Summary Information
Mary Virginia McCormick Papers 1871-1923
- McCormick, Mary Virginia, 1861-1941
McCormick Mss 1D; McCormick Mss 2D; McCormick Mss 3D; McCormick Mss 4D
25.2 c.f. (63 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of Mary Virginia McCormick, eldest daughter of Chicago industrialist Cyrus Hall McCormick and Nettie Fowler McCormick, who became mentally incompetent at the age of nineteen. The papers consist of correspondence; early diaries and school notebooks; reports from doctors, nurses, and companions; legal documents; and financial records. These concern relations with members of her family, arrangements for her personal welfare and medical treatment, upkeep of her several homes and estates in the United States and Canada, and plans for travel to her homes and to Europe.
Correspondence describes Virginia's daily activities and state of mind and contains detailed advice concerning her care. Medical letters, reports, and casebooks deal with her mental condition. Legal papers relate to sanity hearings and trusteeships. Financial records concern investments; management of her estate; household, personal, and medical bills; and expense accounts. Her papers, ending in the year of her mother's death in 1923, lack any information relating to the last three decades of her life, when she lived chiefly in California as a millionaire recluse with a staff of some thirty persons.
Virginia's mother, her brother Cyrus H., Jr., and her uncle Eldridge M. Fowler, served as original conservators and trustees for her share of the estate inherited from her father; her younger brother and sister, Harold and Anita, were successor trustees; and Judson F. Stone, representing McCormick Estates, managed her financial affairs. In addition to the correspondence of each of these individuals and many who cared for her, the papers include medical case histories and diaries of doctors such as Alice Bennett and Sanger Brown; and letters and reports from Grace T. Walker, head of Mary Virginia's household for forty years. English
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Contents List
McCormick Mss 1D
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Series: General Correspondence and Personal Papers, 1871-1922, undated 24 archives boxes including 14 volumes
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Subseries: 1. General Correspondence, 1871-1921, undated : 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. : 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.
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Box
1
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1871-1882
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Box
2
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1882-1887
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Box
3
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1888-1890
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Box
4
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1890-1895
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Box
5
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1896
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Box
6
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1897-1898
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Box
7
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1899
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Box
8
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1899-1900
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Box
9
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1901
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Box
10
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1901-1902
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Box
11
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1902
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Box
12
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1903
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Box
13
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1903-1904
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Box
14
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1904
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Box
15
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1904-1905
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Box
16
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1905
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Box
17
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1905
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Box
18
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1906
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Box
19
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1906-1915
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Box
20
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1916-1921 and undated
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Box
20
Volume
1
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Autograph Book, 1874
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Box
20
Volume
2
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Address Book
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Box
20
Volume
3
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Insanity as a Symptom of “Bright's Disease,” by Alice Bennett, M.D., Ph.D.
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Subseries: 2. Personal Papers, 1872-1922, undated : 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. : 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.
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Correspondence
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Box
21
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1872-1885
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Box
22
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1885-1893
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Box
23
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1894-1922 and undated
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Box
24
Volume
4
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Composition Book, 1872-1876
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Box
24
Volume
5
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Diary of Trip to Centennial Exhibition, 1876
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Box
24
Volume
6
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“Centennial Accounts,” 1876
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Box
24
Volume
7
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School Notebook, Psychology, 1879
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Box
24
Volume
8
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Notes on Trip, 1881
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Box
24
Volume
9
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Diary, 1882
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Box
24
Volume
10
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Alphabetized Notebook, 1882-1881
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Box
24
Volume
11
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“Account,” 1884
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Box
24
Volume
12
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My Book, circa 1881
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Box
24
Volume
13
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Notebook, 1885
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Box
24
Volume
14
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Notebook, undated
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McCormick Mss 2D
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Series: Financial Papers, 1879-191224 archives boxes including 44 volumes 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. : The series is arranged chronologically by year, followed by groups of account books, check stubs, and other records, each also arranged chronologically.
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Box
1
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1879-1885
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Box
2
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1888
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Box
3
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1888-1890
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Box
4
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1890-1891
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Box
5
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1891-1893
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Box
6
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1894-1896
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Box
7
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1896-1898
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Box
8
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1899-1900
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Box
9
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1901-1905
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Box
10
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1905-1906
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Box
11
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1906
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Box
12
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1906-1907
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Box
13
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1907
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Box
14
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1907-1908
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Box
15
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1908-1909
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Box
16
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1909
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Box
17
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1909-1910
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Box
18
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1910-1911
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Box
19
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1911
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Box
20
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1911-1912
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Box
21
Volume
1
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Household Account Book, 1882
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Box
21
Volume
2
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Dr. O.E. Davis Account Book, 1891
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Mrs. L.J. Moses' Household Account Books
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Box
21
Volume
3
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1893 February
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Box
21
Volume
4
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1893 June
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Box
21
Volume
5
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1893 July
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Box
21
Volume
6
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1893 August
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Box
21
Volume
7
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1893 September
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Box
21
Volume
8
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1893 September
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Box
21
Volume
9
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1894 January & February
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Box
21
Volume
10
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1894 March
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Box
21
Volume
11
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1894 May
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Box
21
Volume
12
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1894 June
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Box
21
Volume
13
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1894 July
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Box
21
Volume
14
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1894 August
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Box
21
Volume
15
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1894 September
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Box
21
Volume
16
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1894 October
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Box
21
Volume
17
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1894 November
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Box
21
Volume
18
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1894 December
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Box
21
Volume
19
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1895 January
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Box
21
Volume
20
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1895 February
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Box
21
Volume
21
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1895 March
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Box
21
Volume
22
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1895 April
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Box
21
Volume
23
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1895 May
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Box
21
Volume
24
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1895 June
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Box
21
Volume
25
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1895 July
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Box
21
Volume
26
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1895 August
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Box
21
Volume
27
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1895 September
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Box
21
Volume
28
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1895 October
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Box
21
Volume
29
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1895 November
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Box
21
Volume
30
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1895 December
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Box
21
Volume
31
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1896 January
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Box
21
Volume
32
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1896 February
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Box
21
Volume
33
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1896 March
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Box
21
Volume
34
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1896 April
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Box
21
Volume
35
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1896 May
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Box
22
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Unbound Ledger : Lists household and personal expenses for Mary Virginia McCormick, 1906-1911.
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Check Stubs
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Box
23
Volume
36
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1905 July-1906 August
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Box
23
Volume
37
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1906 August-1907 July
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Box
23
Volume
38
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1907 July-1908 April
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Box
23
Volume
39
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1908 April-December
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Box
23
Volume
40
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1908 December-1909 July
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Box
24
Volume
41
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1909 July-1910 March
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Box
24
Volume
42
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1910 April-December
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Box
24
Volume
43
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1910 December-1911 August
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Box
24
Volume
44
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1911 August-1912 March
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McCormick Mss 3D
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Series: Medical Reports, 1882-1921, undated5 archives boxes including 3 volumes 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.
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Box
1
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1882-1889
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Box
2
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1889-1891
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Box
3
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1892-1911
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Box
4
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1895-1921 and undated
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Box
5
Volume
1
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Casebook of Dr. Sanger Brown, 1887-1899
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Box
5
Volume
2
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Casebook, 1891
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Box
5
Volume
3
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Casebook, 1893 January-February
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McCormick Mss 4D
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Series: Nurses' Reports, 1896-1923 10 archives boxes including 3 volumes : 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. : The series is arranged chronologically by month.
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Nurses' Reports
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Box
1
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1896 June 2-1897 March 7
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Box
2
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1897 March 8-November 8
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Box
3
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1897 November 9-1898 May 13
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Alice Bennett Medical Diaries
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Box
3
Volume
1
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1897
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Box
3
Volume
2
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1898 January-June
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Nurses' Reports
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Box
4
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1898 May 13-November 5
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Box
5
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1898 November 6-1899 April 25
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Box
6
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1899 April 25-1901 July 1
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Box
6
Volume
3
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1900 May-August
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Box
7
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1901 July 2-1903 September 2
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Box
8
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1903 September 3-1908 December
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Box
9
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1909-1916
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Box
10
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1917-1923
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