The Congregational Library and Archives in Boston, USA has recently become a partner of GEMMS. Along with their archival collections related to colonial New England, the library hosts the New England’s Hidden Histories digitization project, which includes numerous manuscript sermons from a range of New England libraries and archives. The Congregational Library co-sponsored a virtual panel discussion on early modern women and sermons with GEMMS, and we plan to co-host an international conference in Boston in 2024. We particularly appreciate the enthusiastic support of the Executive Director Dr. Kyle Roberts, and Dr. Adrian Chastain Weimer, who is a member of the Board of Directors.
Dr. Williams’s Library in London, UK has generously allowed us full access to their extensive archival collections. Dr Williams’s has offered support in numerous other ways, including hosting our project launch in 2017 and the annual Congregational Library Lecture in 2019 by Jeanne Shami and Anne James that highlighted research related to GEMMS. We particularly appreciate the kind assistance of the Director Dr. Hugh Maguire, the former Director Dr. David Wykes, and the archives staff—Jane Giscombe, Alan Argent, and Lisa Cheetham.
Dr. Francis J. Bremer is a Professor Emeritus of History, Millersville University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bremer is a leading authority in the history of religion in the early modern Atlantic world and the author or editor of numerous books on transatlantic puritanism, including The Puritan Experiment: New England Society from Bradford to Edwards (1976, rev. ed. 1995); Puritanism: Transatlantic Perspectives on a 17th Century Anglo-American Faith (1993); Shaping New Englands: Puritan Clergymen in 17th Century England and New England (1994); John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father (2005); the two volume encyclopedia Puritans and Puritanism in the Atlantic World (2006); and One Small Candle: The Plymouth Puritans and the Beginning of English New England (2020). He also coordinates New England Beginnings, a partnership of institutions, organizations, projects and scholars, which has encouraged activities that commemorate the cultures that shaped early New England. We appreciate Dr. Bremer’s whole-hearted support for GEMMS.
Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages & Renaissance is a “not-for-profit partnership dedicated to the advancement of learning in the study and teaching of the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700) through the development and distribution of online resources.” Iter hosted GEMMS during the first phase of the project, which increased the visibility of GEMMS by including it among their substantial catalogue of digital resources. Iter also generously co-sponsored five GEMMS-Iter fellows between 2015 and 2021, who made significant research contributions to the project. We particularly appreciate the kind assistance of the Iter Executive: Dr. William Bowen, Dr. Raymond Siemens and Dr. Laura Estill, and Iter’s Project Manager Margaret English-Haskin. Dr. Natalie Oeltjen of the Centre of Renaissance and Reformation Studies at Victoria University in the University of Toronto also provided invaluable assistance with our Iter fellows.