Seeking information about the Thomasites

Good Morning Kate,

Welcome to History Hub.

Found some photos for your from the internet.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=thomasites&id=C5A8F25C20519A1C79444792B1FE374A62E3F212&form=IQFRBA&first=1&scenario…

Alice Lane

Research Volunteer

Dear Ms. Baker,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Photographs of the Philippine Islands, 1898-1935 in the Records of the Bureau of Insular Affairs (Record Group 350) that includes photographs of educational facilities in the Philippines. A few of the images have been digitized, but most have not. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures (RDSS) at stillpix@nara.gov for information about and access to these records.

We also located several other series in Record Group 350 that may be of interest to you, including the series Draft Manuscripts of Publications Relating to Philippine Political and Education Affairs, ca. 1911 - 1923; the series Assorted Petitions, Circulars, Correspondence and Publications Relating to the Philippine Islands, 1893-1932 that includes an 1893 report on education in the Philippine Islands and circular letters covering 1919 for the Bureau of Education; the series Manuscript Reports of the U.S. High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands, 1936-1939 that contains annual reports of private schools and colleges; the series General Records, 1902-1904 that consists of published maps of the Philippine Islands, showing schools, military posts, telegraph lines and cables, ports, lighthouses, post offices and territorial boundaries; the series Biographical Reference Files, ca. 1902 - ca. 1945 that contains information on people active in the social and political affairs of the Philippine Islands; and the series Financial Accounts of Philippine Students Educated in the United States, 1903-1917 that includes information about Philippine Island natives at United States schools. These records have not been digitized. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov with questions about these records.

Additionally, we located the series Printed Materials, 1899-1899 in the General Records of the Department of State (Record Group 59) that contains school textbooks used in the Philippines from 1888 to 1898. Please contact RDT2 for information about and access to these records.

Further, we located 41 series related to the Army Transport Service and the Philippines in the early 1900s in the Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General (Record Group 92) that may contain some relevant information. Most of these records have not been digitized. For further assistance with these records, please contact the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDSS, RDT2, and RDT1. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Finally, you may be interested in the article "Education: Thomasite Troubles" from a 1937 edition of Time Magazine and the 2009 article "'Pedagogic Invasion': The Thomasites in Occupied Philippines" from a scholarly journal published by the Department of English of the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. Information about several additional books and articles about the Thomasites also is available via WorldCat.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!