Genealogy Wise

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This past winter, China's CCTV televised an historical documentary on Edward Bangs Drew. As the Commissioner of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service he was instrumental in bringing about great fortune and positive change to the Chinese. As seen in the one hour documentary, he is highly revered in China by those who know their history. 

Today, I happened across this man who is mentioned briefly in the Babbitt Family History. About Irving Babbitt the BFH says he married in London, June 12, 1900, his former Radcliffe student, Dora May Drew, daughter of Edward Bangs and Anne (Davis) Drew, a Protestant missionary to China. Dora was born and brought up in Too Chow, China where her father was Commissioner of the Chinese Customs. Her father then lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

By way of an update, I offer the following information gleaned from a photo collection at Harvard University. Edward Bangs Drew was born in 1843 and died in 1924. He joined the Chinese Maritime Customs Service in 1864 after earning his BA degree from Harvard. In 1886, he was appointed Commissioner and held that position until 1908. During that time he collected may photographs documenting life in China. These photos can be seen at the Harvard University Library website, search for Edward Bangs Drew at http://via.lib.harvard.edu/via/deliver/home?_collection=via.

He and Anna had daughters Dora May and Lucy. They may have had another daughter and a son (more research needed). Dora May was born in 1877, but not in Too Chow but in Foo Chow (F and T are keyboard neighbors). Foo Chow is now known as Fuzhou.

Attached is an interesting article from the Harvard Magazine concerning Edward Bangs Drew's efforts to find the first Chinese language instructor for Harvard University. See the pdf file below.

If anyone has information about the descendants of Irving and Dora, I would appreciate receiving same. 


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