Select List of Books and Other Resource Materials

The brief list below makes no attempt to be comprehensive, but only lists some academic histories, ethnological sources, major biographies of those involved, and published personal accounts. In the case of books, the first edition is indicated.

Personal Accounts

Histories & Ethnological Resources

Biographies

Archival Collections from Wheaton Archives & Special Collections

Collection 74: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Ephemera Correspondence, form letters, tapes, films, related to Billy Graham’s family history, his work as an evangelist, and his activities and influence as a public figure. The exhibit used portions of the interview of Mark Lee in this collection, Tape T74.

Collection 136: Mission Aviation Fellowship Records (MAF) Office files of MAF, a mission agency that provided transportation, radio contact and other support to missions working in remote areas, as well as some services to non-mission agencies. Of special interest are the files relating to the so-called “Auca Incident,” including the killing of MAF pilot Nate Saint.

Collection 165: Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies (EFMA) Records Executive Directors’ (Clyde Taylor, Wade Coggins, Paul McKaughan) files of the EFMA, which began as a commission of the National Association of Evangelicals to serve common interests of members in government relations, communication channels, cooperative purchasing, and cross-relationships. The exhibit uses a document from the files of the Five Missionary Martyrs Fund.

Collection 277: Jim Elliot Collection Correspondence, journals, notebooks, school records, poems, clippings, drawings, and other materials documenting the ministry of Elliot and his spiritual preparation for the mission field, along with his death at the hands of Waorani warriors.

Collection 278: Papers of Elisabeth Howard Elliot Correspondence, slides, clippings, publicity releases, reviews, manuscripts, video and two audio tapes relating to Elliot’s ministry as a missionary in Ecuador, author, teacher and speaker. The collection is particularly rich in material relating to the so-called “Auca Incident” and her own work the Waorani.

Collection 313: Robert C. Van Kampen Papers Correspondence, minutes, reports, manuscripts, photographs, audio tapes, and clippings related to Van Kampen’s responsibilities on the Board of Directors of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as well as various board committees. Information is also available on Billy Graham, the Billy Graham Center, and the 1966 World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin. The exhibit used an audio tape from this collection about the attendance of the two Waorani at the 1966 Congress.

Collection 329: Louis and Phil Palermo Papers Papers of Louis and Philip Palermo, musical evangelists with Chicago Midnight Brigade and Youth for Christ. Collection includes articles, audio tapes, clippings, correspondence, films, phonograph records, photo albums, photographs, video tapes and wire recordings. The exhibit used clippings in some of the scrapbooks about the deaths of the missionaries in Ecuador.

Collection 349: Clarence Wesley Jones Papers Collection includes correspondence, reports, sermons, memos, minutes, clippings, photographs, videotapes, and other materials relating to the career of mission executive Clarence Jones. The documents deal mainly with his work at the Chicago Gospel Tabernacle and the growth and development of the organization he helped found, the World Radio Missionary Fellowship, and especially its primary broadcasting station, HCJB in Ecuador. HCJB broadcast the first news to the world of the deaths of the five missionaries in 1956 and the collection contains many clippings and other documents about the event.

Collection 599: “Auca Incident” Collection Audio tapes, comic book, film, filmstrips, oversize materials, phonograph records, postage stamps, and video tapes documenting the martyrdom of five American missionaries in Ecuador by the Waorani (Huaorani) Indians in 1956. Documents describe the deaths of the missionaries, the response by Protestant evangelical Christians in the United States, and later missionary work with the Waorani by Rachel Saint and Elisabeth Elliot.

Collection 657: Kenneth Fleming Papers Letters, articles, audio recordings and other material collected by Ken Fleming relating to the deaths of the five missionaries in Ecuador, including his brother Peter, and the growth of the church among the Waorani.

Collection 670: Kathryn Deering Papers Manuscripts, newsletters, photos, digital copies of journals, other materials relating to the life and ministry of Elisabeth Elliot, as gathered by Kathryn Deering. Deering was the editor of Elliot’s newsletter and of several of her books.

Collection 684: Bert and Colleen Elliot Papers Correspondence and photographs of Bert and Colleen Elliot, Plymouth Brethren missionaries to Peru from 1949 to 2012. Correspondence is by and large written by Colleen Elliot to her parents and sister. The collection also contains material covering the 1956 “Auca Incident” involving the death of Bert’s brother, Jim Elliot, as well as material relating to Elisabeth Elliot’s ministry in Ecuador and later as a writer.

Collection 687: Ed and Marilou McCully Papers Journal, correspondence, manuscript, audio recordings, photos and other documents that describe Ed McCully’s education (including at Wheaton College), courtship of Marilou Hobolth, their work in Ecuador as Plymouth Brethren missionaries, his death at the hands of Waorani tribesmen, and her subsequent involvement in telling the story of his life and faith.

Collection 701: Olive Fleming Liefeld Papers Letters, reports, photo albums, and other materials from the papers of Olive Liefeld relating to her first husband, Peter Fleming, their work as missionaries in Ecuador among the Quichua people, his death along with four other missionaries at the hands of Waorani tribesmen in 1956, the continuing development of that story in terms of the impact of the men’s deaths on American evangelicalism, and the growth of a Christian community among the Waorani.

Collection 721: Fred and Clara Elliot Papers Correspondence and clippings received or created by the Elliots, who were parents of the missionary Jim Elliot. Most of the collection consists of letters from Jim Elliot to his parents and/or other members of his family, although there are also numerous letters from his parents to him and letters from other correspondents, such as Elisabeth Elliot (Jim’s wife), Ed and Marilou McCully, Marj Saint, and Barbara Youderian.

Accession 2024-033: Wilfred and Gwen Tidmarsh Papers Letters (ALS, TLS) by Wilfred Tidmarsh to his mother (1939-1961) and son Jim (1968-1985); as well as occasional letters by his wife, Gwen Tidmarsh. Letters describe their work in Ecuador as missionaries with Christian Missions in Many Lands, as well as the Protestant church in that country and the Ecuadorian culture in the cities and among the tribal people.

RG02.004: Office of the President Records (V. Raymond Edman) Records of the fourth Wheaton College President Dr. V. Raymond Edman, including subject files, correspondence, financial records, sermons, audio recordings and memorabilia. Edman served as president during the missionaries’ student years at Wheaton. The exhibit used Box 11 from the Edman papers, containing correspondence, memoranda and newspaper clippings relating to the missionaries, their deaths, and the Five Missionary Martyrs Fund.

RG11.002: Wheaton College Student Biographical Files Individual biographical files were created as students matriculated at Wheaton College and then served as a “central file” for general information that was received and retained by the college. Upon a student’s death files are transferred to the college’s archive for permanent retention. Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Ed McCully, and Nate Saint all have files in the collection.

RG20.001: Wheaton College Archives Photograph Collection The photo database provided images of the five missionaries to Ecuador, in addition to various other individuals and locations associated with the outreach and aftermath.