McBlain Books

Three Autograph Letters Written from Ningpo [now Ningbo], a port city in China in 1879, 1881 and 1882 to His Daughter Fanny (or Fannie) who was then living in the United States, probably with Esther Lord McNeill, Edward's Sister and a leader in the Temperance Movement, who lived in Fredonia, NY. Also includes one letter each to Fanny from three of her "Brothers" (Frank, Will and H. D.). Also includes an autograph letter to Fanny from Ella Davis, a friend in Fredonia.

Lord, Edward Clemens, 1816-1887

Lord's letters to daughter Fanny are, respectively, 2, 2 and 4 pages in length. The 1879 letter has some chipping in heavily browned areas with loss of a few letters in the text. The 1881 letter is missing a jagged piece of the second page with loss of large portions of three words. The 1882 letter has some substantial brownstaining with loss of one chip and only a few letters. The letters from "siblings" are: 2 pages with some fading from Frank in Rochester dated 1876 , two pages from H, D. from Fredonia in 1877 and four narrow pages written by Will from Dunkirk (Kent, England?) in 1876 on both sides of two joined leaves. Ella's letter to Fannie is written on a single small and rather fragile and stained sheet folded to form 4 pages. All letters are basically readable with an occasional name or other word difficul;t to decipher.

Here is what we found online about Edward and his family, etc., most of which is based on biographical from the Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (EDCC). Some EDCC information seems contradicted by these letters. Fanny was listed as 22 and living in Fredonia in 1880. Lord, and his first wife Lucy were sent to China in 1847 by the American Baptist Missionary Union. They established themselves in Ningbo. Lucy died in 1853 and Edward remarried later than year to Freelove Lyon. She died in childbirth in 1860, leaving Edward with 5 children, probably including Fanny. Edward soon marries Jemima Bausum, a widow with 3 children whose deceased husband had been an Anglican missionary. In 1863 or so. Jemima takes their respective children back to England and America, making Fanny around 5 when she left China with Jemima. Edward begins serving as American Vice Consul in Ningpo in 1863 and is appointed American Consul in Ningpo the following year, a position that he held for much of the rest of his life while also continuing to be a Baptist missionary of some sort in Ningpo. EDCC has Jemima dying in 1869 (although Frank's letter to "Fan" in 1876 includes the sentence "So mother is dead' suggesting that Jemima died in 1876 rather than 1869). Edward marries a woman named Angie in 1871 (which would be wrong if Jemima died in 1876). Edward is recorded as living in a Fredonia household with his sister Esther, daughter Fannie and others in the U.S. census of 1880. EDCC has Edward back in China where he and Angie die of cholera in 1887. EDCC also includes a contradictory statement saying that Angie's death was recorded in Chefoo in 1881. A descendants' online family website reports that Edward had six wives (rather than EDCC's four) but does not offer great detail.

Edward's letters to his daughter contain quite a bit of Christian fatherly advice. The 1879 letter talks of Fanny being en route to American from China and of her mother's (Jemima or Angie?) return to Ningpo in poor health. He also mentions that Miss Mitchell had gone to Shanghai with Henry Chow possibly to get married. Three other missionaries are reported to have headed home via the Suez Canal.

The 1881 letter has Edward telling Fanny that he is living alone while Mary and her family are living in "Papa's" old house, He wonders whether she will ever come to China and mentions that the daughter of one of his earlier missionary associates had returned as the wife of another missionary associate's son. He also mentions her possible intention to unite with the church and says he would be happy to hear of that "if it has been taken with a loving desire to follow Christ."

The 1882 letter is addressed to Fannie not Fanny. Edward expresses doubt about what seems to a son's business venture in Kalamazoo without any clear detail. Edward suggests that Fannie consider attending a business or commercial school unless Mary (a sister?) goes away and her aunt (presumably Esther) wants Fannie to remain at home with her in which case Fannie should try to find ways of studying privately. He suggests that she avoid controversy with Frank (her brother?) and with her aunt. Remember, he asks, that few of even the best of people are entirely perfect. He also reminds her that her aunt is a good woman and in the main a kind and generous one. "Make yourself busy and happy in the pursuit of knowledge, seek physical, mental and moral culture."

The "brother" Will who wrote the 1876 letter was probably the son of Edward's later wife Jemima by her previous marriage to J. G. Bausum. Online information reports have Will Bausum and Fannie later married. Will's 1876 letter to Fannie is partially devoted to his complaints about girls and reporting the fact that he has lost faith in girls. The Baptist church in Fredonia recorded in 1906 that Fannie Lord Bansam transferred her membership to a Baptist Church in Annapolis, Md. Good. Item #95671

Price: $1,200.00