Skip to main content

Collection 131 Papers of J. Wesley and Anna Bovyer

 Collection
Identifier: CN 131

Scope and Contents

Materials in this collection include photographs, hand embroidery, prayer letters, personal correspondence, naturalization papers, financial records, family trees, wills and codicils, medical documents, and records relating to missionaries J. Wesley and Anna Ellmers Bovyer, superintendents at the Home of the Nazarene Industrial Orphanage in Chinkiang, China from 1908-1941. The materials also cover the Bovyer's residence as alien enemies in a Japanese internment camp from 1941-1945 during the Sino-Japanese War and their later lives in the United States and Germany.

Dates

  • Created: 1908-1953

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Biographical Information

Full Name: John Wesley Bovyer

Ordination: Christian Missionary Alliance Church, 15 November, 1927

Career:

1911 J. Wesley Bovyer opened an independent orphanage sponsored by the Methodist Episcopal Mission in Chinkiang, Kiangsu, China.

Full Name: Anna Ellmers Bovyer

Birth: November 21, 1865, Germany

Death: October 19, 1952, Achim bei Bremen, Germany

Family: Nephew Karl Heinz Ellmers and wife Dora

Career:

1899 On October 10, Anna Ellmers was accepted as a member of the China Inland Mission by the CIM Council of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1899 In November, she sailed from Vancouver to begin mission work at the Women's Training Home in Yangchow, Jiangsu, China.

1908 In November 1908, Anna Ellmers was put in charge of the Home of the Nazarene an industrial orphanage in Chinkiang, Kiangsu, China under the auspices of the China Inland Mission.

Joint Biography of J. Wesley and Anna Ellmers Bovyer:

Marital Status: Married September 17, 1912 in Shanghai, China

Children: None

Career:

1912 J. Wesley Bovyer and Anna Ellmers married and combined their orphanages into one independent venture, retaining the name.

Extent

3 Boxes

2 Photograph Files

Language of Materials

English

German

Arrangement of Material

Series 1: Photographs

Photographs depict the Bovyers and Chinese orphans with which they worked. Prayer letters describe the school and orphanage at which they worked, conditions in China and for missionaries during World War II, and the Bovyers' replacements while on furlough, Mr. and Mrs. F. Blasner of China Inland Mission (CIM). Newsletters and personal correspondence describe the daily running of the orphanage and the Bovyers' attempts to receive compensation for the destruction of orphanage property during the second Sino-Japanese War.

Series 2: Paper Records (Box List)

Arrangement: Alphabetical by folder title assigned by Archives staff

Date range:1908-1953

Volume: 0.8 cubit ft, 3 boxes

Geographic coverage: China, Canada, Germany, United States

Type of documents: Newsletters, prayer letters, wills, travel documents, naturalization documents, personal correspondence, financial and medical records, address book, family tree.

Correspondents: Herbert M. Griffin; Donald Grey Barnhouse, William H. Houghton. Notes: Materials in this collection were arranged according to document type by Archives staff and include photographs, hand embroidery, prayer letters, personal correspondence, naturalization papers, family trees, wills and codicils, medical documents, and records related to missions work. The photographs are of the Chinese orphans and the superintendents of the home, Mr. and Mrs. J. Wesley Bovyer.

Prayer letters from the Bovyers (folder 1-2, 2-9) were written while they were in China and on furlough. The letters describe the school and orphanage; some of the children; conditions in China due to the Sino-Japanese War; their replacements while on furlough, Mr. and Mrs. F. Blasner, retired missionaries from China Inland Mission; travel conditions back to China; and conditions for foreign missionaries in China during the war. Personal and business correspondence (2-7, 2-10) and orphanage records describe the day-to-day running of the orphanage, and include letters in German from Anna Bovyer to her family. Many letters recount the Bovyer's attempts to gain compensation for the destruction of the orphanage and adjoining property during the Sino-Japanese Conflict and include detailed lists of personal items lost and hand-drawn blueprints of the orphanage compound. Other documents concern the Bovyer's attempts to gain American residency for Anna Bovyer, whose arthritis required her to live in a warm, dry climate (3-1).

Accruals and Additions

The materials for this collection were given to the Billy Graham Center Archives in May 1980 and June 2006.

Accession 80-65

July 1, 1980

Mary Ann Buffington

S. Kouns Accession 06-16

March 10, 2014

Katherine Graber

P. Bartow

Related Materials

The following item is on display in the in the BGC Archives office suite: framed embroidery from China Nazarene Orphanage, Chinkiang, China.

Title
Collection 131 Papers of J. Wesley and Anna Bovyer
Author
Katherine Graber
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Roman Script

Repository Details

Part of the Evangelism & Missions Archives Repository

Contact:
501 College Avenue
Wheaton IL 60187 US
630-752-5910