Correspondence, 1955-1959

The records of the Chinese Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, Louisiana, consist largely of photocopied correspondence, monthly and annual reports, church bulletins, financial reports, attendance records, news clippings, and other church records, as well as photographic negatives and oral histories with members of the church.

The materials comprising the collection date from 1882 to 1984. The majority of the materials consist of photocopies of documents with some original materials present. The correspondence, dating from 1893 to 1982, consists mainly of letters addressed to or written by Lois Garrison and Rev. Dayton Castleman. Church documents include attendance records, possibly from the Chinese Mission and Church, and documents related to the construction of the Bienville Street Church. Committee and financial reports include those spanning the entire tenure of Lois Garrison during the 1930s and 1940s and annual reports from Rev. Castleman from the 1950s and 1960s. Church bulletins and flyers for events, including church anniversaries, date from the 1930s up through the 1970s. Newspaper clippings regarding the church and New Orleans' Chinese population date from the 1890s to 1984.

Also present are research materials for and typescripts of Walter Dale Langtry's 1982 book, History of the Chinese Presbyterian Church. Photographic negatives and contact sheets are also included, as are oral histories. The latter include interviews recorded by Rev. Dayton Castleman in the late 1970s of Grace Yao, Lin Oye Gee, Sylvia Ching-Bing, Mrs. Chin [De Hoy Sr.?] , and Mrs. Lung [Mary James] Chin Bing.