Description:

Protestant Missionary to China Later Killed in Boxer Rebellion, Remarkable Travel Account with 5 Original Drawings Depicting Korean Landscape & Japanese Customs!

A remarkable account penned by American Protestant missionary Annie Allender Gould (1867-1900) while en route to her missionary posting in Paotingfu, in northern Imperial China. The manuscript is the form of a diary, but Gould would later send it to her family in Portland, Maine. Gould's account was written in South Korea and its environs over a span of several days between September 23-25, 1893. Gould arrived at her final destination, the American Board mission in Paotingfu [modern day Baoding] the following month, in October 1893. Gould lived and worked at the mission until she was killed during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.

Annie Allender Gould of Portland, Maine was the daughter of Major John Mead Gould (1839-1930), distinguished by an unimpeachable Civil War service record, and Amelia Jenkins Twitchell Gould (1842-1926), who had missionized free blacks in the Reconstruction South. Gould graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1892, and was granted an appointment with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to Paotingfu, Imperial China the following year. Paotingfu [Baoding] was located approximately 160 km southwest of then Peking [Beijing], in Chihli [Zhili] province.

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions--shortened to the American Board--was one of the oldest missionary agencies in the United States, established by New England Congregationalists in 1810. Its missionaries were dispatched to China as early as 1829, and North China, where Paotingfu was located, was one of the board's four primary mission zones. In addition to China, American Board missionaries worked in Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific islands, and the American West.

Gould's account reflects her tremendous excitement at the prospect of meeting new people, seeing new places, and observing new customs. Above all, though, shines Gould's determination to save the souls of the newly converted, who would also be educated, medically treated, and clothed at the mission. One of her earliest dispatches sent back home, it is full of curiosity and confidence.

The lot is comprised of:

1. A 9pp autograph manuscript/letter written in Gould's hand on several loose sheets of paper as well as bifold paper. The letter contains four small marginal drawings in pen, as well as a panoramic drawing in pencil depicting "A bit of Fusan scenery," complete with a numbered and annotated legend. Expected minor paper folds and even toning. The loose sheets have deckled edges. Else near fine. The average size of the paper is 5.625" x 8.75."

Gould's account begins on September 23, 1893 while she was touring "Deer Island, Fusan Harbor, Korea" [modern day Busan, South Korea]. The following day, September 24, 1893 was spent at sea, with Gould and her fellow travelers arriving at "Chemulpoor Jinsen" [modern day Incheon, South Korea] on September 25, 1893.

In part:

"Five of us took a sumpam this morning and came to this island to climb the hill 1300 ft high, + get some shells. There is a little Korean fishing village. We followed the path up the hill, meeting men women + children with loads of wood or brush on their backs…Finally they passed on with a bow and smile and a salutation in Korean…

The young man is here yet. He is unmarried, by his headdress -- simply a long braid, which for convenience he has wound around his head. When married they shave the hair around forehead and neck and draw the rest on to the top of the head where wind it into a horn, then they wear a black band around the shaven portion. Profile wld look something like that [Gould's drawing] and the hat is of black gauze [Gould's drawing] shaped so…

Fusan is on a bay with hills all around. There are 4 or 5 Korean village on the shore of the bay. There are some Australian missionaries there as well as those whom we met. The Japanese village has a grove of trees on a hill just behind the portion visible from the bay, and in this grove is a temple…

Mr. Williams conducted a service with our party, Mrs. Baird + the chief engineer, a Japanese, as audience. Took his text and readings from Joshua, 'There is yet much land to be possessed,' and applied it to our conquest of China for Christ…

We saw only the beginning of the village, but it was enough. Low mud huts with thatched roofs, poverty, squalor and wretchedness; my first feeling was of revulsion and I did not want to go any farther…I could live in work in Korea but am glad my destination is China…"

2. The transmittal envelope, also engrossed in Gould's hand, is addressed to her mother in Portland, Maine. Bearing a blue five sen Japanese stamp and six partial or complete philatelic markings recto and verso, the legible postmarks being from Ninsen, a Japanese postal office in Korea; Kobe, Japan; Yokohama, Japan; and Portland, Maine. The envelope has been numbered in a series and docketed by a Gould family member near the top.

Less than seven years later, Annie Allender Gould was killed during the Boxer Rebellion, a political movement led by "Boxers," anti-Qing Dynasty, anti-foreign, and anti-Christian Chinese insurgents who blamed "foreign devils" for social ills. The Boxers systematically murdered white Catholic, Russian Orthodox, and Protestant missionaries, their families, and Chinese Christian converts throughout the countryside. Estimates vary widely, but as many as 650 Christian missionaries were killed during the Boxer Rebellion alongside as many as 32,000 Chinese Christian converts.

Gould was among the 11 foreign missionaries killed during the Paotingfu Massacre on June 30-July 1, 1900. Gould's close mission work associate and fellow Portlander Mary S. Morrill (1863-1900), as well as the Yale University-educated Reverend Horace Tracy Pitkin (1869-1900), were also slain. The Paotingfu Massacre was the first major massacre in a chain of massacres to take place during the next 10 days (with the Taiyuan Massacre occurring on July 9th.)

For a detailed account of the Paotingfu Massacre, as well as biographical information about Gould and her fellow missionaries, see Isaac Conrad Ketler's "The Tragedy of Paotingfu; An Authentic Story of the Lives, Services, and Sacrifices of the Presbyterian, Congregational, and China Inland Missionaries Who Suffered Martyrdom at Paotingfu, China, June 30th and July 1, 1900" (New York: Fleming H. Ravel, 1902).

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

February 16, 2022 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000