Series: General Correspondence and Personal Papers, 1871-1922, undated
Physical Description: 24 archives boxes including 14 volumes 

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.

Subseries: 2. Personal Papers, 1872-1922, undated
Scope and Content Note: This subseries consists of correspondence and notebooks by Mary Virginia McCormick, including letters (some unsent) written to her mother, brothers, and sister, to Drs. Favill and Mitchell, and to Rev. Hall. Fragmentary letters written by Mary Virginia may also be found attached to the nurses' reports and letters, but these are incomplete and usually incoherent.
Arrangement of the Materials: The series is arranged chronologically by years, although much of the later correspondence is undated. At the end of the series are 11 volumes of diaries and notebooks, some consisting of schoolwork, others of personal notes.

Correspondence

1872-1885

1885-1893

1894-1922 and undated

Composition Book, 1872-1876

Diary of Trip to Centennial Exhibition, 1876

“Centennial Accounts,” 1876

School Notebook, Psychology, 1879

Notes on Trip, 1881

Diary, 1882

Alphabetized Notebook, 1882-1881

“Account,” 1884

My Book, circa 1881

Notebook, 1885

Notebook, undated

Series: Financial Papers, 1879-1912
Physical Description: 24 archives boxes including 44 volumes 
Scope and Content Note

This series contains three categories of material: legal papers, financial reports, and bills for the living expenses of Mary Virginia McCormick and members of her household.

Among the legal papers, documents of particular importance are those giving control of Mary Virginia's share in the McCormick estate to Cyrus McCormick, Jr., in 1884, and those declaring Mary Virginia insane and establishing a trust to manage her affairs, in 1889-1890.

The financial reports fall mainly between the years 1900 and 1911, and consist of reports made by the head of Mary Virginia's household to the conservators. In addition, there are reports submitted by the trustees (originally composed of Nettie Fowler McCormick, Cyrus McCormick, Jr. and Eldridge M. Fowler) and conservators to the state courts. The trustees' reports concern the investment of Mary Virginia's fortune, while the conservators report on the expenses of Mary Virginia and her household.

The third category, bills, begins in 1879, before a trust was set up. The bulk of the material deals with the period after 1888, when Mary Virginia was being treated for mental illness.

The volumes in this series contain additional financial records. The first volume is an account of grocery expenses in 1882, while Mary Virginia lived in New York. The second volume is an expense book kept by Dr. O.E. Davis when Mary Virginia was taken on a trip to Europe. The remaining notebook volumes cover daily expenditures and were kept by Mrs. L.J. Moses while she was head of the household in 1893-1896. Finally, there are nine volumes of check stubs.

Arrangement of the Materials: The series is arranged chronologically by year, followed by groups of account books, check stubs, and other records, each also arranged chronologically.

1879-1885

1888

1888-1890

1890-1891

1891-1893

1894-1896

1896-1898

1899-1900

1901-1905

1905-1906

1906

1906-1907

1907

1907-1908

1908-1909

1909

1909-1910

1910-1911

1911

1911-1912

Household Account Book, 1882

Dr. O.E. Davis Account Book, 1891

Mrs. L.J. Moses' Household Account Books

1893 February

1893 June

1893 July

1893 August

1893 September

1893 September

1894 January & February

1894 March

1894 May

1894 June

1894 July

1894 August

1894 September

1894 October

1894 November

1894 December

1895 January

1895 February

1895 March

1895 April

1895 May

1895 June

1895 July

1895 August

1895 September

1895 October

1895 November

1895 December

1896 January

1896 February

1896 March

1896 April

1896 May

Unbound Ledger
Scope and Content Note: Lists household and personal expenses for Mary Virginia McCormick, 1906-1911.

Check Stubs

1905 July-1906 August

1906 August-1907 July

1907 July-1908 April

1908 April-December

1908 December-1909 July

1909 July-1910 March

1910 April-December

1910 December-1911 August

1911 August-1912 March

Series: Medical Reports, 1882-1921, undated
Physical Description: 5 archives boxes including 3 volumes 
Scope and Content Note

This series consists mainly of unofficial records of Mary Virginia McCormick's physical and mental condition. The bulk of the material is letters written by different members of the household such as Miss Grace Walker and Dr. Alice Bennett to both Nettie Fowler McCormick and Cyrus H. McCormick, Jr. Included also are interviews with servants and other members of the household describing Mary Virginia's condition.

In addition to these unofficial reports, there are official medical reports such as that of 1889 which was used as evidence in the suit to declare Mary Virginia incompetent.

The three casebooks (vols. 1-3) describe the patient's day-to-day activities and reactions, and report on any significant changes in her condition.

1882-1889

1889-1891

1892-1911

1895-1921 and undated

Casebook of Dr. Sanger Brown, 1887-1899

Casebook, 1891

Casebook, 1893 January-February

Series: Nurses' Reports, 1896-1923
Physical Description: 10 archives boxes including 3 volumes 
Scope and Content Note: This series consists of nurses' daily reports on Mary Virginia McCormick, and two medical diaries kept by Dr. Alice Bennett in 1897-1898, while she was head of Mary Virginia's household. While the nurses' reports do give medical information, they are not exclusively medical; they often include general descriptions of Mary Virginia's activities and state of mind.
Arrangement of the Materials: The series is arranged chronologically by month.

Nurses' Reports

1896 June 2-1897 March 7

1897 March 8-November 8

1897 November 9-1898 May 13

Alice Bennett Medical Diaries

1897

1898 January-June

Nurses' Reports

1898 May 13-November 5

1898 November 6-1899 April 25

1899 April 25-1901 July 1

1900 May-August

1901 July 2-1903 September 2

1903 September 3-1908 December

1909-1916

1917-1923