Guide to the Letters from an American missionary in China Wyles Mss 225

Finding aid prepared by Rebecca Vasquez, 2021.
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara 93106-9010
Business Number: Phone: (805) 893-3062
Fax Number: Fax: (805) 893-5749
special@library.ucsb.edu
2022 January 27


Title: Letters from an American missionary in China
Identifier/Call Number: Wyles Mss 225
Language of Material: English.
Contributing Institution: UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Physical Description: 0.21 Linear Feet (1 half size document box)
Creator: Gillihand, Cora
Date (inclusive): 1924-1927
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence dated between 1924 and 1927, mostly written by Cora Gilliland, an American Missionary in China, to her friends the Waite family back in the United States.
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Research Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Research Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Research Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Letters from an American missionary in China, Wyles Mss 225. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Acquisition Information

Library purchase, 2021.

Scope and Content

Cora Gilliland worked in Shanghai as a secretary for the Protestant National Christian Council (NCC) which was working to promote cooperation amongst Chinese churches and foreign missionary groups. Her letters, written to the Waite family throughout 1924-1927, provide insight into the people and culture in China in the early 20th century, with a particular focus on attitudes toward missionaries. They detail her work as a secretary to the NCC, her reactions to the 1927 Nanking Incident, and her plans for recreational travel back to the United States. The collection does not include any responses from the Waite family.
Two letters and one telegram are not written by Gilliland, they concern Dr. Oren Waite's 1925 Chautauqua "Music Week" in Pacific Palisides, CA, the theme of which was to be "World Peace." Dr. Waite is credited with playing a key role in the development of the Pacific Palisades area in the early 20th century.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Missionaries -- China -- Shanghai -- Correspondence
Christianity and culture -- China -- 20th century
Missionaries -- China -- Public opinion
Personal correspondence
National Christian Council of China

box 1

1924

box 1

1925

box 1

1926

box 1

1927

box 1

1928

box 1

undated