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Mary Ella Spooner Brown papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0510

Scope and Contents

The Mary Ella Brown papers consist of correspondence, writings, biographical material and photographs. The correspondence, dated 1889-1942, includes one letter from Mary Woolley as well as letters to friends and to the Secretary of the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Association; The writings consist of the manuscript of an autobiography written circa 1935-1940 and entitled "Fourscore Plus;" poems and songs written between circa 1874-1933; and essays and stories written circa 1908-1944. The biographical material is mostly made up of news clippings and includes an obituary. The photographs, circa 1872-1946, are of Brown and her family and also include two photographs of Chinatown in Honolulu.

Dates

  • Creation: 1872-1946

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted

Biographical Note

Mary Ella Spooner was born in Oakham, Massachusetts on October 14, 1851 to Andrew Spooner, Jr. and Mary Brown. As a child she attended Oakham public schools. She graduated from Mount Holyoke Seminary in July of 1872 and from the University of California at Berkeley in 1893. She married Julius Waverly Brown in 1894. She taught Latin and German at Mount Holyoke from 1872 until 1884, and at Oahu College, in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1884 until 1891. She had three foster children from Kentucky. She wrote a book of poems as well as an autobiography and many educational pamphlets. She died on January 21, 1946 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Extent

1 boxes (Faculty/Staff Spooner)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Brown, Mary Ella Spooner, 1851-1946; College teacher. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary graduate, 1872. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary teacher, 1872-1884. Papers consist of correspondence, writings, biographical information, and photographs. Primarily containing her autobiography and also containing letters from Mary E.Woolley and original songs and poems.

Title
Brown papers, the autobiography of a country girl: typescript, [ca. 1940] / by Mary Ella Brown. 1872-1946.
Status
Edited Full Draft
Date
© 2004
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Repository Details

Part of the Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
50 College Street
8 Dwight Hall
South Hadley MA 01075-6425 USA
413-538-3079