The papers consist of Blossom's correspondence, mainly with his mother, Sarah Blossom, two of his three wives, Alice Sidney Morrison Blossom and Bertie Lee Hunter Blossom, and his daughter Sidney; his mother's diaries; a folder of his financial papers; his notebooks; a scrapbook; and a subject file documenting his many-faceted career and interests. The general organization of the papers is chronological, but to simplify access, the six categories are grouped alphabetically by type of record in the contents list below, and the subject file is subdivided into a second alphabetical listing.
The collection does not form a complete record of any aspect of Blossom's long and varied life. It does, however, give some evidence about every part of his career. Perhaps most fully documented is his undergraduate career at Amherst (1894-1898). This period is represented by extensive correspondence with his mother, Sarah Blossom. His mother's diary for 1891 to 1892 and 1895 is also included in the collection.
Blossom's work as a translator is also fairly well documented. There are fragmentary notes from his translations of Proust and van der Meersch. In addition to translation notes for these books, there are copies of major reviews as well as correspondence relating to the translations and their reviews with A.C. Boni, the publisher, and Bennett Cerf, among others. Several of the letters contain Blossom's response to unfavorable reviews. The translation of van der Meersch and an exchange of published letters with Robert Cantwell after his review of Blossom's translation illustrate Blossom's continuing interest in the labor movement after he ended his connection with the IWW.
Also extensively documented is the period of Blossom's employment with the Library of Congress. From 1942 until his retirement in 1948, Blossom engaged in extended administrative disputes with the library over unfavorable job efficiency ratings and because of his radical past. Some of his notes; correspondence with lawyers, members of Congress, and other supporters; and typescripts of 1942 appeal hearings are included in the collection. There is also an extensive file of letters of recommendation for jobs at the Yale Club and the Huntington Free Library.
There is one folder of letters from Blossom's first wife, Alice Sidney Blossom, most written from France after their estrangement, and shortly before her death in 1936. Included in the same file is correspondence between Blossom, his wife's lawyer, and the American Consul in Nice, France relating to Blossom's recovery of her personal effects after her death.
There are small groups of other personal papers from various parts of Blossom's life. Many are fragmentary and difficult to date or reconstruct. There are a few letters from his daughter dating from shortly before her death in 1916, and samples of her school work. There are a few financial papers dealing with his investments and stock holdings dating from 1909 to the 1930's. There is a folder of notes and letters to and from Elizabeth Stuyvesant in the 1920's, and a folder of notes that document Blossom's arguments with his second wife in the mid-1940's. The largest selection of personal papers includes the clippings and correspondence of his third wife, Bertie Lee Blossom, as well as his letters to her in the 1950s. A variety of letters from the 1960s and 1970s are with friends and acquaintances.
There is very little material on Blossom's activities with Margaret Sanger and the birth control movement. The most important article in this area is a photocopy of pages from her autobiography in which she criticizes Blossom's activities. He has typed his refutation of the points she makes on the photocopy. Blossom's IWW activities are also poorly represented. The most important document in this area is a defense, written by Pierce C. Wetter, of Blossom's conduct in release and relief work for IWW prisoners. The charges Wetter refutes were made by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn among others.
Blossom's activities after 1948 are illustrated more fully than his connection with the IWW, but not in great detail. There are clippings dealing with his relationship with Scott Nearing and World Events. A fairly complete file of the newsletter was transferred to the library. There are comments on Nearing's writing by several people including Upton Sinclair.
There is no correspondence relating to the Appalachian Relief Committee and very little on the Southern Conference Educational Fund. The most important items in this area are mimeographed copies of a defense by Anne Braden of her resignation from SCEF and her account of the controversy in Louisville, Kentucky over relations between SCEF and the Black Panther Party in 1973.
It is possible to outline Blossom's career through vitae prepared by Blossom, and obituaries and correspondence with Blossom's friends collected by Carl Braden after Blossom's death. Also included are drafts of a biography prepared by Braden.
