Guide to the Papers of Harold S. Williams, 1867-2000
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Collection context
Summary
- Collection number:
- MS 6681;MS Acc09.161;.MS Acc09.168
- Creator:
- Harold S. Williams
- Extent:
- (86 boxes + 1 carton + 28 folio boxes + 1 folio item + 1 volume + 1 folder)
- Language:
- English and English
- Preferred citation:
- Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Harold S. Williams, National Library of Australia, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.
- Availability:
- Available
- Access conditions:
- Available for research. Not for loan.
Background
- Content Summary:
-
The collection includes subject files, correspondence, scrapbooks, articles, lectures, notes, drafts of works by Williams, drafts of works by others, photographs, programs and other papers relating to the history of foreign settlement in Japan and its influence on, and adaptation to, Japanese society. The papers also relate to Japanese culture, individual expatriate residents, other foreigners, foreign businesses, communities and clubs in Japan until the 1980s. These papers contain the primary material used by Williams in his many published books and articles.
Also included are the papers of Gertrude Williams and personal and family papers that document Harold Williams' life and the life of both Harold and Gertrude Williams in Japan.
- Biographical Note:
-
Harold Stannett Williams was born in Melbourne in 1898 and died in Kobe in 1987. Williams went to Japan for a visit in 1919. He decided to stay and, except during World War II when he served in the Australian Army, he lived there until his death. After the War he was a member of the Occupation Forces in Japan; on his return to civilian life in 1949, he renewed his business interests and, with his wife Gertrude, began his research into the history and culture of the foreign settlements. He was the author of numerous books on Japan including Tales of Foreign Settlements in Japan (1958) and Foreigners in Mikadoland (1963). A list of his published books can be found in Appendix 1. (Under related documents tab)
For about thirteen years Williams contributed articles to the Mainichi Daily News in the series, 'Shades of the Past'; he was also a frequent contributor to other English language newspapers, both in Japan and other countries.
In 1967 he was awarded the International Cultural Award of the Hyogo Prefectural Government. In 1972 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to historical research.
Gertrude F. (Jean) Williams shared her husband's interests and contributed to the development of his collection. Together they travelled extensively throughout Japan and overseas, visiting libraries and other institutions, undertaking research and copying from English language newspapers. After his death she published a two-volume collection of their writings entitled West Meets East: The Foreign Experience of Japan (1992). She died in Queensland in 1999.
- Provenance:
-
Harold and Gertrude (Jean) Williams between 1978 and 1995 donated the collection to the Library in numerous instalments. Further material was added in 2002 and 2005.
Access and use
- Conditions Governing Access:
- Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2199808).
- Conditions Governing Use:
- Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
- Preferred citation:
- Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Harold S. Williams, National Library of Australia, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.
- Location of this collection:
-
Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: