Godfrey, Emily

IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0237 Edinburgh University, CSCNWW 20
Held at: Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, University of Edinburgh
Domain: archival
Title: Godfrey, Emily
Date(s) of contents: Early 20th century-1946
Level of description: Fonds
Extent and medium: 1 box

CONTEXT

Name of creator(s): Godfrey, Emily

Administrative/Biographical history: Emily Godfrey, Methodist Missionary Society missionary in Eastern Nigeria, was the first missionary nurse at Ama Achara, near Umuahia, Abia state. A dispensary was opened there in 1921 and for many years the station was manned only by a female nurse and evangelist, with occasional help from doctors. Godfrey oversaw a gradual expansion of the work and, as more buildings were added, a fully functioning hospital was established. She left Nigeria in the 1940s.

Custodial history: Some pamphlets and printed reports of the mission were included in the collection but these were filed separately in the Centre library. Some of the photographs were identified and annotated at a later date by the Reverend S. W. Smith.

Immediate source of acquisition: The material was deposited at the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World by Emily Godfrey when the Centre was part of Aberdeen University.

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

Scope and content/abstract: The collection consists of photographs, negatives and lantern slides (3 slides only) showing the hospital at Ama Achara, patients and staff, missionaries, church workers, other areas in Eastern Nigeria including Calabar, and mission work in general; most of the photographs are from the 1920s-mid 1940s but there are some earlier ones of Mary Slessor; and there is also a printed article on the hospital (1937).

System of arrangement: .Most of the photographs are pasted into exercise books, many are captioned in Emily Godfrey's hand, some were annotated at a later date by the Reverend Smith. Most of the negatives are not captioned.

ACCESS AND USE

Language: English.

Conditions governing access: Contact the repository for details.

Conditions governing reproduction: Contact the repository for details.

Physical characteristics: The images on the lantern slides can be seen without the need for special equipment but a projector is needed to see them at full size.

Finding aids: A handlist is available.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related material: The archives of the Methodist Mission are held by the School of African and Oriental Studies in London. Emily Godfrey also donated some reports and other printed material relating to the mission in Nigeria which were deposited in the Centre's library.

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note: Compiled by Caroline Brown, Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, Edinburgh University.

Note: The biographical history was compiled using Methodism in Nigeria M. M. Familusi (Nigeria, NPS Educational Publishers Ltd., 1992).

Date(s) of descriptions: 19 June, 2001

INDEX ENTRIES

Subjects

Missionaries

Missions

Personal names

Godfrey | Emily | 1884-1978 | medical missionary

Corporate names

Methodist Missionary Society

Places

Nigeria