Florence H. Davis Papers, 1894-1945

Title: Florence H. Davis Papers, 1894-1945

ID: OGLMC/1197

Creator: Davis, Florence H. (1868-1958)

Extent: 0.25 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 09/04/1989

Languages: English [eng]

The Florence H. Davis Papers consist of correspondence from 1894 to 1945. The correspondence is scattered; there is no long run of letters from any one correspondent. The majority are letters from family members to Davis. The collection contains only two letters written by Davis, one to her sister, Amelia Brennan O'Connor, of St. Thomas, North Dakota in 1894 and the other to her niece, Mary Brennan Harstad, and her husband, Kenneth, in 1936. Family member correspondents include Davis' mother, Joanna Branick Brennan, Bathgate, North Dakota; her sister, Amelia; her daughter, Elaine Baldwin Derby, Shidler, Oklahoma; her son, Brennan Briggs Davis, Savage, Montana and Moscow, Idaho; a brother, Stephen Brennan, who had been sent to California to recuperate from tuberculosis and died there; a brother, James P. Brennan, and his wife, Margaret, Savage, Montana; cousins Mary Jane Brennan, Merrickville, Ontario, Canada and Martha Scott, Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada; and various friends.

The letters relate to a variety of family activities and concerns and date primarily from the late 1890s to the late 1920s and early 1930s. They describe life in small town North Dakota, births and deaths, marriages, illnesses, particularly tuberculosis, schooling, social life, and general news of family and neighbors. Her daughter, Elaine, often wrote about life in the Oklahoma oil fields in the late 1920s. Her brother-in-law, Archie O'Connor, and brother, James P. Brennan, corresponded about Democratic politics in North Dakota and Montana respectively.

The correspondence in the Davis collection is arranged by the relationship of the correspondent to Florence Davis and also chronologically. The two letters written by Davis precede those written by close family members to Davis. These are followed by incoming letters from distant relatives and friends arranged chronologically. Correspondence between family members other than Davis concludes the letters.

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: Mrs. Patricia Brennan Taylor, Wichita, Kansas

Acquisition Method: Donation; 89-1673

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Florence H. Davis Papers. OGLMC 1197, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in February 2014.