Gospel of Health Archival Research Project
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
Health, health reform movement, religion, digital archive, suffering, 19th century, sickness
Department
History
Major
History
Abstract
Our research examined an archive of letters from the Painter/Collins family, who were involved with Sylvester Graham’s health reform movement in the pre-Civil War 19th century. This research project combined both processing raw archival data and analyzing the content. Using the digital archive software Tropy and Chat GPT-4o, we collaborated to sort and transcribe the collection of letters. We then analyzed the letters in greater depth, specifically focusing on the themes of experiencing and processing suffering and the death of loved ones, as well as the influence of both religion and the circulating health reform movement. We organized and compiled our findings as a research component of Dr. Jonathan Riddle’s book project, the Gospel of Health.
Faculty Mentor
Jonathan Riddle
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative, Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
11-4-2025 1:00 PM
End Date
11-4-2025 2:00 PM
Gospel of Health Archival Research Project
Waves Cafeteria
Our research examined an archive of letters from the Painter/Collins family, who were involved with Sylvester Graham’s health reform movement in the pre-Civil War 19th century. This research project combined both processing raw archival data and analyzing the content. Using the digital archive software Tropy and Chat GPT-4o, we collaborated to sort and transcribe the collection of letters. We then analyzed the letters in greater depth, specifically focusing on the themes of experiencing and processing suffering and the death of loved ones, as well as the influence of both religion and the circulating health reform movement. We organized and compiled our findings as a research component of Dr. Jonathan Riddle’s book project, the Gospel of Health.
