Adventures In China

Samuel Wells Williams, who spent much of his life in China, wrote "The Middle Kingdom: a survey of the geography, government, education, social life, arts, and history of the Chinese Empire and its inhabitants" and also Volume II of the same title. He also wrote "Our relations with the Chinese empire." as well as "Notices of Fu-sang, and other countries lying east of China, in the Pacific Ocean." Mr. Williams is also the author of "A Journal of the Perry Expedition to Japan (1853-4)."

In 1858 Mr. Williams inherited property in Detroit as an heir of his father, William Williams. He selected his brother, Robert, of Utica, New York, as his Power of Attorney, because he was living in Canton, China, at the time.

S. Wells Williams' sister-in-law, Martha Noyes Williams, wrote her own book about China, entitled "A year in China : and a narrative of capture and imprisonment ... on board the rebel pirate Florida, With an introductory note by William Cullen Bryant." She wrote another book, "Voices from the silent land; Leaves of consolation for the afflicted," a compilation of essays about death.

Frederick Wells Williams wrote a book about the life of his father, Samuel Wells Williams, with items of genealogical interest in it.

China is now an important factor to our economy and our way of life; what was it like in the 1800's?