March 2016 Arkansas History Commission Newsletter

Look inside the March 2016 Issue of the Arkansas Archivist for these and other features!

AHC Celebrates Women’s History Month

Hair tied up in a bandana, arm flexed revealing a rather “unladylike” bicep, clad in the uniform of a factory worker —this is a familiar image to those who have seen  propaganda posters from World War II.  She has been called “Rosie the Riveter”  and that seems like such a stereotype, but during World War II, it was not just a stereotype.

The AHC and BHCA Welcome New Commissioner Elise Hampton

The BHCA and AHC are greatly committed to education, which is why we are excited to welcome Elise Hampton as a  new  member  of  the  Black  History  Commission  of Arkansas.  Ms. Hampton was born and raised in Conway, Arkansas.   She received her Bachelor of Science in Education from the  University  of Central Arkansas focusing on middle level education.

From the Director

In June 2014, the Arkansas History Commission and the Black History Commission met jointly to discuss long-term planning for the state archives.  The result of those discussions is a ten-year strategic plan adopted at the last quarterly meeting of the AHC on March 10.  The plan provides seven goals the agency will accomplish by 2025, and identifies numerous activities that agency staff will undertake as we work to achieve those goals. Goals identified in the plan include: improving and promoting public access to agency collections and expanding our holdings; strengthening the agency’s technology infrastructure and expanding digital initiatives; strengthening the role of the state archives in preserving state records; providing support for the preservation of local government records; cultivating outreach opportunities; providing appropriate staffing for our three facilities; and addressing our growing facility needs.

News from SARA

Lillian Florence “Lillie” Middlebrooks made  her  own  mark  on  Arkansas women’s history.  Lillie was born April 28, 1887, to George D. and Mary Tyson Middlebrooks  who  were  married  in 1882 in Nevada County.  The family was living in Parker Township, Nevada County at the time of the 1900 census, but by 1910 they had moved to Hope in  Hempstead  County  where  Mr. Middlebrooks’ occupation was listed as commercial traveler.

Genealogy Event at SARA in Washington

The Arkansas History Commission and State Archives, the Arkansas Genealogical Society, and the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives Foundation, Inc., will be hosting their annual history symposium on Saturday, April 30, 2016, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the 1914 Schoolhouse at Historic Washington State Park. The symposium’s theme, “Discovering Your Story, “ will feature speakers, James G. Jones, Dr. Daniel F. Littlefield, and Arkansas History Commission staff members Melissa Nesbitt and Jane Hooker.

Topics will include “DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy,” “American Indian Family Stories: Fact or Fiction,” “Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives: Guide to Historical and Genealogical Records,” and “New Services and a New Face: The Arkansas History Commission Today.”

The seminar is free but registration is required. Teachers can earn up to four professional development hours through attendance. Registration is limited and deadline for registration will be Monday, April 25. Check-in will begin at 9:15 a.m., the morning of April 30. Lunch will be provided for attendees.

The Arkansas History Commission, located in Little Rock, is the official state archives of Arkansas and maintains the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world. The Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives is a resource center for historical research, dedicated to the purpose of collecting and preserving primary source materials that bring together the unique history, culture, and heritage of Southwest Arkansas. SARA is located in the former Washington Elementary School at 201 Highway 195 South, Washington, Arkansas.

For more information about the symposium or to register, contact us at history.commission@arkansas.gov or call us at 501-682-6900.

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - C.P. Newton papers, SMC.13.3b

Clarence P. Newton was born July 31, 1879, in Pettus Township, Lonoke County, Arkansas. He became editor for the "England Courier" in 1902, and remained in the position for almost ten years. He was appointed superintendent of the Confederate Home at Sweet Home, Arkansas, by Governor Joe T. Robinson in 1913. Newton's political career began as a state representative for Lonoke County, 1909-1913. He returned to the legislature in 1919 as Speaker of the House. In 1920, Newton was appointed Prohibition Inspector for the federal government, and in 1921 became Governor Thomas McRae's private secretary. He was elected county judge for Pulaski County in 1924, 1940, and 1942. Newton married Hazel Wilson of Yell County, Arkansas, in 1924. He was also a Mason, and a member of the Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, where he taught a men's Bible study group. He died in 1958.

This collection contains correspondence, documents, news clippings, and memorabilia belonging to Clarence P. Newton and his wife, Hazel.

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• 1. 1919 October 15: Joe T. Robinson, Washington, District of Columbia, to C.P. Newton, Little Rock, Arkansas (Reel MG00207)
• 2. 1920 March 20: Thomas C. McRae, Prescott, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton
• 3. 1920 October 14: Thomas C. McRae, Prescott, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton, Little Rock, Arkansas
• 4. 1920 December 24: Thomas C. McRae, Prescott, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton
• 5. 1921 May 1: Thomas C. McRae, Prescott, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton
• 6. 1925 January: "The Journal of Arkansas Education"
• 7. 1934 July 31: J.M. Futrall, Little Rock, Arkansas, to "Those Interested in Our Common Schools"
• 8. 1935 April 15: George Vaughan, Fayetteville, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton, Little Rock, Arkansas
• 9. 1935 April 25: C.P. Newton to George Vaughan, Fayetteville, Arkansas
• 10. 1949 January 11: Napkin from inaugural reception of Governor Sid McMath
• 11. 1949 March 10: Commission, Judge C.P. Newton as member of the Arkansas Tax Commission
• 12. 1949 March 17: C. Hamilton Moses, Little Rock, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton, Little Rock, Arkansas
• 13. 1949 June 10: Invitation to a reception for the President of the United States
• 14. 1949 July 15: Bert Webb, Little Rock, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton, Little Rock, Arkansas
• 15. 1949 July 29: Program, Judge Newton's birthday dinner, Pulaski Heights Methodist Church
• 16. 1953 February 20: Lawrence Mitchell, Prescott, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton, autobiography of William Vernon Tompkins, attorney of Prescott, Arkansas included
• 17. 1959 January 12: J.T. Johnson, Little Rock, Arkansas, to Mrs. C.P. Newton, Little Rock, Arkansas, Resolution upon the passing of Judge Clarence Price Newton and adoption of a new class name in his memory
• 18. 1959 January 15: Mrs. C.P. Newton to "To the Men's Bible Class Pulaski Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, Little Rock, Arkansas
• 19. 1959 March 22: Newsclipping, "Pulaski Heights Men to Dedicate Lecturn"
• 20. 1959 April 10: J. Kenneth Shamblin, Little Rock, Arkansas, to Mrs. C.P. Newton, Little Rock, Arkansas
• 21. Undated: Newsclipping, "Are you Listening?"
• 22. Undated: Invitation, "Governor and Mrs. Sid McMath request the pleasure of Judge and Mrs. C.P. Newton's company at dinner"
• 23. Undated: Letterhead, Arkansas Legislative Council
• 24. Undated: Identification card, Judge C.P. Newton, Chairman, Tax Commision, signed by Sid McMath
• 25. Undated: Letterhead, Arkansas Tax Commission
• 26. Undated: Letterhead, Pulaski County, Arkansas, C.P. Newton, County and Juvenile Courts Judge
• 27. Undated: Thomas C. McRae, Prescott, Arkansas, to C.P. Newton

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Arkansas Female College records, SMC.1.4

The Arkansas Female College was founded in 1872 by Myra C. Warner as an institute of higher education for young women. Mrs. Warner acted as principal and teacher at the college for many years. The college was housed in the Albert Pike Mansion in Little Rock, until 1889, when it moved to a smaller site.

Mrs. Warner's daughter, Julia McAlmont Warner, born in 1860, began teaching at the school at age seventeen. She was fluent in German, French, Spanish, Latin, and Italian. Julia was a member of the Aesthetic Club for thirty-one years and co-founder of the Mayflower Society and Alliance Francaise. She was also a charter member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a member of the Colonial Dames. She died December 30, 1927.

This collection contains catalogs, commencement notices, and miscellaneous items pertaining to Arkansas Female College. Also included are news clippings on Julia McAlmont Warner.

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• Catalogs (Reel MG00201)
  
  • 1875-1876
  • 1879-1880
  • 1880-1881
  • 1887-1888
  • 1895-1896
• Commencement notices and invitations
  
  • 1879
  • 1881
  • 1889
  • 1890
• Miscellaneous
  
  • 1875 June 15: Program, Arkansas Female College concert
  • 1876 June 7: Invitation to Art Levee
  • 1886 December 16: Invitation to library reception, compliments of the faculty
  • 1887 March: "The A.F.C. Aedes Librorum," Little Rock, Arkansas
  • 1886 July 8: An address to the people of Arkansas, by the directors of Arkansas Female College
  • Undated: Diploma, Arkansas Female College
  • Undated: Examination on Latin grammar
• Julia McAlmont Warner newsclippings
  
  • 1912 July 3: "Ex-Pupils of Mrs. Myra Warner to Do Honor to Pioneer Educator Today," Arkansas Gazette
  • 1921 July 4: "Mrs. Myra Warner Dies at Home Here," Arkansas Gazette
  • 1921 May 16: "Mrs. Myra Warner is Shown Honor," Arkansas Gazette
  • 1921: "A Teacher of Youth"
  • 1927 December 30: "Miss Julia Warner dies at her Home"
  • 1928 January 3: "In Memorium: Julia McAlmont Warner" by Mary P. Fletcher
  • 1928 April 26: "In Memory of Julia McAlmont Warner" by Mrs. Charles L. Gordy, Mrs. William W. Mitchell, Mrs. J.S. Eggleston
  • 1942 February 15: "Students and Faculty Members with Graduating Class of Arkansas Female College in 1889," Arkansas Gazette
  • 1948 July 5: "Fifty Years Ago," Arkansas Gazette
  • Undated: "Julia McAlmont Warner"
  • Undated: "Glimpses of Yesterday," Arkansas Gazette
• Warner Literary Club
  
  • 1894-1895: "Research," Warner Literary Club, Little Rock, Arkansas
  • 1896-1897: Warner Literary Club, Little Rock, Arkansas
  • 1897-1898: Calendar, Warner Literary Club, Little Rock, Arkansas

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - El Dorado Pan Hellenic Association records, MS.000100

The El Dorado Pan Hellenic Association was organized in the 1920s by women who had belonged to college sororities. The association raised money on balls that were the county social events until President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Birthday Balls. Money was loaned to scholastically qualified girls to go to college. The association went out of existence in the early 1960s.

This collection contains correspondence, loan forms, cancelled checks, receipts, account records, and other miscellaneous items.

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• Loans given (Box 1)
  
  • 1. Ruby Irby (Mrs. Edward) Adams
  • 2. Modean Sides (Mrs. Bruce) Anthony
  • 3. Mary Frances Ball
  • 4. Hattie Barringer
  • 5. Helen Bezoni
  • 6. Evelyn Blass; Mary Frances Bowen: See Mrs. Willard Glowers
  • 7. Fannie Bradford
  • 8. Kathleen Bradford
  • 9. Merle M. Burke
  • 10. Mary Frances Bowen (Mrs. Willard) Glowers
  • 11. Christine Culp
  • 12. Monnie Davis
  • 13. Cathrin Francis; Vestell Francis: See Mrs. F. M. Harrison
  • 14. Ruth Welch (Mrs. Prentiss) Griffith
  • 15. Vestell Francis (Mrs. F.M.) Harrison
  • 16. Dorothy Hoskins; Marjorie Slater Inabnette: See Marjorie Slater; Ruby Irby: See Mrs. Edward Adams; Blanche Jernigan: See Mrs. Earl Phillips
  • 17. Mary Ann Lee
  • 18. Mildred Leroux
  • 19. Audna Lewis
  • 20. Agee McMurrain (Mrs. F.B.) Lowe
  • 21. Marie Willett (Mrs. William C.) Lowe; Agee McMurrain: See Mrs. F.B. Lowe
  • 22. Doris Whittington (Mrs. Otho N.) Milton
  • 23. M. E. Mullins
  • 25. Blanche Jernigan (Mrs. Earl) Phillips; Modean Sides: See Mrs. Bruce Anthony
  • 24. Mary E. Parsons
  • 26. Marjorie Slater
  • 27. Angie Mai Tankersley
  • 28. Dorothy Mae Whittington (Mrs. H. Y.) Thompson
  • 29. Chloe Tucker
  • 30. Melba Ruth Ware; Ruth Welch: See Mrs. Prentiss Griffith; Doris Whittington: See Mrs. Otho N. Milton; Dorothy Mae Whittington: See Mrs. H. Y. Thompson; Marie Willett: See Mrs. William C. Lowe
• Loans not granted (Box 2)
  
  • 31. Urcelle Curry
  • 32. Dorothy Lester
  • 33. Dawne Tucker
  • 34. Billy Marie Williams
• Cancelled checks, receipts, forms
  
  • 35. 1925-1926
  • 36. 1927
  • 37. 1928
  • 38. 1929
  • 39. 1930
  • 40. 1931
  • 41. 1932
  • 42. 1933
  • 43. To Mrs. B.J. Whittington
  • 44. For loans
  • 45. Overdrawn check forms from Exchange Bank and Trust Company of El Dorado, [Arkansas]
  • 46. Receipts from payments made on loans
  • 47. Receipt book stubs
  • 48. Accounts of loans issued and payments made thereon
  • 49. Rough draft of letters
  • 50. Announcement, loans offered from the Scholarship Loan Fund, 1946 March 8
  • 51. Internal Revenue Service forms
  • 52. Miscellaneous
  • 53. Blank forms for loans
• Ledger books (Box 3)
  
  • 54. Records of payments made #1
  • 55. Records of payments made #2

Acquisitions and Accessions for March 2016

AHC Books and Periodicals

The Backtracker:  Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society, Vol. 44, No. 4 Autumn 2015

The Heritage:  Hot Spring County, Arkansas Historical Society, Vol. 41, 2014

State College of Arkansas “Scroll” 1966

State College of Arkansas “Scroll” 1968

State College of Arkansas “Scroll” 1970

State College of Arkansas “Scroll” 1971

State College of Arkansas “Scroll” 1972

State College of Arkansas “Scroll” 1973

State College of Arkansas “Scroll” 1974

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1975

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1976

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1977

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1980

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1981

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1985

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1989

University of Central Arkansas “Scroll” 1990

AHC Printed Ephemera

Perry County Historical Society, November and December 2015 Newsletter

Brickwall Gazette, November 15, 2015

Brickwall Gazette, December 5, 2015

Brickwall Gazette, January 17, 2016

Carroll County Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, No. 4, December 2015

Madison County Musings, Volume 34, No. 4, Winter 2015

The Chestnut Tree:  The Pierre Chastain Family Association, Vol. 42, No. 1, January 2016

South Arkansas Historical Journal, Vol I5, Fall 2015, 3 copies

SARA Periodicals

 

Ouachita County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 2, Winter 2015

AHC Accessions 

State Land Survey Plats supplement, 9 cu. ft.

Nancy J. Hall Portrait and Plaque

John Lee Webb House, Condition Assessment Report, 2 cu ft

Jesse Core Papers, 22 cu. Ft

Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Journals, 0.25 cu ft

Arkansas Department of Career Education, Photograph Collection, 0.50 cu ft

Pulaski Chancery Court Summons, Henry Wilson, 0.1 cu ft

Henry Norwood collection, 1.2 cu ft

Internship at SARA

Thanks to the generous support of SARA Foundation, Inc., the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, a branch of the Arkansas History Commission, is seeking applicants for its summer intern position again this year.

Work Period: May 31, 2016-August 6, 2016.

Location: Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, 201 Highway 195 South, Washington, Arkansas 71862.

Duties: Processing and inventorying of archival collections and other duties as assigned. Work schedule is Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Work activities will be under the supervision of the Archival Manager.

Requirements: Ability to work with attention to detail and basic knowledge of archival processing. The applicant should have a college degree or a degree in progress in history or a related field and should be at least 18 years of age.

Compensation: $2,500 for the period of the internship paid in increments every two weeks by SARA Foundation, Inc. Housing and utilities are provided by Historic Washington State Park.

Send letter of application and resume plus references by April 9, 2016, to: Melissa Nesbitt, Archival Assistant, Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, PO Box 134, Washington, AR 71862 or e-mail melissa.nesbitt@arkansas.gov. Phone: 870-983-2633; FAX: 870-983-2636.

The internship is funded by SARA Foundation, Inc. whose purpose is to promote the activities of the Arkansas History Commission by giving support to the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives.

Wednesday Wonderful Collection - Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers records, MS.000218

The Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers drew up their original constitution on January 7, 1967. Membership was to include active members, defined as women lawyers residing in the state of Arkansas; associate members, defined as women clerks and deputy clerks of courts; and at-large membership, defined as women lawyers from out-of-state who retain membership in the Arkansas Bar. The constitution stated that "The object of the association was to secure a closer bond of fellowship among women lawyers of the State of Arkansas, in furtherance of the interests of women lawyers and their better service to the legal profession."

This collection contains correspondence, minutes, and notices of Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers (AAWL) meetings. It also includes membership lists and records from the Little Rock Association of Women Lawyers, and the National Association of Women Lawyers. The records contain information on early women lawyers in Arkansas, as well as papers kept by past presidents of the AAWL.

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• 1. General correspondence, 1961-1969 (Box 1)
• 2. General correspondence, 1970-1980
• 3. Constitution, 1967-1984
• 4. First Arkansas women lawyers
• 5. Minutes, 1969-1977
• 6. Minutes, 1978-1981
• 7. Membership lists, 1938-1969
• 8. Membership lists, 1970-1981
• 1. Notice of meetings, 1967-1969 (Box 2)
• 2. Notice of meetings, 1970-1972
• 3. Notice of meetings, 1973-1977
• 1. Little Rock Association of Women Lawyers, 1956-1967 (Box 3)
• 2. Little Rock Assocation of Women Lawyers, minutes of meetings, 1961-1967
• 3. Arkansas Bar Association, 1960-1975
• 4. National Association of Women Lawyers, 1961-1966
• 5. State Judicial Council of Arkansas
• 6. Jackie Wright papers, 1967-1980
• 7. Jackie Wright papers, 1981
• 8. Jackie Wright papers, 1982
• 9. Jackie Wright papers, 1983-1984
• 10. Jackie Wright papers, 1985-1990
• 11. Jackie Wright papers, undated
• 1. Elsijane Trimble Roy papers, 1966-1975 (Box 4)
• 2. Elsijane Trimble Roy papers, 1976-1984
• 3. Neva B. Talley-Morris papers, 1964-1978
• 4. Annabelle Davis Clinton papers, 1980
• 5. Annabelle Davis Clinton papers, 1981
• 1. Miscellaneous materials (Box 5)
• 2. Miscellaneous materials
• 3. Miscellaneous newsclippings
• Photo album, Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, 1973-1974 (Box 6)
• Scrapbook, Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, 1941-1967

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Ruth McCall scrapbook MS.000342

Ruth McCall was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1917. She attended Mitchell Elementary, West Side Junior High School, and Little Rock High School. She played the violin and performed with the Woodman Circle Orchestra. Ruth was very active in the concerts, plays, and other performances presented by West Side Junior High School and later Little Rock High School. She graduated from Little Rock High School in 1935.
In 1936 Ruth McCall began taking classes at the "Part Time School." It was the only public school where she could take secretarial classes while receiving job training and experience. Ruth's first job was for the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. She later went to work for Traveler's Insurance and spent her career with the company.

Ruth McCall's papers relate to her personal, educational, and professional development in Little Rock, Arkansas, between 1923 and 1991. She collected newspaper clippings, programs, photographs, and other memorabilia that mirrored her life from a young teen to a grown woman, 1923-1991.

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• I. Newspaper clipppings and programs: West Side Junior High School, Little Rock High School, events, and marriages and deaths, 1927-1954 (Box 1)
• II. Newspapers (Box 2)
  
  • 1. Little Rock High School Tiger, 1932 September 28
  • 2. Little Rock High School Tiger, 1933 January 18
  • 3. Little Rock High School Tiger, 1934 May 9
  • 4. Little Rock High School Tiger, 1935 January 18
  • 5. Little Rock High School Tiger, 1935 May 9
  • 6. Little Rock High School Tiger, 1935 May 23
  • 7. Little Rock High School Tiger, 1935 May 23
  • 8. Arkansas Gazette special advertising supplement, 1965 November 21
  • 9. McCrory/McClellan/H.L. Green Store Shopper, Christmas edition, undated
  • 10. Arkansas Democrat, editorial section D, Little Rock, 1965 September 19
  • 11. Arkansas Democrat, "Staff bid for Gazette falls apart," Little Rock, 1991 October 18
  • 12. Arkansas Gazette, "Gazette Employee Buyout Fails," Little Rock, 1991 October 18
  • 13. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "It's Over-The Gazette Closes," Little Rock, 1991 October 19
• III. Loose scrapbook items (Box 3)
  
  • 1. Concerts and dedication ceremonies
  • 2. Evangelists and ministry in Little Rock, Arkansas
  • 3. Historical and political events in Little Rock and throughout Arkansas
  • 4. Friends
  • 5. Little Rock, Arkansas, commerce
  • 6. Newspaper clippings, Little Rock, Arkansas, history
  • 7. Little Rock High School, 1927 and 1935
  • 8. Little Rock Mitchell Elementary School memorabilia
  • 9. Little Rock's "Part Time" school
  • 10. Little Rock West Side Junior High School newsletters, 1931 and 1932
  • 11. Sheet music
  • 12. Printed materials
  • 13. Printed materials
  • 14. Secretarial notes and materials
  • 15. Ticket from University of Arkansas Razorback football game with the University of Texas, 1945
  • 16. Theatrical productions in Little Rock
  • 17. Photographs, 1935