McCarthy Family Papers

Material includes family photographs, a family tree, a letter, a published book of stories and a newspaper article.

The McCarthy family were members of the China Inland Mission. These papers relate to John McCarthy and his two sons, Frank and William.

John McCarthy and his wife Margaret (nee Duniam), left for China on October 12th, 1866 and arriving on February 23rd 1867. They were stationed in Hangchow upon their arrival. John McCarthy was the first non-official foreigner to travel from the east of China to the west of China, from Shanghai to Bhamo [Source: The Chinese Recorder] on missionary work, and did so accompanied by only one servant in 1876-7. This was a journey later undertaken by his brother William. John and Margaret had at least four children and the family left China for England on August 30th 1874. John also served as Superintendent of the CIM (1866) and went to America in 1891. He returned to China in 1900 and died at Yannanfu on 21st June 1911 of malaria and heat complications.

Frank McCarthy was head of Chefoo School at Chefoo in Northern China, from 1895-1930. The school was established by James Hudson Taylor in 1880 to educate the children of missionaries, overseas businessmen and diplomats. The boarding school was run in accordance with the China Inland Mission's regime and based on the British education system. Frank McCarthy was the third headmaster of the school.

Frank and his wife Elizabeth had five children Jack, Terrance, Eva, Brien and Ray, who all attended the school.

William was vicar of Bishops Stortford for almost 19 years and died there aged 79. He was born in Hangchow in 1870 and came to England aged four. He served with the China Merchants Company as an engineer and married in 1887 to a Miss E Davis, CIM member since 1891. They lived in Ichang and Shanghai where he became an under-manager with the Shanghai Dock and Engineering Company and then a lecturer at Wuchang University. In 1906 they moved to Ganching and he took charge of the secondary school. In 1915 they returned to England. He served in the Royal Navy during WWI and then went on to study and graduate in theology from Keble College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1920 and was appointed to churches in Luton, Bedford, Birmingham and Bishops Stortford. Mrs McCarthy died in 1941 and their only son, William, died in action during WWII.

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The School of Oriental and African Studies also holds the papers of the China Inland Mission (Ref: CIM) and other sub-collections such as the Chefoo School (Ref: CIM/CSP) and James Hudson Taylor (Ref: CIM/JHT). References to the McCarthy family can also be found in numerous editions of the Chinese Recorder, also available at SOAS.