Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection holds approximately 160 letters exchanged by the family members of Reverend Henry Ware Hale in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry and his wife Susanna wrote 80 letters to their eldest children about their experiences as Baptist missionaries in Tavoy (now Dawei), Burma, between 1894 and 1902, and their children responded with 60 letters concerning their daily lives and education in Hebron and Waterville, Maine, where they lived while their parents worked abroad. The Hale siblings wrote over 10 letters and postcards to each other. The rest of the items are miscellaneous letters and receipts.

This collection holds approximately 160 letters exchanged by the family members of Reverend Henry Ware Hale in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry and his wife Susanna wrote 80 letters to their eldest children about their experiences as Baptist missionaries in Tavoy (now Dawei), Burma, between 1894 and 1902, and their children responded with 60 letters concerning their daily lives and education in Hebron and Waterville, Maine, where they lived while their parents worked abroad. The Hale siblings wrote over 10 letters and postcards to each other. The rest of the items are miscellaneous letters and receipts. Most letters are part of a numbered series of over 200 items.

Henry Ware Hale and his wife Susanna wrote lengthy letters to their children, often as long as 20 pages, with details of their daily lives, religious work, and local community, which included both English speakers and native Burmese. Reverend Hale often wrote of his work with children, and both parents described the local scenery. Henry also received official correspondence about his salary and about the finances of the American Baptist Missionary Union (February 27, 1901, et al.). Another missionary W. P. Byers, in Bengal, India, shared homeopathic remedies with the Hales (October 22, 1901).

The Hale children also wrote long letters, commenting about their daily lives, and often mentioning their study habits and school subjects, such as Greek and Latin. They also occasionally referred to current events, such as the sinking of the USS Maine (February 21, 1898).

Several unusual items are with the letters. Henry and Susanna Hale sent brief examples of Burmese script; one letter, signed "Helen," is written entirely in Burmese (September 16, 1903). Some correspondence contains samples of dried plants, and drawings of floor plans are part of the letter of January 13, 1902.

This collection contains 15 letters that Thomas ("Tom") R. Hulings wrote to his stepmother Carrie between June 13, 1921, and March 20, 1927, while he worked for oil companies in Burma. Hulings described his work, social life, and aspects of the local culture, such as festivals and the Buddhist religion. Carrie Hulings also received one brief letter from one of Tom's acquaintances, then living in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

This collection contains 15 letters that Tom R. Hulings wrote to his stepmother Carrie between June 13, 1921, and March 20, 1927, while he worked for oil companies in Burma. Hulings described his work, social life, and aspects of the local culture, such as festivals and the Buddhist religion. Carrie Hulings also received one brief letter from one of Tom's acquaintances, then living in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Tom's letters, which are often as long as 8 pages, concern several aspects of his personal and professional life in Burma, where he worked for at least two oil companies. He wrote 8 letters from Yenangyaung (June 13, 1921-April 22, 1922, and January 5, 1925-September 1, 1825), 6 letters from Nyaunghla (December 10, 1925-January 25, 1927), and 1 letter while traveling from Yenangyaung to Rangoon on a steamboat (March 20, 1927). Hulings provided his initial impressions of Burma, his colleagues, and local customs, and mentioned his social life and leisure activities. On July 5, 1921, for example, he described local Fourth of July celebrations held by expatriate Americans. Two of his letters primarily concern family news, including his father's death (January 5, 1925) and his brief marriage (September 1, 1925). Hulings also commented on aspects of his work, such as his wages, the Burmese oil industry, and other oil companies. His letter of May 24, 1926, encloses a printed document pertaining to a bank draft he sent to his stepmother. Though he focused on his own life and experiences, Hulings also described local customs and discussed the Buddhist religion. In addition to her stepson's letters, Carrie Hulings received one letter from Willis Mong of Shippensville, Pennsylvania, a friend of Tom, who recently returned from Burma (March 27, 1925).