Phases of West China Missionary Life Digital Exhibit

Items

• Birth Location Population Size, USA (n133)
  The birth location data in this chart has been researched and gathered from published biographies, interviews with family members, and archival documents. It represents the actual birthplaces for the subset of 133 American missionaries for whom we were able to collect this detailed information.
  TitleBirth Location Population Size, USA (n133)

  DescriptionThe birth location data in this chart has been researched and gathered from published biographies, interviews with family members, and archival documents. It represents the actual birthplaces for the subset of 133 American missionaries for whom we were able to collect this detailed information.

  AbstractPopulation sizes are based on current day figures available on Google Maps for each specific location. Although these numbers were not the same at that time, at least this provides a view of population sizes relative to each other. It shows that two thirds of these individuals were born in towns of less than 50,000 people, and the Majority of those are farming communities of less than 5,000. In comparison with the Canadians, many more Americans were born in major cities.

  ProvenanceOriginal scholarship by Cory Willmott.
• 1926 Sichuan Women's Higher Education Degrees
  Bar charts based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of female missionaries with higher education degrees within and beyond the cohort.
  Title1926 Sichuan Women's Higher Education Degrees

  DescriptionBar charts based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of female missionaries with higher education degrees within and beyond the cohort.

  AbstractThese three bar charts are based on the list of 607 missionaries in Sichuan compiled by the West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) in 1926 (see the “Is Part Of” dataset record). They are part of an analysis that aims to identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them. Education constitutes one of the most important indicators of the North American cohort. This bar chart shows the percentage of cohort versus non-cohort women missionaries with the types of higher education degrees recorded in the WCMAB list. Where multiple degrees are given for individuals, their highest degree has been counted. “Medical” includes MDs only, with no dental or pharmacy degrees, and Registered Nurse as a separate category. “Above Bachelors” includes Masters and Doctoral degrees. A major issue with this data is that some denominations, and possibly stations within denominations, simply did not report women’s degrees. For example, while not one higher education degree is reported among the Baptists, we know anecdotally that at least two of the Baptist wives had Bachelor’s degrees. We have no way of knowing whether other societies neglected to report women’s degrees. Therefore, the numbers of degrees represented are lower than the actual number. For the first chart in this series, cohort and non-cohort percentages have been calculated separately based on the numbers of women in each group (Cohort n241; Non-cohort n152). Not surprisingly, given these numbers include both reported and unreported degrees, a large majority of both cohort (64%) and non-cohort (87%) missionary women are seen to have no higher education degree. However, the non-cohort group has a much higher percentage. Remarkably, both groups have almost the same percentages of “Above Bachelors” degrees, while the cohort women lead in all other categories. The second chart breaks down the numbers among the cohort and non-cohort missionary women with reported degrees according to marital status (n104). Here we can see that within the cohort the percent of single (35%) versus married (34%) women with degrees is almost the same. In contrast, among non-cohort women, over twice the number of single women (21%) have degrees compared to the married women (10%). This probably reflects the more conservative gender roles among non-cohort denominations. The third chart in the series breaks down the data on women with reported degrees by cohort/non-cohort, marital status and specific degree. Cohort and non-cohort percentages have been calculated out of the total number of reported degrees (n102). Again we see the cohort women outnumbering their non-cohort counterparts. This arrangement allows us to also measure the impact of marital status on the particular degrees that woman achieved. More single women have Master’s and medical degrees (total 29.5%) compared with only 5.5% of married women, and only single women are reported for RN (14%). On the other hand, more married women (39%) than single women (27%) have liberal arts Bachelor’s degrees. Although unclear regarding the non-cohort women, the cohort women clearly have larger percentages of higher education degrees than the populations of their home countries at large. For example, in the 1920 US census, which was the first to record education status, only 5.7% of the population had a “bachelor’s degree or higher” (and this includes 1.2% African Americans, none of whom were West China missionaries) (1). The same census records the number of people in school by age and gender. At 18 years of age (roughly college age), about 22% of men and 25% of women were attending school. At age 20, these numbers had dropped to 8% of women and 10% of men (2). Notably, the proportion of men to women is reversed. This measure also captures statistics for men and women who have some college education, but did not complete degrees, which we know anecdotally to be the case for many missionary women.

  ProvenanceOriginal scholarship by Cory Willmott.
• 1926 Sichuan Men's Higher Education Degrees
  Bar chart based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of male missionaries with higher education degrees within and beyond the cohort.
  Title1926 Sichuan Men's Higher Education Degrees

  DescriptionBar chart based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of male missionaries with higher education degrees within and beyond the cohort.

  AbstractThis bar chart is based on the list of 607 missionaries in Sichuan compiled by the West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) in 1926 (see the “Is Part Of” dataset record). They are part of an analysis that aims to identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them. Education constitutes one of the most important indicators of the North American cohort. This bar chart shows the percentage of cohort versus non-cohort missionaries with the types of higher education degrees recorded in the WCMAB list. Where multiple degrees are given for individuals, their highest degree has been counted. The “Reverand Only” category reflects men with no other post-secondary degree listed. “Medical” includes MDs and dental surgeon degrees, as well as post-baccalaureate pharmacy and first aid degrees. “Above Bachelors” includes Masters and Doctoral degrees. Cohort and non-cohort percentages have been calculated separately based on the numbers of men in each group (Cohort n125; Non-cohort n89). On the scale of men’s higher education degrees, cohort trends are almost exactly opposite those for non-cohort men. Fully 90% of cohort men have higher education degrees, compared to only 45% of non-cohort men. Conversely, 55% of non-cohort men have either no degree or Reverand only, while only 10% of cohort men fall into these categories. Both groups have higher percentages of higher education degrees than the populations of their home countries at large. For example, in the 1920 US census, which was the first to record education status, only 5.7% of the population had a “bachelor’s degree or higher” (and this includes 1.2% African Americans, none of whom were West China missionaries) (1). The same census records the number of people in school by age and gender. At 18 years of age (roughly college age), about 22% of men and 25% of women were attending school. At age 20, these numbers had dropped to 8% of women and 10% of men (2). Notably, the proportion of men to women is reversed. This measure also captures statistics for men and women who have some college education, but did not complete degrees, which we know anecdotally to be the case for many missionary women. The wide gap between education levels in the United States in general and those of West China missionaries is remarkable. Education is clearly an earmark of the missionary movement, and also a major point of demarcation between cohort versus non-cohort missionaries.

  ProvenanceOriginal scholarship by Cory Willmott.
• 1926 Denomination and Gender of All Missionaries in Sichuan
  Pie and bar charts based on the 1926 WCMAB list, showing the percentage of all missionaries in Sichuan by denomination and gender.
  Title1926 Denomination and Gender of All Missionaries in Sichuan

  DescriptionPie and bar charts based on the 1926 WCMAB list, showing the percentage of all missionaries in Sichuan by denomination and gender.

  AbstractThese pie and bar charts are based on the list of 607 missionaries in Sichuan compiled by the West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) in 1926 (see the “Is Part Of” dataset record). They are part of an analysis that aims to identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them. This pair of charts show two different visualizations of the same data table representing the percentage of missionaries each society had in Sichuan, divided by gender. The percentages have been calculated out of the total 607 missionaries. Both charts show that the two largest categories are the women of the biggest categories within the cohort and non-cohort groups, the UCC/CMM and CIM, respectively. Together these two groups of women compose over 1/3rd of the total (38%). After UCC/CMM men, American Methodist and American Baptist women together account for another 19% of the total. Together with the UCC/CMM women, these members of the North American cohort take up 41% of the total. Due to gender roles at the time, these large numbers did not reflect leadership roles for women, which were still almost exclusively controlled by men. Although single women rose up to leadership within women’s missionary societies, these societies themselves had lesser status within the missionary community. That UCC/CMM men take up third place tells a lot about their prominent role in the field (13%). They are the only group of cohort men who fall within the upper three quarters of the total. American Methodist, American Baptist and YMCA men combined fall short of their numbers (8.7%). On the pie chart, these remaining groups of cohort men are all crammed into the top left quarter. Despite their small numbers, these American men had disproportionately high representation in leadership roles. This is likely because all of these American missions were founded before the UCC/CMM arrived on the scene. These men were also influential in the founding of the West China Union University (WCUU), which became the hub for the entire province’s mission work.

  ProvenanceOriginal scholarship by Cory Willmott.
• 1926 Field Locations of all Missionaries in Sichuan
  Bar chart based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of cohort versus non-cohort West China missionary societies by the locations of their designated mission fields.
  Title1926 Field Locations of all Missionaries in Sichuan

  DescriptionBar chart based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of cohort versus non-cohort West China missionary societies by the locations of their designated mission fields.

  AbstractThis bar chart is based on the list of 607 missionaries in Sichuan compiled by the West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) in 1926 (see the “Is Part Of” dataset record). It is part of an analysis that aims to identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them. Missionary geography in Sichuan played a role in determining cohort/non-cohort membership, as the station locations for each denomination remained very similar to the way the WCMAB carved up the map of “fields” in 1902 (see related map). A major change came when CMM took over the territory formerly assigned to the London Missionary Society (LMS) in 1910. Although seeming peripheral on the map, the western corridor along the Min River from Chengdu to Yibin (Suifu) became a major focus of missionary activity, as well as where many of their summer resorts were located. Those denominations on the northern, eastern and southern perimeters remained marginal to the cohort that became established in the central areas. Included in the “Center” category are the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Yibin (Suifu) and Leshan (Kiating). These are the oldest and most centrally located mission centers, each being on major transportation routes and featuring centuries-old Chinese industry, heritage and scholarship. Each of these cities also had multiple denominations stationed there. In contrast, locations in the “Periphery” category are smaller towns both in between the main centers and around the perimeter of mission activity. The contrast is quite stark. Those denominations in the periphery remained marginal to the cohort that became established in the central areas. In the cohort group, 73% are stationed in central cities. The non-cohort group is the opposite – 81% are stationed in peripheral small towns.

  ProvenanceOriginal scholarship by Cory Willmott.
• 1926 Denominations of all Missionaries in Sichuan
  Pie and bar charts based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of cohort versus non-cohort West China missionary societies.
  Title1926 Denominations of all Missionaries in Sichuan

  DescriptionPie and bar charts based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of cohort versus non-cohort West China missionary societies.

  AbstractThese pie and bar charts are based on the list of 607 missionaries in Sichuan compiled by the West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) in 1926 (see the “Is Part Of” dataset record). They are part of an analysis that aims to identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them. This pair of charts show two different visualizations of the same data table representing the percentage of missionaries each society had in Sichuan, arranged to show those within versus those beyond the cohort. Reading the bar chart from the left, the first four societies compose the cohort (UCC/CMM, American Methodist, American Baptist and YM/WCA), while the latter four (starting with CIM) are beyond the cohort. Those mission societies within the cohort are all North American, while the non-cohort societies are dominated by the British Anglicans, British Friends and the predominantly British CIM. The pie chart helps us to graphically envision the comparison of these cohort/non-cohort proportions, with the cohort taking up almost 2/3 of the pie. The UCC/CMM dominates the cohort numbers while the CIM does so for the smaller non-cohort portion. Besides nationality, differences in denomination entail theological and strategic differences in approaches to mission work that also set these two groups apart. These qualitative variables are too complex to discuss here.

  ProvenanceOriginal scholarship by Cory Willmott.
• 1926 Sichuan Missionaries' Nationalities
  Pie chart based on the 1926 WCMAB list, showing the percentage of all West China missionaries by the nationalities of their mission societies.
  Title1926 Sichuan Missionaries' Nationalities

  DescriptionPie chart based on the 1926 WCMAB list, showing the percentage of all West China missionaries by the nationalities of their mission societies.

  AbstractThis pie chart is based on the list of 607 missionaries in Sichuan compiled by the West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) in 1926 (see the “Is Part Of” dataset record). It is part of an analysis that aims to identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them. The chart shows that almost 2/3 (62%) of the West China missionaries were sponsored by North American mission societies, with just over a third being sent by the United Church of Canada (34%). Previous to 1926, UCC had been the Canadian Methodist Mission (CMM). In contrast, the smaller American portion (28%) is made up of half a dozen different mission societies, not all of which meet the multivariant criteria for cohort membership. The unity and magnitude of the Canadian block was uniquely influential in shaping this cohort’s traits. The “Mixed and Other” category represents eleven societies based in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Australia, as well as the China Inland Mission (CIM), which had offices in England, Australia, Canada and the United States. The CIM composes over half of this group. It was the first mission society to establish bases in West China, but it was gradually overshadowed as other mission societies moved in.

  ProvenanceOriginal scholarship by Cory Willmott.
• The West China Missions Advisory Board’s Directory 1926, According to Missions
  Subtitle: "Arranged in Denominational Groups, giving home addresses of the Boards, or Societies, and the Chinese names of missionaries, with the dates of their first arrival in China." Document also contains list arranged alphabetically.
  TitleThe West China Missions Advisory Board’s Directory 1926, According to Missions

  DescriptionSubtitle: "Arranged in Denominational Groups, giving home addresses of the Boards, or Societies, and the Chinese names of missionaries, with the dates of their first arrival in China." Document also contains list arranged alphabetically.

  AbstractThe West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) compiled a list of missionaries in West China annually. Each denomination was responsible for compiling their own statistics and forwarding them to the advisory board member in charge of statistics. For this reason, the stats compiled for the different denominations are not uniform. For example, the Friends Foreign Mission included the names of missionary wives, while none of the others did. Some denominations included the higher education degrees that wives obtained, while other didn't. Nevertheless, the advisory board lists are invaluable data about who was stationed where, when, and by whom. The summer of 1926 was the heyday of missionary activity in West China before the Nationalist Revolution of 1926 to 1927 when all the missionaries had to evacuate for a period of six months to a year, and many did not return. It is also the year that the Canadian Methodists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists joined together to create the United Church of Canada, thereby consolidating their West China mission under one umbrella. It is therefore the ideal year to gain a snapshot of missionary statistics. The goal of this analysis is to help identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them. Non-cohort missionaries came from different national and institutional backgrounds, and they often had different theological points of view as a result. The China Inland Mission (CIM), for example, recruited missionaries from the British Empire, including England, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The largest mission outside the Methodists, CIM was structured much differently than the cohort missions, receiving no salaries or support from home mission boards. CIM missionaries also leaned much farther right theologically. In West China, CIM missionaries tended to be stationed either in a series of mission hostels on the route to West China, or in remote regions where they focused mainly on evangelism. The CIM example highlights how missionary geography in Sichuan also played a role in demarcating the cohort, as the station locations for each denomination remained very similar to the way the WCMAB carved up the map of “fields” in 1902 (see related map below). A major change came when CMM took over the territory formerly assigned to the London Missionary Society (LMS) in 1910. Although seeming peripheral on the map, the western corridor along the Min River from Chengdu to Yibin (Suifu) became a major focus of missionary activity, as well as where many of their summer resorts were located. Those denominations on the northern, eastern and southern perimeters remained marginal to the cohort that became established in the central areas. Analysis of this dataset of 607 total individuals stationed in Sichuan is presented in a series of bar and pie charts linked to this record. This dataset focuses on percentages of missionaries along lines of nationality, denomination, gender and education. By analyzing these variables, we can clearly see the subset of missionaries who are in the cohort as distinct from those who are not. Except for gender, each of these variables sets the two groups apart. Those stationed in Yunnan and Guizhou have been omitted from the 1926 WCMAB analysis. Their inclusion would not make a significant difference to the results because the numbers are small and, if anything, would strengthen the demarcation made between cohort and non-cohort missionaries. These charts focus on percentages of missionaries along lines of nationality, denomination, geography, gender and education. By analyzing these variables, we can clearly see the subset of missionaries who are in a cohort as distinct from those who are not. With the exception of gender, each of these variables sets the two groups apart.

  ProvenanceYale Divinity Library
• Interactive Map of West China Missionaries' Birth Places, USA
  The map presented here is based on birth place data for missionaries who served in West China, 1885-1952, researched and compiled by members of the Imaginaries and Modernities research team. It does not encompass all such missionaries, but enough of them to present clear trends in their places of origin. Here we present a still image of the USA map, which shows a wider geographic distribution than does the data from Canada, while still following the pattern of concentration in the northeast and midwest. Follow the "Source" link to an interactive version of the map where you can drill down to individuals' birth places. Click on a "pin" to see the name of the missionary and their hometown.
  TitleInteractive Map of West China Missionaries' Birth Places, USA

  DescriptionThe map presented here is based on birth place data for missionaries who served in West China, 1885-1952, researched and compiled by members of the Imaginaries and Modernities research team. It does not encompass all such missionaries, but enough of them to present clear trends in their places of origin. Here we present a still image of the USA map, which shows a wider geographic distribution than does the data from Canada, while still following the pattern of concentration in the northeast and midwest. Follow the "Source" link to an interactive version of the map where you can drill down to individuals' birth places. Click on a "pin" to see the name of the missionary and their hometown.
• Interactive Map of West China Missionaries' Birth Places, Canada
  The map presented here is based on birth place data for missionaries who served in West China, 1885-1952, researched and compiled by members of the Imaginaries and Modernities research team. It does not encompass all such missionaries, but enough of them to present clear trends in their places of origin. Here we present two still images of the data from Canada - the whole country and just Ontario. The first shows a strong concentration of birth places in central Canada while only a scattering of individuals in the east and west. The latter shows that a disproportionately large number of West China missionaries were born in Ontario, even when one includes those born in the USA or UK. Follow the "Source" link to an interactive version of the map where you can drill down to individuals' birth places. Click on a "pin" to see the name of the missionary and their hometown.
  TitleInteractive Map of West China Missionaries' Birth Places, Canada

  DescriptionThe map presented here is based on birth place data for missionaries who served in West China, 1885-1952, researched and compiled by members of the Imaginaries and Modernities research team. It does not encompass all such missionaries, but enough of them to present clear trends in their places of origin. Here we present two still images of the data from Canada - the whole country and just Ontario. The first shows a strong concentration of birth places in central Canada while only a scattering of individuals in the east and west. The latter shows that a disproportionately large number of West China missionaries were born in Ontario, even when one includes those born in the USA or UK. Follow the "Source" link to an interactive version of the map where you can drill down to individuals' birth places. Click on a "pin" to see the name of the missionary and their hometown.