Travel Accounts & Missionary Journals

Fitz W. Guerin. *[2 women, one in man's clothing, on sailboat}*. 1902. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

Travel accounts of all sorts—published and unpublished, by women and men, by foreigners and Americans, written for pleasure, pay, or spiritual expression—can provide a wealth of unusual detail on topics such as manners, clothing, education, childcare, health, regional differences, interpersonal relationships, and political events.

Such works are rarely indexed, so only patient perusal of individual volumes will uncover the gold. In these often overlooked sources you can explore important questions of gender, class, race, and national identity and observe interactions among people of different cultures.

Follow the links below to browse these appropriate Library of Congress Subject Headings for locating travel accounts:

Women travelers
Women travelers--Bibliography.
Women explorers--Biography.
Women travelers--Biography.
Travelers--United States.
Travelers' writings, American
Voyages and travels
[Name of country or state]—Description and travel

An English mission in New Guinea. 1919. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Women's experiences far from home can also be found in reports and letters published in women's missionary journals. The general collections have several thousand books and pamphlets by missionaries and missionary organizations. The kind of information you can find includes:

names of members of the denomination with home towns
donors and dollar amounts
obituaries
excerpts from letters and journals of women missionaries and foreign women who have been converted
annual budgets and meeting reports
texts of original hymns sung at meetings and composed by women
information on Native American women

Follow the links below to browse these appropriate Library of Congress Subject Headings for locating missionary journals:

Library of Congress Call Numbers: BV2612 and BV2350 (for some missionary journals).

Selected Travel Accounts

The following selected materials link link to more detailed bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

Wayward Women by Jane Robinson
ISBN: 019280233X
Published/Created: 2002-01-24
These writings, many of which are brought to light here for the first time in generations, form a significant and previously neglected bodyof literature, full of insight, courage, and humour.
American Travellers Abroad by Harold F. Smith
ISBN: 0810835541
Published/Created: 1999-02-04
It wasn't just the finishing trip performed by wealthy American men and women, but also the activity of numerous other Americans of many different races, classes, and occupations: the journey outside the United States to destinations in Britain, Italy, France, Germany and other countries throughout the world.
Gendered Missions by Mary T. Huber (Editor); Nancy C. Lutkehaus (Editor); Mary Taylor Huber (Editor)
Call Number: BV2610 .G46 1999
ISBN: 0472109871
Published/Created: 1999-04-02
Examining the changing prospects for professional women in the missions, the contributors to Gendered Missions ask how these shaped, and were shaped by, crucial practical, political, and religious developments at home and abroad.
Women into the Unknown by Marion Tinling
ISBN: 0313253285
Published/Created: 1989-01-23
Tinling has written a book about the exploration and derring-do of 42 women who, individually or with another, ventured forth to parts unknown or little known in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Selected Missionary Journals

In journals such as Heathen Woman's Friend (Methodist, 1869-94), Life and Light for Woman (Congregational, 1869-1922), and Messenger of Our Lady of Africa (Roman Catholic, 1930-) you may find names of members of the denomination with home towns; obituaries; excerpts from letters and journals of women missionaries and foreign women who have been converted; texts of original hymns sung at meetings and composed by women; and much more.

Heathen woman's friend
Call Number: BV2612 .H4
Published/Created: 1869-
Life and light for woman
Call Number: BV2612 .L5
Published/Created: [1869-1922]
Congregational churches--Missions--Periodicals.
Africa (formerly known as "Messenger of our lady of Africa")
Call Number: BV2300.W6 A4
Published/Created: Quarterly, 1961- (Bimonthly, 1931-1960)
The Spirit of missions ... (renamed "Episcopalian")
Call Number: BV2575.A1 S7
Published/Created: 1836-
A brief name and subject index exists for 1836-1900.

Digital Collections

Women's Travel Diaries External
The diaries in this digital collection were written by British and American women who documented their travels to places around the globe, including India, the West Indies, countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as around the United States. There are over 100 diaries of varying length, selected from several archival collections at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University.
Women's Travel Writing, 1830-1930: Women's Studies Digitization Project External
This website, from George Mason University, presents a collection of travel writings by more than 25 female travelers who wrote between 1830 and 1930. All authors came from middle- or upper-class backgrounds and traveled in a variety of capacities, including as botanists, ethnologists, artists, political activists, and wives of diplomats. Their narratives provide fascinating impressions of daily life, religious customs, and political realities of various locales.

Subscription Databases

The subscription resources marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Collection External
With current and relevant content from industry journals, travel guides and magazines this collection provides well-rounded coverage of both the historical and current state of affairs in the hospitality and tourism field, while also allowing for focused study of specialized aspects of the industry - including cultural aspects of travel, leisure activities, economic aspects of tourism, and more.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries, Colonial to 1950 External
Full-text of diaries, journals, and letters written by 632 women visiting or living in North America. Drawn from several hundred sources, including journal articles, pamphlets, newsletters, monographs, and conference proceedings.

American Women: Resources from the General Collections

Travel Accounts & Missionary Journals

Selected Travel Accounts

Selected Missionary Journals

Digital Collections

Subscription Databases