On Writing the History of the American Bible Society–Update #54

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Bible found by Confederate soldier in Kentucky

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My summer archival work is winding down.  I still need to make a few day trips to the ABS archives in September, but this phase of my long-term work comes to an end today.  I will then move into a frantic period of writing while trying to juggle teaching, meetings, and department chair duties.  I hope to move into the 20thcentury by the end of September. 


I am confident that most of the archival research is in place for the first half of the book.  Yesterday I continued my work in the Civil War era.  I followed a very interesting exchange of letters between the American Bible Society and the Maryland Bible Society concerning attempts to supply the Confederacy with Bibles during the war.  Since nearly all the auxiliary societies in the Confederacy refused to accept Bibles from a northern benevolent institution, the ABS Board of Managers tried to donate Bibles to the Maryland Bible Society in the hope that the officers of that auxiliary society could use their close proximity to Virginia to get these Bibles into the Confederacy.  There was even some discussion of taking the “American Bible Society” labels off of the Bibles and the packages.  

Stay tuned for more.

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