Subseries A. Papers of Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson and Norris Dean Jackson, 1867-1997 (#194.1-222.3, FD.5, F+D.10, OD.5)
Scope and Contents
Subseries A, Papers of Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson and Norris Dean Jackson, 1867-1997 (#194.1-222.3, FD.5, F+D.10, OD.5), includes personal correspondence with family and friends, correspondence with academic institutions and relief organizations, notes and letters sent while traveling, Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson's diaries, and legal and financial papers. A significant amount of material documents Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson's World War I charity work. Much of the correspondence with friends is from the years 1917 to 1919, when many friends were away from St. Paul, some serving in the military. the Jackson's daughter Leila served with the WAVES during World War II, their correspondence from 1944 and 9145 describes this time in her life. Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson's notebooks, scrapbooks, and other ephemera from her years at the Winsor School and Florentine School documents the type of academic and other knowledge considered necessary for young women of her background. Additional materials include calling cards, wedding announcements, address books, and guest books for their home at 501 Grand Avenue in St. Paul. See also #149.7-153.8 for letters with her parents, and #227.14-228.11, #229.12-231.6, #232.9, #233.3-234.13, and #235.8-238.2 for letters with her siblings. Photographs of the Jacksons and their family are in Series XVII.
Dates
- Creation: 1762-2006
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Folders #200.1 - 201.9 in Series XIV are closed until January 1, 2050. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
Extent
101.08 linear feet ((237 file boxes, 2 half file boxes, 2 folio boxes) plus 6 folio folders, 10 folio+ folders, 6 oversize folders, 2 supersize folders, 171 photograph folders, 4 folio photograph folders, 14 glass negatives, 1 object, electronic records)Biographical / Historical
Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson was born in 1894 to Charles Wilberforce Ames and Mary Lesley Ames in St. Paul, Minnesota. She attended Miss Loomis's School in St. Paul, the Winsor School in Boston, and the Florentine School in Florence, Italy. During World War I, she worked with her family in St. Paul to raise funds and provide supplies for wounded French soldiers; she went to France with the American Fund for French Wounded in 1918. Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson was an organizer and volunteer for charitable causes throughout her life; she organized the 19th chapter of the Junior League in St. Paul, in 1919 established a convalescent home, and sevred on the board of the St. Paul Institute. She was engaged to Edward Cutler Lane, but called off the engagement in 1921; the following year she married her childhood friend Norris Dean Jackson. The Jacksons had two daughters, Leila Dean Jackson Poullada (b. 1924) and Catharine Jackson Wise (b. 1925).
Norris Dean Jackson was born in 1895 to John Norris Jackson and Alice Dean Jackson in St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended St. Paul Academy and graduated from Princeton University in 1917. Norris Dean Jackson served with the Army Air Corps during World War I. After the war, he worked for apparel manufacturer Gordon & Ferguson and became head of the leather goods department. He was named to the Department of Labor Conciliation in 1938, and in 1943 he established the labor relations department at Northwest Airlines. After retiring in 1956, Norris Dean Jackson worked as presidential assistant and director of the bureau of institutional research at Macalester College until 1959.
The Jacksons moved into the Ames family's house at 501 Grand Avenue in St. Paul in 1926, where Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson cared for Mary Lesley Ames until her death. Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson and her sister, Margaret Ames Wright, started the St. Paul chapter of the British War Relief Society in 1939; they once again used the house at 501 Grand Avenue as headquarters and sewing workshop. In 1947, both sisters were decorated with the Order of the British Empire for their service. Norris Dean Jackson's civic involvement included the Minnesota Zoo, Unitarian Church of St. Paul, and St. Paul Academy. Elizabeth "Betty" Ames Jackson died in 1990; Norris Dean Jackson died a few months later.
Physical Location
Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.