Historic District in Wilmington in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Charlie Jones Soong

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 24, 2024

1. Charlie Jones Soong Marker

Inscription. Charlie Jones Soong, father of the famous Soong family of modern China, was converted to Christianity in the old Fifth Street Methodist Church, which stood on this site. He was baptized on Nov. 7, 1880, by the Rev. T. Page Ricaud, then pastor. One of his six children, Madame Chiang Kai-shek whose Christian influence is world-wide, is the wife of China's devout Generalissimo and president.

Erected 1944.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is November 7, 1880.

Location. 34° 13.807′ N, 77° 56.553′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is in the Historic District. It is on South 5th Avenue north of Church Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 409 S 5th Ave, Wilmington NC 28401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North

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Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church (a few steps from this marker); Worth-Madden House (within shouting distance of this marker); Yopp House (within shouting distance of this marker); Simmons House (within shouting distance of this marker); J.W. Fleet House (within shouting distance of this marker); Carrie Hardy Gardner House (within shouting distance of this marker); A.M. Wilson House (within shouting distance of this marker); Stevenson-Grant House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . .
1. Charlie Jones Soong: Baptized in America. If you were to visit Fifth Avenue Methodist Church in downtown Wilmington there’s a name you might encounter quite a lot.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 24, 2024

2. Charlie Jones Soong Marker

It is engraved into plaques and chiseled into monuments around the church grounds; it is inscribed below photographs hung on the walls; it is spoken on the lips of proud congregation members. (Maddie Driggers, Wrightsville Beach Magazine, Nov. 26, 2018) (Submitted on January 13, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Charlie Soong: Trinity College’s first international student and the founder of a Chinese dynasty. When a Chinese teenager suddenly arrived in Wilmington, North Carolina, during the summer of 1880, few could have anticipated that his influence would profoundly shape the course of modern Chinese history. (Lucas Lin, The Chronicle (Duke University student newspaper), Nov. 13, 2024) (Submitted on January 13, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. Address given at dedication of the Charlie Jones Soong Memorial building of Fifth Avenue Methodist. Reprint of remarks by Rev. Timothy Tingfang Lew at the Nov. 1, 1942 dedication ceremony. (North Carolina Christian Advocate, North Carolina and Western North Carolina Methodist Conferences, May 6, 1943)

Charlie Jones Soong at Vanderbilt University image. Click for full size.

Unknown via Wikipedia (Public Domain), circa 1881/1885

3. Charlie Jones Soong at Vanderbilt University

He earned a theology degree there in 1885 and returned to China the following year as a Methodist missionary.

(Submitted on January 13, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Chiang-Soong wedding photo image. Click for full size.

Unknown via Wikipedia (Public Domain), December 1, 1927

4. Chiang-Soong wedding photo

Soong Mei-ling (bride) and Chiang Kai-shek (groom) at their nuptials in Shanghai. Mei-ling was the fourth child and youngest daughter of Charlie Jones Soong. She became widely known as Madame Kai-shek while her husband was leader of the Republic of China. The couple moved to Taiwan after the 1949 Communist revolution and lived there until Chiang's death in 1975. Madame Kai-Shek then emigrated to the United States, where she died in 2003 at the age of 103.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 13, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 317 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 13, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.