Recommended Resources for Historical Research
Adventist Collections
- Adventist Digital Library This link opens in a new window
The Adventist Digital Library provides direct access to Adventist historical materials, as well as current resources available within copyright boundaries.
- Adventist StatisticsThe Annual Statistical Report (ASR) is compiled by the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research. Information is received quarterly and annually from each of the denomination's thirteen divisions (and three attached fields), which receive their information from the local conferences and missions by way of the union conference and mission offices. Additional information for the annual report is supplied by the officers and departmental directors of the world headquarters. Typically, an Advanced Release of the ASR's membership and congregational statistics for the most recently completed year is available in the Spring, while the completed ASR is published in the Fall.
- Adventist YearbookWelcome to the Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook! The Online Yearbook is LIVE, reflecting changes as they are made to the Yearbook database at the General Conference.
- Black SDA HistoryThe source for information and materials on black Adventist history. This site is committed to providing free information and materials on black Seventh-day Adventists. It was begun in 2010 by Dr. Benjamin Baker, historian and educator.
- Center for Adventist ResearchThe Center for Adventist Research (CAR), seeks to promote an understanding and appreciation of the heritage and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is an archive which combines the resources of the Adventist Heritage Center and the Ellen G. White Estate Branch Office to provide to patrons the most extensive collection of Adventist related resources in the world.
- Ellen G. White EstateThe Ellen G. White Estate supports the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in uplifting Jesus Christ and His Word by sharing Ellen White’s prophetic ministry and writings throughout the world.
- Encyclopedia of Seventh-day AdventistsESDA is a global church project which aims at completing approximately 8,500 articles with accompanying photographs, media, and original documents. ESDA is a great tool, not only for those seeking to learn more about the church, but also for those looking to witness to others. ESDA Online, the church’s first online reference work, launched on July 1st, 2020. This free online resource will continue indefinitely, to be constantly updated and expanded.
- General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and ResearchThe Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research is commissioned to preserve all materials produced by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and its departments. The archives houses over 20,000 linear feet of records covering the entire period of the Seventh-day Adventist Church history.
- Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index This link opens in a new window
The Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index provides citation indexing to over 40 past and present Seventh-day Adventist journals and magazines.
The Index was first published in 1971. Currently the index covers the years 1973 to current, with updating done in real time.
Adventist Colleges & Universities
- Loma Linda University Archives & Special CollectionsThe Department of Archives and Special Collections serves as the main repository for Loma Linda University’s holdings of rare books and manuscripts, with particular focus on the history of Adventism and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ellen G. White, Adventist health and education, the health sciences with special attention to where health and Adventism intersect. The collections include books, manuscripts, charts, photographs, documents, artifacts, oral histories, film and sound recordings, personal papers and archives of individuals and organizations important in our history and much, much more.
- Oakwood University Archives & Special CollectionsThe Oakwood University Archives is the depository for the historical records of Oakwood University, and African-American Seventh-day Adventists. The mission of the University Archives is to acquire, preserve, and make available materials of value, which focus on alumni, faculty, administrators, staff, the history of Oakwood University, and Black Seventh-day Adventists.
- Pacific Union College Archives & Special CollectionsThe PUC Archives & Special Collections acquire, preserve, and make available items relating to the history and development of Pacific Union College and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, especially in Northern California and the Pacific Rim. This part of the library supports and promotes research by Pacific Union College students, faculty, alumni, and other researchers who work with primary and secondary source materials.
- Union College Heritage & ArchivesThe purpose of the Lora McMahon King Heritage Room is to acquire, preserve, and make available for use items related to the history of Union College, College View Church, the College View community, and Seventh-day Adventism with emphasis on the Mid-America Union. This collection includes books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, photographs, Union College archives, personal papers, and artifacts. Heritage Room services are available to Union College students and employees as well as alumni and the general public.
- Walla Walla University ArchivesThe E.L. Mabley Archives is a centralized repository for Walla Walla University related material. The primary objective of the Archives is to identify, appraise, organize, preserve, and make available for research records of administrative and historical value to the Walla Walla University community. Our collection includes a large selection of photographs that are being scanned and made available on the web for browsing or keyword searching. University records found in the Archives include, but are not limited to, administrative reports, student publications, department newsletters and memos, and presidential papers. A collection of yearbooks (Mountain Ash), student directories (Mask), and college bulletins are also included. Please check the library catalog for specific holdings information.
Adventist Collections at Non-Adventist Archives
- Archives West - Henry M. Jackson papers, 1912-1987Digitized papers of Henry M. Jackson, held by Archives West.
- University of Michigan - John Harvey Kellogg PapersThe materials in this online repository are digitized versions of the John Harvey Kellogg manuscript collection held by the Bentley Historical Library. For a more complete index to the materials, please consult the John Harvey Kellogg Papers online finding aid.
- Stanford Library - John Henry Weidner papers, 1890-2010Correspondence, speeches and writings, government documents, printed matter, audiovisual material, and memorabilia, relating to a Dutch-Paris escape route from Nazi-occupied Europe for political refugees, Jews and Allied servicemen. Includes related materials collected by Alberto Sbacchi, and records of the John Henry Weidner Foundation. Also available on microfilm (52 reels).
Other Related Groups
- General Assembly of Free Seventh Day AdventistsHomepage for the Free Seventh Day Adventist church, with links to digitized primary sources related to church history.
- Church of God (Seventh Day) ArchivesIndex to the archives of the Church of God (Seventh Day), hosted by Friends of the Sabbath. The Friends of the Sabbath is a non-denominational commonwealth which is dedicated to cultivating a greater appreciation of one another among the community of Sabbath believers.
- Phone: 269-471-3158