Guide to the James Woodruff Allen Papers

The James Woodruff Allen Papers, 1907-1978, include correspondence, diaries, manuscripts, sermons, photographs, and other materials that primarily document Allen's life and work as a Presbyterian Church in the U.S. minister and missionary to the American Presbyterian Congo Mission (APCM) from 1912 to 1957. The collection, to a far lesser extent, documents Allen's wife, Mildred Montgomery Allen.

The collection is arranged into five series: "Correspondence, 1909-1978;" "Diaries, 1912-1932, 1953-1954;" "Manuscripts, memorials, notes, and sermons, 1909-1968;" "Congo and mission materials, 1912-1965;" and "Pamphlets, printed matter, and clippings, 1907-1968, bulk 1950-1968."

The series, "Correspondence," contains family and personal correspondence. The bulk of the family correspondence consists of James Allen's letters (1937-1941) from the Congo Mission field to his mother Martha. This correspondence is arranged in loose chronological order in one folder. Three folders of primarily incoming personal correspondence (1911-1968) are arranged alphabetically by sender. There are two additional folders of personal correspondence (one incoming and one outgoing) arranged chronologically. The folder of incoming personal correspondence (1909-1929, 1936-1978 and undated) contains numerous letters to the Allens from native Congolese written in unidentified African languages of the Congo.

The series, "Diaries," documents brief periods of time between 1912 and 1932 and 1953 and 1954 when Allen was in the Belgian Congo and on furlough in the United States. The diaries remark on aspects of his life at the Congo Mission, local weather, and travel schedules. They also include some details about his evangelistic work, especially when prayer meetings were held and who attended. Some mention of schools is made including descriptions of new students and school events. This series also contains a notebook of Allen's visits, meetings, and itinerary between November 1931 and June 1932 during a stateside furlough.

The series, "Manuscripts, memorials, notes, and sermons," includes manuscripts that relate to mission and the Congo, memorials to missionaries of the Congo Mission, and sermons written by Allen and primarily delivered in the Belgian Congo, Missouri, and Texas between 1909 and 1968. The sermons are mostly typed, with handwritten notes and edits. Accompanying most of the sermons are records of when and where each sermon was given, often noted on the front of an envelope.

The series, "Congo and mission materials, 1912-1965" consists of assorted materials that primarily document mission in the Congo, the APCM, the Belgian Congo, and the Allens. Included are Congo photographs that date from 1912 to the 1950s; APCM records; Bible related materials in an unidentified African language(s) of the Congo; and the Allens' travel/identity documents and related material, honors/awards, and accounts.

The series, "Pamphlets, printed matter, and clippings, 1907-1968, bulk 1950-1968" consists primarily of materials that reference James Allen and that relate to mission in the Belgian Congo, the APCM, and the PCUS and world mission.