Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina Records
The Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina grew out of the Woman's Central Committee, organized in 1886 to coordinate the efforts of the Woman's Mission Societies in Southern Baptist churches throughout the state. These records contain administrative records and personal materials relating to the history of the organization and its staff, 1882-2003. It also documents the lives of North Carolina missionaries supported by the Woman's Missionary Union during their assignments worldwide.
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Summary Information
- Repository
- Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
- Title
- Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina Records
- Creator
- Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina
- Date
- 1874-2003 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 12.12 linear feet / 9 record cartons, 1 document box
- ID
- MS609
Biographical and Historical Note
The Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina grew out of the Woman's Central Committee, organized in 1886 to coordinate the efforts of the Woman's Mission Societies in Southern Baptist churches throughout the state. Fannie Exile Scudder Heck was appointed its first president and continued to serve in this capacity until her death in 1915. In 1891, the North Carolina joined other state unions in the Woman's Missionary Union Auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, an organization over which Heck also presided from 1892 to 1899 and from 1906 to 1915. Under the direction of the Woman's Central Committee, the North Carolina Woman's Missionary Union organized Sunbeam bands to train children in 1896, the Young Woman's Auxiliary for teenagers in 1906, Royal Ambassadors for boys in 1911, and Girls' Auxiliaries for pre-teens in 1913. These organizations were in addition to the adult Woman's societies that had existed in Baptist churches since 1815. Following the organization of the North Carolina Baptist Convention, individual church clubs were organized into larger geographical Associations and organized into 5 regional Divisions, over which the Central Committee, and after 1916, the Executive Committee, presided.
Upon the death of Fannie E.S. Heck in 1915, Mrs. Wesley N. (Sallie Bailey) Jones assumed the role of North Carolina Woman's Missionary Union President, a position which she held until 1936, when Mrs. J. Clyde Turner was elected her successor. In 1942, Foy Farmer, daughter of Livingston Johnson and a missionary to Japan from 1911 to 1920, became president and served in this capacity until 1950. Other Woman's Missionary Union Presidents include: Mrs. C. Gordon Maddrey (1951-1956), Mrs. W.K. McGee (1956-1961), Mrs. LeRoy Parker (1961-1966) Mrs. Knolan Benfield (1966-1971) Mrs. Gilmer Cross (1971-1976), Mrs. J. Frank (Betty) Gilreth (1976-1981), Mrs. Horace (Beatrice) McRae (1981-1986), Mrs. Hoyle (Dorothy) Allred (1986-1991), Mrs. Sanford (Ann) Smith, (1991-1996), Mrs. J.D. (Donace) Harrod (1996-1997) and Ruby Fulbright. The position of Executive Director was established in 1977, with Nancy Curtis appointed to direct the Woman's Missionary Union headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. She served until 1994 and was replaced by Irma Duke. Ruby Fulbright, formerly president of the Woman's Missionary Union, currently serves as Executive Director.
Collection Overview
The Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina Records consist of administrative records and personal materials relating to the history of the organization and its staff from 1882 to 2003. It also documents the lives of North Carolina missionaries supported by the Woman's Missionary Union during their assignments worldwide. The collection is divided into three series.
The Administrative Files document the activities and administration of the North Carolina Woman's Missionary Union, including its component divisions - Woman's Missionary Societies, Sunbeams, Royal Ambassadors, Girls' Auxiliaries, and Young Woman's Auxiliaries. The Administrative Files were primarily created or collected by members or officers of its presiding board - the Woman's Central Committee, or (after 1916) the Executive Committee. Also documented are special projects and conferences of the Woman's Missionary Union, such as Interracial Institutes, Annual Meetings or Sessions, Camp Mundo Vista, the Heck-Jones Memorial Offering, State Missions Seasons of Prayer, and activities of the North Carolina State Federation of Baptist Business Women. These records date from 1882 to 2003 with the bulk dated 1905 to 1972, and are primarily comprised of correspondence, reports, minutes of meetings, financial records, and printed materials. The printed materials take several forms, especially conference or meeting programs, published reports, pamphlets, and religious literature.
The Woman's Missionary Union Centennial Series documents both the 1986 centennial celebrations of the Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina and its component associations and chapters at Baptist churches throughout the state. The bulk of the series dates from 1984 to 1988, when the Woman's Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention celebrated its centennial; throughout this period, a primary goal of North Carolina Woman's Missionary Union centennial activities was to collect and record the history of individual Woman's Missionary Union chapters. Thus, the Centennial Series contains correspondence, photographs of centennial celebrations, and printed materials or typescripts of church histories, Woman's Missionary Union chapter histories, and compiled association histories. These range from one hand-written draft paragraph of an older member's recollections to detailed published works, extensively researched and authored by a committee. The Woman's Missionary Union Centennial Series also includes original chapter records and copies of these materials sent to the Woman's Missionary Union, dating as far back as 1880. These primarily consist of printed materials such meeting programs, financial records, photographs, correspondence, and former chapter officers' personal collections. These materials were filed by regional association and intended to comprise a "Woman's Missionary Union Historical Collection."
The Biographical Files document the lives of North Carolina missionaries around the world, in addition to a few North Carolina Woman's Missionary Union administrators and officers. The bulk of the series dates from 1974 to 2000 and is primarily comprised of correspondence from North Carolina missionaries to the Woman's Missionary Union. This correspondence usually describes missionaries' efforts both in America and abroad, usually in the form of periodic newsletters from missionary families. The newsletters provide cultural and political insights into the missionaries' countries of assignment, in addition to personal information. Missionary correspondence also takes the form of Christmas cards and notes of thanks for birthday and Christmas gifts sent to missionaries from the Woman's Missionary Union. Materials dating from 1956 to 1966 are primarily clippings from the Biblical Recorder or Thomasville Charity and Children. Missionaries serving abroad between 1924 and 1938 are documented through correspondence, photographs, biographical sketches and remembrances, and clippings collected in a scrapbook filed at the end of this series; notable is a substantial amount of correspondence from missionary Katie Murray to Lena Middleton, spanning over three decades. Woman's Missionary Union presidents Foy Farmer and Fannie E.S. Heck are also represented in this series with materials dating from 1874.
Controlled Access Headings
Subjects
- Baptist Associations--North Carolina
- Baptists--North Carolina--Missions
- Farmer, Foy, 1887-1971.
- Heck, Fannie E.S., 1862-1915.
- Missionaries.
- Murray, Katie, 1897-1982.
- Southern Baptist Convention--Missions.
- Southern Baptist Convention. Woman's Missionary Union--North Carolina.
- Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina. (history?)
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Finding aid prepared by Processed by: Catherine McDowell; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex, 2004
- Revision Description
- Revised by Stephanie Bennett, 2017 May
- Access Restrictions
- Collection is open for research.
- Preferred Citation
- Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina Records (MS609), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.