Matthew Tyson Yates papers, 1878

Creator:
Yates, M. T (Matthew Tyson), 1819-1888
Abstract:
Matthew Tyson Yates, a Southern Baptist preacher and distributor of Chinese language Christian literature in Shanghai and other regions, wrote this essay on Chinese ancestral worship.
Extent:
0.25 linear feet 0.25 linear feet; 1 box
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

This collection contains an essay on Chinese ancestral worship, written by Yates and published in Shanghai by the American Presbyterian Mission Press in 1878. Understanding ancestor worship and other aspects of Chinese religion was important for missionaries who needed to communicate their beliefs in relation to traditional practices, and this essay was presented at the first General Conference of Protestant Missionaries in China, held in Shanghai from May 10 to 24, 1877. The event attracted nearly 150 attendees, representing nearly all of the mission stations and organizations then in China. Yates also chaired the editorial committee that produced a volume of the conference proceedings.

Biographical / historical:

Matthew Tyson (M.T.) Yates was born in Wake County, North Carolina in 1819. He was baptized in 1836, and graduated from Wake Forest College in 1846. In September of that year he married Eliza E. Moring, and in October was ordained into the Southern Baptist Convention in Raleigh, NC. In April of the following year he and his wife left for China, and reached Shanghai in September of 1847. Yates quickly acquired a singular skill in Chinese, and for the rest of his life was engaged in preaching and distributing Christian literature in Shanghai and the surrounding region. In 1872 Yates was awarded an honorary D.D. by Wake Forest College. Near the end of his life Yates suffered from illness, and he died on March 17, 1888 after suffering a series of strokes.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

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Preferred citation:

Item description, MRL 6: Matthew Tyson Yates papers, 1878, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

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Burke Home Page
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