Skip to main content
COLLECTION Identifier: A-110: M-133: M-59: Mf-3

Alma Lutz collection of documents by and about abolitionists and women's rights activists, 1775-1943

Overview

Correspondence of Alma Lutz, author and suffragist, and others involved in the abolitionist and suffrage movements.

Dates

  • Creation: 1775-1943

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Access. Originals closed; use microfilm. The majority of the collection is available on M-133. Folders #8-9 are available on Mf-3. The Mary Grew diary in folder #12 is available on M-59, reel 973, no. M13.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright. Copyright in the papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.

Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

Extent

.42 linear feet ((1 file box) plus 1 folio folder)

This collection consists of letters, and a few other items, purchased by Alma Lutz and reflects her interest in women in American history, particularly those active in the abolition and suffrage movements.

The items in the collection are arranged alphabetically by writer, and chronologically when there is more than one item by the same writer. The inventory names the recipient of each letter, when known, and the index that follows the inventory includes the names of all recipients. In the inventory each letter -- except short notes, fragments valuable only as autographs, and items with trivial contents -- is described as follows: name or title of recipient, date, topics discussed. Letters of one or more pages with either the salutation or the signature missing have been listed as fragments.

Dates and/or other information have been written on some items by persons unknown; some dates and other information have been supplied by researchers. In organizing the material the processor accepted and used this information. Everything added by the processor is in square brackets, but some dates and other information in square brackets were previously added by persons unknown.

The bulk of the letters are autograph letters signed; only a few are typed letters signed. There are typed transcripts of some of the letters; these were prepared by persons unknown. Corrections, some by persons unknown, others by the processor, appear on many of these transcripts. The researcher is cautioned that the transcripts are not always accurate.

Three folders of papers that were in A-110 (#64, 69-70) have been moved to MC 182. This material (mainly Florence Kitchelt and Rose Arnold Powell correspondence re: Equal Rights Amendment, National Woman's Party, and Susan B. Anthony) derives from Alma Lutz's work with the National Woman's Party rather than her autograph collecting.

BIOGRAPHY

Alma Lutz became involved in the woman's suffrage movement when she returned home to North Dakota after graduating from Vassar College (1912). She continued to work for equal rights for women all her life and was the author of many articles and books, including Created Equal: A Biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. Lutz was an active member of the National Woman's Party, the Massachusetts Committee for the Equal Rights Amendment, and many other organizations. During 1951-1973 she served on the Advisory Committee of the Schlesinger Library.

For additional biographical information, see MC 182, the Alma Lutz papers in the Schlesinger Library, and the Alma Lutz biography file; see also Who Was Who in America (1974-1976).

Physical Location

Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession numbers: 55-82, 56-89, 370, 430, 1164, 70-12, 70-61

The papers in this collection were purchased by Alma Lutz and given to the Schlesinger Library in 1955, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1967, and 1970. The collection was reprocessed and microfilmed with the support of the Friends of the Schlesinger Library.

MICROFILM OF COLLECTION

The pages of some items were numbered by the processor (in square brackets) to aid the microfilmer, the proofreader, and researchers. Blank pages were not numbered.

All reels were proofread by the processor and corrections were made where necessary. These corrections may disrupt the sequence of frame numbers.

Some items in the collection were difficult to film due to such problems as flimsy paper with text showing through or faded or smudged writing. The film was carefully produced and proofread to ensure that these items are as legible as possible.

There are some letters with the text on the two inside page written in two different directions, and some letters that have the final lines of text and the signature on page one. In these cases letters were microfilmed as they appear; pages were not turned and first pages were not refilmed.

Two portions of the collection were previously filmed and have not been refilmed with this collection. The Lydia Maria Child letters (#8-9) were filmed as part of the microfiche edition of her correspondence (Kraus Microform, 1980), available at many libraries; at the Schlesinger Library the call number is Mf-3. (The folder numbers on the Child fiches are those of the original A-110 inventory.) The Mary Grew diary (in #12) was filmed as part of the History of Women microfilm project (Research Publications, Inc., 1976); the call number at the Schlesinger Library is M-59, reel 973, no. M13.

REEL GUIDE

For a list of the contents of A-110, see the inventory that follows. When requesting microfilm, please use the microfilm number and the reel number. For Mf-3, see The Collected Correspondence of Lydia Maria Child 1817-1880 , Patricia G. Holland and Milton Meltzer, Editors, Kraus Microform, New York; the call number at the Schlesinger Library is 322.44/C53h

Folders 1-7, 10-21: M-133, Reel A12

Folders 22-30: M-133, Reel A13

Folders 8-9: Mf-3

Folder 12 (Mary Grew diary only): M-59, reel 973, no.M13

Related Material:

There is related material at the Schlesinger Library; see Papers of Alma Lutz, 1921-1961 (MC 182) and Papers of Alma Lutz, 1927-1946 (A-34).

INDEX

This index consists of the names of all identified recipients of letters. Writers are not indexed because the collection is arranged alphabetically by writer. Subjects of letters are also not indexed.

The numbers refer to folders.

  1. Adams, Abigail 29
  2. Adams, Ann 1
  3. Alexander, Francis 8, 9
  4. Anthony, Susan B. 19
  5. Arnold, James 19
  6. Arnold, Miss 30
  7. Arnold, Mrs. 7
  8. B., Mr. (probably Henry Blackwell) 11
  9. Baldwin, Hannah 9
  10. Baldwin, William 8, 9
  11. Bigelow, Andrew 2
  12. Biggers, Kate H. 18
  13. Blackman, Mrs. 27
  14. Booth [Mary Louise] 6, 26-28
  15. Boston Post, editor 27, 28
  16. Botta, [Anne Charlotte Lynch?] 15
  17. Bowles, Ada C. 14, 16, 20, 27
  18. Bowles, Samuel 27
  19. Boyer, Ida Porter 4, 7, 10, 18, 22
  20. Brown, Mr. 6
  21. Browne, Mr. 9
  22. Cable, Mrs. 28
  23. Chapman, Maria Weston 13
  24. Cheever, Benjamin 20
  25. Claflin, William 15
  26. Clark, Miss 25
  27. Clarke, [James Freeman] 26
  28. Colby, Clara 22
  29. Colby, James [T. or F.?] 13, 16
  30. Cushman, Major A.S. 28
  31. Cushman, George 11
  32. Daily Transcript, editor 28
  33. Daily Traveller, editor 27
  34. Dodge, Mr. 20
  35. Earle, [Pliny], Dr. 11
  36. Eddy, Mrs. 7
  37. Ely, Mary D. 4
  38. Emerson, Joseph 2
  39. Ernst, C.W 27
  40. Fairchild, James Harris 26
  41. Faithfull, Miss 13
  42. Farrington, Sumner 27
  43. Fields, James Thomas 8
  44. Frain, Smith & Co. 28
  45. Franc 20
  46. Gaines, Mr. 21
  47. Garrison, Mr. 5, 16, 17, 26-28, 30
  48. Garrison, Francis Jackson 9, 10, 15, 17, 20, 26-28, 30
  49. Garrison, Wendell Phillips 10
  50. Garrison, William Lloyd 8-10, 17, 18, 20, 26
  51. Gerry, Elbridge 29
  52. Gilman, Gerhard? D. 28
  53. Grant, Hannah A. 2
  54. Greeley, [Horace?] 22
  55. Grew, Mary 19, 30
  56. Hancock, Mrs. C.F. 16
  57. Harper, [Ida Husted] 16
  58. Haskell, C. 26
  59. Hayes, Mr. 27
  60. Hillhouse, Mr. 2
  61. Holmes, Mr. 27
  62. Holt, Hamilton 7
  63. Hutchinson, Abby J. 8
  64. Independent, editor 6
  65. James Monroe & Co. 22
  66. Jenks, Mr. 2
  67. J.R. Osgood & Co. 10
  68. Kaufman, Reginald W. 21
  69. Larcom, Lucy 23, 25, 27
  70. Lasar, Sigismond 8
  71. Lawrence, Mrs. 16
  72. Lewis, Mrs. F.T. 21
  73. Life Illustrated, editors 8
  74. Loring, Ellis Gray 13
  75. M[c?]Kim, Mr. 24
  76. Marston, Mrs. 16
  77. May 20
  78. May, [Samuel] 8, 17, 24
  79. Mott, Lucretia 24
  80. Mott, Lydia 19
  81. Muller, Miss 27
  82. Mumford, Charles 25, 26
  83. Nichol, Elizabeth, see Pease, Elizabeth
  84. Norton, Mary 4
  85. Parkhurst, W.E. 8
  86. Parsons, Anna 28
  87. [Parsons, Sarah Maria (Preston)] 8
  88. Patten, Mrs. 9
  89. Patton, William 15
  90. Pease, Elizabeth 17
  91. Phelps, Miss 26
  92. Phelps-Ward, Mrs. 27
  93. Plummer, Charles H. 6, 22, 24
  94. Powell, C.J. 15
  95. Price, C.E. 28
  96. Ranson, Miss 16
  97. Redpath, Mr. 25
  98. Rice, Dr. 20
  99. Robeson, Mr. 7
  100. Robinson, Mrs. 10
  101. Robinson, Joseph 22
  102. Robinson, William S. 26
  103. Rush, Mrs. Benjamin 1
  104. Sanborn, F[ranklin] B[enjamin] 25, 26
  105. Sanders, Mrs. 28
  106. Sargeant, Mrs. J.T. 26
  107. Sargent, Mr. 9
  108. Sargent, Mary Elizabeth 8, 9
  109. [Scudder, Eliza] 8
  110. Seitz, Dan C. 13
  111. Sever, Miss 29
  112. Shaw, Anna Howard 7, 29
  113. Simpson, Bishop [Matthew?] 13
  114. Smith, Elizabeth Oakes 28
  115. [Smith, Gerrit?] 8
  116. Standard, editor 27
  117. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady 19
  118. Star, editor 27
  119. Start, Edwin A. 27
  120. Steele, Fanny M. 16
  121. Stoddard, J.M. 10
  122. Stone, Lucy 2, 20
  123. Tenny, H.A. 25
  124. Thaxter, John 1
  125. Thomas, Mary Bentley 5
  126. Ticknor and Fields 8
  127. Underwood, Mrs. 5
  128. Underwood, Mrs. S.A. 10
  129. Upton, Mrs. 28
  130. Walker, General F.A. 26
  131. Wallcut, R[obert] F[olger] 8, 24
  132. Ward, Mrs. 16
  133. Ward, [Elizabeth (Phelps)?], see Phelps-Ward, Mrs.
  134. Ward, Mrs. Hayes 27
  135. Ward, William Hayes 16, 25, 27, 28
  136. Warren, Mercy 7, 11
  137. Watson, Mr. 16
  138. Webb, [Richard D.] 8
  139. Weiss, John 25
  140. Wells, Charlotte 15
  141. West, Mrs. 13
  142. Wheeler, Mr. 26
  143. Whiting, Mrs. 28
  144. Wilkinson, Miss 16
  145. Winter, [Una R.] 15
  146. [Woman's] Journal, editors 11
  147. Woods [Kate Tannatt] 14
  148. Wyman, Mrs. 28

Processing Information

Reprocessed: January 1986

By: Bert Hartry

Title
Lutz, Alma. Alma Lutz collection of documents by and about abolitionists and women's rights activists, 1775-1943: A Finding Aid
Author
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
sch00064

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.

Contact:
3 James St.
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
617-495-8540