Francis and Lydia Davis to Family, 1889 August-1892 December

Mainly includes letters sent by Lydia and Francis Davis to their friends and family in America during their eight-year stay in China (1889-97). Some letters are incomplete. Largely written by Lydia Davis, they describe daily life in abundant detail.Included also are letters written by Francis to Lydia during the Davis' furlough in the United States (1897-99); Francis' last letters to his wife prior to his murder (1899-1900); and Lydia's last letters to Francis in Shansi (May to August 1900). The series also contains a small group of letters from Lydia to her friend Mrs. Lois Pickett (1894-99, 1903-06) and one letter to her mother (1924). Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent, beginning with the joint correspondence of Francis and Lydia Davis. Thereunder, it is chronologically arranged.