[In January 2001, the Archives received this request, which illustrates one kind of inquiry which come to the staff and the information they are able to provide from the Archives collection. Inquirers also ask about photographs, film or video footage, the history of a mission in a particular country or area, and much more.]
Perhaps you can help me by providing information concerning the Rev. Paul Whitlock, his wife, Helen, and their children, all of whom are believed to have died in late 1944–early 1945 in an airplane crash while returning to their African Inland Mission field from the USA.
...The influence of the Whitlocks' testimony on the lives of my wife and I bears recording for the benefit of our descendants. If you have in your archives factual details of Paul Whitlock, his family, their work as missionaries, cause and date of death, etc., it would be most appreciated.
[Wayne provided the following reply.]
The records of the Africa Inland Mission, International (Collection 81) are stored here in the Archives of the Billy Graham Center. A descriptive guide to this collection is posted on the Internet at: http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/guides/081.htm I checked and found the personnel file for Paul Whitlock and his wife Helen in Collection 81, Box 25, Folder 18.
Personnel Files: Whitlock, Paul J.; September 1932-January 1945
This large folder contains Paul and Helen's application to AIM, their medical files and personal life sketches, references from friends, clippings from New York newspapers (January 1945) reporting on their death in an airplane crash, a letter telling how their deaths were told to their surviving sons Paul and Kenneth, and dozens of correspondence.
If you are able to come to the Archives in Wheaton, Illinois you may view the materials in this folder. Otherwise copies may be made and sent to you at the cost of $.50 per page. The Archives may copy up to 100 pages but since this folder contains over that amount you would need to specify which items you wished copied. If you want to have copies made let me know how many pages you wish and which documents you want and I will send an invoice and Duplication Agreement and Order Form which you will need to fill out, sign, and return with your check.
[The inquirer, acting on this information, ordered copies of relevant documents from the Archives, which were accompanied by the following reply.]
Enclosed are twenty-nine copies of documents from Personnel File: Whitlock, Paul J. (Collection 81, Box 25, Folder 18) which you requested. Included are newspapers clippings about the airplane crash which claimed the lives of the Whitlock family, various correspondence (including the last letter Paul Whitlock wrote to Africa Inland Mission (AIM), and Paul and Helen's life sketches and applications to AIM. I've also enclosed a photocopy of two photographs of the Whitlock family from Photo Folder: Whitlock, Paul John which you might be interested in seeing. I did not find any reference to the meetings Rev. Whitlock held at Frances Childs Methodist Church, November 5-19, 1944, where you and your wife were saved. I checked the alumni directory for Wheaton College but did not find a Kenneth or Paul Whitlock listed.