Home › Digital Collections › Special Collections and Archives Finding Aids

Foy Johnson Willingham Farmer Papers

Finding Aid & Inventory

Foy Johnson Willingham Farmer was a Southern Baptist Convention missionary to Japan, 1911-1921; a Trustee of Meredith College, and a leader in the North Carolina and Southern Baptist Convention Woman's Missionary Union. Her papers consist of biographical files; correspondence; diaries; educational files of her first husband, Calder Truehart Willingham; financial documents; literary productions; literary productions of others as well as Japanese publications; prayer notebooks; Sunday School lessons; pictorial materials; professional files; and Japanese artifacts.

Browse the Finding Aid & Inventory

Submit a research request for this material

Biographical and Historical Note

Foy Elisabeth Johnson was born in Riverton, Scotland County, on October 6, 1887, the second child and eldest daughter of Livingston Johnson and Mary Frances (Fannie) Memory. Livingston was a Baptist minister and editor of the Biblical Recorder.

Farmer was educated at public schools in Greensboro and Cary and received a bachelor of arts degree (1907) from the Baptist Female University, later Meredith College in Raleigh. Upon graduation, she taught high school for one year in Wake County before returning to her alma mater to teach in the preparatory department until 1911.

On June 7, 1911, Foy Johnson married Calder Truehart Willingham, a Georgia native and Southern Baptist Convention missionary. The two moved to Kokura, Japan, two months after their marriage, and once there, Foy began her evangelistic work, including teaching the Bible, English, and cooking. In summer 1918, the Willinghams left Yokohama, Japan for a furlough in the U.S. Unfortunately, while stateside, Calder Willingham was a casualty of the 1918 influenza pandemic, dying of influenza on October 15, 1918.

Farmer returned to her missionary work in Shimonoeskeki, Japan, but exhaustion and illness forced her permanent return to the U.S. in May 1921. She was married to James S. Farmer on January 19, 1922, in Wake County. James Farmer was manager and later editor of the Biblical Recorder, as her father had been.

Farmer held a lifelong commitment to Baptists. In addition to teaching Sunday school for many years, she was elected as a member-at-large of the Baptist State Convention's Women's Missionary Union (WMU), joining its executive board. She served the WMU in various capacities for roughly 50 years (1921-1971), including mission study chairwoman (3 years), prayer chairwoman (3 years), and vice president (5 years). She was president from 1942-1945 and again 1946-1950. She also served as vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention's WMU (1954-1960) and was on the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Foreign Mission Board (1943-1963). Nor was she bound solely to the U.S.; Farmer was a member of the board of directors for the University of Shanghai and maintained relationships with numerous missionaries around the world. Foy was also a trustee of Shaw University (1946-1953) and Meredith College (1933-1963). Foy also found the time throughout her busy life to author a number of books, including At the Gate of Asia,  Publishing Glad Tidings,  Mrs. Maynard's House,  Sallie Bailey Jones,  Hitherto: History of North Carolina's Woman's Missionary Union,  The King's Way, and  Sacrifice and Song.

Foy Elisabeth Willingham Farmer had two children who lived to adulthood with James Farmer: daughter Fannie J. M. Farmer and son James Stephen Farmer. She died May 29, 1971, and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

Collection Overview

Her papers consist of biographical files; correspondence; diaries; educational files of her husband, Calder Truehart Willingham; financial documents; literary productions; literary productions of others; as well as Japanese publications; prayer notebooks; Sunday School lessons; pictorial materials; professional files; and Japanese artifacts.

Collection Inventory

  • Biographical File
    • Biographical data. The Foreign Mission Journal  (1911 September) box 1 folder 1
    • Clippings  (1947-1958) box 1 folder 2
    • Provence, Ruth, Memorial tribute to Foy Johnson Farmer (undated) box 1 folder 3
  • Correspondence
    • A  (1967-1967) box 1 folder 4
    • B  (1949-1967) box 1 folder 5
    • C  (1939-1967) box 1 folder 6
    • Cauthen, Baker J.  (1967-1967) box 1 folder 7
    • D  (1967-1971) box 1 folder 8
    • F  (1959-1967) box 1 folder 9
    • G  (1959-1967) box 1 folder 10
    • H  (1964-1967) box 1 folder 11
    • J  (1962-1967) box 1 folder 12
    • K  (1967-1967) box 1 folder 13
    • L  (1958-1967) box 1 folder 14
    • M  (1958-1967) box 1 folder 15
    • N  (1967-1967) box 1 folder 16
    • P  (1966-1967) box 1 folder 17
    • R  (1962-1967) box 1 folder 18
    • S  (1967-1967) box 1 folder 19
    • T  (1958-1967) box 1 folder 20
    • W  (1958-1967) box 1 folder 21
    • Y  (1963-1967) box 1 folder 22
    • Z  (1964-1964) box 1 folder 23
    • First name only  (1946-1967) box 1 folder 24
    • Unidentified  (1964-1966) box 1 folder 25
  • Diaries
    •  (1898 February-1911 September) box 1 folder 26
    •  (1910 December-1911 August) box 1 folder 27
    •  (1913 July-1914 October) box 3 folder 125
    •  (October 1915-1917 December) box 3 folder 127
    •  (1917 January-1918 July) box 3 folder 126
    •  (1944 March-1945 December) box 3 folder 128
    •  (1948 January-1949 June) box 3 folder 129
    • Trip through New England into Canada  (1954-1954) box 1 folder 28
    •  (1960 February-1960 August) box 3 folder 130
    • (undated) box 3 folder 124
  • Educational File
    • Willingham, Calder Trueheart. Masters Degree in Theology. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY (1902 May 27) box 1 folder 29
  • Financial Documents
    • Cash book (undated) box 1 folder 30
  • Writings and Speeches
    • Helps for teaching Hitherto (undated) box 1 folder 31
    • Hitherto annotated by author  (1951-1951) box 3 folder 119
    • "Laborers Together with God"  (1962-1962) box 3 folder 120
    • Meredith and the Woman's Missionary Union, address before the Meredith College Alumnae Association  (1945-1945) box 1 folder 32
    • Resume of Interracial Activities of Woman's Missionary Union (undated) box 1 folder 33
    • Sacrifice and Song   (1953-1953) box 3 folder 118
    • Talks highlights (undated) box 1 folder 34
  • Other Authors
    • Connor, Ralph, The Sky Pilot  (undated) box 1 folder 35
    • Twaya Momotaro, "The Story of the Peach Boy" Tokyo, Eigaku-Shimpo-Sha  (1903-1903) box 1 folder 36
    • St. Luke British and Foreign Bible Society and National Bible Society of Scotland, Japan  (1918-1918) box 1 folder 37
    • Textbooks, First and Third Reader (undated) box 1 folder 38
  • Notebooks
    • Prayerbooks
      •   (1941-1941) box 1 folder 39
      •   (1946-1947) box 1 folder 40
      •   (1951-1951) box 1 folder 41
      •   (1953-1953) box 3 folder 117
      •   (1954-1955) box 1 folder 42
      •   (1957-1958) box 1 folder 43
      •   (1959-1959) box 1 folder 44
      •   (1961-1961) box 1 folder 45
      •   (1962-1962) box 1 folder 46
      •   (1963-1963) box 1 folder 47
      •   (1964-1964) box 1 folder 48
      •   (1965-1965) box 1 folder 49
      •   (1966-1966) box 1 folder 50
      •   (1967-1967) box 1 folder 51
      • (undated) box 1 folder 52
    • Sunday School Lessons
      •  (1967 January-March) box 1 folder 53
      • Biblical Recorder notes (undated) box 1 folder 54
  • Pictorial Materials
    • After school, kindergarten children going home (undated) box 2 folder 55
    • Baptismal service, Japan (undated) box 2 folder 56
    • Dozier, Edwin Burke and Miss Nagata (undated) box 2 folder 57
    • Doziers, Greetings from Sarah Ellen, Edwin B., Adelia Ann, Mary Ellen, Charles M. (undated) box 2 folder 58
    • Farmer, Foy Elizabeth Johnson Willingham
      •   (1921-1921) box 2 folder 59
      • (undated) box 2 folder 60
      • And Cecil E. Lancaster, Shimonoseki, Japan (1921 April) box 2 folder 61
      • And family  (1911-1914) box 2 folder 62
      • And Ruth Provence and J. Clyde Turner (undated) box 2 folder 63
      • And Shima Moujama (1921 April) box 2 folder 64
      • And Yaname Tamura, Jokura, Japan (1917 May) box 2 folder 65
      • First Bible Class, Japan (undated) box 2 folder 66
      • With a group of Americans (undated) box 2 folder 67
      • With a group of Japanese women (1917 April) box 2 folder 68
      • With a group of Japanese women and children (undated) box 2 folder 69
    • Farmer, James Saberry
      • With a group (undated) box 2 folder 70
      • With a group on "Europa" heading toward Baptist World Alliance, Berlin, Germany  (1935-1935) box 2 folder 71
      • With wife, Myrtle (undated) box 2 folder 72
    • Jackson, Craig and Sybil  (1937-1937) box 2 folder 73
    • Japanese street scene (undated) box 2 folder 74
    • Japanese women (undated) box 2 folder 75
    • Moniyama, K. Kokura, Japan (undated) box 2 folder 76
    • Provence, Ruth (undated) box 2 folder 77
    • Sevetton, Dr. and Elizabeth Ray (undated) box 2 folder 78
    • Southern Baptist Convention, Fiftieth Anniversary of Japan Mission (1940 November 3) box 2 folder 79
    • Turner, J. Clyde  (1956-1956) box 2 folder 80
    • Walne, Claudia McCann, missionary to Japan (undated) box 2 folder 81
    • Willingham, Calder Trueheart
      •  (1906 December) box 2 folder 82
      • (undated) box 2 folder 83
      • And Bessie Hardy (B.H.) (1903 Spring) box 2 folder 84
      • And Foy Johnson, missionaries to Japan (undated) box 2 folder 85
      • And Foy Johnson, their home in Kokura, Japan (1912 June 7) box 2 folder 86
      • And Foy Johnson, wedding album, gift of Elsie West Gilliam (1911 June 7) box 2 folder 87
      • And Foy Johnson with a group of Japanese people, Wakamatsu (1916 April 3) box 2 folder 88
    • Willingham, R. J. (circa 1909) box 2 folder 89
  • Professional Files
    • Foreign Mission Board (1957 April) box 3 folder 122
    • Leadership Conference notes (undated) box 3 folder 121
    • Livingston Johnson Bible Class, First Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, yearbook  (1980-1981) box 1 folder 90
    • Lleaveland, Bess Bruce drawings (undated) box 2 folder 91
    • Millbrook Woman's Missionary Society, Raleigh, North Carolina, yearbook  (1940-1940) box 2 folder 92
    • Postal cards, Japan (undated) box 2 folder 93
    • Raleigh, North Carolina, First Baptist Church
      • Annual calendar  (1962-1963) box 2 folder 94
      • Membership of  (1970-1970) box 2 folder 95
      • Our Easter devotions  (1964-1964) box 2 folder 96
      • Woman's Missionary Union yearbook  (1954-1955) box 1 folder 97
    • WMU Durham (1959 March 10-12) box 3 folder 123
  • Artifacts
    • Chopsticks (5) (undated) box 2 folder 98
    • Cloth piece (undated) box 2 folder 99
    • Dolls (undated)
      • First (undated) box 2 folder 100
      • Second (undated) box 2 folder 101
      • Third (undated) box 2 folder 102
    • Incense stick (undated) box 2 folder 103
    • Lanterns (undated)
      • First (undated) box 2 folder 104
      • Second (undated) box 2 folder 105
      • Third (undated) box 2 folder 106
    • Napkins on rice paper (undated) box 3 folder 107
    • Pillow cover (undated) box 3 folder 108
    • Place Mats (2) (undated) box 3 folder 109
    • Saki cup and saucer (undated) box 3 folder 110
    • Sandals (red) (undated) box 3 folder 111
    • Sash and screen painting (undated) box 3 folder 112
    • Scarf (undated) box 3 folder 113
    • Shoes (undated)
      • Adult (white) (undated) box 3 folder 114
      • Child (blue) (undated) box 3 folder 115
    • Wall decoration (iron) (undated) box 3 folder 116

Summary Information

Repository
Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
Creator
Farmer, Foy Johnson
Title
Foy Johnson Willingham Farmer Papers
ID
MS256
Date [inclusive]
1807-1971
Quantity
3 record cartons
Extent
3.9  Linear Feet

Administrative Information

Publication Information
Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, 2004
Revision Description
Revised by Stephanie Bennett and Nancy Sullivan, 2022
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for use. 
Preferred Citation
Foy Johnson Willingham Farmer Papers (MS256), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. 

Controlled Access Headings

Subject(s)

Related collections found in Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives includes:

  • Elbert Neil Johnson Papers (MS226)
  • Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina Records (MS571)
  • Livingston Johnson and Family Papers (MS136)
  • Foy Johnson Willingham Farmer Papers (MS256)
  • Gerald White Johnson Papers (MS211)
  • Jasper Livingston Memory, Jr., Papers (MS253)
  • Odessa A. Memory Collection of Riverton, N.C., History (MS866)
  • Mary Lynch Johnson Papers (MS317)

‹ Staff view ›