Series VIII: Publication Files for I Always Wore My Topi, 1963-1982
Scope and Contents
The collection primarily chronicles the young adult life and missionary work of Mabuce. The collection consists of correspondence from Mabuce to her parents, brothers and sisters during her years as a student at the Missouri Normal School, later in Chicago and Indiana, and during her years of service in Burma. In the letters, Mabuce recounts everyday experiences, discusses her calling to missionary work, describes Burma and the various ethnic groups living there (e.g., the Burmese, Chinese and Indian), and her travels to and from Burma, which took her to California, across the Pacific Ocean, and through the Orient. Also included in the collection are Methodist missionary publications and reports, many specific to the work in Burma, ephemera from Mabuce’s travels, school records and papers, photographs of Mabuce and her family, Chris Soelberg, and photographs of Burma and fellow missionaries, souvenirs likely brought from Burma and the Far East by Mabuce, and one container of clothing probably worn by Mabuce in Burma. An unrelated file on the 1919-1920 steel strike is also included. Included with Mabuce’s papers are the files relating to the publication of her letters by her niece, Lucille Griffith.
Dates
- Creation: 1963-1982
Extent
From the Collection: 3.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Two folders of correspondence primarily between Mabuce and Lucille Griffith relating to the compilation and publication of her Burma letters, 1968-1975. Also includes five folders that contain Griffith’s research notes; miscellaneous articles on Burma; transcriptions and photocopies of articles from missionary publications relating to Burma and Mabuce; reviews of I Always Wore My Topi and correspondence related to the book; and newspaper clippings pertaining to the publication.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and Archives Repository
One University Plaza, MS 4600
Cape Girardeau Missouri 63701 United States
5736512245
semoarchives@semo.edu