The collection contains manuscripts, interviews, notes, maps, and documentary research pertaining to the creation of D.F. Ellenberger's (1912) History of the Basuto, Ancient and Modern, as well as Ellenberger's own personal research. Prior to their creation by D.F. Ellenberger in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ellenberger's descendants annotated and enlarged upon their ancestor's work, meaning that the collection continued to grow after Ellenberger's death to reflect progressions in ethnological thought and archaeological and historical research. The collection pertains to Lesotho (formerly colonial Basutoland) and South Africa.
Material in this collection is almost entirely composed of bequests from the Ellenberger family to the Morija Museum and Archives (MMA). The material not included in the Ellenberger family bequest was donated to MMA by individual members of the Ellenberger line.
Extent and format of original material: 5 series. Owner(s) of original material: Hamilton Dyke, D.F. Ellenberger, René Ellenberger, Paul Ellenberger, Victor Ellenberger, J.C. MacGregor, Jonathan Molapo, Nehemiah Moshoesheo, Joseph Millerd Orpen, Marion Walsham How, Ronald Stretton Webb.
