American Mission in North Africa, 1909-1952

Scope and content:

Began in 1908 and was staffed by missionaries of both genders and of a variety of nationalities, including American, English, Irish, German, Algerian, Tunisian, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Reports for 1911-1912 by all the missionaries can be found in the Official Minutes of the . . . Annual Meeting of the Mission in North African of the Methodist Episcopal Church,E Pam #240.

The mission records comprise primarily correspondence to and from Joseph Cooksey, Edwin Frease, and Joseph Purdon (1909-1925), who were mission superintendents in Algiers (Frease) and Tunis (Cooksey followed by Purdon). Subjects in the correspondence include purchases of the New Testament intended for prospective converts as well as for French soldiers; letters to and from the White House on the subject of the appointment of the American Consular Agent at Tunis; correspondence with French authorities; dealings with particular cases (employee relations, pupils from Muslim families, the Boys' School matters in Tunis); Purdon correspondence with The Times (1912-1913); and descriptions of local customs and rituals. Although the correspondence is mainly in English, some letters and documents are in French and Arabic. The mission's records also include contracts, bills, and receipts for the residences of various missionaries, 1914-1952.

Processing information:

Processing Note: In order to preserve them, some documents have been photocopied on both sides.

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