Papers of Virginia Insley, 1902-1994

These papers contain very little material about Virginia Insley's family, her childhood, adolescence, or college years. They do provide information about her professional life, her leadership in the maternal and child health field, and the movement to make social services a necessary component of health care programs. The case studies in #142-149 are of particular interest, in that they illustrate how Insley was involved in teaching medical students the importance of supplementing medical care with social services, and furnish information about social conditions in the Boston area (1946-1949). The names of patients who might still be living were blacked out on photocopies of these records. The originals, closed until January 1, 2029, are at the Schlesinger Library.

A significant amount of printed material had no evident connection to Insley. Some newsletters, pamphlets, reprints, brochures, and conference packets were transferred to the Schlesinger Library's vertical files; they can be found in the Subject Files under Teenage mothers or Mental retardation. Most other reprints, and government publications available from the Government Printing Office, were discarded.

Folder descriptions in quotation marks are Insley's, and some folders include her explanatory notes.

Series I, Personal and biographical (#1-44), includes family papers, curricula vitae, certificates, licenses, photographs, Insley's MSW thesis, diplomas, material about Insley's travels and financial and medical records. The last two categories are closed to researchers until the death of the donor.

There were also membership cards covering many years. The processor retained only the most recent from each organization.

Series II, General correspondence (#45-58), is divided into two sections, each arranged chronologically: letters by Insley and letters to Insley, the latter including letters from her sister Dot I[nsley] and other relatives. Personal correspondence with professional colleagues and friends (e.g. Rivka Ashbel, Marian Dukehart, Kazuye Kumabe, Roberta Peay, Elizabeth L. Watkins) is found here. There is also correspondence in Series I and III.

Series III, Professional activities (#59-189), makes up the bulk of the collection and is divided into five sections. Section 1, Insley's "Personnel papers," includes correspondence, position descriptions and performance ratings, and is arranged chronologically.

Section 2, Correspondence, is divided into two parts. The first pertains to Insley's various jobs; the second covers the period since her retirement. The parts are arranged by subject or individual and include letters by and to others.

Insley succeeded Edith M. Baker (EMB) (see MC 415) at the United States Children's Bureau, which may account for the appearance of some of Baker's office files in Insley's papers.

Roberta Peay's internship material (#62-65) originally contained files created by Baker, Ethel Cohen, (see MC 312) and Doris Siegel, and there were many duplicates. The files were merged and the most legible carbon copies retained.

Section 3, Writing and speeches, is also divided into two parts. Part 1, by Insley, includes related correspondence, lists, programs, and notes; it is arranged chronologically. Since many of Insley's presentations at conferences were subsequently published, no distinction is made here between speeches and writings. Only the portions of published proceedings relevant to Insley, together with publication and title information, were retained.

Part 2, Writings and speeches by others, is further subdivided into two groups: the first is arranged by subject; the second, chronologically.

Section 4, Conferences, institutes, etc., includes correspondence, reports, programs, and proceedings, and is divided into two parts. Part 1 is arranged by subject and includes "teaching conferences," so labelled by Insley. Part 2 is arranged chronologically according to date of meeting or of published proceedings. Only the portions of the latter relevant to Insley, and publication and title information, were retained.