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Murray Scott Frame and Alice Seymore Brown Frame papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ax 421

Scope and Contents note

The Murray S. Frame and Alice S. Brown Frame Papers comprise correspondence from Murray S. Frame to his mother and his sister Margaret. It also contains correspondence written by John D. Frame to Margaret. The collection reflects the arrangement of the materials as they were received.

Outgoing Correspondence has been further subdivided into four subseries. Subseries A is Murray S. Frame correspondence that includes letters mostly to his sister, Margaret, and were written from Lahore, India, 1901-1904; New York City, 1904-1907; Jerusalem, 1907-1908; Berlin, 1908-1909; and Peking, China (American Board Mission), 1910 -1916. Some of the correspondence are also to his mother. It includes a total of 234 letters. Subseries B is Alice Brown Frame correspondence (Murray's wife) that also includes outgoing correspondence to Margaret. The letters were written between May 1913 and January 1917. Subseries C includes 94 letters between 1905-1942 from his brother, John Davidson Frame, a Presbyterian medical missionary in Persia to Margaret. Subseries D is Grace Second Frame and Adelaide Frame correspondence to Margaret and other family members. The letters are arranged chronologically within each subseries.

Photographs has only two folders; one contains a picture of Murray S. Frame and friends, and the other folder contains a picture of John D. Frame.

Dates

  • 1901-1916

Creator

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

Murray Scott Frame was a native of Wooster, Ohio. From 1901-1904, he was a teacher in Lahore, India; this was most likely shortly after receiving his Bachelor's degree. In 1904, he returned to the United States and studied at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. After graduating in 1907, he went to Jerusalem and studied at the American Institute of Archaeology, studying the Arabic language. Finishing his work in Jerusalem in 1908, Frame embarked to Europe, traveling through Italy and Austria, on his way to Germany. From 1908 to 1909, he studied Oriental Studies and Higher Criticism at Berlin University, as well as German, privately. In 1909, he returned to New York before embarking on his missionary career in Peking [Beijing], China for the American Board Mission. These periods of his life are marked by a youthful enthusiasm, a love of sports, travel, learning, friends and family.

Raised as a Presbyterian, Frame became a missionary in the Congregational Church. He began his missionary career by studying Chinese. Later he became a full-fledged missionary, acting as an administrator and preaching in Peking and outlying areas. Frame witnessed the Republican revolution in 1911. He married Alice Seymour Brown November 10th, 1913; she was also a missionary. They had three children, two girls, Frances and Rosamond, and a boy, Murray, Jr.; Frances and Murray, Jr. died while they were young. Murray Scott Frame died in 1918.

John Davidson Frame, Murray Scott's brother, was born June 26th, 1880. He became a Presbyterian, medical missionary in Resht, Persia, near Teheran. His letters were written sporadically from 1905 to1942, during his missionary service. He had a wife, Grace, and four children, John, Charles, Murray, who died young, and Jane. His letters reflect periods of unrest in Persia, of civil rebellion and Russian invasion.

Extent

1.75 linear feet (4 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Murray Scott Frame (d.1918) was a Congregational missionary and teacher in Lahore, India and Beijing, China, where he witnessed the 1911 Republican Revolution. His brother, John Davidson Frame (b. 1880), was a medical missionary for the Presbyterian Church in Persia. The collection consists of correspondence from the brothers to the family, including Alice Seymour Brown Frame, Murray's wife.

Arrangement note

Collection is organized into the following series:

Series I: Outgoing Correspondence

Series I, Subseries A: Murray S. Frame

Series I, Subseries B: Alice Brown Frame

Series I, Subseries C: John Davidson Frame

Series I, Subseries D: Grace Second Frame and Adelaide Frame

Series I, Subseries E: Transcriptions of Murray Scott Frame Letters

Series II: Photographs

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

The collection was a gift of Margaret Frame in 1968.

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.

Title
Guide to the Murray Scott Frame and Alice Seymore Brown Frame Papers
Status
Complete Description
Author
Finding aid prepared by Aika-Maria Kihunrwa and Aaron Poor, Manuscripts Processors
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

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA