Guide to the Small Family Nanking University Collection
Special Collections & Archives
University Library
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8326
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Small Family Nanking University Collection
Creator:
Small, Alexander and Mary
Creator:
Schurman, Jacqueline W.
Identifier/Call Number: OCH.SFN
Extent:
0.23 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1907-2004
Date (bulk): 1907-1928
Abstract: The Small Family Nanking University
Collection consists of a family history, a map of Nanking, copied correspondence, newspaper
clippings, and other materials on Nanking University, Lex's career as an architect, and the
Nanking Incident, compiled by Jaqueline Schurman, the Smalls' granddaughter.
Language of Material: English,
Chinese
Biographical Information:
Alexander and Mary Small, also known as Lex and Polly, travelled to China in 1912 shortly
after being married. Lex initially worked at the Fati Language School in Canton, where he
was the school's engineer, involved in various small building and maintenance projects.
After one year he was assigned to be the Superintendent of Construction for the Nanking
University, part of the China Union Universities, created and administered by four US
missions in New York. For over thirteen years, Lex supervised the construction of 66
buildings on campus, and he and Polly hosted numerous visiting missionaries. In 1927, the
Smalls fled down the Yangtsze River with few of their possessions in the midst of the
Nanking Incident, an uprising of Nationalist and Communist soldiers in which foreign
residents were attacked and their property looted and destroyed. The family left China for
the United States, eventually settling in Pasadena, California, where Lex worked for an
architectural firm and then the Los Angeles Board of Education
Scope and Contents
The
Small Family Nanking University Collection consists of a
family history, a map of Nanking, copied correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other
materials on Nanking University, Lex's career as an architect, and the Nanking
Incident,compiled by Jaqueline Schurman, the Smalls' granddaughter.
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Jacqueline Schurman, 2006
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing
Archival Materials
guide.
Processing Information:
Ellen Jarosz and Tim Kauffler, 2012
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Box 1, Folder 1
Nanking University Documents,
1907-1949
Box 1, Folder 2
Articles from
The American Architect about
Alexander Small's Work at Nanking University,
1925-1928
Box 1, Folder 3
Nanking Incident Documents
Box 1, Folder 4
Affidavits Regarding Alexander Small's Career Accomplishments in
China
Box 1, Folder 5
Small Family History of Their Experiences in China, Compiled and Edited by
Jacqueline W. Schurman,
2004
