Guide to the Horace and Margaret Williams Papers
Prepared by Myong Shin Jeon, Student Assistant and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist
United Methodist Archives and History Center
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church
(Published for the Drew University Methodist Library)
10/10/2011
Overview of Collection
|
|
| Record Creator: |
Williams, Margaret Needles |
| Title: |
Horace and Margaret Williams Papers |
| Title: |
Williams Papers |
| Date Span: |
1924-1988 |
| Abstract: |
Horace Starr Williams (1903- ?) and Margaret Needles Williams (1891-1988), American Methodist Protestant Church missionaries,
served in China and Taiwan for most of their professional lives. The papers primarily recount their careers as missionaries
to China in the forms of correspondence and an autobiographical manuscript. The manuscript records their adventures in China
through the dual lense of deep spiritual life and contemporary events. Their first-hand accounts of both the Japanese occupation
and later struggle between the Nationalist and Communist factions are illustrated in novelesque prose. Yet at the same time
a reader will see how their robust spirituality gave meaning to their work which guided them through what can only be stated
as a blessed life.
|
| Extent: |
2.26 cubic feet |
| Resource ID: |
drew.ms.2433 |
Biographical Note
Horace Starr Williams (1903- ?) and Margaret Needles Williams (1891-1988), American Methodist Protestant Church missionaries,
served in China and Taiwan for most of their professional lives. Margaret was born on July 26, 1891, in Brookfield, Missouri
and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, early in her life. As an adult she worked at the Church of the Nazarene headquarters
in Kansas City for several years before becoming a Nazarene China missionary. She left for China via Vancouver on September
11, 1924. Horace arrived in China that same year as Margaret only as a Methodist Protestant Church missionary and was assigned
to the Kalgan station. He was born into a well-known Ohio Methodist Protestant clergy family on October 29, 1903. After
meeting each other during an ecumenical meeting in China, they were later married on July 11, 1928 by Nazarene missionary
L. C. Osborn in Tientsin. At that point Margaret became a Methodist Protestant missionary by virtue of her marriage to Horace.
Before coming back to the United States on a two-year furlough in 1940, both Horace and Margaret experienced first-hand the
effects of the Japanese occupation in China. Horace worked with the Japanese army as a local translator. He quickly became
respected both by the Chinese locals and Japanese officers for his interpretive work.
During their furlough, they became acquainted with New Tribes Mission and joined the organization as associate members in
1943. By December 31, 1944, they resigned their positions with the Methodist Protestant church in order to serve as full-time
missionaries for NTM.
By the end of 1945, Horace went back to China where his translation skills were employed as a government liaison to the Nationalist
Chinese government via the United States Army. By 1946, Margaret joined him in China in order to resume their missionary
work which was now under the auspices of Worldwide Evangelism Crusade. WEC sent them with the intent to serve in the Tibetan
border area but they ended up making Lanzhou their home base. While serving in this capacity, both lived through the Communist
takeover of the Lanzhou area until they fled back to the United States in 1950. From 1950 to 1966, both Horace and Margaret
worked at WEC headquarters in Pennsylvania until being posted as missionaries to Taiwan. After serving three years in Taiwan,
Horace and Margaret returned to the United States to work in the WEC headquarters until their retirement in 1975.
Margaret died on January 14, 1988. Horace’s death date is unknown at the time of this writing.
Scope Note
The Horace and Margaret Williams papers primarily recount their careers as missionaries to China in the forms of correspondence
and an autobiographical manuscript. The manuscript records their adventures in China through the dual lense of deep spiritual
life and contemporary events. Their first-hand accounts of both the Japanese occupation and later struggle between the Nationalist
and Communist factions are illustrated in novelesque prose. Yet at the same time a reader will see how their robust spirituality
gave meaning to their work which guided them through what can only be stated as a blessed life. The correspondence gives
more specific details to the events covered in the autobiography while discussing other matters such as family and friends.
Post missionary work can be found in the correspondence as well.
Arrangement
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
Material is arranged by record type.
Preferred Citation
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder,
Horace and Margaret Williams Papers, Methodist Collection - Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the
item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor..
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions regarding this collection. Copyright still owned by Drew. Permissions to publish must be directed
to Drew.
Restrictions on Use
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission
on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material
for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Related Materials
Records of the Mission Education and Cultivation Program Department of the General Board of Global Ministries
Microfilm Edition of the Missionary files series of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church
Records of the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries
Mission Biographical Reference Files
|
|
|
Index Terms
|
|
|
|
Subject Topics |
|
|
China--History--20th century |
|
|
Missions-China |
|
|
World War, 1939-1945 |
|
Subject Geographic |
|
|
China |
|
|
Taiwan |
|
|
United States |
|
Genre |
|
|
Clippings |
|
|
Correspondence |
|
|
Maps |
|
|
Photographs |
|
|
Programs |
|
Subject - Personal Names |
|
|
Sung, John |
|
Additional Creators - Personal Names |
|
|
Uphaus, Ruth M. |
|
|
Williams, Horace Starr |
|
Subject - Corporate Names |
|
|
Methodist Church (U.S.) |
|
|
Methodist Protestant Church |
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 2141-5-5:
1
|
Correspondence - MN |
1924 |
| 2141-5-5:
2
|
Correspondence |
1924 |
| 2141-5-5:
3
|
Correspondence |
1925 |
| 2141-5-5:
4
|
Correspondence |
1926 |
| 2141-5-5:
5
|
Correspondence |
1927 |
| 2141-5-5:
6
|
Correspondence |
1928 |
| 2141-5-5:
7
|
Correspondence |
1929 |
| 2141-5-5:
8
|
Correspondence |
1930 |
| 2141-5-5:
9
|
Correspondence |
1931 |
| 2141-5-5:
10
|
Correspondence |
1932 |
| 2141-5-5:
11
|
Correspondence |
1933 |
| 2141-5-5:
12
|
Correspondence |
1934 |
| 2141-5-5:
13
|
Correspondence |
1935 |
| 2141-5-6:
1
|
Correspondence |
1936 |
| 2141-5-6:
2
|
Correspondence |
1937 |
| 2141-5-6:
3
|
Correspondence |
1938 |
| 2141-5-6:
4
|
Correspondence |
1939 |
| 2141-5-6:
5
|
Correspondence |
1940 |
| 2141-5-6:
6
|
Correspondence |
1941 |
| 2141-5-6:
8
|
Correspondence |
1943 |
| 2141-5-6:
9
|
Correspondence |
1944 |
| 2141-5-6:
7
|
Correspondence - Photographs |
1942 |
| 2141-5-6:
10
|
Correspondence |
1945 |
| 2141-5-6:
11
|
Correspondence |
1945 |
| 2141-5-6:
12
|
Correspondence |
1946 |
| 2141-5-6:
13
|
Correspondence |
1947 |
| 2141-5-6:
14
|
Correspondence |
1948 |
| 2141-5-6:
15
|
Correspondence |
1949 |
| 2141-5-6:
16
|
Correspondence |
1950 |
| 2141-5-7:
1
|
Correspondence |
1951 |
| 2141-5-7:
2
|
Correspondence |
1952 |
| 2141-5-7:
3
|
Correspondence |
1953 |
| 2141-5-7:
4
|
Correspondence |
1954 |
| 2141-5-7:
5
|
Correspondence |
1955 |
| 2141-5-7:
6
|
Correspondence |
1956 |
| 2141-5-7:
7
|
Correspondence |
1957 |
| 2141-5-7:
8
|
Correspondence |
1958 |
| 2141-5-7:
9
|
Correspondence |
1959 |
| 2141-5-7:
10
|
Correspondence |
1960 |
| 2141-5-7:
11
|
Correspondence |
1961 |
| 2141-5-7:
12
|
Correspondence |
1962 |
| 2141-5-8:
1
|
Correspondence |
1963 |
| 2141-5-8:
2
|
Correspondence |
1964 |
| 2141-5-8:
3
|
Correspondence |
1965 |
| 2141-5-8:
4
|
Correspondence |
1966 |
| 2141-5-8:
5
|
Correspondence |
1970 |
| 2141-5-8:
6
|
Miscellaneous |
1938-1939 |
| 2141-5-8:
7
|
New Tribes Mission |
1945-1965 |
| 2141-5-8:
8
|
Following His Sandaled Feet - Manuscript |
1985 |
| 2141-5-8:
9
|
Following His Sandaled Feet - Manuscript |
1985 |
| 2141-5-8:
10
|
Margaret Williams Funeral |
1988 |
| 2141-1-1:
1
|
Map of The Methodist Protestant Mission, Kalgan |
Undated |
