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Monroe family papers

 Collection
Identifier: Midwest-MS-Monroe-Family

Scope and Content of the Collection

Correspondence and photographs along with memorial pamphlets for various family members, two manuscript writings about the Monroe’s dog Rover, and family genealogy information.

Correspondence is primarily from Henry S. Monroe (1826-1903), his daughters Harriet Monroe, Dora Monroe Root (and her architect husband John Wellborn Root), and Lucy Monroe Calhoun, and their children. Topics include the birth of children, Chicago social life (including remarks on the 1882 visit of Oscar Wilde and Wagnerian opera), illness, Poetry magazine, the Playwrights Theatre, and travel to places including Hot Springs, Arkansas, San Francisco, Florida, and France. Also includes a group of letters between William S. Monroe in Chicago and a Lord and Lady Falmouth in London and Cornwall, England, which describe in detail life in the United States and Britain during and after the Second World War.

Photographs include many members of the extended Monroe family, with photographs of Henry S. Monroe and his siblings Thomas Monroe and Louise Cole, and Martha Mitchell Monroe’s family members including her sister Helen Eudora Tewkesbury. There are also many photographs of the Monroe children and their families such as Dora Monroe Root and her daughters Mary “Polly” Louise Root Collier and Margaret Fetcher; and William S. Monroe, his wife Anna Hamill Clark Monroe, and their sons Henry S. and Ernest H. Monroe.

Dates

  • Creation: 1868-1949

Creator

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The Monroe family papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Monroe family papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections at reference@newberry.org.

Biography of the Monroe Family

Chicago family.

Henry Stanton Monroe (1826-1903) was a successful Chicago lawyer who came to the city in the 1850s. He and his wife Martha Mitchell Monroe (1835-1892) had four surviving children: Dora, Harriet, Lucy, and William. Dora Louise Monroe (1857-1913) married John Wellborn Root, an architect most notable for his work on planning the rebuilding Chicago after the fire of 1871. Harriet Stone Monroe (1860-1936), was a prominent poet and founder and editor of the renowned Poetry magazine. Lucy Bryant Monroe (1865-1950) was a writer who married William J. Calhoun, the U.S. Minister to China, 1909-1913. William Stanton Monroe (1868-1953) was an engineer in the field of steam heat and ventilation. He married Anna Hamill Clark.

Extent

0.8 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Abstract

Correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia from the Monroe family of Chicago. Correspondence is primarily from Henry Stanton Monroe (Chicago attorney), his daughters Harriet Monroe, Dora Monroe Root (and her architect husband John Wellborn Root), and Lucy Monroe Calhoun, and their children. Topics include the births of children, travel, Poetry Magazine, and life in Chicago including Oscar Wilde's 1882 Chicago visit. Also contains World War II and post-war correspondence between William Monroe and Lord and Lady Falmouth. Photographs cover many members of the extended Monroe family. Includes two manuscript writings by Henry S. Monroe and Harriet Monroe about a family dog named Rover.

Arrangement

Materials arranged alphabetically by family member with photographs at the end.

Collection Stack Location

1 26 4

Provenance

Gift, Carol Monroe, 2012, with subsequent additions in July 2014 and June 2015.

Related Collections

See also the following collections at the Newberry: Lucy Calhoun papers; Harriet Monroe memorabilia.

Processed by

Virginia Hay Smith, 2012; Harunobu Coryne, 2014; Catherine Grandgeorge, 2017.

Title
Inventory of the Monroe family papers, 1868-1949
Status
Completed
Author
Virginia Hay Smith and Catherine Grandgeorge
Date
©2017.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512