Emery and Elvera Carlson Papers

These papers, which constitute a major portion of the source material used by Erleen Christensen in writing In War and Famine : Missionaries in China's Honan Province in the 1940s, tell the story of Swedish-American Lutheran missionaries serving in Henan province during a turbulent period in China history. The Sino-Japanese war, Nationalist Communist conflict, banditry, and famine due to crop failures and inflation were dominant forces during the Carlsons' relatively brief but intensive period of work in China.

Series I, Correspondence, is divided into Family and General Correspondence. The Family correspondence contains detailed letters written by the Carlsons to their extended family in the U.S., and well as letters written by Emery to his wife during their wartime separation. Daily life for the family and Emery's medical work are described, as well as the frequent moves and separations occasioned by political events. In the General correspondence section, circular letters written by the Carlsons and letters to/from their mission provide additional documentation, including regarding the American School Kikungshan. For additional documentation regarding the American School Kikungshan, a Lutheran school missionary children, see YDSL Record Group No. 164.

Series II, Writings, includes journals by Elvera and Emery as well as published articles related to the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church's work in China.

Series III, Biographical Documentation, includes newspaper clippings about the Carlsons as well as documentation of Emery's work for the OSS during World War II. Series IV, Collected Material, concludes the collection with material related to fellow missionaries, programs, brochures and photos.