George Merriam Newell papers, 1905 -- 1960

Summary Information

Abstract

George Merriam Newell had a 37-year career as a school teacher and missionary in Fuzhou 福州, Fujian 福 建 province, China. The collection contains correspondence, reports, maps, and publications.

At a Glance

Bib ID:
4492593 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Newell, George Merriam, 1875-1956
Repository:
Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary
Physical Description:
2.5 linear feet (2.5 linear feet; 1 box, 1 oversize (OS) box)
Language(s):
English .
Access:

This collection is open for research.

Onsite storage.

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains correspondence and reports written by Newell during his tenure in Fuzhou and relating to his mission work in Fujian province. The maps and short publications were likely collected by Newell during his time in China, and focus on Fuzhou and the work of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

  • George Merriam Newell papers, 1905 -- 1960

    This series contains correspondence and reports written by Newell during his tenure in Fuzhou and relating to his mission work in Fujian province. The maps and short publications were likely collected by Newell during his time in China, and focus on Fuzhou and the work of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

Burke Library record group:

Missionary Research Library Archives: MRL6, China

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series; folders are arranged in alphabetical order and items in the oversize box are unarranged.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

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, MRL6: George Merriam Newell Papers, 1905-1960, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Related Materials

MRL 12: American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions records, 1878-1958, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Formerly part of the independent Missionary Research Library (MRL), these records were donated in 1960 by Mary Reynolds Newell, widow of George Merriam Newell, and accessioned by the Burke Library at the time of the MRL's closure in 1976.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Notes, book, report letters, and miscellaneous documents were cataloged by Lynn A. Grove on 1988-07-20. Metal clips and staples were removed from materials, folded items were flattened, and large items were moved to rolled storage. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. The finding aid was created by Gregory Adam Scott in 2010, reviewed and updated by Sarah Davis in 2014 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2020.

Revision Description

May 27, 2014 XML Instance Created by Sarah Davis.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

2020-05-27 EAD spot checked and corrected and description updated by Leah Edelman.

Biographical / Historical

George Merriam Newell was born on September 18, 1875 in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, the son of Stillman Clark Newell and Ellen Lucretia Carpenter. He received a B.S. from Wesleyan University in 1904 where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After graduation he travelled to China as a missionary under the auspices of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He worked as a teacher at the Foochow Union High School in Fuzhou 福 州 , Fujian 福建 province, from 1904 to 1941.

On June 4, 1906 in Beijing he married Mary E. Reynolds , an English teacher who had intended to join the North China Mission before marrying Newell. They had four children together over the next twelve years. In January 1912 the family returned to the United States on furlough, and the next year Newell received his A.M. degree from Columbia University, after which the family returned to Fuzhou, and remained there until 1919. George Merriam Newell died on August 27, 1956 in Florida.

Subject Headings

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

All links open new windows.

Name
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Foochow Mission CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Place
China -- Religious life and customs CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Fujian Sheng (China) -- Description and travel CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Fuzhou Shi (Fujian Sheng, China) -- Religious life and customs CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Subject
Congregational churches -- Missions CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Missionaries CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Missions -- China -- Fuzhou Shi (Fujian Sheng) CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Schools -- China -- Fu-chou shi (Fukien Province) CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID