mnsss145 Sara Tinsley Rees Papers, 1875-1929 Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

2003

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Brook Hopkins. 2003-07-01 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mnsss145 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Sara Tinsley Rees Papers, 1875-1929 Finding Aid MS 235 1990 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Rees, Sarah Tinsley, 1882-1929 Sarah Tinsley Rees Papers1875-1929 1911-1919 MS 235 6 boxes (2.5 linear ft.) Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Missionary and Red Cross worker. Rees worked as a missionary in Japan and Russia, and as a nurse's aid during World War I. Correspondence includes her many letters from Japan and Siberia, plus letters from her family in the U.S. to Rees. Other materials include memorabilia and photographs. English. Biographical Note 1882 Born, Macon, GA, October 30 1897 Moved to Hartford, CT 1901 Graduated from Hartford High School 1905 Graduated from Smith College 1911 Graduated from New York Training School for Deaconesses 1911-18 Served as missionary to Japan under the auspices of the Protestant Episcopal Church 1918-19 Served as nurse's aide, Vladivostok, Red Cross Commission to Siberia 1919 Served as nurse's aide aboard Red Cross transport ship 1919-29 Taught English at Hartford High School and served as its first dean and first woman vice principal 1925 Received teacher's certificate 1929 Died July 30 Scope and Contents of the Collection

Sarah Tinsley Rees and her "Tuesday Bible Class," Kanazawa, Japan, 1914

The Sarah Tinsley Rees Papers consist of two linear feet of correspondence (which forms the bulk of the papers), printed material, memorabilia, and photographs. The inclusive dates are 1875 to 1929, but the major portion of the material dates from 1911 to 1919.

The CORRESPONDENCE series consists of three sections: Sarah T. Rees, Family, and Miscellaneous. The first section contains outgoing letters to her family from Japan and Vladivostok (1911-1919) and incoming letters from family, friends, and others (1894- 1922). The Japan and Russia letters form the bulk of this section. There are approximately 450 letters that describe Rees's experiences in Japan. They relate mostly to her daily activities, replies to news from home, and housing arrangements, rather than her actual work experiences as a missionary. There are also letters regarding her work both in Siberia and on the Red Cross transport ship en route to England. The incoming letters are from her parents, Fanny H. and Henry Reese, and her siblings, Mary Addison, Harry, and Frances (1894-1918). There are also two folders of letters to Rees from friends (1904-1920), which include postcards from Japanese colleagues and students, and one folder of business letters from the missionary society of the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Bishop of Kyoto, and the Red Cross Commission to Siberia. Finally there is one folder of miscellaneous letters to and from family members in the U.S., especially between Mary, Harry, and Frances and their mother. These include some to the family from others.

The BIOGRAPHY AND MEMORABILIA series consists of a small amount of biographical clippings and memorabilia from Hartford High School, Smith College, Columbia University, Japan, and the Red Cross.

The PHOTOGRAPHS consist of a dismantled album of snapshots and postcards from Japan; twenty-six snapshots from Vladivostok of hospital personnel and patients, Russian scenes, and the transport ship; and six of Egypt which were taken on the way home from the Far East. The album was photocopied and dismantled so that the postcards with messages could be placed with the correspondence.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into three series:

I. Correspondence II. Biography and Memorabilia III. Photographs Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open for research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Sarah Pinney owns copyright to the papers of Sarah Tinsley Rees. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Sarah Tinsley Rees Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

History of the Collection

The Sarah Tinsley Rees Papers were a gift of her niece, Sarah S. Pinney, in July 1984.

Processed 1990.

Search Terms Rees, Sarah Tinsley, 1882-1929 World War, 1914-1918--War work--Russia--Red Cross World War, 1914-1918--Russia--Personal narratives, American Missionaries--Japan--History--Sources Japan--description and travel--Sources Vladivostok (Russia)--Description and travel--Sources United States--History--1865-1921--Sources SERIES I. CORRESPONDENCE Outgoing to family 1-2 1-21 Japan, 1911-18 3 22 Vladivostok, 1918-19 Incoming Family 3 23-26 Fanny H. Rees (mother), 1894-18 3 27 Henry Rees (father), 1892-1918 3 28 Mary Addison Rees (sister), 1901-18 3 29 Harry Rees (brother), 1901-18 4 30 Frances Rees (sister), 1904-18 4 31 Miscellaneous, 1875-1918 4 32-33 Friends, 1904-28, n.d. 4 34 Business, 1911-22 4 35 Miscellaneous, 1906-29, n.d. SERIES II. BIOGRAPHY AND MEMORABILIA 4 36 Biographical clippings, 1911, 1929, n.d. Memorabilia 4 37 Hartford High School: printed material, 1919-29

[See also Oversize Materials]

4 38 Smith College and Columbia University: records, printed material, 1901-05

[See also Oversize Materials]

4 39 New York Training School for Deaconesses: records, printed material, 1911

[See also Oversize Materials]

4 40 Japan: "Keepsake" book, expenditures, postcards, 1911-18 4 41 Red Cross: notebooks, printed material, 1918-19 4 42 Miscellaneous, 1912-19, n.d. SERIES III. PHOTOGRAPHS 5 43-45 Japan: album contests including postcards and snapshots, 3 miscellaneous, 1911-18 5 46 Vladivostok (Red Cross): personnel, patients, Russian scenes, transport ship (26), 1918-19 5 47 Egypt (6), 1919 OVERSIZE MATERIALS 6 Hartford High School: diploma, 1901 6 Smith College: diploma, 1905 6 New York Training School for Deaconesses: certificate, 1911