The Landons lived on the Tajin road, held a mile outside the town. The main Christian community lived about three miles away. The general pattern was that people lived in villages for safety reasons. Ku Pru was a teacher at the school and her brother…
Margaret tells of the reasons that led her and Kenneth to decide not to go back to the mission field. One reason was the children. The Landons had seen the havoc that mission work had on the children of some of their colleagues. There was also the…
Early in January Kenneth and Margaret learned that they were accepted as missionaries if they were willing to go to Siam. They were given several weeks to make a decision. Margaret reads a long letter about their meeting with the mission board in New…
John Aiken decided that the mission would not work among the Chinese in Siam, only with the Siamese. This was a mistake because the Chinese in Siam were perfectly Siamese and were open to missionaries. They were the most powerful people in the…
In February Kenneth wrote that he and Margaret had been officially appointed to Siam. The plan was for them to depart in August, about a month before Margaret gave birth to their first child. Margaret reads a list of the items they were advised to…
Margaret was called by several names. Kenneth always called her Margaret, but Adelle called her Peggy of even Peggotty, which she tended to use in her letters to Margaret.
Kenneth and Margaret describe their train ride from Chicago to San Francisco. Many people came to the Wheaton train station to say goodbye, bringing flowers and other things that Margaret liked. They tell how they felt about leaving home, describe…
Kenneth and Margaret describe their sea trip to Honolulu. They read letters from that trip about their daily schedules, the food they ate, the activities they had, and the many people they met. Margaret remembers an elderly lady, the gayest person on…
Margaret and Kenneth tell about their time in Honolulu, where they had only one day break. A fellow traveler, Mr. Kennedy, rented a big Packard car and they all rode in it, touring the city and the countryside. The Landons recall Kenneth becoming the…
The ship arrived in Kobe, Japan, for one day, and the Landons spent the time with their usual group, visiting the town and the countryside. Everything looked small, and the area seemed overpopulated. Margaret talks about Japanese quarantine officers…
Kenneth talks about their encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Vincent, who were missionaries in Siam and were now serving in China. The Landons arrived in Shanghai, where they celebrated their first anniversary. They met the Thomases who had also gone to…
The Landons arrived in Singapore, where they met Mrs. Dorothy Richard Starling, from Meadville, PA. She had married a man who worked for an oil company in Singapore, and her mother had specially asked the Landons to look her up when they reached the…
The Landons boarded an English ship for Bangkok. It was very clean and comfortable. They talk about the journey to Bangkok and the food they ate on the ship, and the people they met.
Kenneth and Margaret talk about the Seigle family, their house, and the first day staying with them. The stayed there for some time, getting used to the city and beginning Siamese classes the very next day of their arrival. They tell about the…
Margaret tells about some odds and ends in the Siamese culture: cloth colors for each day of the week, pythons used for food or medicine, Mrs. Fuller and the rickshaw ride, the fire that wouldn't burn the mission compound, etc.
Margaret and Kenneth talk about the buying and selling of Women in Siam. A young girl was bought for $10 in Hong Kong from her parents. Another was sold for 110 tekals. They were working as housemaids for wealthy people in the town.
Mr. McKenzie, the American minister, was entertained by Prince Damrong and wanted to reciprocate. He sent his number one "boy" to buy the best kind of Chinese tea for the prince's visit. It turned out that the tea cost much more he had thought, but…
The Landons completed their first quarter of study, which they did in two months. As it turned out, Kenneth completed in one year a three year language program.
Kenneth tells again about their language training, his doing three years in one, and Margaret two years in one. She kept up with me, he says. Margaret remarks that it was agony.
Kenneth and Margaret scored very high for their language exam. Their teacher said they were the best students she ever had. Mrs. Welsh wrote them saying that she had been praying for their language study (she was still a friend to them at the time). …
The Landons adjusted to the Thai culture very quickly. The Seigles and the Landon's teacher were all very helpful in their adjustment. The language teacher gave a great deal of her time taking them on culture tours in the city, teaching them the…
The Landons tell about Albert and Kenneth laying out a tennis court behind the two houses. Margaret talks about Dr. Theobald preaching on Sunday. They also tell of the operation that James had to remove his arm.
The Thai loved festivals. The King's birthday, November 8, was a great celebration that lasted three days. They had built a 150 foot mountain that was believed to be the center of the world.
White elephants (as well as white cows and white monkeys) have always been venerated in Asia. Margaret describes the white elephant festival. Large crowds would go out in procession for this festival. The first time the Landons joined the crowd they…
Margaret played in a singles tennis match and lost the game. In the doubles she played with Dr.Theobald and played well, but they didn't win. The Landons talk about their misfortune buying some furniture. It cost them everything they had because of…