The Children of Herbert Sowerby and Ann Fanny Wombwell

Offices of the North China Daily News in
Shanghai to whom Herbert Sowerby imprudently
sent his views on the the Shanghai Bishopric.
The newspaper was closed by the Chinese
Communist Party in 1951.

It should not be overlooked that whilst supporting Herbert Sowerby in his missionary endeavours and quarrels, and playing her own part in evangelizing Chinese females (who were for the most part strictly off-limits to male missionaries), Ann Fanny Wombwell gave birth to six children during the couple’s time in China. It was not a small family that left Shanghai in 1894, and given their connections with the American Protestant Episcopal Mission, it is also a possibility that they simply sailed straight to America.

Either way, their children were:

i. Dr. James Herbert Sowerby (1882-1948, born in Wuhan, China, died Bedford County, Virginia). He married Ellla Maria Schmidt (1892-1967).
ii. Grace Ai-ling (or Arling) Sowerby (1883-1975, born in Wuhan, China, died Hyattsville, Prince Georges, Maryland). She married Harold Curtiss Abbott (1886-1971). They had two children: Helen Abbott, and Ruth Ai-Ling Abbott. Of these two children, Ruth married Stephen Joseph O’Donald. They had five children.
iii. Eleanor Margaret Sowerby (1885-1965, born in Wuhan, China, died Bedford County, Virginia). She married Wyatt Lockett Watson. They had three children.
iv. George Seguier Sowerby (1887-1946, born in Wuhan, China, died Virginia). He married Rachel I. Roberson.
v. Frederick Henry Sowerby (1890-1965, born in Wuhan, China, died Bedford County, Virginia). He married Nellie Brett.
vi. Alice Amelia Sowerby (1893-1969, born in Wuhan, China, died Greensboro, Guilford, North Carolina). She married Carl Argle Barkley (1894-1967). They had two children.

These were the grandchildren of George Wombwell junior, and fourth cousins x1 removed of Hetty Jane Owen. Their children of whom there are many, and grandchildren, plenty of whom are also recorded, grew up as American citizens, fifth cousins of Hetty Jane and sixth cousins respectively of Harold and Olwen Eldridge.

Mr Sayres Despairs

View from Golden Island, 2011. The Yangtze maintains to this day a majestic beauty.
It was into this remote wilderness and ancient culture that the Missionaries sought to bring
their Christian value set.  

One member of the mission, William Sayres meanwhile purported to be in despair and resorted to a statistical analysis to back up his diagnosis of the mismanagement of  the Protestant Episcopal Mission, settling on a one-to-one comparison with the achievements of the Mission with their Presbyterian rivals:

These are the figures last year:

Presbyterian Mission--
Missionaries 55, Native Preachers 16, Native Assistants 134, Communicants 3,302, Stations 10, Scholars 2,092, Expense of Mission $98,240.

Protestant Episcopal Mission--
Missionaries 13, Native Preachers . . . , Native Assistants . . ., Communicants 400 [Annual Report 1884 says 326.], Stations 2, Scholars Expense of Mission $44,000.

From the above you will notice the Presbyterian Mission have over four times more missionaries in the field than we have; five times the number of stations and the communicants exceeds by more than eight fold. Why is this? We were on the field three years in advance of the Presbyterians. What a showing ours is after nearly forty-nine years of labour and expense. 

All these complaints however were to no avail, and it was reported finally on October 29th 1884, that William Jones Boone had been consecrated in Shanghai with Herbert Sowerby in attendance. Boone was to die of tuberculosis just seven years later in 1891, by which point the mission of Herbert Sowerby and Ann Fanny Wombwell was entering its last chapter. Which, as it happened, was just as well for them. 

The Attacks Continue

Figurines on Golden Island on the Yangtze, 2011. Missionary attitudes towards Chinese culture and history varied wildly, and at their worst were racist and dismissive.

A chief mover in the assault on the Rev. W. J. Boone and his acolyte, Herbert Sowerby, was Ferdinand McKeige, a prolific and energetic contributor to the ongoing discussion, who never seemed to tire of singling out Herbert Sowerby for further criticism and invective:

I would like to state here, that in replying to Mr. Sowerby's letter, I had not the slightest intention of bringing Mr. B. prominently before the public, but simply to show Mr. Sowerby he could not write such a disingenuous letter without running the risk of being replied to. ..

The editorial in the Star in the East of June 6 (if its statements were untrue) ought to have brought forth an unequivocal denial from someone connected with the mission, thereby correcting what is the general impression and belief among missionaries, that ritualism does exist at St. John's and that the College is a poorly managed affair at the best. No attention, however, was given the article until June 11, when Mr. Sowerby, over the nom de plume of "A Member of the Mission," sent to the North-China Daily News for publication one of the most disingenuous letters I have ever seen… 

Every member of the Shanghai mission is aware of the fact that it is believed by outsiders that ritualism exists at St. John's. I have before me the entire correspondence in regard to this matter as it appeared in the Southern Churchman; there are eight letters and two editorials. 

This of itself is abundant proof that Mr. Sowerby knew that absurd reports were actually facts. If Mr. Sowerby's letter was not an attempt to dodge the truth, then I do not know what to call it... If Mr. Boone was not the originator of Mr. Sowerby's letter, he was a party to the statements it contained...

The accusations about Boone’s mission continued to mount: Gambling at the Mission School in Shanghai, drunken native staff, opium use, incoherent preaching by Mr Boone and physical fights between staff were just some of the accusations that now received a public airing. Another member of the mission, William Sayres concluded with a full-fronted personal assault on the Reverend Boone:

I shall not go here into further particulars regarding studies, further than to point out the absurdity of Mr. Boone's being in charge of what he knows so little about. His ignorance of the language is well-known in China, among both foreigners and natives. I do not believe he is able to read an ordinary Chinese book or newspaper, and I will venture to say that he does not even know by name the books used in the College, and could not give a list of them. Nay more, I believe that he could not give the name of any book used in the college. I mean, of course, Chinese book.

In response to this sensitive assessment of the prospective Bishop's virtues, another correspondent was inspired to pen the following generous and charitable assessment of the Chinese character more generally:

I am convinced, after a residence of six years in China, almost every day of which I have been brought in contact with Chinese in connection with business matters, and have had every opportunity to observe their traits of character--that they need very careful watching, the man that looks upon a Chinaman as a fool, is indeed a fool himself--it has been the great mistake of more than one Missionary in this land to accept the honesty and morality of a Chinaman upon a profession of faith, and this one thing has done much to retard the progress of the work. 

The missionaries, it seemed had a special term for locals who made false professions of faith in order to benefit from missionary largesse. They called them ‘rice Christians’. It is not entirely surprising in the light of all this that there were certain groups of Chinese who had decided that they had very much had their fill of the Missionary sense of humour, and indeed their presence more generally. 

The Knives Come Out

Approaching the Three Gorges Dam and Yichang, 2011, 

in the heart of the Missionary lands.

The next response to Herbert’s contribution showed just how vicious the missionaries could be when it suited them, as well as how the Protestant Episcopal Mission itself seemd to have degenerated into a state of civil war:

On the 13th of June last there appeared in the columns, of your paper a letter from "A Member of the Mission," in which, after giving Mr. Boone's pedigree, he goes on to say, "Whereas certain absurd reports are believed to be current as to ritualism at St. John's College, it may be well to add that Mr. Boone's election is not only satisfactory to the members of the mission, but is also spoken of in the leading Church paper." 

The above statements, coming as they do from one clergyman under the sanction of another, I have never seen excelled in point of disingenuousness. The writer has evidently sought to make the public believe that the reports which are current on the subject of ritualism were without foundation. "A Member" cannot be ignorant of the correspondence of members of the mission in regard to, this very matter, no less than five of its members having taken part in it. [Appleton, Graves, Sayres, Thomson, and Boone (through Mr. Kimber.)] 

How then can he write, "certain absurd reports are believed to be current"? 

This is easily understood when it is known that "A Member" is a candidate for priest's orders and his passing the necessary examination depends in a measure upon the leniency of the Bishop-designate. [Came to China (a Baptist by profession) a member of the China Inland Mission, after remaining in this mission about eighteen months, left and joined the American Bible Society, remained one month, and became connected with the P. E. Mission.] 

With this in view, one is forced (although unwillingly) to the conclusion that it was a diplomatic move, and not a wish to correct any false impressions…

I am prepared to state, and I do so advisedly, that "A. Member's" letter was submitted to the Rev. Wm. J. Boone for approval before its publication and its appearance in the columns of your paper is positive proof of Mr. Boone being a party to his own eulogy…

F. McKeige

The knives were well and truly out. And Herbert Sowerby’s transfer from the China Inland Mission to the Episcopal Mission, it is revealed had come via a short stay of a month with the American Bible Society. What was more, he was initially a Baptist. 

The implication is clear – Herbert was nothing more than a calculating denominational opportunist, interested only in climbing the church career ladder.

Meaningless Mummery

China Inland Mission Headquarters in Shanghai. Herbert and Ann Fanny
Wombwell were members of this Mission when they got married in 1881.

The Southern Churchman editors were none too sympathetic to Herbert’s doubtlessly well-meaning contribution. In a commentary dripping with sarcasm of a distinctly less than ecclesiastical nature, they opined that:  

To begin with, a contributor who signed himself "A Member of the Mission" wrote in, detailing the various accomplishments and supposed qualifications for the post of the new Bishop, the chief among which seems to be that, in accordance with the American humourist's recommendation, he was very careful in the choice of his parents, being himself the son of a Bishop. If grace were hereditary this might count for something, but we believe the most advanced ritualists only contend that apostolic grace comes down to us through episcopal fingertips, and not by natural succession. 

This ingenious writer goes on to say: "Whereas certain absurd reports are believed to be current as to ritualism at St. John's College, it may be well to add that Mr. Boone's election is not only satisfactory to the members, but is also thus spoken of in the leading Church paper," &c. To this another correspondent of the morning journal, signing himself "Justice," rejoined the following day: "It would have been very much more satisfactory to the friends of missions, particularly those connected with the P. E. Church, had the writer of the letter in your to-day's issue made a positive denial of the existence of ritualism at St. John's College. 

Even worse for Herbert Sowerby, and indeed for Ann Fanny Wombwell, the editors concluded, in a rather menacing tone that:

Taking the correspondence all round it shows up the local members of the P. E. Mission in a very unenviable light and we cannot refrain from expressing a desire that they would all look out for some honest secular employment and cease to hinder the progress of Christ's gospel by mystifying the poor heathen Chinese with their meaningless mummery.

For Herbert Sowerby and Ann Fanny Wombwell, such performance appraisals can hardly have improved their sense of self-worth or feeling of appreciation for their sacrifices and for the services they had rendered. And it was not to get any better.

Herbert Sowerby Takes A Stand

At this point, Herbert Sowerby made his ill-advised decision  to enter the debate, communicating his own views, initially to the editor of the North-China Daily News. Herbert had the following to say regarding the suitability of William Jones Boone for the Bishopric of Shanghai.

Bishop Schereschewsky at prayer: It was his resignation that precipitated the crisis in the ranks of the Protestant Episcopal Mission. 

News was received by to-day's U.S. mail officially confirming a telegram received some weeks since that the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. had elected, subject to, the usual, confirmation by the several Dioceses, the Rev. Wm. J. Boone, M.A., as Missionary Bishop of Shanghai in succession to Bishop Schereschewsky lately resigned. 

The following facts maybe of local interest. Mr. Boone is the second son of the late Bishop Boone, the first Missionary Bishop of the Anglican Church, and who was consecrated so long ago as 1844, since which time many missionary bishops have been sent forth from England and the United States. Bishop Boone was one of the earliest settlers in Shanghai, and with others lived in the Chinese city before any house of the present settlement was built there. Mr. Boone was born in 1846; he was educated in the United States, graduated at Princeton College in 1865, and after the usual theological studies was ordained Deacon in the United States. Soon afterwards he was appointed missionary to China in 1869, and was ordered Priest in St. John's Church, Hankow, by Bishop Williams (now of Tokio) in 1870. He was stationed at Wuchang for some eight years, and then in 1879 was removed to St. John's College and appointed by the Bishop as Dean of the Theological Department, where he has been steadily working for the past five years. 

Whereas certain absurd reports are believed to be current as to ritualism at St. John's College, it may be well to add that Mr. Boone's election is not only satisfactory to the members of the mission, but is also thus spoken of in the leading Church paper:--"The Rev. Wm. J. Boone, Missionary Bishop elect of Shanghai, is a worthy son of his predecessor in the same office. He is a prudent and trustworthy man, and has the confidence of the friends of foreign missions. The House of Bishops may well be congratulated on electing to the office one who is already familiar with the work."

Yours truly,

A MEMBER OF THE MISSION. 

(Rev. H. Sowerby.)

This seems on the surface to be a fairly innocuous contribution, but it was to provoke some explosive responses, as we move into the month of June in 1884, not least because it seems that Herbert Sowerby initially chose to conceal his identity as the author of the missive. 

This would explain the initial response of a Mr F. McKeige that:

I regret very much that "A Member of the Mission" should have written that "Mr. Boone's election is not only satisfactory to the members of the mission "--without first consulting its members. He would then have had authority to write as he did, if all were in accord.

And this was merely the opening salvo.

A Purist Speaks

St John's College, Shanghai, from its Wikipedia Entry

As the great Protestant Episcopal Mission debate developed in 1883, a certain Mr Appleton expressed his umbrage at the time and effort being wasted in teaching the Chinese English, and furthermore, introducing the Chinese to the literary products of their own culture, specifically referring to the running of St. John’s College in Shanghai, under the management of William Jones Boone, the proposed candidate for the Bishopric:



There are others things I do seriously object to, if I, a novice, may be allowed an objection. In the college no less than five teachers are employed who are openly non-believers. What their belief is I do not know; but I do know that they are not confessing Christians. Let me be just, however. There are two, sides to the question. It is argued that a Chinaman is not educated unless he knows the Chinese classics, and, furthermore, that none but these heathen can properly teach these classics. 

Here a question is suggested; Are missions intended to teach the impotent Chinese classics? 
Once more: Does the study of English tend to promote the cause of Christianity among the natives? You will understand that this is a principal feature of St. John's College, though I believe this branch is partly self-supporting. Apropos of this subject I clip the following from a religious paper published in Shanghai:

These last (viz., English, and the three 'R's') are all useful in their way and are no doubt much appreciated by juvenile celestials who look, forward to one day entering foreign Hongs as office boys, shroffs or compradores. 

But for missionaries to engage in elementary instruction of this description is in our opinion from a Christian point of view practically so much time wasted… Let those Chinese who desire to see their sons become acquainted with the English language provide them with suitable teachers, and let missionaries look to their marching orders and confine themselves mainly to preaching the gospel. 

From the perspective of the dogmatic Mr Appleton, the role of the missionaries was very simple – it was a direct method of conversion of the Chinese to Christianity through their own language, and with no diversions into any other kind of cultural or linguistic side avenues. 

Internal Divisions

Not only did the China Missionary groups compete with each other for customers in their ethereal free market economy, they also managed to conjure up all kinds of internecine disagreements amongst themselves.  

From his Wikipedia Entry

In the case of Herbert Sowerby, his own particular entry into controversy resulted from the proposed appointment of the Rev. William Jones Boone as Missionary bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of China. 

This episode spawned an entire published volume of correspondence objecting to the appointment and the ‘wretched management of the church’ more generally.

Boone was accused again and again of ritualistic practices (akin to Catholicism) and all manners of other incompetence that clearly rendered him unfit for the position, and as the letters concerning the appointment bounced forwards and backwards some rather interesting positions regarding the whole Protestant Episcopal Mission enterprise reveal themselves. Herbert Sowerby seems to have made just one contribution to the debate, probably one that he came to regret, and which may have been another contributory factor in the decision of the family to leave China.

Ann Fanny Wombwell Heads For Wuhan

Marriage certificate of Herbert Sowerby and Ann Fanny Wombwell (third cousin x2 removed of Hetty Jane Owen)

In 1893 a lengthy historical survey of the activities of the Protestant Episcopal Church in China was published, together with a number of other documents, providing a number of references to the Sowerbys and enabling us to get at least some limited insight into the strange and novel life they were now leading, as happily married, they proceeded in February 1882, up the Yangtze River to Wuhan.

On November 28th, Herbert was appointed to the Diaconate and two years later he was to be fully ordained as a priest. In the interim he was put in charge of the Bishop Boone Memorial School in Wuhan. By 1884, the school had thirty-two pupils, and Herbert had been given further responsibilities for two other day schools and for visiting in-ward patients. Their mission had begun.