Willmott Family Archives
Item set
- Title
- Willmott Family Archives See all item sets with this value
- Description
- This collection consists of photographs and other items that are in the possession of the Willmott family. Most of the images were created by either Leslie Earl or Donald Earl Willmott, but it also includes portions that were not created by Willmotts. See all item sets with this value
- Abstract
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Earl and Katharine Willmott were missionaries in Sichuan from 1921-195, first for the Canadian Methodist Mission (CMM), and then for the United Church Foreign Mission Society (UCFMS) after 1926 when three Protestant churches in Canada united. From 1921 to 1927, the Willmotts were stationed at Jenshow (pinyin Renshou), then from 1927-1928 they worked in Shanghai along with other evacuees from inland China. From 1928-1932 the mission society stationed them in Chongqing, and then finally from 1932-1951 they lived and worked in Chengdu.
Additionally, like all missionaries, the Willmotts had furloughs about every 7 years, during which they returned to North America, spanning time between Canada and the USA. Earl’s family was in Toronto, while Katharine’s family was in Ohio, since they were American. The couple met while in grad school at Teachers College, Columbia University, 1920-1921.
The Willmott Family collection includes photographs and text created by Leslie Earl and Mary Katharine while they were working as missionaries in Sichuan. These photographs have provenance from Leslie Earl Willmott (AKA Earl) and Kay's and Earl's children, Donald Earl, Margaret Joy, Richard Curtis and William Edward, which will be noted in the provenance section of the items' records.
This collection also includes photographs and text created by Donald Earl Willmott while he was working for the American OSS during WWII.
This collection also includes images from various creators that found their way into the Willmott family possession. These include photographs taken by Samuel Soper, a Canadian Methodist Mission missionary who preceded Earl Willmott as an educational missionary in Renshou, Sichuan. These images, mainly of Chinese traditional occupations, were widely circulated to promote the mission's work.
Finally, the Willmott Family Collection also includes a series of slides taken by Lewis Walmsley in 1954 and a series of images taken by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 1800s. These series were in other missionary family collections before being given to the Willmotts.
Because of the diverse composition of these images' origins, the items have been numbered with the preface "WFC" (Willmott Family Collection) rather than any individual's initials like many of the other family collections. See all item sets with this value - Creator
- Cory Willmott
- Date Created
- 2024-10-10
- Event Records
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1930s Willmott Family Mt. Omei Journeys
- Provenance
- This collection is in the temporary custody of Cory Willmott, while in the process of full transfer to the Mount Royal University Archives. See all item sets with this value
- Mount Royal University Archives See all item sets with this value
- Access Rights
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Items
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Woodblock Print - Threshing Rice Four men working in a rice field - two of them are tying the rice into sheaves, while the other two are threshing the sheaves in a conical wooden device for that purpose. They wear only cotton trousers. -
George Dodds in Front of his Monument Business Storefront George Dodds (far left) stands in front of the storefront for his monument business in Xenia, Ohio, with several relatives and employees. Carved gravestones are on display in the yard or sidewalk. The three story building also housed his family, including his daughter Carrie Dodds Geyer after her husband's death, along with their three children, Mary Katharine among them. -
Actors in the Old Lady Shows Her Medals, 1922 Formal portrait of a group of thirteen missionaries standing on the steps of an unidentified building, probably at WCUU. The women wear winter coats, and the men wear woolen suits. There is one child in the front. -
Willmott Wedding Portrait 2 Formal portrait of Lesslie Earl Willmott and Mary Katharine Geyer on their wedding day. The groom wears a tuxedo with a white vest and bowtie. The bride wears a white dress with a three tiered skirt that was considered unconventionally short for the time period. She also sports bobbed hair.