The Clara L. Proudfit Papers consist entirely of records on three organizations in which Mrs. Proudfit was involved: the Woman's Committee of the Dane County Council on Defense (1917-1918), the Dane County Community League (1919-1920), and the Public Opinion Committee (1922-1924). There are no personal papers in the collection.
The files are arranged by organization and thereunder alphabetically by subject.
The DANE COUNTY COUNCIL OF DEFENSE WOMAN'S COMMITTEE activities are documented through membership lists, correspondence, reports, and publications. The reports and other records of the individual committees within the woman's committee are particularly useful for understanding the scope of women's war work during World War I. Many of these files actually document the efforts of Mrs. William S. Marshall, chairman of the organization, and it is not entirely clear why these papers were in the custody of Mrs. Proudfit. The records of the DANE COUNTY COMMUNITY LEAGUE are much less extensive. They consist of lists, correspondence, and notes primarily pertaining to luncheons held by the League. The records of the PUBLIC OPINION COMMITTEE contain minutes, correspondence with committee members and dance hall proprietors, drafts of local and state legislation, and clippings concerning the statewide dance hall situation and the various county laws enacted to remedy the problem.
