Scope and Contents
The collection contains diaries, correspondence, manuscripts, travel mementos, postcards, and photographs.
The two diaries Mills kept during the period 1925-1927 when she was in China reveal only a few social and political observations. Most entries concern her friends, sister (who was the head of the Home Economics Department at Yenching University in Peking, China from 1922-1933), fellow teachers, school politics, travel, purchases, food, and social events. Included are entries regarding self-evaluations of her teaching, as well as student performance.
The diaries from Taiwan (1968-1971) reveal information about business matters, travel, social events, purchases, and reactions of the people in Taiwan. Observations of political events are also included. There are eleven total diaries for this period.
Correspondence is separated into incoming and outgoing sections.
Outgoing correspondence includes two notebooks entitled "War Letters" and contain information and impressions of the civil war in China. Photographs of Chinese soldiers are included. This section also includes letters to her family during 1925-1927.
Incoming correspondence is arranged alphabetically by organization title, last name, or first name of sender. There are also twelve incoming postcards.
Manuscripts consist of speeches entitled "China Today," and "I have known 2 China's, But There is a Third." Material includes reference material used, notes, photographs, articles, and maps. There is also a typed draft of a manuscript titled, Chinese New Year.
Miscellaneous material includes travel mementos, photographs, a list of addresses of "all American citizens in Tientsin, China in 1927," pages of expenses and receipts from China, ship passenger lists (1925; 1927), a school exercise notebook containing student essays, newspaper clippings, and postcards from Taiwan.
Also available are over 900 photographs, including photos from China.
Dates
- 1925-1976
Creator
- Mills, Thelma (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Thelma Mills graduated from Willamette University in 1923. Mills began her career by teaching high school English in Raymond, Washington. From 1925 until the 1970's Mills worked with foreign students, particular Chinese students, in the US and abroad.
From 1925-1927 Mills taught English and choir at Methodist Missionary school in Tientsin, China. During that time she observed the Chinese civil war and traveled throughout China, taking many photographs.
From 1928-1930 Mills tutored Chinese students at International House in New York City. In 1930, she became a foreign student advisor at Whitman College and remained until 1950. From 1968 till 1971 Mills worked for the YWCA in Taipei, Taiwan.
Extent
1.5 linear feet (1 container) : 1 record storage box
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Thelma Mills worked in education, primarily with foreign students, in China, Taiwan and in the US; while in China (1925-1927) she observed the Chinese civil war. The collection contains diaries, correspondence, manuscripts, travel mementos, postcards, and photographs, 1925-1976.
Arrangement
Material within this collection is minimally arranged. Any arrangement is either derived from the records' creators or custodians or from staff at the time of initial processing. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.
Other Finding Aids
Paper finding aid with additional information is available in Special Collections & University Archives.
Existence and Location of Copies
Collection is available online in the Papers of American Missionaries to Asia: Missionaries associated with Fujian and Taiwan, 1889-1976 in Gale Primary Resources.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Nancy Hoos, 1979.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal organization and rehousing.
Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.
- Americans -- China -- History -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- China -- History -- Warlord period, 1916-1928 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- China -- Photographs Subject Source: Lcnaf
- China -- Social life and customs -- 1912-1949 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Diaries Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- English teachers -- United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Methodist Church -- Missions -- China -- Tianjin Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mills, Thelma
- Missions, American -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Postcards Subject Source: TGM II, Genre and physical characteristic terms
- Taiwan -- Social life and customs -- 1945- Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Teachers -- China -- Tianjin Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Teachers -- Taiwan -- Taipei Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Women Christian educators -- China -- Tianjin Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women teachers -- China -- Tianjin Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women teachers -- Taiwan -- Taipei Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Thelma Mills Papers
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Tanya Parlet and Kira B. Homo.
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
