George Alleman Rupley

On February 5, 1880, George Alleman Rupley was born in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. After finishing his studies at Princeton, Mr. Rupley also pursued studies at Columbia University’s Teachers College. He attended Gettysburg Seminary, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, from 1909-1910, but received a bachelor of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, New York, New York, in 1912. He was ordained in Syracuse, New York, on September 26, 1912, into the New York Synod of the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran in the United States of America (General Synod).

Rev. Rupley served parishes from 1912-1915. Rev. and Mrs. Rupley began their service as General Synod missionaries to India in 1915. They arrived on the Guntur field on December 5 of that year and Rev. Rupley worked for three years in educational work in the general Guntur field before switching to the Gossner area in the Ranchi Bihar Province were he served as an advisor from 1920-1922. From 1924-1928 he served in the Palnad area. Rev. Rupley was on the staff of the Markapur-Cumbum Training School from 1927-1931 and during that time, he served as the president of the United Lutheran Church Mission Council. Mrs. Rupley, in addition to her duties assisting Rev. Rupley, from 1926-1928 was in charge of the School for the Blind at Rentachintala, India.

The Rupleys resigned from service in India in 1931. Though he remained very active supporting and promoting foreign mission work of the United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) at home, such as serving as the convener of the Committee on Centennial in India, he was called to serve Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church, Buffalo, New York. He served there until 1948 when he retired.

Description:
This series comprises handwritten and typewritten business correspondence retained by the Rev. George A. Rupley. The correspondence is from 1911-1955 with the majority dating from 1926-1931. The principal authors of correspondence are Rev. Rupley and the Rev. Frederick H. Knubel, president of the ULCA. Subject matter of these letters pertains largely to foreign mission work, specifically the work occurring in the ULCA mission fields in India. This includes mission finances, budget concerns and considerations, concerns regarding preparation of missionaries, personnel matters regarding missionary furloughs, the foreign missions board’s debt, salaries and furlough allowances, the political situation in India, Augustana Synod cooperation in the India mission field, and the challenge to publicize and generate interest in foreign mission work among ULCA congregations. The collection is also available on microfilm.