Park, Lambuth, and Sherertz family papers, 1825-2002

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Summary

Creator:
Lanham, Olive S., 1924-2007
Sherertz, Margarita Park, 1889-1973, contributor
Sherertz, Dwight Lamar, 1893-1970, contributor
Park, Nora L., 1863-1949, contributor
Abstract:
The Park, Lambuth, and Sherertz families were Methodist missionaries to China, Japan, and Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. Collection contains correspondence, writings, biographical and reference material, and other items that document the families' missionary activities for the Methodist Episcopal Church South, social and personal lives, and genealogies. Materials date largely from the 1920s to the 1970s. Topics covered in the collection include Methodist missionary activities, medicine and Christian education in Suzhou (China), the Second Sino-Japanese War, and family history and genealogy.
Extent:
2 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 VHS tape)
Language:
Materials are mostly in English. A small amount of items, primarily biographical and reference material, are in Chinese and Japanese.
Collection ID:
RL.00995

Background

Scope and content:

Collection contains correspondence, writings, biographical and reference material, and other items that document the Park, Lambuth, and Sherertz families' missionary activities for the Methodist Episcopal Church South, social and personal lives, and genealogies. Materials date largely from the 1920s to the 1970s. Topics covered in the collection include Methodist missionary activities, medicine and Christian education in Suzhou (China), family history and genealogy, and the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Correspondence ranges in dates from 1825 to 2002, with the bulk of falling between the 1920s and 1970s. Many different correspondents are represented throughout the letters, with primary writers and recipients being Nora L. Park, D. L. Sherertz, and Rita Park Sherertz. Another primary recipient is "Fannie," who is likely Winifred Frances (Park) Stiles, sister of Dr. William H. Park. Topics in the correspondence range greatly and discuss social lives, family updates, mission work and the Christian faith, family history and genealogy, Chinese people and culture in Suzhou, the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, and World War II.

Correspondence, clippings, and writings by family members detail their missionary activities and efforts to spread Christianity in Suzhou, China, and to a lesser extent in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Photocopies of clippings from the late-19th century in particular document J. W. Lambuth's missionary activities. Some of these materials, in particular correspondence and writings by Nora Park and Rita Park Sherertz, discuss traditional Chinese customs and culture from a western, Christian point of view that could be potentially offensive. These writings and correspondence also emphasize the friendly relationships between the Chinese people and the missionary families, as perceived by the missionaries. These materials, particularly correspondence and writings, document the families' relationships with their Chinese servants.

Correspondence, writings by Dr. William H. and Nora L. Park, and Soochow Hospital reports document Dr. Park's and the missionaries' medical practice in Suzhou, China, and surrounding rural areas in the early 20th century. These materials discuss traditional Chinese medical practices and the western, Christian practice of Dr. Park and other missionary doctors.

Rita Park Sherertz's Moganshan diary, correspondence from the late 1930s, and writings by Nora L. Park detail the outbreak and impact of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, including the family's retreat to Moganshan. Additionally, Rita Sherertz's "In Memoriam" is a tribute to those who lost their lives at the outbreak of the war.

Biographical, reference, and genealogical materials, as well as correspondence, and writings by Rita Park Sherertz and others, and the family bible provide extensive documentation of the Park, Lambuth, and Sherertz family histories and genealogies. Information in these items range from simple records of information, such as lists of marriage, births, and deaths in the family bible; to long-form narratives of a particular person's life, such as Rita Park Sherertz's "My Mother"; to biographical and reference material that includes a compilation of Lambuth family letters.

Throughout the collection, but particularly in the correspondence, there are handwritten and typescript transcriptions of certain letters, with additional photocopies of the transcriptions. These were likely created by Olive Sherertz Lanham.

Biographical / historical:

The Park, Lambuth, and Sherertz families were Methodist missionaries to China, Japan, and Africa, and they are the ancestors of Olive S. Lanham. The Lambuth family are the descendants of Methodist minister William Lambuth (1765-1837) and are the founders of Pearl River United Methodist Church in Mississippi. The first Lambuths to travel to China for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South mission were James W. Lambuth (1830-1892) and his wife Mary I. McClellan (1832-1904), who arrived in Suzhou in 1854. In 1882 they were transferred to Kobe, Japan, for mission work. James W. and Mary Lambuth had several children, including Bishop Walter Russell Lambuth (1854-1921) and Nora Kate Lambuth (1863-1949).

Nora Kate Lambuth was born on July 29, 1863 in Madison, Mississippi, while her parents were on furlough from mission work. In 1886 She married Dr. William Hector Park (1858-1927), a missionary doctor whom she met in Kobe. Shortly after marrying, Nora and Dr. Park returned to live in Suzhou, China, where Dr. Park worked at Soochow Hospital as its superintendent. He also spent time opposing and writing about the use of opium in China, including serving as the treasurer of the Anti-Opium League in China. Dr. Park died unexpectedly in Florida on December 4, 1927. Nora Park passed away in Suzhou on July 5, 1949. Nora Lambuth and Dr. Park had one child together: Margarita "Rita" Mary Park (1889-1973).

Margarita Park was born on January 7, 1889 in Kobe, Japan, in the Lambuth family home. She attended school in Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1900s before returning to her family in Suzhou, China. She taught kindergarten in Suzhou with her mother, Nora Park, and conducted other missionary work. Margarita Park married Dwight Lamar "D. L." Sherertz (1893-1970), another Methodist missionary, in Suzhou in 1919. At the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the family retreated to Moganshan for safety until they could return to Suzhou. In January 1952, Margarita and Dwight Lamar Sherertz moved to present-day Zimbabwe for mission work. The lived for several years in Mutare, Zimbabwe, before retiring from missionary work in 1958 and moving to the United States. The Sherertzes settled in Silver Spring, M.D., where Dwight Lamar passed away on January 19, 1970. Margarita Park Sherertz passed away in Silver Spring on March 14, 1973.

The Sherertzes had five children, including Nora Olivia "Olive" Sherertz (1924-2007), who was born in Suzhou on October 2, 1924. Olive Sherertz attended Duke's Woman's College, graduating in 1946 and having married Charles "Charlie" Lanham in 1944. Olive Lanham passed away in Durham, N.C., on June 17, 2007.

Sources: Collection material; Duke Chanticleer (1943); Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current; U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1700s-Current. Sources accessed March 19, 2026.

Acquisition information:
The Park, Lambuth, and Sherertz family papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as gifts from Olive S. Lanham in 2001, 2002, and 2004.
Processing information:

Accessioned by Sue-Ellen Katz; Melissa Pascoe, January 16, 2002

Encoded by Ruth E. Bryan

Updated to by Jill Katte, June 2007

Collection fully processed by Leah Tams, March 2026

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2001-0108, 2001-0146, 2002-0179, 2007-0080.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access note. Some materials in this collection are digitized audiovisual materials that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Access note. Nitrate negatives were removed for digitization and deaccessioning in April 2026. Digital access copies will be available after digitization. Contact Research Services for more information.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Park, Lambuth, and Sherertz family papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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