Skip to main content

Manly Family Papers

 Collection
Call Number: RG 82

Scope and Contents

Series I, Correspondence, includes detailed original letters written by W. E. Manly to his family in the U.S. from 1911 to 1914. A political uprising in Chengdu, dealings with native teachers and churches, and Methodist mission politics are described. Correspondence with Bishop J. W. Bashford,Joseph Beech, and other missionaries relates to the political unrest. Circular letters written by the Manlys to supporters in the U.S. provide a good overview of their work. A set of excerpts from Manly correspondence called "Chronicles" provides a glimpse of correspondence early than the letters available in original format.

Series II, Writings, includes material written by W. E. Manly, Grace Manly, and Marian Manly. W. E. Manly was interested in engineering devices to improve life in West China, including a waterwheel system to produce electricity. An essay by Marian Manly describes the Chin I School of Midwifery, which she headed.

Series III, Photographs, includes portraits and group shots of missionaries, Chinese native workers, conferences, and school groups, as well as scenery and scenes from life in Sichuan province in the early 1900s. Many of the photographs are identified, with approximate dates.

Series IV, Collected Material and Memorabilia, includes ephemeral written material and artifacts.

Dates

  • 1888-1976

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Marian Manly, 1971

Arrangement

  1. I. Correspondence
  2. II. Writings
  3. III. Photographs
  4. IV. Collected Items and Memorabilia

Extent

4 Linear Feet (8 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/divinity.082

Abstract

Correspondence, writings, photographs, and collected materials document the life and work of the Manly family in China. Political unrest in Chengdu 1911-1912 is well documented, as is the daily work of a Methodist missionary working with native churches. The collection includes valuable photographs of Sichuan from the early 1900s. Wilson Edward Manly, his wife Florence and daughters Marian and Grace were American Methodist missionaries in Sichuan (Szechwan) province from 1893 to 1943.

Biographical / Historical

1893
Wilson Edward Manly went to China as Methodist missionary
1896
Wilson Edward ("Ward") Manly and Florence Brown married in Shanghai, moved to Chengdu
1898
Daughter Marian born in Chongqing (Chungking); Marian returned to China as medical doctor; she was also an author using the pseudonym Han Suyin.
1901
Daughter Grace born in Chongqing (Chungking); returned to China as missionary; died in 1942.
1908
Son Gordon born in Chengdu
1913
W.E. Manly received D.D. from Cornell College

Processing Information

Place names were modernized in the description, with the name originally used in the collection material or in an older version of the finding aid in parenthesis: e.g. “Beijing (Peking)” or “Benin (Dahomey)”.

Title
Guide to the Manly Family Papers
Author
Compiled by Martha Lund Smalley
Date
2001
Description rules
Finding Aid Prepared According To Local Divinity Library Descriptive Practices
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Part of the Yale Divinity Library Repository

Contact:
409 Prospect Street
New Haven CT 06511 US
(203) 432-5301

Opening Hours