Home - History 491 - Mass Migration in the Modern Middle East - LibGuides at University of Massachusetts Amherst

Primary Sources

ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Combined search of historic Afro-American and ethnic and alternative newspapers, and historical Boston Globe, New York Times, and Washington Post.
Ethel A. Killgrove Papers (at UMass)
The Ethel A. Killgrove Papers (1919-2002) primarily contain correspondence from Killgrove to her mother, Amelia M. Killgrove, her brother Thomas O. Killgrove, and his wife, Ruth, spanning the years of 1949-1951. The collection also contains several folders of photographs, primarily from 1949-1952, and one folder of ephemera, mainly missionary prayer cards and greeting cards for holidays sent to Killgrove by friends and family. The collection focuses on her time as a missionary in Aden (Yemen), and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
Missionary Alumnae of Mount Holyoke College
This is a list of personal papers from alumnae who were missionaries in the Middle East which held at the Mount Holyoke College Archives
Bliss Family Papers (available at Amherst College)
Correspondence (with other writings, clippings, and photographs) of members of the Bliss and Dodge families, principally of Howard Sweetser Bliss, second president (1902-1920) of Syrian Protestant College (later American University of Beirut), which was founded by his father, Daniel Bliss, in 1866. Two letters by Howard Bliss (age 13) are from 1873; additional letters (to 1920) describe his undergraduate years at Amherst College, his travels to universities at Oxford, Goettingen and Berlin as a travelling fellow of Union Theological Seminary, and his pastorship at churches in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Montclair, N.J., following his ordination in 1902. The correspondence, especially of Abby Wood Bliss between 1874 and 1909, provides insight into marriage and family relationships of the 19th and early 20th centuries, discussing a range of issues from education and the raising of children to health problems and the treatment of illness. The Dodge family was descended from Howard's and Amy's daughter, Mary Bliss Dodge. Some access restrictions apply.
Albert Wells Hubbard Family Papers (available at Amherst College)
Correspondence, reports,and two photographs from circa 1864 to 1909, chronicling A.W. Hubbard's graduate years at Princeton until several years after his death in 1899. The bulk of the collection represents personal correspondence among Albert Wells Hubbard, his wife Emma Roxanna Spencer Hubbard, and their immediate family. A large portion of the material documents his years as a missionary in Turkey between 1873 and 1899.
Justin Perkins Papers (available at Amherst College)
Educator, minister and missionary to Persia. Collection includes correspondence with others in his field, manuscript sermons, lectures and notes, some newspaper clippings and pamphlets, and some bound manuscripts, mostly letters and journals.
Henry J. Van Lennep Sketches and Papers (available at Amherst College)
Most of the collection consists of pencil sketches and watercolors of scenery, people and objects, chiefly Turkish but also some American. In addition, a small amount of personal papers include passports related to his travel as a missionary in Turkey, a notebook of sermons written by Van Lennep in Armenian, and portrait photographs.
Dora Judd Mattoon Ward Papers (available at Amherst College)
Papers documenting the personal and professional lives of Dora Ward and her husband, Earl Ward (AC 1906). The bulk of the collection comprises correspondence with family members describing the Wards' work as missionaries in Turkey and India, 1911-1932. The correspondence is supplemented with photographs, work records, diaries, memorabilia, and newspaper clippings.
Edwin St. John Ward Papers (available at Amherst College)
Correspondence, legal documents, news clippings, journal articles, one book and one map relating to the professional activities and personal life of Edwin St. John Ward. The bulk of the material falls into the years 1915-1918, when Dr. Ward was in service to the American Red Cross in Turkey, Palestine and France.
Paul Langdon Ward Papers (available at Amherst College)
Charles Foster Weeden Papers (available at Amherst College)
The Charles Foster Weeden, Jr. (AC 1916) Papers document the personal and early professional life of Charles Foster Weeden as a member of the Near East Relief in Urfa, Turkey between 1919 and 1920. Most of the collection consists of Weeden’s outgoing correspondence to his family and his writings about his work in the Near East Relief. There is a smaller amount of incoming correspondence from family and friends. Two photograph albums and a file of loose photographs also document his work in Urfa.
Williams-Chambers-Blaisdell Family Papers (available at Amherst College)
The Williams-Chambers-Blaisdell Papers ("the Blaisdell Papers") contain correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, and documents from the family of missionaries William Nesbitt Chambers and Cornelia Pond Williams Chambers and their children, especially their daughter Dorothea Nesbitt Chambers (later Blaisdell). The papers include material (primarily correspondence) from other family members such as Nesbitt and Cornelia's siblings and relatives. The bulk of the material dates from about 1885-1930, and there is much correspondence from the era of World War I.
Williams-Chambers-Seelye Family Papers (available at Amherst)
The Williams-Chambers-Seelye Family Papers consist primarily of the correspondence of three generations of the family of William Frederic and Sarah Pond Williams with relatives and friends during the family’s residence in the Ottoman Empire between 1848 and 1933, when they were missionaries working for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and (later) educators at various institutions. The collection also contains documentation relating to the personal and professional lives of these family members. A manuscript by Dorothea Seelye Franck, the great-granddaughter of Frederic and Sarah Williams, is also in the collection. Bulk dates are 1850-1930.
Williams-Chambers-Seelye-Franck Family Papers (available at Amherst College)
The Williams-Chambers-Seelye-Franck Family Papers ("the Franck Papers") include correspondence, photographs, juvenilia, memorabilia, manuscripts, teaching materials, and publications relating to several generations of missionaries, educators, public servants, and artists. In addition to describing the lives of multiple members of the family, subjects include missionary work in Turkey in the late 19th century into the 20th century; World War I and Armenian history in the period as reported by missionaries and educators in Turkey; life at the American University of Beirut from about 1920-1935; religious and intellectual life in the first half of the 20th century, and many other topics. The collection also includes a section devoted to the life and career of dancer Mary-Averett Seelye. The material dates from about 1850-1988, with the bulk of the material dating from about 1890-1940.

E-Resources

Encyclopedia of Islam
New edition of the 1986, 13-volume work published by Brill. The e-edition allows for continual updates.

Index to Jewish Periodicals
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Citations to English-language articles, book reviews, and feature stories in 160 journals devoted to Jewish affairs, 1988 to present.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies
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An index to articles and other scholarly literature on the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa, 1900-present.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Middle East Newsstand
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More than 30 current, full text newspaper French and English language newspapers from the Arab world, Israel, and the subcontinent.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

The Jewish Virtual Library
"The Jewish Virtual Library is the most comprehensive online Jewish encyclopedia in the world, covering everything from anti-Semitism to Zionism. So far, more than 13,000 articles and 6,000 photographs and maps have been integrated into the site."

Europa World
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Encyclopedia and directory of the world's countries. Substantive coverage of government, demographics, history, and much more. Current.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

Countries and their cultures
Information on food, rituals, pastimes, arts, etc. of 200 nations.
Academic Islamic Studies and Middle East, Central Asian, and other Area Studies Sites
Excellent website at the University of Georgia.
Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel
6,000 biographies of Israeli pioneers, published by David Tidhar. Sponsored by Touro College Libraries.

E-Reference sources

The World Fact Book
Geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, transnational issues. Produced by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Europa World Yearbook
Excellent source on individual nations, with statistics, political summaries, and economic information.

EIU Country Reports
Economist Intelligence Unit economic and political analysis and statistics, worldwide.

PolicyFile
Full text policy papers from think tanks, research institutes, and agencies.

Countries and their cultures
Information on food, rituals, pastimes, arts, etc. of 200 nations.

Finding scholarly articles

JSTOR
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Core scholarly journals from a range of disciplines, dating from the earliest issue of each journal to a few years before present.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Historical Abstracts Full Text
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Journal articles, many in full text, and citations to books and dissertations on world history from 1450, published 1954-present.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
America: History & Life
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Journal articles, dissertations, and book reviews, many in full text, relating to United States and Canadian history and prehistory, 1954-present.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Academic Search Premier
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Scholarly journals from all academic disciplines - an excellent starting point for multidisciplinary research projects. 3,200 full-text journals. Coverage from 1975 to present.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Expanded Academic ASAP
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Articles from scholarly and general-interest periodicals relating to the humanities, social sciences, and non-technical general sciences, 1980-present.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

Websites of interest

WorldCat
Catalog of books from thousands of libraries around the world that can be accessed freely from any location. However, you cannot request books through Interlibrary Loan from this site.
Israel Library Network Web Catalogs

Print Reference sources

All printed reference sources are located on the Main level, Du Bois Library

New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel REF DS149.N56 1994 2v.

Encyclopaedia of Islam. Also in print: REF DS37.E56 12v.

Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. REF BP40.E525 2004 2v.

Encyclopedia of Islamic Civilization and Religion REF BP40.E526 2008

The Muslim Almanac: A Reference Work on the History, Faith, Culture, and Peoples of Islam. REF BP40.M83 1996+

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. REF DS35.53.O96 2009 6v.

The Jewish Year Book (Latest edition in REF) DS153.E5A3 5768-5769 2010 5770-5771

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust. REF DS135.E8E45 2001 3v.

Historical Dictionary of Ancient Israel REF DS102.8.L38 2004

Historical Dictionary of Palestine REF DS102.8.N397 1997

Encyclopedia of the Palestinians REF DS113.6.E53 2005

Historical Dictionary of Israel REF DS126.5.R38 1992

Historical Dictionary of Jordan REF DS154.G83 1991

Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia REF DS221.P48 2003

Historical Dictionary of the Gulf Arab States REF DS247.A15P43 1997

Historical Dictionary of Iran REF DS270.L67 1995