M. Ward papers
Scope and Contents
The Mary I. Ward Papers consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings and obituaries, press releases, a loan agreement, a sympathy card, an article from a missionary magazine, photographs and postcards. The papers primarily document her experiences as a student at Mount Holyoke College, 1893-1897, and as a teacher and missionary at the Girls' Boarding School in Marsovan, Turkey, the American Collegiate Institute in Izmir, Turkey, and the Gedik Pasha School in Istanbul, Turkey between 1923-1932. Also included are letters exchanged with family members, 1945-1956, including brother William Earl Dodge Ward. Correspondence from her student years consists of excerpts from letters in which she describes her social activities, faculty members, basketball games and gymnastic competitions, Mountain Day celebrations and other College traditions, class meetings, and a mock presidential election (1896). She also mentions ice skating in the new skating rink on campus (1896) and refers to fires that destroyed the First Congregational Church building in South Hadley (1894) and the school's Seminary Building (1896). Another letter describes her 50th class reunion in 1947. Her letters written from Turkey discuss the curriculum, finances, and living arrangements at the schools where she worked as well as social and political conditions in that country, challenges facing the missionary movement, and interactions with other missionaries in the region. Of note are Ward's descriptions of the political, cultural, and familial influences effecting student enrollment in schools. Biographical information consists of newspaper clippings, press releases, a loan agreement reflecting financial assistance that she received from her brother, an article about Ward's school in Turkey, obituaries, and a sympathy card. Photographs include formal portraits of Ward, a snapshot of the "Gipsy Girls' School Marsovan 1911", and family portraits. Postcards are from Jerusalem, Syria and Turkey and includes images of historic landmarks and the interior of a "native house," Ward's schools, villagers, and prospective teachers.
Dates
- 1893-1960
Conditions Governing Access
Unrestricted.
Biographical Note
Mary Isabella Ward was born on September 19, 1874 in Brookline, Massachusetts to Langdon and Laura (Bliss) Ward. Her father was treasurer of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions for nearly thirty years. She graduated from Newton High School and attended Mount Holyoke College from 1893-1897, receiving a B.A. degree. She was a teacher in Thetford, Vermont in 1897-1898, and in Margaretville, New York from 1898-1900. She then went to Turkey and taught at several schools including the American Collegiate Institute in Izmir, the Gedik Pasha School in Istanbul, and the Girl's Boarding School in Marsovan (Merzifon). She returned to the United States in 1944 when she retired. She died on November 16, 1961 at the age of eighty-seven in Medfield, Massachusetts.
Extent
1 boxes (1897)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Ward, Mary Isabella, 1874-1961; teacher and missionary. Mount Holyoke College graduate, 1897. Papers consist of excerpts from letters written as a Mount Holyoke College student (1893-1897), and letters describing her life as a missionary and teacher in Turkey (1923-1932). Also includes a large collection of postcards showing people, buildings, and scenes in Turkey and Syria.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into four series:
- Correspondence
- Biographical Information
- Postcards
- Photographs
- Jerusalem -- Views Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Missionaries -- Turkey Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Basketball Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Faculty Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Fire -- 1856 Subject Source: Local sources
- Mount Holyoke College -- Skating rink Subject Source: Local sources
- Mount Holyoke College -- Student life -- 1893-1897 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Students Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Students -- Political activity Subject Source: Local sources
- Mount Holyoke College -- Traditions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College Manuscript Collections Subject Source: Local sources
- Mountain Day -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Schools -- Turkey Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Skating rinks -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Student activities -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Syria -- Views Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Turkey -- Politics and government -- 1918-1960 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Turkey -- Social conditions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Turkey -- Social life and customs -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Turkey -- Views Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women -- Education -- Turkey -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women -- Turkey -- Social conditions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women -- United States -- Economic conditions -- Sources Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women missionaries -- Turkey Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Young women -- Education -- Turkey -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- postcards Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Title
- M. Ward papers, 1893-1960.
- Subtitle
- Finding Aid
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Date
- © 2003
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections Repository
50 College Street
8 Dwight Hall
South Hadley MA 01075-6425 USA
413-538-3079
archives@mtholyoke.edu
