Isaac Backus papers, 1717-1835

John Hay Library , Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	Isaac Backus papers
Date range:	1717-1835
Creator:	Backus, Isaac, 1724-1806
Extent:	185 items
Abstract:	The Isaac Backus Papers consists of family letters (dating from the years 1750 through 1806), travel journals, a listing of his library, church minutes, book manuscripts, sermons, and family genealogy. Backus was a Baptist preacher, historian and advocate of religious freedom in New England before, during and after the American Revolution.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library , Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms.Backus

Scope & content

Ranging from 1717 to 1835, this is a remarkable collection of papers relating to a single New England family.

At the heart of the collection are the papers of Baptist preacher and historian Isaac Backus (1724-1806). These include many family letters to and from Isaac Backus during the years between 1750 and his death in 1806, along with seven of his travel journals, a list of his library, two unpublished tracts, a genealogy of his family, minutes of his Separate Church from 1750 to 1753, drafts of some of the chapters for his abridged history, and a list of all the texts he preached from between 1777 and 1806.

Of great importance historically are the manuscripts in this collection that Backus collected while writing his well-regarded A history of New England, with particular reference to the denomination of Christians called Baptists. That work documents the beginnings of a number of Protestant denominations in New England, and accordingly the manuscripts that Backus collected date from as early as 1668. Among them are papers relating to Thomas Gould (founder of the First Baptist Church in Boston), Obadiah Holmes (founder of the First Baptist Church in Rehoboth), and of Nicolas Eyres, pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Newport. One of the most important of these documents is an unpublished account of the persecution of the Baptists in Ashfield, Massachusetts, during the 1760s, as written by Chileab Smith, a founder of the First Baptist Church there.

The collection supplements the small but important group of Isaac Backus manuscripts in the Sidney S. Rider collection.

In addition to papers of Isaac Backus, this collection includes smaller holdings of manuscripts pertaining to Backus' immediate family, including his mother (Elizabeth Tracy Backus), his uncles (Joseph and Ebenezer Backus), his wife (Susannah Mason Backus), his brothers (Samuel, Elijah, Simon and Andrew), and his children (sons Isaac and Simon, daughters Eunice Backus Dean and Lois Backus Allen). A particularly strong component of the collection are the letters of Backus' son Simon (1766-1833), and of Simon's son Andrew (1790-1880), an early settler of Columbus, Ohio.

Also included are notes and genealogical charts compiled by Isaac Stevens, with additional notes by Professor William G. McLoughlin, a respected scholar of religion in early America for whom Isaac Backus was a primary focus of study.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into 3 series.

• Series 1. Correspondence
• Series 2. Deeds
• Series 3. Miscellaneous manuscripts

Items within Series 1 (Correspondence), are ordered alphabetically by the author of the letter, then ordered chronologically. Series 2 (Deeds) is ordered alphabetically. Series 3 materials (Miscellaneous manuscripts) are ordered alphabetically by author, then ordered chronologically.

Biographical/Historical note

Isaac Backus was born on Thursday, January 9, 1724, in Norwich, Connecticut, to Samuel and Elizabeth (Tracy) Backus. In 1740, Samuel Backus died, leaving Elizabeth to raise their eleven children, the youngest of whom was just six weeks of age, by herself.

Backus resided at the family homestead in Norwich until "called forth to preach the Gospel" on September 27, 1746. He was ordained a minister in Middleborough, Massachusetts, two years later, and became a minister of the Congregational "New Light" church when Middleborough's original congregation split in a dispute over doctrine. Over the next eight years, Backus gradually separated from Congregationalism altogether. In 1756, he finally converted to Baptist principles, and helped to organize the First Baptist Church in Middleborough, of which he then became Pastor.

Over the years, Backus evolved into an important advocate of the separation of Church and State - an issue of which he became keenly aware as a Baptist in New England, where Congregationalism was the established religion and Congregational churches received state support. In 1774, Backus was sent to the Continental Congress as agent of the Warren Association of Baptist Churches to lay claim for the Baptists to the same rights that were accorded to Congregational and other established churches. He set out his position in a letter printed in the Boston Chronicle on December 2, 1779, in which he argued against a proposal in the new state constitution for Massachusetts to provide public tax revenues to the Congregational Church. In 1788, Backus was a delegate to the federal Constitutional Convention, where he spoke in favor of its provisions for freedom of religion.

Backus was an assiduous writer and an astute speaker with a keen eye for using historical evidence. His An appeal to the public for religious liberty is considered one of the most important political sermons of the founding era of the United States. Between 1777 and 1796, Backus also wrote a well-regarded three volume work entitled A history of New England, with particular reference to the denomination of Christians called Baptists. In 1765, he became a trustee of Rhode Island College (now Brown University), a position he retained until 1799. In 1797, he was awarded an honorary A.M. by the College.

Backus died in 1806 at his home in Middleborough, Massachusetts.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Alternate form:	Digital facsimiles of items from this collection are available from within the online finding aid.
Preferred citation:	Isaac Backus Papers, Ms. Backus, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library , Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Brown University received the majority of the Backus Papers (1717-1835) as a gift in 1962 of Miss Florence Backus. Some additional papers, compiled in the course of his research, were added later by Prof. William G. McLoughlin. Another, smaller cache of Backus papers was given by Moreland L. Stevens in 1987. Other papers in the collection were donated by unspecified donors.
Processing information:	The title page image is page 5 of a letter from Isaac Backus to Friend dated 1805 (Accession number A21336).
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Edited and expanded in 2005 by Holly Snyder
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-04-11T09:38-0400

Additional Information

Related material:	RESOURCES AT BROWN UNIVERSITYBrown University has many works by Isaac Backus in its collections that may be located using the Library's Online Catalog (JOSIAH):Backus, Isaac, 1724-1806There is a related collection of Isaac Backus papers in the Sidney S. Rider Collection on Rhode Island History.An important local Baptist clergyman and writer, Isaac Backus had deep connections to Brown University and its Baptist founders. Additional materials pertaining to Isaac Backus may be found in the early records of Brown University, of which Backus was a Trustee from 1765 until 1799. These include the Miscellaneous Papers concerning Rhode Island College, the Papers of James Manning, the Papers of Samuel Jones, and other manuscript collections found in the Brown University Archives:Miscellaneous Papers concerning Rhode Island College, 1763-1804James Manning PapersSamuel Jones PapersProf. William G. McLoughlin prepared an edited textual edition of Isaac Backus' diary, published by the Brown University Press in 1979, as well as textual editions of Backus' other writings. These can be found through JOSIAH. In addition, Prof. McLoughlin gave to the Brown University Library the working notes he compiled in the course of preparing his edition of the Backus diary:William Gerard McLoughlin PapersWEBSITES AND RESOURCES AT OTHER INSTITUTIONSRelated collections or materials at other institutions include:Isaac Backus Papers, MSS 273, Rhode Island Historical SocietyIsaac Backus' important arguments in favor of religious liberty and the separation of church and state are included in:Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, an online exhibition from the Library of CongressThe Founder's Constitution, a website of documentary sources for the Constitution of the United StatesReligion & Liberty, an online publication of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
Location/Existence of copies:	Digital facsimiles of items from this collection are available from within the online finding aid.
Other information:	Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Isaac Backus Papers

Inventory

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