Guide to the Van Evera Family Papers

Descriptive Summary

Title

Van Evera Family Papers

Inclusive Dates

circa 1904-2003

Bulk Dates

1912-early 1950s

Call Number

RG 498

Quantity

8.14 cubic feet (7 boxes, 4 lantern slide boxes, 2 flat boxes, and 1 oversize flat box)

Language

Materials primarily in English with some material in Chinese and German

Restrictions on Access

Open for research. Medical, educational, and psychological records of living people are closed.

Digital Content

To browse this collection's digitized materials visit Pearl.

Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not be available on Pearl or in their entirety.

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Biographical Note

Kepler Van Evera was born on April 9, 1883, in Davenport, Iowa, to Charles Van Evera and Henrietta Kepler Van Evera. He graduated from Coe College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) in 1907 and from McCormick Theological Seminary (Chicago) in 1912. Kepler was ordained by the Presbytery of Iowa City of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (PCUSA) at Summit Church (Davenport, Iowa) on August 20, 1912. A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Pauline (Polly) Wurster was born on May 28, 1877 to Friedrich Wurster and Pauline Hutzel Wurster. She was confirmed in the Bethlehem German Evangelical Church at Ann Arbor in 1891. Pauline received a diploma from the Department of Domestic Science, Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry (Philadelphia) in 1905; and B.A. and M.S. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1910 and 1911, being elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Kepler and Pauline were appointed missionaries to the Central China Mission (renamed the East China Mission in 1937) by the Board of Foreign Missions of the PCUSA on December 18, 1911, and assigned to the Hangchow station. In spring 1912, the Highland Park Presbyterian Church (Highland Park, Illinois) assumed support for them on the foreign mission field. Following their marriage on July 31, 1912, the couple departed San Francisco in early September and arrived in Shanghai on the first of October. In 1913, after completing language school in Nanking (Nanjing), the Van Everas began work at Hangchow (Hangzhou), the capital of Chekiang Province, 100 miles southwest of Shanghai. Except for furloughs and short transfers due to war emergencies, they spent their missionary life in the district of Hangchow and the surrounding countryside primarily engaged in evangelistic work, relief and child welfare work, and teaching. In the summer, conditions permitting, the Van Everas and other families from the mission traveled to Mokanshan (Moganshan) for an extended stay at the mountain retreat about 40 miles from Hangchow.

On July 7, 1937, Japan launched a war on China in Peking. On August 13 fighting broke out in Shanghai, the day that the Van Everas sailed from Seattle on return to China from furlough. They arrived in Shanghai in October and the Japanese occupation of Hangchow began on December 24, 1937. Kepler and Pauline were able to remain in China and carry on their service until they were ordered to leave Hangchow on June 10, 1942. On June 29 the Van Everas and other repatriates departed Shanghai on the Italian steamer Conte Verde that sailed under the Japanese flag. At Lourenco Marques, Mozambique they transferred to the MS Gripsholm and arrived in New York harbor on August 25, 1942.

Both Van Evera children were born in China, Louise at Mokanshan on September 10, 1914 and her younger brother Carl in Shanghai on August 30, 1917. They attended Hangchow American School and Shanghai American School (SAS). After graduating from SAS in 1932, Louise traveled to Germany for further study and returned to the United States in 1933 to attend college. After transferring from the University of Michigan in 1935, she received a B.A. degree from Hope College (Holland, Michigan) in 1937 and a M.A. degree from the Presbyterian College of Christian Education (Chicago) in 1940. Her master's thesis was a study on the problems involved in the education of children of missionaries serving under the Board of Foreign Missions of the PCUSA. That same year she married Harold J. Person (M.A., Presbyterian College of Christian Education in Chicago). After their marriage, they worked in Presbyterian mission centers in Marshall, North Carolina and Batesville, Mississippi. In 1949, the Person family moved from Emporia, Kansas to Springfield, Missouri, where Louise and Harold raised their children.

Carl graduated from SAS in 1935 and returned to the United States to continue his education. He spent two years at the Peddie School in Highstown, New Jersey and received a degree in math from Coe College in 1941. While at Coe he was in the R.O.T.C. program and, shortly after graduation, he was called to active duty in the United States Army. Carl married Mary Patricia (Pat) Andrews in July 1942. During World War II he served stateside in the Infantry and Tank Destroyers, but when it was discovered he had lived in China, he was transferred to the Signal Corps and was shipped to China in late 1944. Kepler and Pauline were already in Free China, having returned in August 1944. Carl spent most of his time in Central China. In July 1945, he made a surprise visit to his parents at Changteh, Hunan, the only Presbyterian mission station not held by the Japanese. After the war, Carl was stationed in Shanghai until he left for the United States in March 1946.

Kepler and Pauline returned to Hangchow in December 1945, ministering to both the physical and spiritual needs of the victims of a long war. They worked with the local populace in relief, child welfare, and rehabilitation. In May 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Hangchow and the city came under Communist control. The Van Everas continued with their church and child welfare work. In 1950 their situation became increasingly uncertain and in December of that year they applied for exit permits. On March 10, 1951 they were ordered to leave Hangchow within seven days, initiating the process for exiting China. Kepler and Pauline sailed from Hong Kong for the United States in April 1951.

After returning to the United States as furloughed missionaries, the Van Everas retired from active missionary service on May 10, 1952. Their retirement years in Springfield, Missouri were filled with community and church activities, and they spoke frequently on China. Kepler died on May 15, 1955 and Pauline on May 26, 1965. Their son, Carl Van Evera, died in Bel Air, Maryland on March 10, 2003. Their daughter, Louise Van Evera Person, died in Washington D.C. on March 21, 2007.

Collection Overview

The Van Evera Family Papers, circa 1904-2003, bulk 1912-early 1950s, document the missionary life and service in China of Kepler Van Evera as well as his wife, Pauline (Polly) Wurster Van Evera. The papers also document the lives of their children, Louise Van Evera Person and Carl Van Evera, from infancy to adulthood. The collection includes personal materials, correspondence, subject files, photographs, photograph albums, lantern slides, and other materials. The correspondence and photographic materials comprise the bulk of the collection and are the most complete.

The collection is arranged into five series: Personal materials, 1905-1965; Correspondence, 1904-1995, bulk 1912-early 1950s; Subject files, 1907-2003, bulk 1920s-1940s; Photographic materials and travel diaries, circa 1904, circa 1910s-1953, 1982; and Oversize materials, circa 1912-1913, 1920s-1952.

The Personal materials series contains material arranged under three headings: Kepler Van Evera and Pauline Wurster/Van Evera; Louise Van Evera/Person, Harold J. Person, and Mary Helen Person; and Carl Van Evera and Mary Patricia Andrews Van Evera. Material relating to Kepler and Pauline includes Kepler's certificates of licensure and ordination, 1911, 1912; passports and travel documents; assorted account records, 1940s-1951; a few items from their 1943-1944 voyage back to China; a citation from the Board of Foreign Missions in recognition of the Van Everas' achievements and service; memorial minutes, 1955, 1965; ephemera; clippings; and other assorted material. Material relating to Louise and family primarily includes a few SAS class items and a 1932 letter of recommendation from the school secretary; her 1928-1932 cash book and May-August 1932 diary; a few items relating to her study trip to Germany; a few photographs; Harold's 1941 cablegram and copy of the radio message aired via radio station K.G.E.I in San Francisco to Kepler and Pauline in Hangchow informing them of Mary Helen's birth; and a set of photographs of Louise, Harold, and their infant daughter. Of particular note is Louise's 1940 master's thesis on the problems involved in the education of children of PCUSA Board of Foreign Missions missionaries. Material relating to Carl and Mary Patricia includes Carl's pocket yearbook with entries for 1927, three 1936 snapshots of the Peddie School and Carl, their 1942 wedding invitation, and two clippings.

Series II consists of correspondence arranged chronologically and grouped by folder title heading. A heading may consist of a single folder to multiple folders with the number of items in a folder ranging from a few to a large quantity of material. There are posted envelopes for a large portion of the correspondence that provide context and visual interest. They are filed with their respective correspondence. Posted envelopes that did not contain contents are housed in a single file at the end of the series. The bulk of the correspondence is from 1912 to the early 1950s and personal correspondence is the most extensive. Although Kepler and Pauline's correspondence is largely personal, it provides a rich account of their missionary life and service in China from 1912 to 1951. The series also includes personal correspondence of Louise and Carl from childhood to adulthood. The PCUSA Board of Foreign Missions circular letters and bulletins to the relatives and friends of China missionaries (August 1937-March 1939, 1942-1945, and 1948-1950) provide information on the situation and status of Kepler and Pauline during the Japanese occupation, World War II, and the fighting between the Nationalists and the Communists.

The Subject files series is arranged alphabetically by folder title with the exception of the folders comprising the Shanghai American School (SAS) material. Subject files of particular note include the following: Hangchow American School and Mothers' Club, 1918-1934 and undated, including Pauline's notebook of programs given by Hangchow children; Hangchow and mission history, 1907-1940, 1963 and undated, including historical sketches, notes, a church work report, pamphlets, and correspondence; Mokanshan Sunday School, 1915, 1922-1935 and undated, including a honor roll notebook for scripture memorization; Occupied China/repatriation/Gripsholm, including Kepler's undated personal account of experiences from 1937 to 1942; and the memoir of Jay Charles Oliver, Y.M.C.A. secretary in Hangchow and Shanghai from 1917 to 1943. SAS subject files include six yearbooks from the 1920s and 1930s; May Day and quadrangle photographs; a few issues of the student publication Nooze and programs, 1930-1935; SAS Alumni Association material; and SAS class of 1935 55^th reunion material and photographs from Carl's 1935 graduation.

The Photographic materials and travel diaries series is divided into three subseries: Photographs and postcards, circa 1904, circa 1910s-1953, 1982; Photograph albums and travel diaries, 1912-1940; and Lantern slides, circa 1910s. The first subseries features the following: a set of photographs in four folders, September 1912-November 1914, taken on Kepler and Pauline's voyage to China and during their first two years in China (locations include Shanghai, Hangchow, Nanking, and Mokanshan); five folders of Hangchow photographs, circa 1913-1947, documenting the mission compound, mission life, the Van Evera family, and other missionary families; a folder of photographs documenting Hangchow American School and Mothers' Club, 1922-1931 and undated; a folder of photographs documenting the Up River field, 1914-1949 and undated; a folder of photographs documenting child welfare, welfare and relief, Japanese occupation, and war (primarily Hangchow), mid-1930s-1940s; and 3 folders of Mokanshan photographs, circa 1904, circa 1913-1934 and undated, documenting the mountain retreat, the community, and the Van Evera family. The China postcards, circa 1910s-circa 1930s, are of Hangchow's West Lake as well as a few of Mokanshan, Nanking, Shanghai, Changchow, Hai Yien, and Quinsan.

The first of three photograph albums, 1912-1919 and undated, primarily documents Kepler and Pauline; Presbyterian mission and missionaries in China; Chinese people; Nanking, Hangchow, Mokanshan, Up River, and their environs; places and natural scenery; transportation and travel; and shrines and temples. The second album, 1912, circa 1920s-circa 1930s, primarily documents the Van Evera family in Hangchow and Mokanshan, and the Presbyterian mission compound in Hangchow. The third album, 1912-1914, 1940 and undated, primarily documents the Presbyterian mission compound in Hangchow, the Van Evera family, holiday events, child welfare work in Hangchow, Hangchow Christian College, Mokanshan, Nanking, and China scenes. Some photographs in these three albums may be duplicate images of photographs in the photographs subseries. A fourth album includes photographs from Louise's 1932 graduation from SAS and her 1932-1933 study trip to Germany. Relevant to the circa 1927-1928 album of the Van Evera family's furlough trip from China to the United States are Kepler, Pauline, and Louise's 1927-1928 furlough travel diaries.

The third subseries consists of over 220 color and black and white lantern slides, circa 1910s and undated, primarily documenting Chinese people and their daily life and work, housing, transportation and travel, events, temples and churches, and places and natural scenery. Some lantern slides are duplicate images of photographs in the photographs subseries.

The Oversize materials series contains assorted material arranged under five headings: Diplomas, school document, and invitation; Graphic material; Printed material; Maps; and Poster. Featured items include Kepler's 1913 Nanking Language School diploma; an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Chu, teachers, and young people to Kepler and Pauline to a December 21, 1945 welcome back feast after a three year absence from Hangchow; a circa 1912 pen and ink story drawing, "Further Romance of the Germ-Finder and the Sky-Pilot," about Kepler and Pauline; and some China maps of assorted types, 1930s-1940s and undated.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is arranged as follows:

SERIES I: PERSONAL MATERIALS, 1905-1965
Box 1, Folders 1-17

SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE, 1904-1995, bulk 1912-early 1950s
Box 2 - Box 5, Folder 12

SERIES III: SUBJECT FILES, 1907-2003, bulk 1920s-1940s
Box 5, Folder 13 - Box 6

SERIES IV: PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS AND TRAVEL DIARIES, circa 1904, circa 1910s-1953, 1982
Subseries 1: Photographs and postcards, circa 1904, circa 1910s-1953, 1982
   Box 7
Subseries 2: Photograph albums and travel diaries, 1912-1940
   Flat boxes 8-9
   Box 1, Folders 18-20
Subseries 3: Lantern slides, circa 1910s
   Lantern slide boxes 10-13

SERIES V: OVERSIZE MATERIALS, circa 1912-1913, 1920s-1952
Oversize flat box 14

Alternative Formats

To browse this collection's digitized materials visit Pearl.

Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not have been digitized in their entirety.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Received from Mary Helen Harris in 2008.

Processing Information

Collection processed and guide prepared in April 2017 by Bill Brock, Collection Management Archivist.

Preferred Citation

Van Evera Family Papers, RG 498, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Personal Name Subject

Van Evera family.

Van Evera, Kepler, 1883-1955.

Van Evera, Pauline, 1877-1965.

Person, Louise, 1914-2007.

Van Evera, Carl, 1917-2003.

Corporate Subject

Hangchow American School.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Board of Foreign Missons.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Central China Mission.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. East China Mission.

Shanghai American School.

Topical Subject

Children of missionaries.

Evangelistic work--China--Hangzhou--20th century.

Missionaries--China--Hangzhou--20th century.

Women missionaries--China--Hangzhou--20th century.

Missionaries--Family relationships.

Missions--China--Hangzhou--20th century.

Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945.

Geographic Subject

Hangzhou (China)--20th century.

Moganshan (China)--20th century.

China--Missions--20th century.

China--Social conditions--20th century.

Genre-form

Correspondence. aat

Lantern slides. aat

Photograph albums. aat

Photographs. aat

Subject files. local

Personal Added Name

Van Evera, Kepler, 1883-1955.

Van Evera, Pauline, 1877-1965.

Person, Louise, 1914-2007.

Van Evera, Carl, 1917-2003.

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description	Alternative Formats

		SERIES I: PERSONAL MATERIALS, 1905-1965

		Kepler Van Evera and Pauline Wurster/Van Evera
1	1	Certificates of licensure and ordination, passports and travel documents, ephemera, clippings, and other assorted material, 1905-1940 and undated
1	2	Passports, ephemera, material from the 1943-1944 voyage back to China, and other assorted material, 1942-1951 and undated
1	3	Citation from the Board of Foreign Missions, memorial minutes, ephemera, and other assorted material, 1952-1965 and undated
1	4	Kepler Van Evera's pocket edition Kuoyü Bible, printed in China, China Bible House, 1940
1	5	Pauline Van Evera's account book of gifts, 1937-1957
1	6	Bonds, 1943, 1946-1947
1	7	Board statements (personal) and other accounts, 1941-1943, 1946-1951
1	8	Salary statements (personal), 1940s
1	9	China Fund Temporary account (personal), 1948-1951
1	10	Travel accounts (personal), 1943-1946, 1950-1952
1	11	Board material (personal), 1951-1954, bulk 1951-1952
1	12	Medical, 1951-1954

		Louise Van Evera/Person, Harold J. Person, and Mary Helen Person
1	13	Primarily SAS class materials and letter of recommendation for Louise, items re Louise's study trip to Germany, and assorted material re Harold J. Person and the Persons' infant daughter Mary Helen (includes some photos), 1930s-1940s and undated
1	14	Louise Van Evera's cash book, 1928-1932
1	14	Louise Van Evera's bank account book, 1931-1943, 1951
1	15	Louise Van Evera's diary, 1932 May-Aug.
1	16	Louise Van Evera's master's thesis on the problems involved in the education of children of PCUSA Board of Foreign Missions missionaries, 1940

		Carl Van Evera and Mary Patricia Andrews Van Evera
1	17	Carl's pocket yearbook (1927 entries), Peddie School and other photos, wedding invitation, and clippings, 1927, 1936, 1942, 1944, 1963 and undated

		SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE, 1904-1995, bulk 1912-early 1950s

		PCUSA Board of Foreign Missions to Kepler Van Evera re missionary appointment and assignment
2	1	1911 Dec. 21, 1912 Mar. 7 and Apr. 1

		Between Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Highland Park, Ill. (supporting church) and Kepler and Pauline Van Evera and Mrs. Charles Van Evera
2	2	1912-1914

		Kepler Van Evera and Pauline Wurster/Van Evera to Kepler's side of the family
2	3	1909-1912
2	4	1912
2	5	1913
2	6	1914-1915
2	7	1916-1917
2	8	1918-1919 Jan.-Feb.
2	9	1920-1921, 1923, 1926-1927
2	10	1928-1929
2	11	1930-1931
2	12	1932, 1934, 1936-1941, 1943-1949, 1952-1955, 1965 and undated

		Pauline Van Evera and Kepler Van Evera to Pauline's side of the family
2	13	1912-1916
2	14	1917-1919
2	15	1920-1925, 1929
2	16	1930-1934

3	1	1938-1939, 1942-1953, 1957 and undated
3	2	1919, 1923, 1931, 1933, 1947

		Kepler and Pauline to relatives and friends
3	3	1925, 1937-1938, 1942-1945, 1952-1963

		Family to Pauline Wurster/Van Evera and Kepler Van Evera
3	4	Emilie Martha Steinbach, Charlotte Steinbach, 1904, 1912, 1927-1928, 1937, 1962, and undated
3	5	1917, 1919, 1939, 1942-1943, 1945-1947, 1951-1952, 1954

		Family and friends to Pauline and Kepler on the birth of Louise Van Evera
3	6	1914-1915

		Friends and acquaintances to Pauline and Kepler
3	7	1917, 1922-1923, 1928, 1932-1939, 1941-1948
3	8	1950 Christmas Eve-1952
3	9	1953
3	10	1954-1956, 1958-1959, 1961-1965, 1974 and undated

		Kepler to Pauline, Louise, and Carl
3	11	1921-1924, 1952 and undated

		Kepler and Pauline to Louise Van Evera/Person and family, and Carl Van Evera and family
3	12	1933	Digital
3	13	1934-1935
3	14	1936-1937 Sept.
3	15	1937 Oct.-Dec.
3	16	1938

4	1	1939
4	2	1940
4	3	1941
4	4	1942
4	5	1943 Jan.-Apr.
4	6	1943 May-Dec.
4	7	1944-1949	Digital
4	8	1950-1951

		Louise Van Evera/Person and family to Kepler and Pauline
4	9	1927-1933
4	10	1934-1939
4	11	1940-1943, 1951 and undated

		Louise Van Evera/Person to relatives and others
4	12	1930-1931, 1942, 1949 and undated

		Relatives, friends, and acquaintances to Louise Van Evera/Person and Person family
4	13	1926?, 1927, 1929, 1932, 1934?, 1935-1936
4	14	1937-1943
4	15	1944-1945, 1947-1949, 1951, 1959, 1976, 1982-1983, 1989, 1991, 1995

		Carl Van Evera and Pat Andrews/Van Evera to Kepler, Pauline, and Louise Van Evera/Person
5	1	1925-1926, 1929-1934
5	2	1935-1937

5	3	1938-1939
5	4	1940-1943
5	5	1944-1948

		Carl Van Evera to Louise and Harold Person
5	6	1940, 1942-1946

		Carl Van Evera to relatives
5	7	1937, 1944, 1946

		Family and friends to Carl and Pat Van Evera
5	8	1936, 1938, 1941, 1945, 1952, 1954

		War Trade Board, Presbyterian Ministers Fund for Life Insurance, and PCUSA Board of Foreign Missions to C.V. Wurster (Pauline's brother)
5	9	1918, 1932-1934, 1937, 1942-1949, 1951

		PCUSA Board of Foreign Missions circular letters and bulletins to the relatives and friends of China missionaries
5	10	1937 Aug.-1939 Mar.
5	11	1942-1945, 1948-1950

5	12	Posted envelopes (no contents found with), 1913, late 1920s-early 1950s and undated

		SERIES III: SUBJECT FILES, 1907-2003, bulk 1920s-1940s

5	13	Birch, John/John Birch Society, 1954, 1964, 1971, 1973
5	14	China (printed and other assorted material), 1912, 1930s-1940s
5	15	China (printed and other assorted material), 1950s-early 1960s, 1980s and undated
5	16	Chinese children's reader and Bible stories, undated	Digital
5	17	Communism, 1948, 1951 and undated

6	1	Hangchow, 1923, 1986 and undated
6	2	Hangchow American School and Mothers' Club, 1918-1934 and undated
6	3	Hangchow and mission history, 1907-1940, 1963 and undated
6	4	Hangchow dialect sound tables, 1908, 1916
6	5	Hunan Province/mission history/Chinese Christian Church, 1936, 1950
6	6	Mackensen, Paul (Pauline Van Evera's nephew, Lutheran missionary, and prisoner of the Chinese communists), 1952, 1954-1956
6	7	Mokanshan Sunday School, 1915, 1922-1935 and undated
6	8	Occupied China/repatriation/Gripsholm (includes a group photograph of the Presbyterians--Kepler and Pauline Van Evera not present--that were on the Gripsholm, taken in New York after their arrival), 1937, 1942, 1943?
6	9	Oliver, Jay Charles (1886-1974; Y.M.C.A. secretary in Hangchow and Shanghai from 1917 to 1943) memoir, photo, and ephemera, 1927?, 1933, 1974
6	10	Relatives, 1909, 1911-1914, 1928, 1948 and undated

		Shanghai American School (SAS)
6	11	Columbian yearbooks, 1925, 1927, 1929
6	12	Columbian yearbooks, 1930, 1931
6	13	Columbian yearbook, 1932
6	13	McTyeire School senior class yearbook (Shanghai), 1932
6	14	SAS photographs - May Day celebration, the quadrangle, 1927?, 1931
6	15	SAS student publication (Nooze) and assorted SAS programs, 1930-1935
6	15	Community Church of Shanghai, 1932, circa early 1930s
6	15	Holy Trinity Cathedral (Shanghai) American Thanksgiving Service programs, 1928-1929
6	15	Wayland Academy Glee Club (Hangchow) program, 1930
6	16	SAS Alumni Association, 1937-1940, 1988, 1992, 2003
6	17	SAS class of 1935 55th reunion and Carl Van Evera's graduation photos, 1935, 1990

6	18	World Fellowship of Prayer, 1951 Oct. and Nov.

		SERIES IV: PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS AND TRAVEL DIARIES, circa 1904, circa 1910s-1953, 1982

		Subseries 1: Photographs and postcards, circa 1904, circa 1910s-1953, 1982

		Kepler and Pauline Van Evera (a set of photos, folders 1-4)
7	1	Voyage to China; in Shanghai and Hangchow, 1912 Sept.-1913
7	2	In Shanghai and Nanking, 1913	Digital
7	3	In Nanking, 1913
7	4	In Nanking, Mokanshan, and Hangchow; the infant Louise, 1913-1914 Nov., bulk 1913	Digital

7	5	Kepler, Pauline, Louise, and Carl Van Evera, 1920s-1935?, 1946 and undated

		Hangchow
7	6-11	Mission compound, mission life, Van Evera family, and other missionaries/missionary families, circa 1913-1947
7	12	Meetings, celebrations, weddings, graduations, and other events, 1912-1949
7	13	Hangchow American School and Mothers' Club, 1922-1931 and undated	Digital
7	14	Schools, undated
7	15	Churches (primarily Kalon Church) and leper home, 1928?, 1931-1950, 1982 and undated
7	16	Hangchow and surrounding area, undated

		Mokanshan
7	17-20	Summer mountain retreat for the Van Everas and other missionaries/missionary families, circa 1904, circa 1913-1934 and undated

7	21	Up River field, 1914-1949 and undated
7	22	Soochow refugees, 1932 and undated
7	23	Child welfare, welfare and relief, Japanese occupation, and war (primarily Hangchow), mid-1930s-1940s
7	24	Sunday School Convention (Nanking), one photo, circa 1910s
7	24	China Council at the mission building (Shanghai), one photo, 1924
7	24	Committee meeting (Ningpo), one photo, circa mid-1920s-circa mid-1930s
7	24	Dongyang gentry welcoming ministers and their wives, one photo, 1936? May
7	24	Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek (Kuling), one photo, 1937
7	25	Hartmann, Clayton, Creighton, Turner, Bible, and Arthur families/children, circa 1920s-1953
7	26-27	Chinese people, daily life and work, sacred buildings and places, Hangchow Bore, natural scenery and places, transportation and travel, Shanghai, and other assorted photos, circa 1910s-1951
7	28	"Film - Van Everas - Hangchow, China" [no film, typescript description only], 1932 Easter Monday and April 8
7	29	China postcards (primarily West Lake, Hangchow; also Mokanshan, Nanking, Shanghai, Changchow, Hai Yien, and Quinsan), circa 1910s-circa 1930s

		Subseries 2: Photograph albums and travel diaries, 1912-1940

		Photograph albums
8	1	Primarily Kepler and Pauline Van Evera; Presbyterian mission and missionaries in China; Chinese people; Nanking, Hangchow, Mokanshan, Up River, and their environs; places and natural scenery; transportation and travel; and shrines and temples, 1912-1919 and undated

9	1	Primarily Van Evera family in Hangchow and Mokanshan, and Presbyterian mission compound in Hangchow, 1912, circa 1920s-circa 1930s
9	2	Primarily Presbyterian mission compound in Hangchow, Van Evera family, holiday events, child welfare work in Hangchow, Hangchow Christian College, Mokanshan, Nanking, and China scenes, 1912-1914, 1940 and undated
9	3	Louise Van Evera's 1932 graduation from Shanghai American School (SAS) and her 1932-1933 study trip to Germany

8	2	"One Hundred Views of Peking," (probably the album purchased on June 24, 1932 by Louise Van Evera on her trip to Peking; see Box 1 Folder 15, page 34 of her diary), undated

		Photograph album and travel diaries (Van Evera family on furlough 1927-1928)
9	4	Van Evera family's furlough trip from China to the U.S., circa 1927-1928

1	18	Kepler Van Evera's furlough travel diary and related material, 1927 Nov.-1928 Oct.
1	19	Pauline Van Evera's furlough travel diary - "Our Voyage Home [to the U.S.] via Suez" [Shanghai to Rome], 1927 Nov. 18-1928 Jan. 13
1	20	Louise Van Evera's furlough travel diary - Shanghai to Rome, 1927 Nov. 19-1928 Jan. 13

		Subseries 3: Lantern slides, circa 1910s

10-13		Primarily Chinese people and their daily life and work, housing, transportation and travel, events, temples and churches, and places and natural scenery, circa 1910s and undated [handle with care]

		SERIES V: OVERSIZE MATERIALS, circa 1912-1913, 1920s-1952
		[Oversize, 193C, shelf 4]

		Diplomas, school document, and invitation
14	1	Item no. 1 - Nanking Language School diploma of Kepler Van Evera, 1913 June 3
14	1	Item no. 2 [in Chinese] - Hangchow Union Girls' School diploma for children's class signed by Ellen J. Peterson (American Baptist missionary, principal, circa 1916-circa 1926), 1923
14	1	Item no. 3 [in Chinese] - Hangchow private middle school [sewing school?] document, 1947
14	2	Invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Chu, teachers, and young people to Mr. and Mrs. Van Evera to a December 21, 1945 welcome back feast after a three year absence from Hangchow, China

		Graphic material
14	3	Item no. 1 - Pen and ink story drawing, "Further Romance of the Germ-Finder and the Sky-Pilot," created by Emilie Martha Steinbach (re Kepler Van Evera and Pauline Wurster/Van Evera), circa 1912
14	3	Item no. 2 - Watercolor of a Chinese landscape (signed), 1920
14	3	Item no. 3 - Annotated group photograph mounted on board taken at Hangchow Christian College of the Middle School (High School) graduation, early 1920s

		Printed material
14	4	Publication supplement, "China in Chaos," a survey of recent events published by the North-China Daily News & Herald, Ltd., Shanghai, 1927 Apr.
14	5	Chinese language newspapers (a few issues), 1930, 1932, 1934-1935, 1951 [first item in folder fragile, handle with care]
14	5	English language China newspapers (a few issues), 1945-1946, 1948
14	5	St. Louis-Post-Dispatch article on General Douglas MacArthur's keynote address to the Republican Convention, 1952 July 9

		Maps
14	6	Jerusalem Pictorial Plan, 1930
14	7	China maps (assorted types), 1930s-1940s and undated [some items fragile, handle with care]

		Poster
14	8	Poster of four Chinese illustrations telling the story in Chinese of the Good Shepard and lost sheep, undated

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Guide to the Van Evera Family Papers

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