Guide to the Sir W.J. Wanless Papers
Open for research.
To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.
Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not have been digitized in their entirety.
Dr. William James Wanless was assigned as a medical missionary by the Board of Foreign Missions to the Western India Mission in 1889, upon graduating from the University Medical College in New York City. He began his work at Sangli but in 1892 moved to Miraj, where he was to remain until his retirement in 1928. His skill and ability as an evangelist, physician and surgeon drew ever-increasing patronage and support that ultimately resulted in the establishment of the most extensive and effective medical missionary plant in India. Through his efforts, the first missionary medical school was established in 1897, followed by a leper asylum in 1900 and a tuberculosis sanitarium in 1931. For his outstanding service to the people of India, Dr. Wanless was thrice decorated by the Indian government and in 1928 was knighted by the British government.
Wanless' first wife, Mary, died in 1906; she bore him five children, four of whom died and were buried in India before reaching the age of two. Wanless married again and returned to India with his wife Lillian, who was active in mission work. They had three children.
Record Group 92 consists of Dr. Wanless' correspondence, notes and diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs of the mission hospital work.
SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE, 1892-1933
SERIES 2: MIRAJ HOSPITAL AND WESTERN INDIA MISSION, 1893-1930
SERIES 3: NOTEBOOKS AND DIARIES, 1895-1928, UNDATED
SERIES 4: SCRAPBOOKS AND CERTIFICATES, 1894-1963, UNDATED
SERIES 5: PHOTOGRAPHS, 1890-1928, UNDATED
To browse this collection's digitized content visit Pearl.
Materials marked "Digital" in the Collection Inventory may not have been digitized in their entirety.
There are a few letters and documents in Sanskrit in the collection.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared: 1983
Frederick J. Heuser, Archivist
Material added, collection reprocessed and new finding aid prepared: October 1990
Stephanie Muntone, Processing Archivist
Material added: January 1992
SM
| Box | Folder | Description | |
| 1 | 1 | Finding Aid to Record Group 92 | |
| SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE, 1892-1933 | |||
| 1 | 2 | Family Correspondence, 1924 | |
| 3 | Family Correspondence, 1925 | ||
| 4 | Family Correspondence, January-June 1926 | ||
| 5 | Family Correspondence, July-December 1926 | ||
| 6 | Family Correspondence, January-June 1927 | ||
| 7 | Family Correspondence, July-December 1927 | ||
| 8 | Family Correspondence, 1928-29 | ||
| 9 | Board of Foreign Missions Correspondence, 1892-1907 | ||
| 10 | Board of Foreign Missions Correspondence, 1926-31 | ||
| 11 | General Correspondence, 1892-1905 | ||
| 12 | General Correspondence, 1909-27 | ||
| 13 | General Correspondence, January-April 1928 | ||
| 14 | General Correspondence, May-December 1928 | ||
| 15 | General Correspondence, 1929 | ||
| 16 | General Correspondence, 1930-33 | ||
| SERIES 2: MIRAJ HOSPITAL AND WESTERN INDIA MISSION, 1893-1930 | |||
| 1 | 17 | Addresses and Reports, 1896-1928 | |
| 18 | Miraj Hospital, Annual Report, 1902 | ||
| 19 | Miraj Hospital, Annual Report, 1924, 1926-27 | ||
| 20 | Miraj Hospital, Annual Report, 1928-30 | ||
| 21 | "Indian Notes" Newsletters, January-December 1893 | ||
| 22 | W.J. Wanless Tuberculosis Sanatorium, nd | ||
| SERIES 3: NOTEBOOKS AND DIARIES, 1893-1928, nd | |||
| 1 | 23 | Campaign Book, Student Movement for Foreign Missions, 1895-96 | |
| 24 | Travel Diary, Toronto to Kolhapur, 1889 | ||
| 25 | New York to India, 1924 | ||
| 26 | Medical Notebooks, nd | ||
| 27 | Notebooks, 1904 | ||
| 28-29 | Notebooks, nd | ||
| 30 | Diaries, 1904 and 1928 | ||
| SERIES 4: SCRAPBOOKS AND CERTIFICATES, 1894-1963, nd | |||
| 1 | 31 | Certificates and Family Documents, nd | |
| 32 | Tributes, 1933 | ||
| 33 | Scrapbook, Miraj Hospital, 1894-1915 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Scrapbook, 1920-63 | |
| 2 | Certificates, nd | ||
| SERIES 5: PHOTOGRAPHS, 1890-1928, nd | |||
| 3 | 1 | William J. Wanless, Portraits, nd | |
| 2 | Wanless Leaving India, 1928 | ||
| 3-5 | People, nd | ||
| 6 | Hospital Staff and Students, nd | ||
| 7 | Medical Students and Faculty, nd | ||
| 8-9 | Missionaries and Hospital Staff, nd | ||
| 10 | Hospital and Medical Buildings | ||
| 11 | Buildings | ||
| 4 | 1 | Photograph Album, 1890-1900 | Digital |
| 2 | Copy print from Photograph Album: Female Ward at Miraj Hospital |