Collection Summary
John Keep Papers
1781-1929
(bulk 1839-1847)
1781-1929
(bulk 1839-1847)
MSS28308
Keep, John,
1781-1870
15 items
2 containers
0.6 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Clergyman and
abolitionist. Autobiography, correspondence, record book, newspaper clippings,
notes, speeches, and a Bible relating to Keep and his family.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Burnell, Levi, 1803-1881--Correspondence.
Dawes, William, 1799-1881.
Garrison, William Lloyd, 1805-1879--Correspondence.
Keep family.
Keep, John, 1781-1870.
Lovejoy, Owen, 1811-1864.
Osborn, John Hiram--Correspondence.
Organizations
Liberty Party (U.S. : 1840-1848)
Subjects
American newspapers--Ohio.
Slavery.
Titles
Cleveland American.
Occupations
Abolitionists.
Clergy.
Provenance
The papers of John Keep, clergyman and abolitionist, were given to
the Library of Congress by his great granddaughter Helen E. Keep from 1929 to
1954.
Processing History
The papers of John Keep were arranged and described in 1983. The
finding aid was revised in 2010.
Additional Guides
The papers of John Keep are also described in the
Library of Congress Information Bulletin
14, no. 1 (3
January 1955): 2.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of John Keep is
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of John Keep are open to research. Researchers are advised
to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are
stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for
research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, John Keep Papers, Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1781, Apr. 20
Born, Long Meadow, Mass.
1802
Graduated, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
1805
1821
Pastor, Congregational church, Blanford, Mass.
1821
1833
Pastor, Congregational church, Homer, N.Y.
1834
Organized Congregational church, Cleveland, Ohio
1834
1870
Trustee, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio; cast vote in 1835
that allowed black students to enter Oberlin College
1839
1840
Toured England with William Dawes collecting funds for Oberlin
College
1840
Attended with William Dawes, Anti-slavery convention, London,
England
1870, Feb. 11
Died, Oberlin, Ohio
Scope and Content Note
The papers of John Keep (1781-1870) span the years 1781-1929, with the
bulk of the material dating from 1839-1847. The papers include a typescript
copy by great granddaughter Helen E. Keep of Keep's autobiography, a brass
plate portrait of Keep, newspaper clippings, typescript notes relating to Keep
and William Dawes, a record book of subscriptions for the purchase of the
Cleveland American
and for the publication of a Liberty
Party paper in Cleveland, Ohio, speeches about slavery by Keep and Owen
Lovejoy, a family Bible containing genealogical information, and photostatic,
typescript, and original correspondence. Correspondents include Levi Burnell,
William Lloyd Garrison, and John Hiram Osborn.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material with
the family Bible in the last container.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm82028308]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Autobiography,
1781-1866
1781-1866
1
Brass plate portrait,
undated
undated
1
Letters,
1839-1843, 1860, 1868
1839-1843, 1860, 1868
1
Newspaper clippings,
1846-1847, 1865
1846-1847, 1865
1
Notes,
1929
1929
1
Record book,
1847
1847
1
Speeches,
1847, 1860
1847, 1860
2
Bible,
1847
1847