Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1901-1934 (Creation)
Extent
0.54 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
Spencer Lewis (1854-1939) was a Methodist Episcopal Church missionary to China. He received a B.A. from Northwestern University (1879) and attended Garrett Biblical Institute. Lewis married Esther Bilble ( 1859-?) in 1881. Later that year they sailed for China. Upon arrival in Chinkiang he was ordained, and he remained there for one year of language study. In 1882 he moved to Chungking where he began preaching in rural areas. Lewis was appointed superintendent of the West China Mission in 1888 and established a school for boys that year. His wife began a school for girls the following year.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection contains 19 diaries prepared by Spencer Lewis while he was a missionary in China. Some of the diaries contain more than one year.
System of arrangement
The diaries are arranged in chronological order with some exceptions due to placement of content.
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
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
For additional information on the Lewis' see the Records of the Methodist Church, Board of Missions Missionary Files Series; and the Records of the United Methodist Church, Missionary Reference Files Series.
A handwritten eigthteen page letter by Lewis' wife, Ester, is located in the Reference Collection. It recounts a trip down the Yangtze River.
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, Spencer Lewis Diaries, 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
- Conservation: All of these diaries are fragile and have deteriorating bindings. Care should be taken when using.
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Prepared by David Evans, Student Assistant and Kristen Turner, Associate Archivist