Anne Batey's Doll Hobby

Miss Anne's hobby of making doll clothes flourished especially during the
1960s after she retired from her thirty-seven years of teaching English in high school.  The following is quoted from a copy of a letter which she sent to the Wallice Mays family, missionaries in Tampere, Finland, in April of 1967 explaining who she and her sister, Irma Lee Batey, were and why they had sent a doll and dresses  to her seven year old daughter:
 
"One day Ralph Henley, a missionary in Israel, told us how his children were thrilled by even a post card from home, so we decided then that my hobby of making doll clothes would be directed to adding a bit of happiness to the children of our missionaries.  Dolls have been sent to many places-Korea, Pakistan, Lebanon, Norway, Sweden, Jordan, Nigeria, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, etc.,-as we read of families in foreign fields with little girls.  I keep a scrap book on record of each doll, and yours is number 69....."

Miss Anne and Miss Irma Lee got their listings of missionary families from Gospel Advocate, Christian Chronicle and other religious papers, lectureships, personal contacts, and from other missionaries in the field.  Enclosed in each box sent were dolls and at least six dresses, a housecoat, gown, panties, and sometimes a coat.  Toys were included for the boys.  On several occasions additional doll dresses were sent later. The project was a team effort for Miss Anne and Miss Irma Lee.  Miss Anne did the sewing, and both of them shopped for the toys for the boys and packaged the dolls and the toys.  Miss Irma Lee did most of the correspondence to the families and the mailing of packages.

 


In addition to sending dolls to missionaries' children, many other dolls with wardrobes were given to Christian schools for fund raisers, to family, and to friends-making a total of 167 dolls.  Only two of the 167 dolls are still in her possession.  One is  her model doll that has had several hundreds of dresses tried on her. She also has a few model dresses left, some made after she reached 90 years of age.

Many families sent back glowing expressions of delight and appreciation.

Here are just a few quotes:

 "I love the dolly what you sended me.  I like her very much.  And I like the cute clothes....."-as quoted by six year old Anna to her mother, Margaret Goebels, Berlin, Germany, May 1963.

       

Goebels Doll and Clothes Sent

        "What a wondrous way of showing love and interest in the missionary families!!  The doll and ball with Dita and Tonja's name on it arrived yesterday.  Wish you could have witnessed the dancing eyes and the excited noises that proceeded from the whole family as we viewed your handiwork..."  Mrs. Dayton (Ruth) Keesee, Enugu, Nigeria, Aug. 25, 1965 (When Miss Anne realized there were two girls, she sent another doll and more dresses.)

Dita is holding the doll, and Tonja is holding the ball.

"Shan was so delighted with the lovely doll....The clothes are especially sweet.  One of her brothers sat down and played with her for a long time.  They tried on all of the pretty clothes.  She is so proud of it and shows it to everyone."  (When more clothes were mailed later this additional message came.)  "Shan watched for the mail each day....She is even more interested in playing with her dolls now, perhaps because we have a new baby that I spend a good deal of time caring for. So of course she likes to imitate with her dolls the things I do...."  Pat Pamplin, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Jan. 6, 1967


 

Shan Pamplin

"....These doll dresses were the sweetest ones I ever saw....I admire not only the good and solid work of sewing but also the lovely colors matching the complexion of the little doll.  Did Dieter write you that he named her (the doll) 'Irmchen'?  That means little Irma."  Eva Alten, Hamburg, Germany, August 10, 1963

  Alten Doll and clothes

....."How I wish you could have heard the screams of delight when they opened the box with the dolls....My girls gave their dolls they had to two little Korean girls who had never had a doll....The boys enjoyed their ball and trucks and the baby his rattler...." Peggy Richardson, Korea, May 12, 1964

     Daughtery Letters

Miss Anne was born on December 19, 1902, and is now working toward her 101st birthday.  Her eyesight is almost gone and her hearing is quite limited.  She is still able to walk around in the house with help.  Many memories are gone, but she stacked up so many over the years that many are left for her to enjoy now.  One of them is her doll hobby.  Other hobbies she enjoyed were gardening, reading, cooking, and playing the piano. 

Dolls and/or toys sent to children of the following missionaries from 1961-1971


Allen, Sidney, Korea
Alten, Dieter, Hamburg, Germany
John, Beckloff, Uyo, Nigeria
Bryant, Edward, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Bryant, Rees, Aba, Nigeria
Carey, Robert, Athens, Greece
Cate, Nigeria
Cate, (Lori), Indonesia        
Chesshir, Haskell, Korea
Cross, Joe, Nigeria,
Curry, Bill, Enugu, Eastern Nigeria
Daugherty, Don, Paris, France
Dumas, (Gail), Athens, Greece
Dunn, Helsinki, Finland
Dunn, Phillip, Uyo, Nigeria
Elder, Kenneth, Kalomo, Rep. of Zambia
Farrar, Henry, Aba, Eastern Nigeria
Gibbs, Joe, Florence, Italy
Goebel, Dieter, Berlin, Germany
Hahn, Tommy, Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Harden, David, Korea
Hardin, Daniel, Korea
Henley, Ralph, Jerusalem, Israel; also Athens, Greece
Hogan, Gordon, Lahore, W. Pakistan
Hufford, Elvis, Jerusalem, Israel; also Sierra Leon, West Africa
Keesee, Dayton, Enugu, Nigeria
King, (? and Nancy), Hong Kong
Kruse, Kleva, Finland
Lockwood, Jim, Stockholm, Sweden
Matheny, Carl, Beirut, Lebanon
Mays, Wallice, Tampere, Finland
Merritt, J. D., Kalomo, Africa
Miller, (? and Beverly), Athens, Greece
Mobley, Harold, Florence, Italy
Otto, Eno, Uyo, Nigeria
Palmer, Alfred, Staten Island, N. Y.
Pamplin, Leonard, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Parsley, Malcom, Korea
Perry, Donald, India
Perry, Ralph, London, Ontario
Pierce, W. E., Stavanger, Norway
Ramsey, Bill, Korea
Reed, Dan
Richardson, Bill, Korea
Rischer, R., Salzburg, Austria
Robinson, Keith, Rome, Italy
Scott, New Zealand
Scott, Truman, Geneva, Italy
Shumaker, Stan, Kalombo, Zambia
Stewart, Ernest, Jerusalem, Israel
Strachan, Alex, Corby, England
Van der Spuy, Brian, South Africa
Vance, Bob, Kaiserslautern, Germany