Florence Van Etten was an American Presbyterian missionary who, alongside her husband Reverend Albert Van Etten, served in South China, specifically Linchow (Lianzhou), during the 1930s as part of the South China Mission.
Florence King was born in Corvallis, Oregon. She married Albert Van Etten in 1925, and together they raised five sons: Albert, Upton, Thomas, Donald and Paul.
In January 1926, following Albert’s assignment from the Board of Foreign Missions, Florence joined him in missionary service in Linhsien, South China, where she contributed to the mission community and supported both her family and the church.
When Japan invaded China in 1937, Florence and her five sons relocated to their home on Cheung Chau, House #11, for safety, while Albert stayed on in Linchow.
Florence ensured her sons attended the Chi Kung Shan American School, which had moved to Hong Kong during wartime. All mail for missionaries in Linchow was sent to Florence on Cheung Chau.
On Cheung Chau, Florence and her family became friends with the Ady family, who lived nearby in House #14. See here.
Florence faced tragedy when Albert died of typhus in 1939 at the age of 39. She and her five sons returned to the USA in 1941, narrowly escaping the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong.
Source:
Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church of America, Bulletin 17, Oct 1939.