Henry Hale Bucher, Sr. and Louise Scott Bucher Papers

This collection provides valuable insight into the life and work of Presbyterian missionaries Henry Hale Bucher, Sr. and Louise Scott Bucher. The Buchers were involved in missionary work from 1929 to 1972 and served in a variety of settings, from Henry Bucher's initial period of teaching at Bangkok Christian College through their years stationed in Hainan, South China, evacuation to the Philippines during World War II, time spent in internment camps, a return to China after the war, evacuation due to the Communist takeover in China, and eventual return to mission work in Thailand.

Series I, Family Correspondence, contains frequent, detailed letters that the Buchers wrote home to their families. These letters provide excellent documentation of their mission activities, family life, and the political disruptions of the time. The letters of Henry tend to be more substantial in terms of describing events, issues, and activities of their work, while Louise's letters deal more with family matters. The series includes both "circular" type letters addressed to the home families in general as well as letters addressed to specific family members. Letters written by Henry and Louise to their own children in later years, are more personal in nature and less descriptive of mission activities.

Most valuable in Series II, General Correspondence, are the circular letters that the Buchers sent to their supporters and friends at home. These provide a succinct overview of their work in the various venues where they found themselves. Also of interest in this series are letters written to the Buchers by former students and colleagues in China and Thailand, as well as communications from Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church and from the American Consulate regarding the situation for missionaries in China and Philippines during war.

Series III, Writings and Notes of the Buchers, includes interesting journal-type writings by Henry that describe his mission trips into the countryside in great detail. Also contained in this series are writings from the period when Henry was Associate Director of Missionary Education in the Presbyterian (U.S.A.) Board of Christian Education. Extensive sermon notes from through Henry's life are also included.

Series IV, Collected Material, is organized according to the various stages of their work. Documentation of the Hainan Mission of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. is particularly rich. Also of significant interest is collected material relating to the internment camps in the Philippines during the Second World War and in particular the raid by the U.S. Army that rescued inhabitants of the Los Baños camp.

Series V, Personal Items and Memorabilia, is divided into three sections: Biographical documentation, Artifacts and certificates, and Audio-visual materials. This series fills out the story of the Buchers' internment experience both through biographical documentation and through audio-visual materials. Numerous photographs trace the growth of the Bucher family and illustrate the venues where they worked.