Search

Contains six letters regarding the collection and transfer of Mary McCornack Thompson's diaries after her death in 1936. The first five letters are by Mr. William L. Thompson (Mary's husband) to his nieces Margaret and Jay Urice, who are locating and collecting Mary's diaries. The letters are all handwritten, with some typed copies. The sixth letter is from Jay Urice to Mr. Julian Fowler, a librarian at Oberlin College, about having Mary's diaries sent to Oberlin. Arranged chronologically.

Contains 90 diaries maintained by Mary McCornack Thompson during her time as a Presbyterian missionary in Africa, documenting in great detail her daily life and work. The diaries provide a revealing look at daily missionary life in Africa (attending meetings, prayers, teaching classes), thoughts on scripture, weather, friends and other missionaries, daily chores (sewing, baking, gardening), brief glimpses of the culture and customs of the local Africans, as well as descriptions of her travels throughout the world, and encounters with friends and fellow missionaries. She also notes her thoughts about world events such as the Russian Revolution and World War I. Throughout the diaries she describes her travels across Africa, the Middle East, the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Far East. The entries are very matter-of-fact, describing situations, people, and events, but containing little introspection about how she feels. The journals are arranged by chronological volume numbers given by the author. Many small groups of loose materials were found laid into the beginning or end of the journals; these materials have been left in the journals; some of these items appear to be unrelated to the journals in which they were found.