Summary Information
Florence C. Hays Papers 1869-1961
Local History Manuscript Collection 359
9.6 cubic ft. (22 boxes)
Milwaukee Public Library (Map)
Florence C. Hays was born in Beloit, Wisconsin. She was
a librarian who served the Oshkosh (WI) Public Library, Manitowoc (WI) Public
Library, Manistee (MI) Public Library, Ripon College Library (WI), Wisconsin
Legislative Reference Library, University of Wisconsin Extension Division -
Municipal Reference Bureau Library (WI), St. John’s University Library (China),
Watertown (WI) Public Library, Photoart Visual Services (WI) and Spencerian Business
College Library (WI). During World War II she was a Reference Library Assistant for
the 351st College Training Detachment at State Teachers’ College.
To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-lhmc0359 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Florence Catherine Hays was born February 11, 1875 in Beloit, Wisconsin to Henry
Millard Hays and Josephine Waters Hays. The family moved to Rockford, Illinois where
Mr. Hays was in the grocery business. In 1893 the family moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin
where Henry became a partner in Bemis-Hopper-Hays, Wholesale Grocers.
Florence’s first job as a librarian was in the Oshkosh Public Library from 1896-1902.
After Oshkosh she worked at the Manitowoc Public Library 1902-1904 in Manitowoc, WI;
Manistee Public Library 1905-1906 in Manistee, Michigan; Ripon College 1907-1912 in
Ripon, Wisconsin; Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library in Madison, Wisconsin
1912-1918, University of Wisconsin Extension Division, Municipal Reference Bureau
1918-1921 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 1922 she joined the staff of St. John’s University in Shanghai, China. She spent
four years as the University Librarian, serving from 1922-1926. While serving in
China, Miss Hays visited many cities in the provinces surrounding Shanghai,
extending as far north as Peking (now Beijing). When Florence returned from China,
she joined the Watertown Public Library in Watertown, Wisconsin; where she remained
until she retired in 1940.
She then moved to Milwaukee and worked as a librarian at Photoart Visual Services
from 1942-1953. During World War II, she was a Reference Library Assistant for the
351st College Training Detachment at State Teachers’ College. Her last position was
with the Spencerian Business College in Milwaukee from 1954-1957. Florence was
active in the Episcopal Church, Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Sorority, the Daughters of
the American Revolution (DAR), and the American and Wisconsin Library Associations.
She was living at St. John’s Home in Milwaukee when she passed away on August 11,
1965.
Scope and Content Note
This collection is comprised of personal journals, newspaper clippings, photographs,
publications, ephemera and artifacts of Florence Hays. Much of the collection was
originally in notebooks and scrapbooks that were deconstructed and rearranged
sometime after their donation. The subjects focus on the places Florence worked,
lived and visited; organizations she was involved with and her personal genealogy
research.
Arrangement of the Materials
The collection is arranged into the following series: - Family and
Friends, 1890-1961
- Libraries,
1896-1960
- Personal,
1881-1961
- Photographs,
1888-1960
- Organizations,
1900-1961
- Travels,
1899-1959
The series are arranged alphabetically. Within each series, folders are arranged
alphabetically and then chronologically within each folder.
Preferred Citation
Hays, Florence C., Papers, 1869-1961, Collection 359. Local History Manuscript
Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Administrative/Restriction Information
There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all
in accordance with state law. The public may view Local History Manuscript
Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person
appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please
contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection
(Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
Materials were donated by Florence C. Hays in the mid-1950s through early 1960s.
Materials were accessioned as Local History Manuscripts.
Processed by Casey Lapworth, Archives Librarian, 2019.
Contents List
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Series: 1. Family and Friends, 1890-1961 : Family and Friends series includes research, records, photographs, newspaper
clippings and handwritten notes on various branches of the Waters and Hays
families. The research is mostly Florence’s but also some compiled by her
mother Josephine. Prominent names mentioned are William Howard Taft and
Erastus Wolcott.
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Family research
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Box
1
Folder
1
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1890-1959, undated
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Collins, 1896-1956, undated
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Collins and Reid, 1873-1957,
undated
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Doty and Taft, 1903-1961,
undated
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Galloway and Reid, 1955-1960,
undated
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Hays, Henry and Josephine, 1873-1956,
undated
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Box
18
Folder
1 vol.
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Hays, Henry and Josephine – scrapbook,
1873-1935
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Box
1
Folder
7-8
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Hays, Josephine Waters, 1873-1958,
undated
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Miscellaneous
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Box
1
Folder
9
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1955, undated
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Box
18
Folder
1
|
undated
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Societies, 1959, undated
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Box
18
Folder
2
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Wyatt, Margaret, undated
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Friends, 1900-1961, undated
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Hays, Florence, 1883-1965,
undated
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Hays, Henry M.
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Bemis-Hooper-Hays Company
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Box
2
Folder
3
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1900-1903, undated
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Condolences, 1908
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Series: 2. Libraries, 1896-1960 : Libraries series has two main subject areas. First are various library
professional associations that Florence was involved with or a member of as
a librarian. The second area is about the librarian positions she held over
the years. She often worked as a cataloging librarian and focused on
collection development. Also included is a folder on her library school
education.
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Associations
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Box
2
Folder
5
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American Library Association (ALA), 1902,
1933-1942
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Shanghai Library Association (SLA)
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Box
2
Folder
6
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1949
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Box
18
Folder
3-6
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1925-1926
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Wisconsin Library Association (WLA)
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Box
2
Folder
7
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1942-1957, undated
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Meetings
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Annual, 1927-1957
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Box
3
Folder
1
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District, 1898-1961
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Education – Library school, 1901-1949,
undated
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Positions
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Columbia University, New York
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Box
3
Folder
3
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1916-1957, undated
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Scrapbook 1916-1956,
undated
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Box
3
Folder
5
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General, 1912-1960, undated
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|
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Legislative Reference Bureau, Madison, Wisconsin
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Box
3
Folder
6
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1912-1952
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Clippings, 1912-1948
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Lutheran Welfare Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
1942, undated
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Manistee Public Library, Manistee, Michigan,
1905-1906
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Manitowoc Public Library, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
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Box
3
Folder
10
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1902-1950, undated
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Clippings, 1902-1960,
undated
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Oshkosh Public Library, Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
1896-1958, undated
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Photoart, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Box
3
Folder
13
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1946-1960, undated
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Box
3
Folder
14
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Clippings, 1946-1954
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Correspondence,
1948-1960
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Ripon College, Ripon, WI
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Box
4
Folder
2
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1907-1912, undated
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Reports, 1908, 1911
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Box
18
Folder
7
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Ripon College Days, 1912
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St. John’s University
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Clippings, 1922-1950,
undated
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Faculty and Staff, 1922-1951,
undated
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Low Library, 1922-49,
undated
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Miscellaneous, 1922-1936,
undated
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Publications, 1917-1927
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Subject Headings, 1924
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Yearbook, 1925
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Spencerian College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Box
5
Folder
2
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1954-1958, undated
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Reports/statistics,
1954-1957
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Box
5
Folder
4
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University of Wisconsin Extension, Municipal Reference
Bureau, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1926
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Watertown Public Library, Watertown, Wisconsin
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Clippings, 1926-1941
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Correspondence, 1926-1940,
undated
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Miscellaneous, 1927, 1939,
undated
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Box
5
Folder
8
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Reports, 1926-1939
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Box
5
Folder
9
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Speeches and writings,
1926-1954
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Box
6
Folder
1
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Wisconsin Librarians, 1936-1962
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Series: 3. Personal, 1881-1961 : Personal series includes a wide range of items Florence created or collected.
There are personal diaries, an autograph album, an intact scrapbook, general
correspondence, many newspaper clippings and ephemera. There are samples of
needlepoint and other things she created, writings and speeches as well as
comics, quotes, poetry that she collected from friends or clipped from
publications.
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Box
6
Folder
2
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Autograph album, 1884-1896
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Beloit, Wisconsin
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Box
6
Folder
3
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Clippings and ephemera, 1888-1960
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Correspondence and notes,
1890-1951
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Box
6
Folder
5
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Churches – scrapbook, 1942-1960
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Box
6
Folder
6
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Comics, 1883, 1936-1960
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Correspondence
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Box
6
Folder
7-10
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A-L, 1913-1961
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Box
7
Folder
1-4
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M-Z, 1913-1961
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Diaries
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Box
7
Folder
5-10
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1884-1961
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Box
8
Folder
1
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“Lest We Forget”, 1926
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Box
8
Folder
2
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Handcrafts, 1881-1884, undated
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Box
8
Folder
3
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Madison, Wisconsin – clippings and ephemera,
1913-1960
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Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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Box
8
Folder
4
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Clippings, 1893-1955
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Box
8
Folder
5
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Ephemera, 1896-1917
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Box
8
Folder
6
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Pamphlets, 1888-1952, undated
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Poetry, quotes and writings
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Box
8
Folder
7-8
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1884-1956, undated
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Box
8
Folder
9
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John G. Gregory, 1926
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Box
8
Folder
10
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Libraries, 1923-1946,
undated
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Box
8
Folder
11
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Speeches and writings (by FCH),
1903-1960
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Box
8
Folder
12
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World War I – clippings and ephemera, 1917-1918,
undated
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World War II
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Box
9
Folder
1-2
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Clippings, 1939-1953,
undated
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Box
9
Folder
3
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Ephemera, 1913-1953, undated
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Box
18
Folder
8
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Miscellaneous, 1942, undated
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Series: 4. Photographs, 1888-1960 : Photographs series contains photographs but also postcards with images from
places she visited. The bulk of the photographs are from her time spent in
China but also cover other places she visited, friends and family.
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Beloit, Wisconsin
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Box
19
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1888-1892, undated
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Box
9
Folder
4
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1894
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Box
9
Folder
5
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Cabot Lodge, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, 1921-1947,
undated
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China
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Box
19-20
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1922-1926, undated
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Box
9
Folder
6
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1923-1929, undated
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Peking
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Box
20
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1924, undated
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Box
9
Folder
7
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1923
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St John’s University
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Box
20
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1922-1926, undated
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Box
21
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Ladies home, 1922-1925,
undated
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Libraries
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Box
21
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1924-1926, undated
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Box
21
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Low Library, 1922-1925,
undated
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Box
21
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St Mary’s Hall, 1922-1923,
undated
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Box
18
Folder
9
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Wong, V. L., and family,
1928
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Box
21
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China to Europe, 1926, undated
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Box
21
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Europe – Italy and France, 1926,
undated
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Family
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Box
9
Folder
8
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1873, 1883, 1904, undated
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Box
21
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1869-1959, undated
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Box
21
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Friends, 1913-1961, undated
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Box
9
Folder
9
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Green Lake, [Wisconsin], 1917
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Hays, Florence C.
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Box
21
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1875-1960
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Box
9
Folder
10
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1904, 1927
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Box
22
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Japan, 1922, 1925, undated
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Box
22
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Madison, Wisconsin, 1912-1922
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Box
9
Folder
11
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Miscellaneous, 1905-1959,
undated
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Box
22
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Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1896-1906,
undated
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Box
22
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Photoart, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1948-1950,
undated
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Ripon College, Ripon, Wisconsin
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Box
9
Folder
12
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1908, undated
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Box
22
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1907-1939 undated
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Box
22
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US Northwest, 1935-1943, undated
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Box
22
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Watertown Public Library, Watertown, Wisconsin,
1926-1938
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Box
22
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World War I, 1917-1918
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Box
22
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Yellowstone and the Canadian Rocky Mountains,
1905
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Series: 5. Organizations, 1900-1961 : Organizations series contains materials from the organizations or groups
Florence was active in. Some of organizations were places she was employed
at but the material is generally outside of her work as a librarian. The
records consist of newspaper clippings, ephemera, correspondence and
publications.
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American Flag House and Betty Ross Memorial
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Box
10
Folder
1
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1900, 1914, 1953
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Box
18
Folder
10
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1901
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Daughters of the American Revolution
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Benjamin Tallmadge Chapter, Milwaukee, WI
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Box
10
Folder
2
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1951-1961, undated
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Box
10
Folder
3
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Clippings, 1943-1961,
undated
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Box
18
Folder
11
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Certificates, 1900
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Box
10
Folder
4
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Correspondence, 1951-1956
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National Society
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Box
10
Folder
5
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Clippings, 1930-1959
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Box
10
Folder
5
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1930-1959
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Box
18
Folder
12
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1956
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Box
10
Folder
6
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Miscellaneous, 1951-1956
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Box
10
Folder
7
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Press Digest, 1957-1959
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Box
10
Folder
8
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Publications, 1951-1961,
undated
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Box
10
Folder
9
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Oshkosh, WI Chapter, 1900-1909,
undated
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Box
10
Folder
10
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Wisconsin Society, 1905-1956
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Delta Kappa Gamma
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Box
10
Folder
11
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1937-1949, undated
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Box
11
Folder
1
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1951-1960
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Box
11
Folder
2
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Clippings, 1939-1961
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Box
11
Folder
3
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Dorothy Enders, 1941-1956
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Box
11
Folder
4
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Newsletters, 1948-1961
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Box
11
Folder
5
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Program, 1940-1961
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Ripon College, Ripon, WI
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Box
11
Folder
6
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Clippings, 1907-1950
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Correspondence
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Box
11
Folder
7
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1950-1960, undated
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Box
11
Folder
8
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“Davies Doings”,
1952-1957
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Box
11
Folder
9
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Ephemera, 1907-1912, undated
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Box
18
Folder
13
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Lafollette’s A Rural Pageant,
undated
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Box
11
Folder
10
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Postcards, 1907-1911,
undated
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Box
12
Folder
1
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Yearbook, 1910
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Spencerian College, Milwaukee, WI
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Box
12
Folder
2
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1954-1963, undated
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Box
12
Folder
3
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Newsletters, 1954-1956
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Publications
|
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Box
12
Folder
4
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1954-1958
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Box
18
Folder
14
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Spencerian News and Reviews,
1956-1958
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Series: 6. Travels, 1899-1959 : Travels series contains newspaper clippings, ephemera and souvenirs of her
travels. The bulk of this series is on her travels to, during and return
from China to work at St John’s University in Shanghai. This area also
includes correspondence, personal journals and publications.
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Box
12
Folder
5
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1899-1914, undated
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Box
12
Folder
6
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California, 1939, 1948, undated
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Box
12
Folder
7
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China to Europe, 1926, undated
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Europe
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Box
13
Folder
1
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France, 1926
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Box
13
Folder
2
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Italy, 1926
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Box
13
Folder
3
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United Kingdom, 1926
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Box
13
Folder
4
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Holland, Michigan, 1939
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Box
13
Folder
5-6
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Japan, 1925, undated
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Box
13
Folder
7
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Mediterranean cruise, 1953
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Box
13
Folder
8
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US Northwest, 1935-1948, undated
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Box
13
Folder
9
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Yellowstone and Canadian Rocky Mountains, 1905, 1959,
undated
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China
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Box
14
Folder
1
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Art & Calligraphy,
undated
|
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Box
14
Folder
2
|
Booklets and Pamphlets, 1922-1947,
undated
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Box
14
Folder
3
|
Church Missions, 1922-1954,
undated
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Box
14
Folder
4
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Clippings, 1921-1955
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Correspondence
|
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Box
14
Folder
5
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1921-1955, undated
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Box
14
Folder
6
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Christmas cards, 1921-1959,
undated
|
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Box
14
Folder
7
|
Geography and history, 1923,
undated
|
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Journals
|
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Box
14
Folder
8
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1921-1925
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Box
15
Folder
1-6
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1922
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Box
16
Folder
1-11
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1922-1924
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Box
17
Folder
1-5
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1925-1926
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Box
17
Folder
6
|
Prize Photo, 1925-1943,
undated
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Box
17
Folder
7
|
Speeches and Writings, 1922-1958,
undated
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Box
17
Folder
8
|
St. Mary’s Hall, 1922-1925,
undated
|
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Box
17
Folder
9
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Souvenirs, undated
|
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