Archive Record
Metadata
Collection |
Harriet Webster Marr Papers |
Object ID |
MARR |
Title |
Harriet Webster Marr Papers |
Creator |
Marr, Harriet Webster |
Object Name |
Archival materials |
Scope & Content |
This collection contains the papers of Harriet Webster Marr. Harriet Webster Marr was born April 18, 1881 in Biddeford, Maine. She was the daughter of Deacon William Wallace Marr and Nancy Ellen (Emory) Marr. A resident of Springfield for more than 40 years, she was a published author and taught in the public school system for 27 years. Miss Marr prepared for college at North Yarmouth Academy, Maine and taught at three New England academies: North Yarmouth, Maine, and Atkinson and Pembroke in New Hampshire. She graduated from Radcliff College in 1913, and after teaching history from 1913-19 at Keene (New Hampshire) High School, moved to Springfield. There she taught history and global geography at Classical High School until her retirement in 1946. In 1925 Miss Marr obtained her masters degree in history from Radcliffe. Miss Marr made several trips to Europe "for professional improvement." She kept scrupulous notes of her travels in journal form and drew maps and pictures of noteworthy subjects. When she returned, these notes were compiled and maps and models made for her classes. Numerous articles about New England life and history, and several children's Bible stories were written by Miss Marr. Many were published in Yankee, Antiques, Old Time New England, The Essex Institute Historical Collections, and Children's Pilgrim. A number of her poems appeared in Poet Lore and The Advance; she translated several poems of the Frenchman Theodore Botrel. In 1940 Miss Marr wrote Atkinson Academy: The Early Years. Following her retirement, she engaged in extensive research and in 1959 published Old New England Academies, which dealt with education in the early days of the republic. Her work includes personal observations and interests. She wrote a series of essays on important historic documents displayed on the Freedom Train in Springfield. A member of the First Congregational Church at Court Square, Miss Marr researched local church histories and their branch connections to First Church. She was a member of the executive board of the Connecticut Valley branch of the Foreign Policy Association, an adviser of the International~Relations Club, and a member of the College Club and the Radcliffe Club. Miss Marr died August 4, 1964, age 83. Series 01 -- Personal Material and Correspondence This series contains family histories, photographs and memorabilia related to Miss Marr's activities and travels. Documentation of her years at Radcliffe and personal recognitions are included. Travel journals, written in the form of letters, and travel itineraries are a substantial portion of the series. Also included are files of correspondence, both personal and business in nature. Some letters of family members date to 1853 and originate in California. Business letters pertain to research and publication requisitions. The material is arranged alphabetically by subject and the correspondence chronologically by year. Series 02 -- Writings The writing series includes numerous notes and manuscripts Miss Marr prepared for publication. It contains files on The Academies of New England, Aethelfoeda (a novel of Alfred the Great's daughter), Bible Stories for children, First Church of Springfield research, and miscellaneous writings and poems. The series also contains many published articles in periodical form. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject. |
Size |
7 document cases = 2.8 linear feet |
People |
Marr, Harriet Webster |
Related |
Classical High School (Springfield, Mass.) Correspondence Diaries Essays First Church of Christ (Springfield, Mass.) Poetry Radcliffe College (Cambridge, Mass.) Teachers Teachers--Massachusetts--Springfield |
Search Terms |
Classical High School (Springfield, Mass.) Correspondence Diaries Essays First Church of Christ (Springfield, Mass.) Poetry Radcliffe College (Cambridge, Mass.) Teachers Teachers--Massachusetts--Springfield |