Francis A. Barnum, SJ Papers
Scope and Contents
The Francis A. Barnum, SJ Papers include materials documenting his missionary work in Alaska--particularly at Holy Cross--and his research on Native Alaskan languages. The collection also reflects his Jesuit service at Blackwell’s Island (New York) and Georgetown University. Alongside correspondence, the papers also hold records of his world travels and family genealogy.
Please be aware that this collection contains material that uses outdated and potentially offensive language. This collection also contains sensitive images (box 8).
Dates
- Creation: 1864 - 1940
- Creation: 1974
Creator
- Jesuits. Maryland Province (Organization)
- Barnum, Francis, 1849-1921 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The Francis A. Barnum, SJ Papers are on deposit at Georgetown University and are the property of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. As stewards of the Archives, the Georgetown University Library’s Booth Family Center for Special Collections is responsible for managing access to the material based on policies set forth by the USA East Province. Researchers may view these materials in the Reading Room of the Booth Family Center for Special Collections. General policies for using Special Collections can be found here.
Access to the Archives is governed by the USA East Province and is subject to all Library and Special Collections policies and procedures in addition to the specific guidelines below. These guidelines are a summary of access policies; the Archives may include materials that fall outside the scope of these general guidelines. For information on access to specific materials, please contact the Special Collections staff.
Guidelines:
1. All Archives materials dated or bearing solely on events occurring before January 1, 1940, shall be open for review unless otherwise restricted, subject to Library policies and procedures.
2. All unpublished Archives materials dated or bearing solely on events occurring on or after January 1, 1940, shall be open for review upon request subject to a decision by the Provincial or someone designated by the Provincial.
3. Researchers may quote from the materials.
4. Researchers may take their own photographs of the material for scholarly and research purposes. Allowing photographs is not an authorization to publish or to deposit the material in another library or archive.
5. Written permission from the USA East Province is required for the publication of substantive portions of any material or publication-quality reproductions of any material.
6. Material not yet processed is not available to researchers; permission will not be granted to access any unprocessed material.
7. Audiovisual, microfilm and other material in the Archives, the original of which is held in another archive, may be consulted and transcribed only. Written permission from the archive holding the original material is required for any duplication, reproduction, or publication of that material.
8. Use the Permission Request Form to request permission (i) to access any restricted processed material or (ii) to publish reproductions or quote substantive portions of the material. Send the completed form by email to the Booth Family Center for Special Collections (speccoll@georgetown.edu).
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.
Biographical Note
Francis A. Barnum (1849-1921) was born in Baltimore to Zenus (1810-1865) and Annie McLaughlin Barnum (1828-1872, m. 1848) alongside siblings Zenus, Jr. (1854-1882), Arthur C. (1857-1884), Annie (1858-1896), and Margaret (1862-1896). Barnum was educated at Loyola College and Georgetown University (1864-1869) and travelled extensively in Europe and the Holy Land before entering the Society at Frederick in 1871. After the death of his mother in 1872, he left the order and spent the next eight years travelling around the world; studying medicine at the University of Virginia; and growing oranges in Florida.
Barnum then re-entered the Society at Frederick (1880-1882) before teaching at Boston College (1883-1885) and studying theology at Woodstock College (1885-1887; ordained 1887). He then taught and did parish work at St. Joseph’s (Troy, New York, 1888) and was briefly the prefect of young boys at Georgetown (1889). Between 1889 and 1891 he was an itinerant preacher, stationed at Keyser Island (Norwalk, Connecticut) as well as St. Mary’s (Boston), and in the summer of 1890 spent a few months in Orizaba, Mexico. He was assigned to the mission in Alaska beginning in 1891, first traveling to St. Michael Island and then settling in Tununak (Nelson Island). Between 1892 and 1898 he was at Holy Cross from which he helped found the mission in Akulurak.
Barnum was recalled to Georgetown in 1898 where he became custodian of the campus museum and the university archives until departing for Blackwell’s Island (New York), where he served as chaplain for the almshouse, hospital, and penitentiary (1901-1906). For the remainder of his life he was at St. George’s College (Kingston, Jamaica, 1906-1907); Keyser Island (1907-1910, 1911-1912); Blackwell’s Island (1910-1911, 1914-1915), and Georgetown as archivist (1913-1914, 1915-1921). He died at Georgetown in 1921.
Extent
2.9 Cubic Feet (8 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Latin
Yupik languages
Athapascan languages
French
German
Spanish
Russian
Swedish
Metadata Rights Declarations
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Likely transferred from the Georgetown University Jesuit residence after his death in 1921; however, some materials may have already been held by the library due to his position as archivist.
Subject
- Georgetown University -- History (Organization)
- Blackwell's Island Penitentiary (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- Title
- Francis A. Barnum, SJ Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Aleksandra Kinlen
- Date
- 2025-08
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu
