Ethnology

Over the years, many of Baylor University's students, alumni, and faculty worked as missionaries all around the world. It was not unusual for them to return home with souvenirs and other objects as documentation of culture. Many of these souvenirs eventually were donated to the Baylor University Museum. The Mayborn collection contains objects from every continent except Antarctica. One of the largest ethnographic collections was donated by the Reverend John Anderson Howard. Rev. Howard and his wife, Mary Grace, worked as missionaries in India from 1912 through 1946. During this time they raised four sons, who eventually all attended Baylor University. Rev. Howard was described by one of his sons as an "incurable collector" who collected objects at bazaars and from the people he met while preaching. In 1948, Rev. Howard donated over 530 Indian objects, including jewelry, musical instruments, weapons, and religious statues, to the museum at Baylor University.