{"id":1401,"date":"2026-04-20T18:59:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/?post_type=exhibit&p=1401"},"modified":"2026-04-27T00:49:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T00:49:35","slug":"family","status":"publish","type":"exhibit","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/exhibits\/john-m-foster-1877\/family\/","title":{"rendered":"Family and Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Foster family portrait, 1914, showing John M. Foster, his wife Clara Hess Foster, and their children. This image reflects the family dimension of missionary life and the role of family networks in sustaining long-term work in China<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Portrait of Clara Hess Foster, wife of John M. Foster, highlighting the role of missionary wives in supporting religious and educational work abroad. and Portrait of John M. Foster and Clara Hess Foster, representing the partnership central to missionary life and work in China<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Clara\u2019s main work was in\u00a0girls\u2019 education, teaching, supervising, and organizing mission schools for Chinese girls in the Swatow region.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • She played an essential part in the\u00a0establishment and leadership of girls\u2019 schools, which were rare and groundbreaking in this era.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Clara worked on training Chinese women and girls not only in academics but also in Christian principles, hygiene, and practical skills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    Foster family, reflecting the generational impact of missionary life and the blending of American and Chinese experiences.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    John H. Foster, Anna E. Foster, Grace Foster or Helen Foster<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Anna E. Foster,<\/strong> with her parents, grew up in China and later became a dedicated missionary teacher herself. She spent over 30 decades leading girls\u2019 education in Kaying, helping empower young women and continuing her family\u2019s legacy of service in South China.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    John H. Foster, Colby Class of 1913,<\/strong> captained the YMCA and tennis team, led the chess club, and was known for his leadership and humor. Hailing from the West, he was preparing for missionary work and was expected to carry forward the family\u2019s tradition of overseas service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Frank C. Foster, Colby Class of 1916<\/strong>, was active in student government, YMCA, and tennis, earning a varsity letter. Known for his good nature and leadership, he planned to follow his family\u2019s missionary tradition by serving in China after graduation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    This group photo from the Swatow mission includes Arthur Page (Colby Class of 1898),<\/strong> who worked in South China from the early 1900s, and Abbie G. Sanderson, (Colby Class of 1914)<\/strong>, who served in the region from the 1910s. Alongside the Foster family, they played key roles in education and community outreach in Swatow during the early 20th century.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Foster family portrait, 1914, showing John M. Foster, his wife Clara Hess Foster, and their children. This image reflects the family dimension of missionary life and the role of family networks in sustaining long-term work in China Portrait of Clara Hess Foster, wife of John M. Foster, highlighting the role of missionary wives in supporting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":346,"menu_order":7,"template":"","institution":[],"place":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibit\/1401"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibit"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/exhibit"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibit\/1401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2305,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibit\/1401\/revisions\/2305"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibit\/346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=1401"},{"taxonomy":"place","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/colby-and-china-ea333\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/place?post=1401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}