Browse Items (79 total)

  • Tags: Margaret Landon in Siam 1910-1934

Margaret sailed on a small British steamer, the only passenger. There was a meal served twice a day (breakfast and dinner). She couldn't understand the men who spoke dialects that most British couldn't understand. There was an anti-American sentiment…

Margaret talks about her servant Ah Sim. She couldn't read but was very bright. She would keep the market list in her head. Kenneth was keeping track of the market. Once Kenneth was away for six weeks. Upon his return Ah Sim gave him a report of her…

Margaret tells about Bill as a baby. He was slow but focused and determined. He would crawl around and follow the servant's motions while she was working. One day Bille became so fascinated by the motion of the mop that he wanted to catch it, but the…

Bill never had Peggy's social instinct; it was just born in her. Bill was always self-absorbed and he was so busy from the day he was able to get around. By the time he was two he was really maneuverable and showed a gift for language.

Margaret wrote of picking a ripe jack fruit that was huge like a watermelon and entirely filled a pail. She briefly describes the fruit, larger than a durian fruit. 

Mrs. Snyder had a tendency to make it clear that she thought things were better when she did them. Margaret tells about yard work with the coolies, and the young man who came for the book of Daniel. 

Margaret tells about the missionaries she describes as giants with extraordinary abilities. Dr. McCain and Dr. McDaniel were pioneers in setting up asylums for the lepers who were just ignored by society. They had wonderful ministries and were…

Margaret returned to Dr. Toy's story. He worked for the government and drew a lot of money. His first wife bore him four children and died. He remarried and had six more children. The last king died and Dr. Toy was laid off. He decided to become an…

In May 1930, Kenneth wrote concerning his father and dresses. Margaret tells of the fine dresses Victorine Smith had picked up for Brad to send to Margaret. Brad deemed them too expensive and returned to the store to exchange them for cheaper dresses…

Margaret reads about E. P. Dunlap and his work in Siam. His first convert was a devout Buddhist who had turned away from his idols and entrusted his life to the "Great Spirit." He was one day trying to repair a Buddhist idol when all of a sudden it…

Margaret finally got a good garden book, a great event. She still has it, A Garden Book for Malaya by Kathleen Gough. Margaret now had 120 house plants. There were ferns, amaryllis, lilys, honolulu creepers, bougainvillea, and other small plants. As…

Margaret attended a Siamese wedding with a friend called Kru Kim Juang. She was a mother and a school teacher. Margaret describes the wedding, its customs, and the beliefs that go with it. She found the Thai to be superstitious yet civilized people.…

Margaret's skin was getting darker and darker because of the sun. The whiter the person the more she was admired. She talks about skin colors in Siam and people's preferences in this regard.

Margaret describes a normal day. It begins at 6:00, with breakfast and prayer at 7:00. She had a little time to get things underway before her teacher came at 9:00. She studied until 11:30, had lunch and a little nap, then had Siamese conversation…

Margaret reads a letter about her time in Chong, her vacation, her impressions and discoveries of the area. It was one of the most beautiful areas she had ever seen. She describes the Thai hierarchy and the power the governor had. She tells of how…

In one of her letters Margaret wrote that she had always thought, and at some point felt, that she didn't do anything important. Kenneth was the one on the road all the time doing what really mattered. Kenneth joked that he was just dashing around.

Margaret left Phuket and Mrs. Sheehan drove her down to Tonka harbor where she and the children were going to sail. They listened to a man play classical music. They had a miserable trip going across, with all their luggage. They were glad to get…

Margaret tells the story of "The Pakai Affair". It started when Margaret spent the year battling some health issues and couldn't fulfill her responsibilities at the school. Her illness became part of the plan of Bertha Blount, one of "the villain[s]…

Margaret begins telling "what I call 'The Pakai Affair.'" To tell the story, she gives some background concerning mission history in Siam. Margaret tells of the history of the Presbyterian mission in Siam, the main figures, the mission stations and…

Margaret recalls an article in a local newspaper in which she was misquoted. It was a reunion with Mrs. Boyd, who was visiting in Bangkok and whom Margaret had known since she was a little child. Margaret comments that in many occasion this happened…

Margaret says Bill's pet amusement at the moment was pushing Peggy's doll carriage around. One morning, Margaret found him washing Peggy's doll's hair. The two children looked almost like twins now because Bill weighed only one pound less than Peggy.…

Margaret talks about how the farmers cared for their buffalo. They would keep them under the house, perhaps. Groups of men would take their buffalo out to grazing areas to feed. No one milked cows, though they did have female buffalo. When the…

Margaret describes her stove, how slow it is, and the hard work it takes to cook on it. She tells of the market, especially the buying of meat and how she tendered beef before roasting it. Pork was more tender and they had it more often. She would…

Margaret remembers the friends of the Landons (Ralph Verhaug, who married Katherine, Joe Wright, Muriel, etc.) The friendship went cold for the most part, though Muriel remained very faithful in writing. Margaret recalls how hard it was to not…

Margaret talks about their first three years in Siam and their furlough coming up in just a year. She had just begun to feel that she was of use as a missionary. It was so hard without the language. Sometimes she got blue because of the lack of any…
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