as Mayor of Monrovia, Liberia, 26 Feb. 1874
Box 16Folder 23African Colonization: An Address Delivered Before the America Colonization in Washington, D.C., by Rev. John Orcutt, 19 Jan. 1875
Box 16Folder 24The Duty of Strengthening Liberia: An Address by Hon. G. Washington Warren Delivered in Washington, D.C. at the Sixty-third Annual Meeting of The American Colonization Society, 20 Jan. 1880
Box 16Folder 25 Liberia Today: Being Articles From the Monrovia Observer, January 8, 1880, and the West African Reporter of Sierra Leone, 1880
Box 17Folder 1Message of the President of the Republic of Liberia to the First Session of the Eighteenth Legislature, 10 Dec. 1881
Box 17Folder 2Lecture: Christianity and the Negro Race, by Edward W. Blyden, President of Liberia College, 1883
Box 17Folder 3 Philip and the Eunuch; or the Instruments and Methods of Africa's Evangelization: A Discourse Delivered by Edward Wilmot Blyden, President of Liberia College, 1883
Box 17Folder 4Inaugural Address of H. R. W. Johnson, President of Liberia to the Legislature in Joint Convention, Monrovia, 7 Jan. 1884
Box 17Folder 5Inaugural Address of His Honor C. T. O King, Mayor of Monrovia, Delivered Before the Common Council, 8 Feb. 1888
Box 17Folder 6The African Problem and The Method of Its Solution: The Annual Discourse Delivered at the Seventy-third Anniversary of the American Colonization Society, 19 Jan. 1890
Box 15Folder 20History of Liberia, by J. H. T. McPherson, Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science, Oct. 1891
Box 17Folder 7Messages of President Coleman with his Inaugural Address of January 1st 1900, 12 Feb. 1900
Box 17Folder 8The Liberian Scholar: Being the Annual Address Delivered on the Occasion of the Commencement Exercises of the College of West Africa by the Rev. Nathaniel H. B. Cassell, 17 Nov. 1915
Box 17Folder 9Stones from the Quarries. An Oration by Dr. H. B. Cassell, 1915
Box 17Folder 10The Liberian Crisis, by Henry Litchfield West, 1933
B. Other printed materials, 1856-1936
Arranged alphabetically and chronologically.
This subseries includes loose printed materials pertaining to the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, Liberia College, and the country of Liberia. The loose printed materials including newspapers and clippings from Liberian and U.S. newspapers printed from 1861-1926; programs and menus from various dinners and other events printed from 1883-1931; flyers and announcements printed from 1887-1924; calling cards printed ca. 1900; and other Miscellaneous materials printed from 1857-1925.
i. Newspapers and clippings, 1856-1936
a. Liberian newspapers, 1861-1936
Box 15Folder 1The African Star, Feb.-Sep. 1921, July 1927
Box 15Folder 2The African Watchman, April and May 1926
Box 15Folder 3The Liberian Herald, 21 Aug. 1861 (incomplete)
Box 15Folder 4The Liberia Methodist, Jan. 1923
Box 15Folder 5Liberian News, Oct.-Nov. 1922, Feb. 1924, Apr. 1926
Box 15Folder 6The Liberian Patriot, 22-29 Oct. 1921
Box 15Folder 7The Liberia Recorder, Jan. 1900, Apr. 1925
Box 15Folder 8The Observer, 25 Aug. 1881
Box 15Folder 9West African Recorder, 14 May 1884
Box OSFolder 3b. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 7 Aug. 1858 (incomplete)
(Oversize)
Box 15Folder 10 c. Loose clippings, 1856-1936
Box 15Folder 11-12ii. Programs and menus, 1883-1931
iii. Flyers and announcements, 1860-1925
Box 15Folder 13Flyers and announcements, 1887-1924
Box OSFolder 4-5Oversize flyers and announcements, 1860-1925
(Oversize)
Box 17Folder 11iv. Calling cards, ca. 1900
Box 15Folder 14-16v. Miscellaneous printed materials, 1857-1925

Table of Contents

Detailed Description of Record Group II

Carton or BoxBarcodeFolderContents
Carton 1SH 188W 8I. Correspondence, 1924-1997
This series consists primarily of correspondence between the trustees and officers of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia and correspondence with related organizations. Subjects include meetings and other events; fundraising, appropriations, and other financial matters; committees; appointments; publications and reports; and students and faculty at Liberia College, later the University of Liberia. Among the correspondents are Daniel Dulany Addison, Gardner Weld Allen, Charles Knowles Bolton, John Otis Brew, Robert Jackson Cram, William Hathaway Forbes, James M. Hunnewell, Alfred Porter Putnam, Giles M. S. Tod, Frederic A. Turner, and William Marshall Warren, as well as Liberia College presidents Nathaniel H. B. Cassell, T. Ebenezer Ward, J. Max Bond, Kermit C. King, Rocheforte L. Weeks, Advertus A. Hoff, J. Bernard Blamo, Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, and Joseph G. Morris. Additional correspondents include Thomas S. Donohugh of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church; Edwin R. Embree of the Liberian Foundation; Edith G. Hardwick of Ginn & Co.; Harry W. Hart, librarian of the Columbia College Library; R. C. Hoffman of W. M. Welch Manufacturing Co.; Thomas Jesse Jones of the Phelps-Stokes Fund and the Booker Washington Agricultural & Industrial Institute of Liberia; L. A. Roy of the American Advisory Committee on Education in Liberia; Africanus Schaack; Clarence L. Simpson; and Frederick Starr.
The bulk of the correspondence between 1924-1945 is that of George G. Wolkins, secretary of the Trustees. Included are lengthy letters from James L. Sibley, 1925-1929, during two trips he made to Liberia as educational advisor. These letters contain detailed descriptions of conditions and schools in Monrovia, Liberia, and Africa generally. Other correspondence discusses the 1926 Firestone Concession Agreement, Harvey S. Firestone, Liberian President Charles D. B. King, and Sibley's death from yellow fever in 1929. Correspondence between 1929-1931 deals with political conditions in Liberia, including alleged forced labor conditions and the subsequent investigation by the Slavery and Forced Labor Commission of the League of Nations.
Between 1945-1956, the bulk of the papers are those of Trustees secretary Stanwood K. Bolton, including letters about and invoices for supplies for Liberia College, correspondence with publishing companies about books for the school, and letters describing losses suffered due to a fire on campus, 1949-1950. Long letters from J. Max Bond, president of Liberia College, report on progress at the school, the implementation of his reforms, and the college's transformation into the University of Liberia, 1950-1954. Papers between 1956-1973 consist largely of the correspondence of secretary Walter Muir Whitehill, and after 1973 that of Rodney Armstrong. Between 1979-1985, subjects include riots and political unrest in Liberia and university closures. Correspondence after 1945 also includes letters to and from the treasurers of the Trustees discussing financial matters.
For additional correspondence, 1844-1939, see Record Group I, Series I.
II. Administrative records, 1905-1991
This series consists of records documenting the business of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, including meeting minutes, reports, and addresses, as well as papers related to the facilities and curriculum of Liberia College.
A. Meeting minutes, 1905-1987
This subseries contains two volumes of minutes, 1905-1950, and loose minutes, 1929-1987 (with gaps). Minutes consist of records of meetings kept by the secretary, including votes, elections, secretary's reports, treasurer's reports, obituaries of members, agendas, etc.
Series I (Correspondence) also contains some scattered minutes. For additional meeting minutes, 1842-1927, see Record Group I, Series II, Subseries A.
Carton 2SH 188X 9Folder 1Minutes book, 1905-July 1937
Carton 2SH 188X 9Folder 2Minutes book, Oct. 1937-1950
Carton 2SH 188X 9Folder 3-7Loose minutes, 1929-1987 (with gaps)
Carton 2SH 188X 9Folder 8-10B. Reports, 1927-1951
This subseries contains reports on the activities, students, faculty, facilities, budget, etc. of Liberia College, written for the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia by college presidents T. Ebenezer Ward and J. Max Bond, 1948-1951, as well as a report by educational advisor James L. Sibley to the Advisory Committee on Education in Liberia, 1927.
Carton 2SH 188X 9Folder 11C. Addresses, 1945-1967
Included are commencement addresses by John O. Brew and Lester A. Walton, as well as an address by Mary Antoinette Grimes Brown on education in Liberia, given at Cornell University.
Carton 2SH 188X 9Folder 12-16D. Liberia College records, 1951-1969, 1991
This subseries contains lists of library books and herbarium collections, reports on college facilities, curriculum materials, information brochures for prospective students, lists of college award winners, papers related to commencement, and faculty/staff rosters. Also included is an extensive report entitled The University of Liberia: An Appraisal and Recommendations (1960), prepared by A. Gordon Nelson and Charles C. Hughes of Cornell University, and an Assessment of Facilities for the University of Liberia (1991), by the Liberian Chamber of Architects, including pasted-in photographs of damage to campus buildings sustained during the First Liberian Civil War, cost estimates for renovation, and maps.
III. Financial records, 1899-1989
This series consists of annual treasurers' reports, annual accountants' reports, auditors' reports, and two account books (1899-1956, 1961-1975) documenting the financial activities of the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia. The series also contains several years of tax documents, including federal tax returns, Massachusetts tax returns, and Massachusetts Division of Public Charities annual reports.
A. Loose financial records, 1914-1989
Carton 2SH 188X 9Folder 17-29Treasurers' reports, 1914-1989
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 1-4Accountants' reports, 1954-1970
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 5Auditors' reports, 1948-1955 (with gaps)
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 6-18Tax documents, 1933-1989
B. Bound financial records, 1899-1975
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 19-20Account book, 1899-1956
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 21-22Account book, 1961-1975
IV. Printed materials, 1916-2011
This series consists of printed materials related to Liberia College, Liberia, and Africa generally. Included are college catalogs, yearbooks (including the school's first yearbook in 1952), newsletters, programs, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, journals, magazines, books, and miscellaneous cards and flyers.
A. Liberia College printed materials, 1925-2011
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 23Liberia College Catalogue and Register, 1925-1927
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 24The L-U-an, yearbook, 1952
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 25The L-U-an, yearbook, 1959
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 26The University of Liberia Catalog and Announcements, 1967-1968
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 27Campus Review, newsletter, 1997
Box OSFolder 6Certificate of appreciation from the University of Liberia to the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia, 7 Nov. 1997
Located onsite at Ms. N-1777 (OS).
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 28"We Hail this Institution as the Precursor of Incalculable Blessings to this Benighted Land": The Sanctity of Liberia College in Americo-Liberian Nation-building, 1880-1912, thesis paper by Brooks Marmon, 2011
Carton 3SH 188Y AFolder 29Event programs, 1925-1969
B. Liberia and Africa printed materials, 1916-1955
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 1Liberia and Her Educational Problems, pamphlet by Walter F. Walker, 23 Oct. 1916
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 2The Liberia Recorder, newspaper, 13 Apr. 1925 [first issue]
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 3Stone & Webster Journal, containing "Firestone in Liberia," Sep. 1927
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 4-7The Educational Outlook/The Liberia Educational Outlook, magazine, including The African World: West African Monthly Supplement, Jan. 1928-Sep. 1929
29 issues
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 8The Annual Message of His Excellency Charles Dunbar Burgess King, President of the Republic of Liberia, pamphlet, 18 Oct. 1928
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 9Report of R. R. Taylor upon the Booker Washington Agricultural and Industrial Institute at Kakata, Republic of Liberia, pamphlet, Oct. 1929
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 10Harvard Medical Alumni Bulletin, containing "African Reminiscences," by George M. Saunders, M.D., Apr. 1933
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 11The Friend: A Religious and Literary Journal, containing "The Tragedy of Liberia," by John H. Harris, 10 Aug. 1934
Box OSFolder 7Views in Liberia, book by Firestone Plantations Company, 1937
Located onsite at Ms. N-1777 (OS).
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 12African Challenge: The Story of the British in Tropical Africa, pamphlet, 1945
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 13New Africa, newsletter of the Council on African Affairs, Dec. 1945
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 14-15The Liberian Age, newspaper, 15 July-30 Sep. 1947, 21-25 Feb. 1955
9 issues
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 16Progress in Negro Status and Race Relations 1911-1946: The Thirty-Five Year Report of the Phelps-Stokes Fund, by Anson Phelps Stokes, et al., 1948
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 17Liberia Today, newsletter of the Liberian Embassy in Washington, Aug. 1952
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 18Time magazine, containing "South of the Sahara," 9 Feb. 1953
Box OSFolder 8Life magazine, containing "Africa: A Continent in Ferment," 4 May 1953
Located onsite at Ms. N-1777 (OS).
Box 1SH 188Z BFolder 19Souvenir programs, 1923-1947
C. Other printed materials, 1927-1997
Box 2SH 1891 LFolder 1-4Miscellaneous newspaper clippings, 1927-1997
Box 2SH 1891 LFolder 5Programs, business cards, flyers, etc., 1927-1950

Table of Contents

Preferred Citation

Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia records, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons:
Greenleaf, Simon, 1783-1853.
Tracy, Joseph, 1793?-1874.

Organizations:
American Colonization Society.
Massachusetts Colonization Society.
New York Colonization Society.
Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia.
University of Liberia.

Subjects:
Africa--Colonization.
African Americans--Colonization.
Colonization--Societies, etc.
Education, Higher--Liberia.
Educational assistance, American--Liberia.
Education--Liberia.
Liberia--Colonization.
Liberia--Economic conditions.
Liberia--History--19th century.
Liberia--History--20th century.
Liberia--Politics and government.
Liberia--Social life and customs.
Universities and colleges--Liberia.

Table of Contents

Photographs Removed from the Collection

Photographs from this collection were removed to the Trustees of Donations for Education in Liberia visual materials collection, ca. 1885-1951. Photo. Coll. 49.

Table of Contents

http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0221
Send reference questions to library@masshist.org.
Collection processed by April Hagins, July 2005. Additions processed by Susan Martin, May 2012.
Revised 25 Oct. 2005
Encoded by April Hagins, Aug. 2005. Revised by Susan Martin, May 2012.


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