Description
This collection contains 525 loose
photographs and 3 photograph albums that depict the people, experiences, and places
witnessed by Moravian missionary William H. Weinland (1861-1930) and his family during their
years of missionary service between the mid 1880s and the 1920s, first in Alaska and, more
extensively, among Native Americans of Southern California. Though the vast majority of the
photographs depict life on the Morongo Reservation, near Banning, California, there are also
images from a number of the reservations that surrounded Morongo.
Background
William Henry Weinland (1861-1930) was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He
attended Moravian schools and graduated from Moravian College and Theological Seminary in
preparation for a life of professional ministry. In 1884 Weinland volunteered for an
exploratory expedition into Alaska with Henry Hartmann, a Moravian missionary based in
Canada, to determine an appropriate site for a mission. A settlement along the Kuskokwim
River was deemed suitable, and, in 1885, now ordained and newly married to Caroline Yost,
Weinland returned to Bethel, Alaska, with his bride and three other missionaries, thus
signaling the advent of a career devoted to missionary work. The Weinland's term of duty in
Alaska was to be curtailed, however, by the ill health of Mrs. Weinland and one of her
daughters.* The family returned to the United States where Rev. Weinland assumed the
pastorate of the Moravian Church in Grace Hill, Iowa.
Extent
6.68 Linear Feet
(11 boxes)
Restrictions
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Availability
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department.
For more information, contact Reader Services. RESTRICTED: Film negatives (Box 8) are housed
in cold storage; extended retrieval and delivery time required.