Sous-fonds 4 - Adena Nevitt Black sous-fonds

0.38 m of textual and graphic records
1 architectural blueprint

This sous-fonds contain Adena Black’s diaries from the time of her marriage through the First World War, followed by correspondence from family members, her mother-in-law, Margaret Davidson, and, especially from her husband, Davidson. There are also a few letters from friends, some of whom, like the Houghtons, were associated with the Peking Union Medical School. The correspondence is grouped by family and, from Davidson, is arranged chronologically.

Also present are files documenting some of Adena’s activities in China and, in particular, her attempts to market Chinese-made objects, initially through a partnership with Daisy and Marion Boulton in Toronto (1924-1928) and latterly (1931-1934) through the Peking Temples Company, incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware in 1931. The goods were sold through a store in Port Carling in Muskoka, and through other venues. These files contain correspondence, and financial records and, for the Peking Temples Company, incorporation documents.

This sous-fonds ends with correspondence relating to the death of Davidson Black, tributes to him, and the design for and photographs of his grave. There are also files documenting Adena’s final years in China, including some on her husband’s library, her continuing interest in the fate of the Peking Union Medical School, and the writing of Dora Hood’s biography of her husband.

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