Kenneth Scott Latourette Papers

The papers are arranged in six series:

The papers contain extensive documentation of Latourette's personal life , scholarly activities, and involvement in various organizations. The material organized in 1974 is given minimal description in this register. The material added in 1983, has been processed according to current YDSL standards and is described in more detail.

The first series, Correspondence, is divided into three Sections: Family Correspondence, General Correspondence, and Postcards. The Family Correspondence section contains letters to and from Latourette's more immediate relations. There are various letters addressed to "Uncle Ken" in the General Correspondence section because of that term's common usage among Latourette's students. The General Correspondence documents the full range of Latourette's involvements. A list of prominent correspondents is contained in the first folder of this series. Two bound volumes of letters written to Latourette by his colleagues at the time of his retirement are located in the oversize box of Personal Items and Memorabilia, Series III.

Material added to Series I in 1983 includes letters and papers related to Latourette's involvement in various organizations and projects. Latourette was, for example, Chairman of the Committee on Research of the International Missionary Council and in that capacity sought to assemble every few years a list of unpublished studies on missions topics. The material filed under International Missionary Council in Series I includes letters to and/or from prominent individuals in the field of missions such as Henrik Kraemer, John R. Mott, Julius Richter, D. M. Schlunk, Bengt Sundkler, and A. L. Warnshuis. Correspondence and papers filed under the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America contain interesting material related to a statement by Latourette about the "Cairo Communique" of December 1943 and subsequent responses.

The second series, Diaries and Ledgers, contain five diaries from the years 1905 to 1916 and two ledgers from the years 1917 to 1921 and 1922 to 1924. Latourette's experiences as a faculty member of Yale-in-China, 1910-1912, are documented in the diaries.

Series III, Personal Items and Memorabilia, contains photographs, degrees,citations, artifacts, and biographical documentation.

Series IV, Writings, Addresses, Notes, contains articles, book reviews, pamphlets, and papers by Latourette, reviews of Latourette's works, material related to his family, and manuscripts. Series V and VI contain similar material that was added to the papers in 1983 and 2003.