Powell family papers, 1910s-2020
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Summary
- Creator:
- Powell family, Powell, J. C. (Julius Carlyle), 1890-1974, Powell, Rosa, 1891-1982, and Powell, Mary Hester, 1922-2020
- Abstract:
- The Powell family—Julius Carlyle Powell, his wife Rosa Powell, and their daughter Mary Hester Powell—was a family of Southern Baptist missionaries who served in Nigeria from 1920 till 1962. The Powell Family Papers include materials related to their missionary work in Nigeria.
- Extent:
- 7.5 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Materials in English and Yoruba.
- Collection ID:
- RL.12050
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Powell Family Papers include materials related to their missionary work in Nigeria. The collection contains correspondence, notes, photographs, slides, printed materials, and audio recordings which pertain to family activities in Oyo, Shaki, and Ogbomosho as well as the activities of other Baptist missionaries in Nigeria.
The printed materials deal mostly with the Powells's missionary work, including The Powells of Nigeria (2020), a biographical account written by David Gasperson; and Julius Carlyle Powell's manuscripts, including his commentaries on the Bible (some translated into Yoruba), and typewritten copies of his two unpublished novels Tippy Tarlon and The Combination Will (which exhibit outdated language about race). Also included are programs, brochures, maps, pamphlets, magazines about Nigeria, newspaper clippings related to missionary work in Nigeria, and a directory of missionaries. Some materials relate to the media coverage of Nigerian Independence in 1960.
Photographs and slides mostly document the Powell family's life in Nigeria. Also included are photographs of other Nigerian missionaries and of Nigerian life in the first half of the 20th century. The collection includes a set of slides produced by Southern Baptist Foreign Mission, some of which represent Powell's missionary work.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Powell family— Julius Carlyle Powell (1890-1974), his wife Rosa Powell, née Hocutt (1891-1982), and their daughter Mary Hester Powell (1922-2020)—was a family of Southern Baptist missionaries who served in Nigeria from 1920 till 1962.
Julius Carlyle and Rosa Powell were appointed missionaries by the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board in 1919 and arrived in Nigeria in 1920. Julius Carlyle served as field missionary in Oyo (1920-1933), Shaki (1933-1945), and then back in Oyo (1946-1952). Rosa taught in several schools including Oyo Day School (1928-1931) and Elam Memorial Girls' School, Shaki (1933-1940), and worked as principal at Oyo Baptist Boys' High School (1946-1947, 1949-1952). From 1953 till 1955, both Rosa and Carlyle worked at Language and Orientation School after which they retired in 1956.
Mary Hester Powell was appointed as medical missionary in Nigeria in 1949 after graduating from John Hopkins University School of Nursing in 1948. She worked as nurse in charge at Ogbomosho Baptist Hospital (1949-1955), nurse in charge at Ogbomosho Children's Home (1954-1955) and as instructor at School of Nursing, Ogbomosho (1956-1959) and School of Nursing, Eku (1960-1962).
- Acquisition information:
- The Powell family papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2020.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Vladimir Lukin, October, 2022.
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2020-0088
- Arrangement:
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The collection is ogranized in the following series: Family, Baptist missionaries in Nigeria, Nigerian history.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Contents
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Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.
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- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Powell family papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1bt8p