CLAXON MSS.
The Claxon mss., 1947-1993, consists of letters from Baptist missionaries Emma and Neville Claxon to family members in Kentucky. Emma (Osborne) Claxon, 1912- , and her husband (William) Neville Claxon, 1915-1998, were first posted to the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1948 and were later stationed in Nigeria and Dahomey (now Benin). The letters begin in late 1947, early 1948 while the Claxons await their ship to Africa. The last letters were written from various locations within the United States following their retirement as missionaries in 1981. The letters describe their daily activities and missionary work in West Africa over a period of more than thirty years. When they went to Africa they were accompanied by their three-year-old daughter, Carol Ann, and while stationed in Nigeria their son, William Neville, Jr., was born. The letters thus include descriptions of the children's growth and activities, stories of the family's interactions with the people of Ghana, Nigeria and Benin, and discussions about the health and wellness of their extended family.
Emma Claxon describes her household chores, hostessing, and secretarial work at the church, and discusses her work as Sunday school director and teacher. She gives instructions to her sister-in-law, Eleanor Claxon, about the family's financial affairs and the need of supplies from the United States. Overall, she shares her worries, frustrations, and successes living in Africa.
Neville Claxon usually appends notes to Emma's letters, although occasionally he writes separate letters to his family. He describes his missionary activities, his travels, African colleagues and missionary work around West Africa, as well as the children, worries about his family in the United States, and future plans.
In the 1970s the Claxons studied French in France before moving to French-speaking Benin. This country had recently become non-communist and the Claxons were setting up the first Southern Baptist mission there. Emma and Neville discuss in their letters the difficulty they had learning French so late in their careers. Neville had to become proficient enough to give a sermon and they each needed to be able to communicate one-on-one.
After retirement in 1981 they spent their first few months in their original home town of Russellville, Kentucky, did some mission work in Florida, and then moved to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where they lived for eleven years. In 1992 they sold their home in Kentucky and moved to Bloomington, Indiana, where daughter Carol was a faculty member in Indiana University's School of Journalism.
The letters are arranged in chronological order. Completing the collection are a few short writings by Neville Claxon, including narratives of travels within Africa, a summary of their African experiences, and excerpts from a journal and daily calendar kept by him. The final item is a three-page "report" by an Assembly of God missionary, McNutt, whose family lived near the Claxons when they first arrived in Kumasi, the Gold Coast in June 1948.
Gift. 2003
ca. 685 items