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Almeda C. Vickery Papers

An inventory of her papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Vickery, Almeda Campbell.
Title: Almeda C. Vickery Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1908-1962
Quantity: 2 linear ft.
Abstract: Daughter of Kate Campbell Vickery and Charles Rowe Vickery, American Congregationalist missionaries to India and Singapore. Includes photographs, writings, notes, and diaries, as well as Vickery family genealogical material.
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Almeda Campbell Vickery (1907-) was the daughter of Kate Campbell Vickery and Charles Rowe Vickery, American missionaries to India and Singapore.

Kate Campbell Vickery (dates unknown) was an American missionary, author, and lecturer. She traveled to India with her husband Charles and daughter Almeda in 1908, and spent the next three years there and in Singapore, eventually returning to the United States in 1911. In the United States, she continued her missionary work by sharing her experiences with the public as a lecturer, making appearances across the northeastern states, particularly New York and Connecticut. Dressed in Indian clothing, she would discuss the needs of orphans and widows in India while also telling of her own work and experiences. She was also the author of at least one article and two books on India and mission work.

Charles Rowe Vickery (1873-1943) was an American Congregationalist minister and missionary. Born in Lansing, Michigan, he graduated from Syracuse University in 1900, and then from Drew Theological Seminary in 1903. He was ordained a minister in 1905, also marrying Kate Campbell the same year. After their daughter Almeda was born in 1907, they soon departed for India in 1908, eventually returning in 1911. Upon the United States becoming involved in World War I, he went to London as war secretary for the YMCA, overseeing their warehouses which supplied U.S. troops in Europe. Returning after the war to the United States, the family moved to Hartford and then to New Haven, Connecticut, where Charles died in 1943.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Almeda C. Vickery Papers includes biographical material, correspondence, memorabilia, and writings.

Biographical material is comprised of photocopied notes on Vickery family genealogy, starting with Charles and Kate and tracing back to the Mayflower.

Correspondence is comprised of one later postcard to Kate, a series of letters from the Library of Congress Copyright Office regarding Kate's published work, and three letters about missionary work written from India.

Memorabilia is comprised of Charles' diary while stationed in England as the head of a YMCA warehouse in World War I; photographs and negatives from India and Singapore; printed material, including clippings related to India; and promotional material related to Kate's work as a writer and lecturer about missions in India.

Writings is comprised of manuscripts and typescripts of articles about India, written by Kate, as well as Kate's lecture notes about mission work.

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Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is divided into four series and arranged alphabetically by title and type.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Ramabai Sarasvati, 1858-1922.
Vickery, Almeda Campbell.
Vickery, Charles Rowe.
Vickery, Kate Campbell.

Subjects

Clergy -- United States.
Congregational churches -- Clergy.
Congregationalism -- Missions.
Genealogy.
India -- Missions.
Missionaries.
Singapore -- Missions.
South Asia -- Missions.

Genres and Forms

Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Diaries.
Lecture notes.
Negatives (photographs)
Photograph albums.
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.
Typescripts.

Occupations

Clergy.
Missionaries.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Almeda C. Vickery Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Bulk of collection, gift of Almeda C. Vickery, 1965.

Genealogical material, gift of Alfred T. Colette, 1967.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 29 Oct 2010
Revision history: 15 Jul 2019 - processed (DSA)

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Inventory

Biographical material
Box 1 Vickery genealogy 1908-1962 - photocopied notes (3 folders)
Gift of Alfred T. Colette, 1967
Correspondence
Box 1 Hersey, Grace 1962 - single postcard
Box 1 Library of Congress Copyright Office 1946-1955
Box 1 Miscellaneous 1910 - three letters written from Singapore and India, related to missionary work
Memorabilia
Box 1 Diary and scrapbook 1918 - Charles R. Vickery's diary while in charge of YMCA warehouse in London
Box 1 Negatives 1909
Box 1 Photograph album 1908-1910 - scenes of the family in India and Singapore
Box 2 Photographs 1908-1962
Box 2 Postcard 1908-1962 - image of Parbati Hill & Temple, Poona, with handwritten description on reverse
Box 2 Printed material 1922-1929 - includes material related to Indian social reformer Ramabai Sarasvati, a subject of Kate Vickery's writings
Box 2 Promotional material 1908-1962 - two fliers promoting Kate Campbell Vickery's lectures and books on missionary work
Writings
Box 2 Behind Bungalo 1908-1962
Box 2 Eldest son's wife 1908-1962
Box 2 [Lecture notes] 1929-1945 - notebooks, notepads, and loose notes of lecture outlines (4 folders)
Box 2 Mama's Sloat busy day 1908-1962 - typescript of short play
Box 2 Mihr-Un-Nissa, queen of women 1908-1962
Box 2 The Missionary Review of the World, vol. XLV, no. 9 (Sept., 1922) 1922 - includes article "Ramabai, The Hindu Widows' Friend," by Kate Campbell Vickery
Box 2 The most unforgettable character I've met 1908-1962 (2 folders)
Box 2 My other Shantabai 1908-1962
Box 2 Pandita Ramabai 1908-1962 - one manuscript and two typescripts, possibly representing two separate texts with the same title (3 folders)
Box 2 The Rajahs of India 1908-1962
Box 2 Shantabai 1908-1962
Box 2 With our evangelistic missionary in Baroda 1908-1962 - manuscript and typescript (2 folders)
Box 2 [Untitled play] 1908-1962 - typescript

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