Scope and Contents note
The collection constitutes a small but significant collection of documents recounting the life of a missionary woman in early 20th century China. Jaquet lived and worked in China for over thirty years, during one of the most transformative periods in the recent history of this nation. Jaquet arrived in Peking (Beijing) on the heels of the revolution that overthrew the Ch'ing Dynasty. Yet, the revolution and its aftermath only occasionally appeared in her papers as when she discussed the persistent dangers foreigners courted in the early 1910s. During the 1920s struggles over local authority appear in Jaquet's papers when she discusses recruitment and retention of students. World War II effectively shut down the missionary school (in Tianjin) and Jaquet was interned as a prisoner of war.
Certainly, some of the richest material consists of Jaquet's personal journals. These resources--intended for distribution among friends and relatives in the U.S.--offer details of her missionary work. Jaquet seemed particularly proud of the successes she and other teachers had among local children in Tianjin. She recounted increases in enrollment, the plays girl students staged, and how they advanced academically. Jaquet noted how many girls continued on at missionary universities in China or the United States. The fact that some of the students sought only an education--rather than conversion--at Gamewell school did not seem to bother Jaquet; she seemed committed to providing these girls with an education. Interestingly, Jaquet included a number of stories written by her students in her letters (in addition to those written by Jaquet herself). Jaquet also described religious services, sermons, and meetings as well as the advancement of Dr. Liu, the first female graduate of the North China medical school run by the missionaries who later headed the Gamewell School. Another teacher at the Gamewell School was Myra Snow, who arrived in 1928. Researchers should consult her collection of letters (A 186) as well as the collections of Edith Shufeldt (A 208), and Elizabeth Wright (A 301) (who both lived in Tianjin); those of Clara Dyer (A 198), Elsie Reik (A 166) or Edith Simister (A183) are also related.
In 1942, her fellow repatriated American missionaries agreed that Jaquet should write the account of their internment. The narrative of her arrest, imprisonment, and subsequent internment with other American (and British) missionaries is housed in the Myra Snow collection (A 186). The final journal in the Jaquet Papers offers a glimpse into her life after repatriation. Jaquet lived in New York and in 1946, she returned to Tianjin. Her papers offer some notes on what happened to the people and places during the intervening years.
Jaquet included photographs of people and places in her personal journals. Other photographs in this collection consist of the English and Chinese land deeds to the mission in Tianjin.
Dates
- 1913-1944
Creator
- Jaquet, Myra Anna, 1884-1971 (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
Myra Anna Jaquet (1884-1971) was as a Methodist missionary in northern China from 1911 to 1942. She worked as a girls' instructor at a missionary school in Peking (Beijing). By the early 1920s, Jaquet had moved southeast to Tientsin (Tianjin) where she served as one of the instructors (and, for a short time, as principal of girls' education) at the Gamewell School. In December 1941, the Japanese confined Jaquet as a prisoner of war. After six weeks imprisonment, she joined other missionaries who were interned at the British concession near Peking (Beijing). Along with other Americans, Jaquet was repatriated in 1943. Jaquet lived in New York until 1946 when she returned to Tianjin.
Extent
0.5 linear feet (4 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Myra Jaquet was a Methodist missionary in northern China from 1911 to 1942. The collection includes correspondence, literary manuscripts, personal journals, and photographs.
Arrangement note
Collection is organized into the following series: Series I. Correspondence; Series II. Literary manuscripts and news clippings; Series III. Journals; Series IV. Artifact; and Series V. Photographs.
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) 9-10.”
General Physical Description note
4 containers
Processing Information
Collection processed by staff.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Diaries -- China -- 20th century Subject Source: Genre Terms: A Thesaurus for Use in Rare Book and Special Collections Cataloguing
- Gamewell School (Tianjin, China)
- Girls -- Education -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Methodist women -- China -- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Methodist women -- China -- Correspondence 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
- Religion Subject Source: Archiveswest
- School prose, Chinese Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Schools -- China -- Tianjin Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Short stories Subject Source: Local sources
- Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Snow, Myra
- Teachers' writings, American -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Women Christian educators -- China -- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women Christian educators -- China -- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women missionaries -- China -- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women missionaries -- China -- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Myra Anna Jaquet Papers
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Veta Schlimgen, 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
