Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1866-1977 (Creation)
Extent
0.45 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
Mary Althea Anderson (1879-1963), Methodist Episcopal Church Missionary, was born on March 14, 1879 on the British Island territory of Mauritius to missionary parents. Anderson’s father had Scottish ancestry, while her mother was a descendent of French Huguenots. Despite familial ties to Britain, her family never lived there and considered France to be their native home. In addition to her mother’s familial ties to France, her father, S.H. Anderson, worked in the McCall mission in Paris. Mary Anderson was educated in France, attending the Lycee Moliere in Paris. She also went to school at Bunbank/ missionary training Home in Glasgow, Scotland. Anderson trained as a student nurse in Alloa County Hospital, Scotland.
Anderson carried out her work as part of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society, First Church, New Castle. She began her service in Algeria in October 1908. During her time as a missionary, she was associated with Emily Smith and Dora Welch in their work among the Kabyles. Anderson was also a poet, who wrote about religion and African history.
Though Mary retired on June 1, 1948, she remained in El Bier (Algiers), Algeria because “there was no home or family in France to which (she and her sister) could return” as a result of the Second World War.
By July 7, 1959, Anderson and her sister were in bad health. Ruth Lawrence, of the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries,recommend that she be eligible to receive medical help for retired missionaries, it indicates that perhaps she was not considered retired as she was not recognized as living out her retirement in her “native country.”
In 1962, Anderson traveled to England because of her declining health in order to be closer to a relative, possibly her cousin Ralph J. B. Anderson. Mary died on May 29, 1963, in the French Hospital, London, England.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Mary Althea Anderson's personal letters and other record types illustrate her work and life both within and beyond the church. Correspondences from her father, S.H. Anderson, as well as Agnes Anderson, and Nellie Anderson. The former two were also involved in missionary work.
The papers focus primarily on her and her family's missionary work. There are other documents related to family that predate her service. Even though her family never lived in Britain and considered France to be their native home, her notes, documents, and letters are in primarily in English because of familial ties to Britain through her paternal line.
However, her mother was descendant of a French Huguenot family. As a result, letters and documents written in French are also within the collection.
Mary Anderson was an active Poet, and as a result, many of her original manuscripts exist within her collection. Much of her poetry reflects her missionary work. In addition to those that contain religious themes, many of Anderson's poems are written about North Africa, its history, and its people.
Also within the collection are a few noteworthy photographs depicting African peoples wearing western style dress, as well as one depicting a traditional indigenous African scene.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
1998-020 General Board of Global Ministries, Women's Division
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Microfilm Edition of the Mission Biographical Reference Files
Records of the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved.
General note
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Mary Althea Anderson Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Prepared by Stephen M. Sopko, Intern and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist
Access points
Subject access points
Name access points
- Anderson, S. H. (Subject)
- Anderson, Agnes (Subject)
- Anderson, Nellie (Subject)