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
Backus was an assiduous writer and an astute speaker with a keen eye for using historical evidence. His
Backus died in 1806 at his home in Middleborough, Massachusetts.
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.
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.
The collection is divided into 3 series.
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.
Isaac Backus Papers, Ms. Backus, Brown University Library.
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
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.
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.
The title page image is page 5 of a letter from Isaac Backus to Friend dated 1805 (Accession number A21336).
RESOURCES AT BROWN UNIVERSITY
Brown University has many works by Isaac Backus in its collections that may be located using the Library's Online Catalog (JOSIAH):
There 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:
Prof. 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:
WEBSITES AND RESOURCES AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS
Related collections or materials at other institutions include:
Isaac Backus' important arguments in favor of religious liberty and the separation of church and state are included in:
Brown University Library catalog record for this collection:
Digital facsimiles of items from this collection are available from within the online finding aid.
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