Scope and Contents
The collection consists primarily of correspondence. There are 266 letters from Monona Cheney to her family in the United States, spanning the years from 1918 to 1930; there are also a few incoming letters in the collection from her family or friends. The correspondence is arranged chronologically. Also included in the collection are many photographs from her time in Peking, ranging from images of the poverty stricken to the architectural magnificence of the city. There are also a few pictures of family from the period after her mission. Many photographs are unidentified; basic descriptions of the images are provided in the box and folder listing. Finally, there are also a few Christian publications dealing with missionary work.
Dates
- 1918-1932
Creator
- Cheney, Monona, 1890-1982 (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
Monona L Cheney was born in Madison, Wisconsin on December 28, 1890. She was educated at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, receiving a B.A. in 1914; she went on to receive an M.A. in education at Teachers' College, Columbia University in 1918. In 1918 she traveled to the newly formed Republic of China to spread the word of her church, serving as a missionary teacher for the Methodist Episcopal sect of the Christian religion. She initially taught at the Keen School in Tientsin until 1920, when she started teaching at the Gamewell School. She taught history, English, and bible studies, and engaged in rural evangelicalism in the Peking area. After a short break in the United States she returned to China and taught at Yenching University from 1926 until 1930. The letters she wrote during her mission were addressed to her family, and she also was fond of taking photographs of Chinese life.
Extent
2 linear feet (8 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Monona Cheney (1890-1982) was a Christian missionary in China between 1918 and 1930. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, sermons, and publications that reflect her life as a missionary in China.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into the following series and subseries:
Series I: Outgoing Correspondence
Series II: Articles and Sermons
Series III: Publications
Series IV: Photographs
Series IV, Subseries A: Mission
Series IV, Subseries B: Family
Series IV, Subseries C: China
Series IV, Subseries D: Albums
Series IV, Subseries E: Oversize
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Monona Cheney in 1966.
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) 12-14.”
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.
- Beijing (China) -- Photographs Subject Source: Lcnaf
- Cheney, Monona, 1890-1982
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Methodist Episcopal Church--Missions--China
- 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
- Religion Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Sermons Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Women Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Women Christian educators -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women evangelists -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women missionaries -- China Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Monona Cheney 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
