File Size:
309 KB
Sophia Mary Harmer’s story is a remarkable account of a young Victorian woman who traded the familiarity of Norwich for the unknown frontiers of 19th-century China.
– The Voyage of a Lifetime: In 1860, Mary set sail on the P&O Steamer Pera to marry Frederick Storrs Turner, a missionary in Canton. Despite her initial fears and a “cross” stewardess, the seven-week journey via the Overland Route became a source of great pleasure.
– Life in China and Beyond: Mary’s life was one of constant motion, evidenced by her eight children born in locations ranging from Canton and Hong Kong to Norwich and London.
– A Family of Distinction: Her eldest son, Alfred Jefferis Turner, became an illustrious public health pioneer in Australia, famously introducing the diphtheria antitoxin and earning the nickname “Gentle Annie” for his mild manner.
Mary’s reminiscences, preserved in a handwritten copy by her youngest daughter, reveal a woman with a tremendous capacity for love and an infectious enjoyment of life, even while battling chronic illness in her final years.
