Darley Downs papers, circa 1942 -- 1959

Summary Information

Abstract

Darley Downs was a missionary in Japan before World War II, and was interned at the Los Banos camp in the Philippines between 1942 and 1945. The collection contains a handwritten diary and a typed partial transcription of his internment experience, correspondence, and newspaper clippings.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series organized by format.

• Darley Downs papers, circa 1942 -- 1959

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a diary kept by Darley Downs during his internment at Los Banos, the internment camp in the Philippines where he was held, as well as correspondence and newspaper clippings. The diary, kept in the back pages of a salary ledger book, begins in June 1942 in Dansalan (page 45) and continues through April 1945 in Emporia, Kansas (page 143). A typed transcription of entries from June 1942 through January 1943 (page 45-72), created by Downs' son AJ Downs in 1997, is also included. Correspondence includes a Department of State memo on Downs, letters from Downs to his family, a telegram announcing Downs' rescue, and a letter to Downs from friends in the Philippines. The photocopied newspaper clippings-- from publications including the New York Times, the Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Emporia Gazette-- relate to Downs and the release of Americans from Los Banos.

• Darley Downs papers, circa 1942 -- 1959

  This series contains a diary kept by Darley Downs during his internment at Los Banos, the internment camp in the Philippines where he was held, as well as correspondence and newspaper clippings. The diary, kept in the back pages of a salary ledger book, begins in June 1942 in Dansalan (page 45) and continues through April 1945 in Emporia, Kansas (page 143). A transcription of entries from June 1942 through January 1943 (page 45-72), created by Downs' son AJ Downs in 1997, is also included. Correspondence includes a Department of State memo on Downs, letters from Downs to his family, a telegram announcing Downs' rescue, and a letter to Downs from friends in the Philippines. The photocopied newspaper clippings-- from publications including the New York Times, the Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Emporia Gazette-- relate to Darley Downs and the release of Americans from Los Banos.

Burke Library record group:

General collections

Using the Collection

Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research, but contains some fragile material. Restrictions related to specific material are listed in the detailed contents list.

Onsite storage.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred Citation

Item description, Darley Downs papers, circa 1942-1959, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Related Materials

Darley Downs papers, Coll 111, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

MRL 4: Frank C. Laubach Papers, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated by Jennifer Downs, granddaughter of Darley Downs. Received in December 2020, accession GEN-2021-010.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The finding aid was created by Leah Edelman in 2021.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Darley Downs was born in 1894 in Colorado and served as a Christian missionary with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. In 1919, Downs arrived in Tokyo, Japan to teach at Doshisha University. In 1929, he became the principal of the School of Japanese Language and Culture and a secretary of the National Christian Council, positions he held until 1941, when he left Japan due to strained relations between the country and the United States. Downs traveled to Dansalan, Mindanao, Philippines to substitute for Frank Laubach, a missionary who had been working with Muslim Moros, and Downs also worked for the American Congregational Mission Board in Mindanao. Beginning in May of 1942, Downs was interned by the Japanese at multiple internment camps for nearly three years. In September of 1943, Downs was moved to the Los Banos camp, where he served as translator. Downs remained at Los Banos until the camp was liberated in February of 1945. After his return to the United States, Downs earned a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1946, completing a thesis titled, "Effects of war time pressures on churches and missions in Japan." Downs returned to Japan in 1947, and was secretary of the Council of Cooperation and the Interboard Missionary Field Committee. Darley Downs died in 1969.