1876-1906 General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 127, Madison, NJ 07940 2017-11-27
Robert Frank Petersen Collection 1876-1906 2.88 cubic feet gcah.ms.2716 The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved. Biographical Note Robert Frank Petersen, D.M.D., (1921-2007), United Methodist Church missionary to India, was a skilled dentist born in Portland, Oregon, on January 2, 1921. He graduated from the University of Oregon Dental School in 1943, and served as a dental officer in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. In 1951, Robert and his wife, Mary B. Petersen, went to India to work in dental medicine at Clara Swain Hospital in Bareilly, U.P., and remained there until 1954. After completing his dental missionary work in India, Robert and Mary returned to Oregon, and Robert continued his dental practice. Dr. and Mrs. Petersen had three children. Petersen died on January 15, 2007 in Medford, Oregon. Scope and Content Note There are two items in this collection. The first is a Seth Thomas Clock that was built in 1876. The clock was removed from what is known as the William Butler bungalow in Bareilly, UP, India around 1970 by Dr. Robert Petersen as the suggestion of Dr. Stanley Thoburn, deceased. Due to the patent date, it is highly probably that some other early Methodist missionary actually owned it. The second item in this collection is a book written by William Butler entitled THE LAND OF THE VEDA. The book is autographed in the front by Clemetina Butler who was William's third wife. Arrangement Material has been arranged in the following manner. The collection is arranged by record type. Related Material Microfilm Edition of the Mission Biographical Reference Files. Missionary Files Series. Access Restrictions There are no restrictions on this collection. Use Access Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited Page 1
in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required. Preferred Citation When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Robert Frank Petersen Collection, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor. Index Terms Subject Terms Missions-India Geographic Terms India Subject Names - Corporate Bodies Methodist Church (U.S.) Occupation Terms Dentist Missionary Genre Terms Artifacts Books Table of Contents Page 2
Container List Call Number Folder Title Date(s) 5029-3-1:1 Seth Thomas Clock 1876 1584-5-7:1 Land of the Veda by William Butler 1906 Page 3