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Collection Number: 04203

Collection Title: Harriett Hardison Robson Papers, 1927-1931.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities; this finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

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Size 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 250 items)
Abstract Harriett Hardison Robson (b. 1899) of Wadesboro, N.C., was married to C. J. Canaga, a United States Army officer, and from 1927-1931 they lived in Peking, China where he was assigned as a language officer and military attache. The collection consists primarily of letters from Robson to her mother written while she was living in Peking. The letters describe Peking, the military and political struggle between Nationalist and Communist forces for control of the Chinese government, Chinese customs, trips to historic sites around Peking and to northern provinces, and social activities among the foreign legations in Peking. Also included are a drawing of William Henry Donald, a few clippings, and a Christmas card. Additionally, there are 51 photographs taken in the northern provinces of China and the Hawaiian Islands.
Creator Robson, Harriett Hardison, b. 1899.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use
No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Harriett Hardison Robson Papers, #4203, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Harriet Hardison Robson of Chapel Hill, N.C., 1979.
Additional Descriptive Resources
A copy of the original finding aid for this collection is filed in folder 1a.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Adam Fielding, Kate Stratton, and Jodi Berkowitz, February 2011

Updated by: Laura Hart, May 2021

This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.

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The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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Harriett Hardison Robson (b. 1899) of Wadesboro, N.C., was married to C. J. Canaga, a United States Army officer, and from 1927-1931 they lived in Peking, China where he was assigned as a language officer and military attache. She later married Charles Baskervill Robson in 1936.

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The collection consists primarily of letters from Harriet Hardison Robson (b. 1899) to her mother, Hallie MacBrayde, written while she was living in Peking, China with her husband C. J. Canaga. The letters describe Peking, the military and political struggle between Nationalist and Communist forces for control of the Chinese government, Chinese customs, trips to historic sites around Peking and to northern provinces, and social activities among the foreign legations in Peking. Letters from 1927 also describe the Canagas's trip to Peking by boat, during which they stopped at the Hawaiian Islands, Guam Island, the Philippine Islands, and Japan. Letters in 1931 describe Robson's trip home from China. There are some letters from Robson to her sisters-in-law Caroline and Marianna; Canaga to Robson and his mother-in-law; and letters from Robson's Aunt Sally and her friend "Bill" White. Also included are a drawing of William Henry Donald, a few clippings, and a Christmas card. Additionally, there are 51 photographs taken in the northern provinces of China and the Hawaiian Islands.

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Contents list

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Folder 1a

Original finding aid

Folder 1-4

Folder 1

Folder 2

Folder 3

Folder 4

1927

Folder 5-9

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Folder 8

Folder 9

1928

Folder 10-12

Folder 10

Folder 11

Folder 12

1929

Folder 13-17

Folder 13

Folder 14

Folder 15

Folder 16

Folder 17

1930

Folder 18-19

Folder 18

Folder 19

January 1931-April 1931

Folder 20

Drawing of William Henry Donald, clippings, and Christmas card

Image Folder PF-4203/1

Photographs of northern Chinese provinces

Photographs taken in the northern Chinese provinces of Shantung, Shensi, Shansi, and Kansu. Subjects include temples, landscapes, local residents, and camel caravans.

Image Folder PF-4203/2

Photographs of the Hawaiian Islands

Photographs taken at the Hawaiian Islands with pictures of landscapes, vegetation, and the Kilauea volcano.

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