| Administrative History | Ida Susan Davey (also 'Davy') Hamilton, nee Mitchell, Anglican missionary, was born in Devon in 1873. She emigrated to Ohio, USA, with her family in the 1890s. Her mother's decision to move the family overseas is believed to have been motivated by the desire to remove Ida from missionary influence. Although CMS records indicate that Ida was a dressmaker for a while, the move did not have the desired result - Ida returned to England to study at the first missionary training college for women in the UK - the 'YWCA Testing and Training Home', Chelsea (now Redcliffe College, Surrey). She went on to enroll at the CMS training home, 'Highbury', in 1895 and was accepted 'in full connexion' 18 May 1897. She sailed for the CMS West China Mission, Ngan-Hsien (later 'Anhsien') station, 8 October 1897. Ida's missionary service was supported by Smithill's Chapel, Bolton-le-Moors, England and later by 'a friend'.
Ernest Adolphus (also 'Adolph') Hamilton, Anglican clergyman and missionary, was born at St Helier's, Jersey in 1872. Prior to applying to the CMS, he served with the army in Mhow, Central India (7th Dragoon Guards and 7th Hussars). He enrolled for training at the CMS Preparatory Institution in 1897 before being accepted 'in full connexion' 5 April 1898 on the understanding that he 'be allowed a further period of training under a clergyman' (Minutes of the Committee of Correspondence, CMS/G/C1/62 p 424). He departed for the CMS West China Mission (Ngan-Hsien station) 20 October 1898. Ernest's missionary service was supported by St Peter's, Mowbray, S. Africa until 1902 and thereafter by three Sowers' Bands in Cape Colony.
Ida and Ernest married in China 12 March 1903. They had four daughters: Mary L. N. Hamilton born 16 April 1904, Eleanor F. Hamilton born 2 April 1906, Irene Theodora Hamilton born 3 January 1909 and Beatrice Courtney (also 'Courtenay' in the records) Hamilton born 8 November 1910 in Sintu, Western China. In 1912, Ida and the children returned to live in England and the older girls enrolled at the Church Missionaries' Children's Home; Ernest continued as the only European working in the Sintu district of China until he retired to England in 1925.
After returning to England, Ernest's clerical work included Chaplain to the Seaman's Hospital, Greenwich (c 1927) and Rector of Hopton Church, Suffolk (c 1937) and of Belton Church, Suffolk (1940-1947). Ida died at Belton Rectory, Yarmouth, 1 March 1947. Ernest died 9 September 1951.
Stations of the CMS West China Mission where Ida and Ernest worked before and after their marriage:
Ida's mission stations in West China
1897/1898 Mien-Cheo
1898/1899 An-Hsien
1899/1900 An-Hsien
1900 Shanghai
1900/1901-1902 to England and the United States (on furlough)
Ernest's mission stations in West China
1898 30 November arrived Shanghai (unassigned)
1899/1900 An-Hsien
1900 Shanghai
1900/1901 An-Hsien (Chung-king)
1901/1902 Sin-tu (Chung-king)
Ida and Ernest's mission stations in West China (Ida in England from 1912)
1903 Teh-yang
1903/1904 Teh-yang
1903/1904 Ngan-hsien
1905 Spring Teh-yang
1906 April to England (on furlough)
1907 Teh-yang
1908-1924 Sin-tu (Chen-tu)
Sources: the records; 'Register of missionaries (clerical, lay & female) and native clergy from 1804 to 1904', Church Missionary Society, 1905 (annotated version); 'Proceedings of the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East'; BBC website, online magazine, 3 December 2003 available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3234516.stm (accessed 24/08/16). |
| Custodial History | The genealogical account added to the collection in 2017 was written by the donors in 2016 and copied onto USB flash drive for limited circulation and for donation to Cadbury Research Library. At the request of the donors, one item of correspondence comprising papers numbered 30-33 in the 1924 folder of file 3 'China 1897-1925' was deleted by Cadbury Research Library 6 March 2017; the contents of the flash drive were subsequently copied on to non-rewriteable DVD prior to the collection being made available for consultation in Cadbury Research Library. |