Subseries: 1. General Correspondence, 1871-1921, undated
Scope and Content Note: This subseries consists of general correspondence relating to the affairs of Mary Virginia McCormick. Early correspondence, from 1871 to 1885, consists primarily of letters from members of the McCormick family to Mary Virginia, while correspondence after 1886, when Mary Virginia was first treated for mental illness, concerns arrangements for her care. Her household and its operation are described in detail, with information on personnel, upkeep of her several houses and grounds, and purchases of clothing and sundries; plans are included for travel between her various houses and for European trips; and the daily activities and states of mind of Mary Virginia are often referred to, though not in medical terms. The bulk of the correspondence is written by Cyrus McCormick, Jr. and Nettie Fowler McCormick, who, with Eldridge M. Fowler, served as Mary Virginia's trustees; by Mary Virginia's nurses and companions, particularly Dr. Alice Bennett and Miss Grace Walker, both of whom served as heads of the household; and by secretaries and agents of the McCormick family.
Arrangement of the Materials: The subseries is arranged chronologically by years; within a given year, some folders are labeled as containing primarily plans for trips, notes on house and grounds, etc. The labeled folders represent only rough sub-divisions, however, rather than thorough and complete categorization by subjects.

1871-1882

1882-1887

1888-1890

1890-1895

1896

1897-1898

1899

1899-1900

1901

1901-1902

1902

1903

1903-1904

1904

1904-1905

1905

1905

1906

1906-1915

1916-1921 and undated

Autograph Book, 1874

Address Book

Insanity as a Symptom of “Bright's Disease,” by Alice Bennett, M.D., Ph.D.