Louisa Reid Wilcox Papers, 1917-1945

ArchivalResource

Louisa Reid Wilcox Papers, 1917-1945

Louisa Reid Wilcox Papers, 1917-1945

http://www2.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/w/Wilcox,Louisa_Reid.html

Louisa Reid Wilcox received an A.B. degree from Queens College, Charlotte, N.C., in 1917 and a B.A. (1917) and M.A. (1921) from the University of North Carolina. While pursuing the M.A., Louisa was a leader in the successful fight to fund a women's dormitory at the University. In 1923, Louisa married James S. Wilcox of Charlotte, vice-president and treasurer of Johnson Mills, and became a community leader in Charlotte. Marion Wilcox of Charlotte, N.C., was the sister of James S. Wilcox. She was a Presbyterian missionary in Jiangyin, China, 1924-1942, providing care for poor and orphaned young girls at the Jiangyin mission, teaching literacy courses across the countryside, and providing other services. She moved back to Charlotte, N.C., in 1942, but may have returned to China after World War II. Anna Boyce Lineberger of Belmont, N.C., was a pilot, a Presbyterian, and a donor to the Jiangyin mission. She was the wife of Joseph William Lineberger, a prominant figure in North Carolina's textile industry and an alumnus of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. The Lineberger family formed a foundation in 1944 that dispensed many gifts to the University's medical school and libraries. The collection contains correspondence, 1917-1919, between Louisa Reid Wilcox (then Louisa Reid) and her future husband James S. Wilcox. Letters from Louisa chiefly document her activities as a co-ed at the University of North Carolina and discuss classes and exams; relations with other students, male and female; participation in social and sporting events; observations on training activities during World War I; and many other topics relating to general campus life. Early letters from James discuss daily life in Charlotte, N.C. In July 1919, James joined the United States Army and included among this correspondence is his Order of Induction. Later letters document his service as a clerical worker at the Debarkation Hospital in Virginia, as well as his attempts at discharge, which were finally successful in April 1920. Correspondence also documents the growing friendship and romance between Louisa and James, who often sent her candy and other gifts. Also included are several papers Louisa wrote for English classes; Louisa's diaries, one of which documents a trip to England; and photocopies of biographical materials. The Addition of November 2012 is comprised of letters to Anna Boyce Lineberger in Belmont, N.C., chiefly from Marion Wilcox. The letters document Wilcox's experience as a missionary, including her relationship with the residents of Jiangyin, China; individual conversion narratives; and literacy education for Bible study. There are also a few handwritten letters to Anna Boyce Lineberger from Chinese medical student Harriet Chen, thanking Lineberger for checks and discussing school and personal life in Jiangyin, and Shanghai, China. There are also a few letters from Presbyterian minister missionary William M. Miller, who was based in Tehran, Iran; his letters chiefly relate to his travels, both by sea to the United States and Asia and overland within Iran and the Middle East, undertaken during the course of his missionary work. The letters provide Miller's detailed observations of the people and cultures he encountered.

480; 2.0

eng,

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection