Journal of Rev C. C. Mitchell from New York/Boston to Smyrna 1841

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0097-Item 0052

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

This journal, belonging to missionary Colby C. Mitchell, chronicles his 1841 journey from Boston, Massachusetts, to Smyrna, Turkey. It describes life aboard the ship and some sightseeing in Turkey and Rhodes.

Mitchell and his wife (first name unknown) left Boston on January 18, 1841. The majority of entries describe his daily activities on board the ship. Topics covered include sea sickness, accidents and other incidents, illnesses, weather, marine life, the sermons he gave, and the books he read. After the ship passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, Mitchell also described the historical and biblical significance of areas the ship passed in the Mediterranean.

On February 24, Mitchell arrived in Smyrna. The next few pages describe sights he saw in Turkey including forts and temples. In the last entry, dated March 10, Mitchell described traveling by steam to the island of Rhodes and some sightseeing on the island. The journal ends in the middle of a sentence at the bottom of the last page.

Dates

Creation: 1841 January 18-March 10

Creator

Mitchell, Colby C., -1841 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

Biographical Note

The Reverend Colby C. Mitchell resided in New York City in the early-mid 1800s and traveled from Boston, Massachusetts, to Smyrna, Turkey, with his wife in 1841. He was to serve as a missionary to the Nestorians (an ancient Christian sect) in the mountains of Kurdistan (a region between what are now Van, Turkey, and Mosul, Iraq). While traveling between Aleppo (present-day Halab, Syria) and Mosul, Mitchell died of a fever on June 27, 1841. He was buried in a village of Jacobite Christians called Telbel. His wife became ill shortly afterward. She died on July 12 in Mosul.

Rufus Anderson,History of the Missions of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the Oriental Churches(Boston: Congregational Publishing Society, 1872; Google Books, 2006), 200-204, http://books.google.com (accessed October 2, 2007)."Nestorian,"Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. http://search.eb.com (accessed October 2, 2007).Additional biographical information derived from the collection.