Letter from Henrietta Matson to Mary Spence. 20 April, 1889.

Letter from Henrietta Matson to Mary Spence. 20 April, 1889.

Henrietta Matson--Correspondence--Spence Family--India--Asia--Fisk--Missionaries

This is a letter written by Henrietta Matson addressed to Mary Spence. In this letter, Matson presents a number of details as to the construction and negotiation of race and ethnicity in India during this time period. In addition to discussing her missionary work as a teacher at the Akola school, she describes "our postmaster in Akola – Mr. Moncrieff." Matson claims that "he might be called a 'colored Scotchman,' his European blood is Scotch, and he looks and acts just like a Scotchman – but he is almost black. His wife’s European blood is Portuguese." Moreover, Matson describes how Mr. Moncrieff's children reject her ideas of racial taxonomy. According to Matson, "Martha, the eldest, was greatly annoyed one day because I spoke of “colored people.” I had to explain that she closely resembled them. 'Why we are black,' she said. 'Not black according to our idea of things – not dark enough!' The youngest of this family, a boy of six, is the pride of the family – and a candidate for Fisk University."
(This very telling letter suggests that Matson's conceptions of race and ethnicity did not conform to those of Britons or South Asian persons in India).

Henrietta Matson

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The Adam Knight Spence and John Wesley Work Collection, Series 4, Box 3, Folder 10.

20 April, 1889.

Dr. Patrick D. Rasico, metadata input

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("Letter from Henrietta Matson to Mary Spence. 20 April, 1889.") The Auburn Avenue Research Library, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The Adam Knight Spence and John Wesley Work Collection, Series 4, Box 3, Folder 10.