Margaret H. Brown papers, circa 1940 -- 1969

Collection context

Creator:
Brown, Margaret H., 1887-1978
Abstract:
Margaret H. Brown was a missionary in China under the auspices of the United Church of Canada, and worked as an editor for the Society of Christian Literature in Shanghai. The collection consists of a typewritten manuscript entitled "History of the Honan (North China) Mission [Presbyterian] of the United Church of Canada," compiled over a period spanning the 1940s to the 1960s, and chronicling the history of the Canadian mission to central China from the 1880s to 1951.
Extent:
1.25 linear feet 1.25 linear feet; 3 boxes
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

The collection consists of a typewritten manuscript by Margaret H. Brown entitled "History of the Honan (North China) Mission [Presbyterian] of the United Church of Canada," compiled over a period spanning the 1940s to the 1960s. The work chronicles the history of the Canadian mission to central China, first under the Presbyterian Church and later as part of the United Church of Canada, from the 1880s to 1951 when the mission was forced out. The chapters each center on a particular theme, and though they are presented in a roughly chronological order, subsequent chapters will often jump back to begin the narrative from an earlier date. There is also an appendix with a list of missionaries who served in the mission.

Biographical / historical:

Margaret H. Brown was born in 1887 near Tiverton in Kincardine Township, Ontario, Canada. She worked as a teacher for about four years before travelling to Henan 河南, China in 1916 under the auspices of the Women's Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. In 1925 the WMS had twenty-nine missionaries working in the province. In 1929 Brown was appointed to the staff of the Christian Literature Society 廣學會 in Shanghai 上海 and worked there as an editor. While there she published a number of books in Chinese, including Stories of Jesus 神人異蹟 and Mrs. Wang's Diary 王夫人的日記, which was published in English in 1936. In 1941 she was supported by a fellowship from Union Theological Seminary, New York. Brown retired in 1956, after which she devoted her time to researching, writing, and lishing an account of the life and work of the Canadian Presbyterian missionary Donald MacGillivray in 1968. She died in 1978 and is buried in Tiverton, Ontario.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection contains some restricted material. Restrictions related to specific material are listed in the detailed contents list.

Onsite storage.

Terms of access:

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: Margaret H. Brown papers, circa 1940-1969, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Location of this collection:
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Contact:
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