Scope and Contents note
The collection consists of correspondence written to and from Main during her time in China, covering the years 1895 through 1969. There is also some correspondence of her stepson Orrin William Main from 1969 until 1978. Missionary literature from Hwanan College and other church materials are included. Also included are Idabelle Main's diaries, kept intermittently from 1910 until 1965. A biography written by Main's niece is in this collection, as well as various pictures from Main's time in China.
The photographs series includes Photographs stored with manuscript boxes and Photographs (PH092). Some photographs are still physically stored with the manuscripts materials and have not yet been removed to be stored with other photographs. The images show scenes of China and Brazil.
Dates
- 1895-1978
Creator
- Main, Idabelle Lewis, 1887-1969 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access note
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 note
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 note
Idabelle Lewis Main was born December 15, 1887 at Blairstown, Iowa to Wilson Seely Lewis and Fanny McClung. She graduated from Morningside College in 1909 and was assigned by the Women's Society of Christian Services of the Methodist Church to teach at the Keene school in Tientsin, China. She returned in 1916 to Columbia Teachers College, New York.
She returned to Shanghai, China in 1919 to work for the Women's Society of Christian Service. In 1921 she was appointed president of the Hwanan College, Foochow, China. She held this position until 1926 when she returned to the Women's Society to serve as editor of the Mission paper.
In 1932 she married Reverend William A. Main and lived in China until 1941 when the Japanese invasion forced them to return to the United States where they bought a home in Mill Valley, California. In 1942 Dr. Main served as a minister of the Tamalpais Valley Community Church. After her husband's death in 1945 she returned to Foochow, China where she taught until 1949. She returned to Mill Valley and in 1950 accepted a position at Bennetts College in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a position she held until 1955. She lived in her family home until 1961 and then moved to the Robincroft Home for retired missionary women, where she lived until her death in 1969.
Extent
3 linear feet (8 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Idabelle Main (1887-1969) was a Christian missionary in China, serving from 1909 through 1941 and then again from 1946 to 1949. She served in Tientsin, Shanghai, and Foochow at multiple colleges and also worked as an editor. The collection includes correspondence, church materials, diaries and a biography written by her niece. Also included are photographs from her time in China.
Arrangement note
Collection is organized into the following series:
Series I. Correspondence
Series II. Hwanan College and Missionary Materials
Series III. The Morningside Newspaper
Series IV. Pamphlets and Books
Series V. Diaries
Series VI. Miscellaneous
Series VII. Memoirs
Series VIII. Biography
Series IX. Photographs; Subseries A: Photographs (Coll 092); Subseries B: Photographs (PH092)
Series X. Oversize.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Gift of Idabelle Main in 1965; gift of Dorothy Walters in 1981.
Existence and Location of Copies
This collection has been microfilmed. Microfilm reels are available for purchase, or via Inter-library Loan. When requesting reels for this collection, please request: “Women’s Lives, Series 3, American Women Missionaries and Pioneers Collection, reel(s) 1-7.”
- Hua nan nü zi wen li xue yuan (Fuzhou Shi, Fujian Sheng, China)
- Keen School (Tianjin, China)
- Main, Idabelle Lewis, 1887-1969
- Main, Orrin William
- Methodist women -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Missionaries Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Missions, American -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Refugees -- China -- Photographs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Religion Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Women Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Women Christian educators -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women missionaries -- China -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women missionaries -- China -- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Idabelle Main Papers
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Troy Barnard, Manuscripts Processor
- Date
- 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
