Eleanor Wilson papers , 1925-1951

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Wilson, Eleanor, 1891-
Title
Eleanor Wilson papers
Dates
1925-1951 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.5 linear feet, (1 container)
Collection Number
Ax 611
Summary
Eleanor Wilson (1891-1972) was a Christian missionary who worked in Japan, Hawaii, and the Pacific in general, particularly the Marshall and Caroline Islands. In 1950 she became captain of the Morning Star VI, a mission ship in the Pacific. The collection consists mostly of correspondence describing her missionary work from 1925-1951; there are also a few miscellaneous items and photographs.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Eleanor Wilson was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, and educated at Simmons College and the New York Biblical Seminary (Columbia). In 1925 she went to Japan as a missionary teacher for the Congregational Church, and was stationed at the Kobe Theological Seminary for Women. From 1933-1935 she worked in the office of the American Board of Foreign Missions, Boston. In 1935 she went to the Mission Training School in Kusaie, Caroline Islands, as teacher, later principal, remaining until 1941. During World War II she was in the United States, lecturing for the mission board. In 1945 she went to Hawaii, where she was ordained a Christian Church minister, and in 1946 resumed missionary work in the Pacific area, particularly in the Marshall and Caroline Islands.

In 1950 Wilson became the captain of the Morning Star VI, one of a sequence of mission ships in the Pacific. She retired in 1961.

Wilson's career is the subject of a book by Maribelle Cormack, The Lady Was a Skipper (N.Y., 1956), and in the Maribelle Cormack Papers (Ax 418) at the University of Oregon are notes about, and letters from, Eleanor Wilson.

Eleanor Wilson died in 1969 in a Claremont, California retirement center. She was 80 years old.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists almost entirely of outgoing correspondence, the vast majority of them written to "Dear Folks." There is a several year period during which Wilson wrote these letters very consistently, almost one per week. These letters contain many details about her work, along with many personal anecdotes of her daily experiences. There is also one folder of outgoing letters to Wilson's brother, Theodore Wilson. Miscellaneous material in the collection includes church bulletins and newsletters.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Boats and boating in missionary work
  • Congregational churches--Missions--Japan
  • Missions--Caroline Islands
  • Missions--Hawaii
  • Missions--Japan
  • Missions--Marshall Islands
  • Women clergy
  • Women missionaries--Caroline Islands
  • Women missionaries--Hawaii
  • Women missionaries--Japan
  • Women missionaries--Marshall Islands
  • Women ship captains

Personal Names

  • Wilson, Eleanor, 1891-

Corporate Names

  • Morning Star VI (Ship)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence