Overview
| Repository: |
Yale Divinity Library
409 Prospect
Street New Haven, CT 06511 Email: divinity.library@yale.edu Phone: 203 432-5301 Fax: 203 432-3906 |
| Call Number: | Record Group No. 220 |
| Creator: | Wilson, Anna Lane |
| Title: | Anna and Stanley Wilson Papers |
| Dates: | 1892-1951 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1918-1923 |
| Physical Description: | Total archival boxes 3; total linear footage 2' |
| Language(s): | In English. |
| Summary: | This collection primarily documents the life and work of missionary Anna Lane Wilson in China from 1918-1935. Letters to family in the United States and journals document her voyage to China, missionary life, Chinese customs and celebrations, dress, architecture, the flu epidemic, climate, and politicals events. |
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| Finding Aid Link: | To cite or bookmark this finding aid, use the following address: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/divinity.220 |
| Request Materials: | To view manuscript and archival materials at the Yale Divinity Library, please submit the request form at http://www.library.yale.edu/div/request.htm. |
| Catalog Record: | A record for this collection, including location information, may be available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog. |
Administrative Information
Provenance
Gift of Helen Wilson Saunders, 2009
Information about Access
This collection is open for research.
Ownership & Copyright
Ownership and copyright have been transferred to Yale University.
Cite As
Anna and Stanley Wilson Papers, Record Group No. 220, Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library
Biography
Anna Marie Lane Wilson (1892-1981) served as a missionary to China under the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions from 1919 to 1949. Leaving for China in September 1918, she taught Biology, Chemistry and other subjects at the North China Union Woman's College for five years and then, in 1923, married Stanley Davis Wilson (1881-1970) who was professor of Chemistry at the Peking Union Medical College (supported by the Rockefeller Foundation). Shortly later, the Wilsons moved to the newly formed Yenching University outside Peking, where they lived and worked until interrupted by World War II in 1941. They were on furlough in the United States in 1924-1925. Stanley Wilson did not go to China as a missionary, but after he married Anna Lane and began his work at Yenching University, he was supported by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. In accordance with the custom at the time, Anna Lane no longer taught at the University following her marriage. Stanley Wilson was interned by the Japanese and repatriated half way through the war in a prisoner exchange. After the war the Wilsons returned to Yenching where they worked for another three years and were there during the takeover by the Communist regime, finally returning to California and retirement in 1949.
Description of the Papers
This collection primarily documents the life and work of Anna Lane Wilson in China from 1918-1923. Detailed letters to family in the United States document her voyage to China, missionary life, Chinese customs and celebrations, dress, architecture, the flu epidemic, climate and relations/conflicts between Japan and China. Most of the letters are from before Anna's marriage to Stanley Wilson in 1923 and the subsequent births of their daughters Helen and Marian. Many of the letters in the collection have been transcribed by Anna Lane Wilson's daughter Helen Wilson Saunders. The transcriptions are available in printed form, filed with the originals, and also on a CD.
In addition to family correspondence, there is a small amount of general correspondence primarily to/from Stanley Wilson. Journals of Anna Lane Wilson from 1918-1919 and 1923 describe her voyage to China, her first year of work and a return trip to the United States. Collected material primarily related to Peking University, later known as Yenching University. Additional documentation related to the work of Stanley and Anna Wilson at Yenching University is located in YDSL Record Group No. 11, Archives of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. Photographs in Series V include documentation of North China Union Woman's College, Yenching University, Peking Union Medical College and the Beijing area.