Asa Messer papers (MS-1C-3)

The collection consists of letterbooks, correspondence, sermons, speeches, essays, prayers, lecture notes, diaries, and legal papers dating from 1791 to 1862, although the bulk dates from 1796 to 1836. The collection documents Messer's activities as President of Brown University; his sermons, prayers and religious essays; and his financial investments and inventions. Messer's roles as tutor and professor are sparsely documented. The Baptist church and the debate among Baptists regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ, including Messer's position on the topic, are also documented. Correspondents include David Benedict, Richard Furman, John Evans, James M. Winchell, and William Rogers. Brown University student topics documented include student behavior and Messer's subsequent disciplinary actions, which were usually rustication or dismissal; financial matters; courses of study; conferment of degrees; and recommendations for study at the Andover Theological Seminary. Other Brown related topics documented include honorary degrees conferred, the appointment of tutors, salaries for fellows, and the library. The collection contains Messer's commencement addresses and other addresses, titled Essays, which he delivered at the college's Sunday chapel services.

Messer was licensed to preach by the First Baptist Church in Providence, R.I. Although he was never a pastor, Messer preached in various churches in R.I. The collection contains his sermons, which are in notebooks that also bear the locations and various dates when the sermons were delivered. The collection also includes Prayers written by Messer, which were usually delivered at Baptist meetings and public events. Baptist related topics documented in the correspondence include forms of baptism, foreign mission boards, religious revivals, and baptisms by Stephen Gano. Various beliefs about the divinity of Jesus Christ are mentioned throughout the correspondence, which includes references to Arianism, Socianism, and Unitarianism. Messer resigned from the Presidency of Brown amidst a controversy about his views on the divinity of Christ. The letters also document Messer's interests in politics and mechanics. His opinions on the Missouri Compromise are revealed in a series of letters to Samuel Eddy. Messer's interest in mechanics and natural philosophy are reflected in applications for patents for mill machinery, his lecture notes, and his correspondence on light refraction. He invested in the Wrentham Manufacturing Co., a Mass. cotton mill. There are some letters regarding his investment.

Diaries created by Asa Messer Williams, grandson of Asa Messer, while he traveled in Germany and Italy in 1852 and 1853, are in the collection. Sermons written by Williams are also in the collection.