Charles E. and Viola L. Smith papers , 1909-1973

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Smith, Viola L.; Smith, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
Title
Charles E. and Viola L. Smith papers
Dates
1909-1973 (inclusive)
Quantity
9.75 linear feet, (10 containers)
Collection Number
Ax 437
Summary
Charles E. and Viola L. Smith were Christian missionaries in Africa. The collection includes correspondence, diaries and publications that reflect their work as missionaries.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Charles Eugene Smith was born in Franklin County, Iowa, and educated at Iowa State College, Ames. He attended the Kennedy School of Missions, and was ordained in 1922. That year he and his wife went to Belgium, and in 1923 to the Congo as missionaries with the Congo Mission, American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, out of Leopoldville. In addition to his evangelistic work, he introduced agricultural education among the Congolese, particularly at the Kikongo Mission station. He formulated principles and programs for rural missionary service, wrote an agricultural text for native use, and played a major part in the location and establishment of mission stations at Nsona Mpangu, Moanza, Kikongo, and Boko.

Mrs. Viola Leora (Ziegler) Smith was born in Syracuse, New York, and attended the Kennedy School of Missions. She earned a diploma from the School of Tropical Medicine, Brussels, and with her husband worked as a general missionary, with special attention to educational and medical work, and work with women and children. She wrote Diatunga va Tadi (n.p., 1966), a history of the Congo Baptist missions, for the Congolese.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers are arranged in six groups: personal papers, administrative papers, records of the Conseil Protestant du Congo, historical files, periodicals and books. The personal papers include diaries, especially for the early years of the Smiths' mission work, and the location of mission stations. There is personal correspondence with executives of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. The major personal letter file is correspondence with the Reverend Ben Armstrong and his wife, Rhoda, 1926-1962, mainly from Leopoldville and Kikongo. This series describes in great detail the personal and professional problems of a missionary. A series of mimeographed missionary letters, most of them 1958-1967, describes the problems of missions during political upheavals in the Congo.

The administrative papers include Congo Mission reports, minutes, official correspondence, and documents. The administrative file on the Kikongo Mission is particularly complete, as is the correspondence concerning proposed agricultural programs and rural missionary work. The historical file, assembled by Viola L. Smith, represents material gathered for the writing of her mission history.

Books in the collection consist of monographs and pamphlets on Africa and missions, Kikongo dictionaries, grammars and phrase books, and books on Kikongo (Fioti) and other African languages. Major dictionaries are by W. Holman Bentley, Giacinto Brusciotto, Rene Butaye, Karl E. Laman, and Pierre Swartenbroeckx. Kikongo language books include editions of the Bible, The Pilgrim's Progress, songbooks, and several books for children. There are also histories of missions and missionaries and of the Protestant church in Africa.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Baptists--Missions--Congo (Democratic Republic)
  • Missionaries--Congo (Democratic Republic)
  • Missions, American--Congo (Democratic Republic)
  • Missions--Periodicals

Personal Names

  • Smith, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
  • Smith, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
  • Smith, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
  • Smith, Viola L.
  • Smith, Viola L.
  • Smith, Viola L.

Corporate Names

  • American Baptist Foreign Mission Society
  • American Baptist Foreign Mission Society
  • Congo Protestant Council
  • Congo Protestant Council

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence