Guide to the Richard Webster Papers

The collection consists of Webster's correspondence, research notes, and the manuscripts for his history and for some of his articles. Some of the biographical notes are for ministers who were not included in the published history. The scrapbook of clippings from religious periodicals includes many of his articles; he also identifies other writers who signed their articles with initials only.

Correspondents include Archibald Alexander, Robert J. Breckinridge, Edward C. Herrick (Yale Librarian), A. A. Hodge, John M. Krebs, Robert W. Landis, Mary G. Rankin (Missionary to China), Samuel Miller, William S. Plummer, C. Van Rensselaer, Joseph Langdon Sibley (Harvard Librarian), Lydia H. Sigourney, William B. Sprague, J. Leighton Wilson and Webster.

The library has copies of Webster's history of the Presbyterian Church and digest of the acts of the General Assembly. There are also two bound volumes of Webster's transcripts of letters to Joseph Bellamy from Aaron Burr, David Brainerd and others.

The library also has, bound with other printed sermons, his sermon at the opening of the Presbytery of Luzerne.

Many of the items are fragile and must be handled carefully. Some very fragile items have been photocopied and the original put into envelopes. Researchers should use the copy.

There is a folder of broadsides from Missouri that seem, from the handwriting on the back of one, to be from Artemus Bullard, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, but there is no correspondence of Webster and Bullard in this or in the Bullard collection.