James family papers, 1873-1975.

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James family papers, 1873-1975.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/702199686

The James Family Papers is comprised of correspondence, photographs, and ephemera relating to Willis S. James (1847-1917) and his descendents. In addition to correspondence between family members, the papers include a diary, financial records, photographs, newspaper clippings, essays, notes taken by Helen James for an American literature class at Yale University, and ephemera. Also included is a letter of recommendation written by Marshall Jewell for Willis S. James. The papers document the everyday life of an African-American family at the turn of the 20th century. The correspondence describes, for example, daily routines (such as worklife, studies, church attendance) as well as observations on literature and the natural world. In their correspondence Helen and Harriett James write about their time as students at Hampton Institute. Helen James went on to teach at an orphanage in Hawaii and at a rural school in South Carolina -- experiences that are richly described in correspondence with her sister Bertha James Lane. Willis H. James records his experiences in the military (including overseas duty during the Philippine-American War) and arrest after shooting a white man in Georgia. At the time of writing the correspondence, family members lived in various locations throughout the United States, including Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia.

1.25 linear feet (3 boxes)

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 8027112

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Related Entities

There are 12 Entities related to this resource.

Hampton University (Va.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63w092b (corporateBody)

Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virgina, also know as the Normal School, chartered in 1870. From the description of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute ephemera, 1882-1903 and undated. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 639344721 The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute was chartered in 1870 in Hampton, Virginia. From the guide to the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute ephemera, 1882-1903 and undated, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book ...

Petry, Elisabeth

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6v98v1h (person)

Jewell, Marshall, 1825-1883

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63f580f (person)

E.A. Tucker was associate editor of the Evening post in Hartford, Conn. From the description of Letter, 1874 September 4, Washington, D.C., to E.A. Tucker, Hartford, Conn. (Hartford Public Library). WorldCat record id: 35294209 ...

James, Anna Louise, 1886-1977.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6p27h7q (person)

Anna Louise James was born in Hartford, Conn., to Anna Houston and Willis Samuel James. The name recorded on James's birth certificate is Louise Clegget James. She graduated from Arsenal Elementary School (Hartford) in 1902 and Saybrook (Conn.) High School in 1905. She graduated from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy in 1908, and in 1909 became the first African American woman licensed pharmacist in Connecticut. James ran her own drug store in Hartford from 1909 until 1911, when she ...

Yale University.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6r8240t (corporateBody)

James family.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6nm299f (family)

Descendants of Willis S. James (1847-1917) include: his daughters Anna Louise James (1886-1977), Harriet James (1879-1902), Helen James (1876-1971), and Bertha James Lane (1875-1956), and sons Harold James (1884-1945) and Willis Howard James (1877-1940). The James family are ancestors of author Ann Petry, who drew inspiration from their lives for her fiction, including the novels Country Place and The Narrows. From the description of James family papers, 1873-1975. (Unknown). WorldCa...

James, Harriet, 1879-1902.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60s07mq (person)

James, Helen, 1876-1971.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6c25gw8 (person)

James, Willis S., 1847-1917.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68k7w0k (person)

James, Willis Howard, 1877-1940.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64q8df4 (person)

Petry, Ann, 1908-1997

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ww83x7 (person)

Writer Ann Petry grew up in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, the youngest of three daughers born to Peter and Bertha James Lane. She earned a degree in pharmacy from Connecticut College of Pharmacy in 1931 and worked for several years in the family pharmacy. Her aunt, Anna Louise James, was the first African American woman licensed pharmacist in Connecticut. In 1938 she married George D. Petry and they moved to Harlem where she completed a novel entitled The Street, based upon her experiences there. P...

James, Harold, 1884-1945.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6z32jg6 (person)