Henry Merritt Stenhouse Papers

1918
Manuscript Collection #401
Creator(s)
Stenhouse, Henry Merritt
Physical description
0.165 Cubic Feet
Preferred Citation
Henry Merritt Stenhouse Papers (#401), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
Access to audiovisual and digital media is restricted. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

This collection contains the written works of Dr. Henry Merritt Stenhouse, a U.S. Naval doctor. The written works detail his life as a naval doctor while in China and Japan (1918) and thoughts towards the Russian Revolution, the Chinese revolution, and their culture. It also gives detailed accounts of some illnesses, diseases, and injuries treated by Dr. Henry Stenhouse as well as his life as a medical student at the University of Colorado.


Biographical/historical information

Dr. Henry Meritt Stenhouse was born in Colorado on December 7, 1889 and died in Goldsboro, North Carolina on March 28, 1995. His father was James Stenhouse and his mother was Minnie G. Stenhouse. He married Mary Cleaves Daniels in 1919 and had five children, Carolyn Stenhouse Lewis, Marjorie Stenhouse Smith, Henry Merritt Stenhouse, George Daniels Stenhouse, and Mary Cleaves Stenhouse Smith. He met his wife in Newport News, Virginia when she christened the USS Clemson in 1918.

He graduated from the University of Colorado Medical School in 1913. He was the first M.D. graduate at the University of Colorado commissioned in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. He graduated from the U.S. Navy Medical School in 1915. He also became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1923. He served as a Naval Doctor ranked as Commander in World War I and World War II. While in China, he served on the USS Monocacy and USS Palos.

After his service, he became an ophthalmologist and wrote a biography about himself called Gambei. In 1990, he decided to run for congress in North Carolina when his driver's license could no longer be renewed due to poor eye sight. He was considered to be a part of the Republican Party. For his platform, he considered himself against foreign aid, the welfare system, federal income tax, seat belt laws, AIDS research, and the popular music that was playing at the time. His opponents for the Republican nomination were William Kenneth Brosman and Don Davis. Don Davis won and ran against the democrat, Rep. H. Martin Lancaster.

Sources: Find a Grave. "Dr. Henry Merritt Stenhouse." Accessed June 24, 2019. null

IMDb. "Henry Stenhouse." Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8994901/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Murphy, Martin. "One eye on past, one on future in Congress." Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/07/One-eye-on-past-one-on-future-in-Congress/5025642052800/

Powell, Lew. "North Carolina Miscellany: Exploring the History, Literature, and Culture of the Tar Heel State." Accessed June 24, 2019. https://blogs.lib.unc.edu/ncm/index.php/2012/01/09/100-year-old-candidate-saw-issues-through-revolutionary-lens/


Scope and arrangement

This collection contains a book script and smaller written works by Dr. Henry Merrit Stenhouse. It also contains a rejection letter from Literary Agency, Inc. of the book script dated August 28, 1962. This collection is in one folder and organized by date.

The book script titled Gambei, 'til the glow is gone has 62 chapters and is 496 pages long. In this script, Dr. Henry Stenhouse talks about his experiences while in China and Japan on the USS Monocacy and USS Palos and the diseases and injuries he treated. The main river they traveled on was the Yangtze River. He also discusses Chinese and Russian history, their revolutions, and cultures. He does this by interweaving his experiences while in the Navy with current events.

Another written work done by Dr. Henry Merritt Stenhouse is titled The White Fence. The White Fence was written for the 50th anniversary of the graduating class of 1913 from the University of Colorado. In this piece, he writes about the World Wars and how the United States has change. The last written piece authored by Dr. Stenhouse is titled Early Times: At the University of Colorado Medical School. In this booklet, Dr. Stenhouse describes what life was like in the early 1900s and how one approached medical school and college specifically at the University of Colorado.

Beyond the written works of Dr. Henry Merritt Stenhouse, there are two pages of typed material written by an unknown author. One is a translation of a phrase spoken by a Buddhist Monk near the Chungking Szechuan Province, China. The other written work is about plan seventeen, a plan created by the French that could have possibly stopped the Russians from being destroyed by the Germans in World War I.


Administrative information
Custodial History

March 26, 1980, 145 pp.; Memoir of experiences in China (1918). Donor: Dr. Henry M. Stenhouse.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Dr. Henry M. Stenhouse

Processing information

Encoded by Apex Data Services. Processed by Corinne Taylor, June 2019.

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.


Related material

North Carolina China Council: Dr. Henry Stenhouse Oral History Interview, November 18, 1980 Oral History #OH0089-015 East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. Greenville, NC USA

Henry Merritt Stenhouse Oral History Interview, March 19, 1980, May 21, 1980 Oral History #OH0060 East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. Greenville, NC USA


Key terms
Personal Names
Stenhouse, Henry Merritt
Places
China--Description and travel