This collection primarily concerns the social activist activities of Ada James and of her parents, David G. James and Laura Briggs James. The collection is organized in five series: David G. James Papers, George H. James Papers, Laura Briggs James Papers, Ada Lois James Papers, and finally Volumes which include material created by all four of these family members, by Ada's sister Beulah, and by the organizations in which family members were active.
Family correspondence, 1816-1904, in David's, George's, and Laura's papers reflects her father's interest in employment for women, woman suffrage, spiritualism, birth control, and socialism. Among the Volumes are also diaries, 1865, 1882-1904, and proceedings of the meetings of the Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association, 1885-1903, kept by her mother.
Ada James' Papers consist largely of correspondence which dates 1890-1952. In the correspondence, most numerous are the letters of the period from 1911 to 1918, when she was active in the suffrage movement as president of the Political Equality League, 1911-1913, and a member of the Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association and of the National Woman's Party. Many letters written in 1911 and 1912 concern the suffrage bill introduced into the Wisconsin legislature by her father, a state senator, and the resultant state referendum.
The letters written during World War I indicate her developing belief in pacifism and her interest in prohibition. Those of the early 1920s contain material on progressivism, including information on Miss James' service as vice-chairman of the Republican State Central Committee in 1922, her presidency of the Wisconsin Progressive Association in 1923, and her rift with Robert M. La Follette Sr., over his support of John J. Blaine in the 1924 campaign. After 1925 her correspondence deals principally with social work, particularly the founding and development of the Children's Board of Richland County.
Among the writers of letters are Jane Addams, Olympia Brown, Carrie Chapman Catt, Jessie J. Hooper, Belle Case La Follette, Catharine Waugh McCulloch, Sylvia Pankhurst, and Theodora W. Youmans.
Diaries, 1892-1920 and 1930-1947, scrapbooks, articles, and financial records contain additional information on Miss James' activities.
Because of their deteriorated condition, in 1980 selected portions of the Ada Lois James Papers were microfilmed. At this time the chronologically-arranged correspondence was sorted into incoming and outgoing letters, and the fragile outgoing correspondence, which largely consisted of the records of the Wisconsin Political Equality League and its campaign manager, Crystal Eastman Benedict, was microfilmed. At the same time several boxes of loose clippings and scrapbooks all pertaining to the Women's Suffrage Movement were integrated and filmed. After filming, all of this material was discarded.
