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Historical Note
Scope and Content Note
Organization and
Arrangement
Restrictions
Index Terms
Related Material
Administrative Information
Series Description
Administrative records, 1875-1921
Diaries, 1868-1914
Originals,
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Collection
Summary
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| Title |
Office of the President, George Colby Chase records |
| Creator |
Bates College (Lewiston, Me.). Office of the President |
| Dates |
1868-1921 |
| Extent |
3 manuscript boxes |
| Collection ID |
CA02.04 |
| Abstract |
This collection, which is primarily correspondence, contains
both hand and typewritten letters written to and by George C.
Chase. The letters concern matters of both a business and personal
nature- the Andrew Carnegie subscriptions, the hazing of freshmen,
amending the College charter, the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching, efforts to obtain a chapter of Phi Beta
Kappa, Chase's desire to retire and the plans for his successor and
letters written by Chase to his son, George M. Chase. Also included
are many letters from people who supported the work of the College
as well as letters of introduction written on behalf of Chase to
help him in the solicitation of funds. Among the correspondents in
the collection are Robert Frost, Theodore Roosevelt, Booker T.
Washington, Edward Everett Hale, Sarah Orne Jewett, Laura Elizabeth
Howe Richards, William P. Frye, Percival Lowell, Wilfrid Laurier,
William Howard Taft, Nelson Dingley, Jr., John Davis Long, and
Benjamin E. Bates, the son of the college's namesake. There are
also eight volumes of George Chase's diaries (1868-1913), a few
newspaper clippings and several notes and memos from Harry W. Rowe
concerning his reminiscences of certain people and events mentioned
in the collection. |
| Repository |
Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library,
Bates College |
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Historical Note
George Colby Chase, the second president of Bates College, was
born March 15, 1844 in Unity, Maine to Freewill Baptist parents. In
1862, at the age of eighteen, he entered the Maine State Seminary
and, despite having his studies interrupted by periods of country
school teaching and helping his father on the farm, he graduated in
1864. In the fall of 1864, with the encouragement of his mother, he
enrolled in Bates College, graduating in 1868. Chase then spent the
next two years teaching Latin, Greek and Philosophy at the New
Hampton Literary Institute.
Although Chase thoroughly enjoyed teaching and had a strong
aptitude for it, his mother's hope had been that he would enter the
ministry. In 1870, in order to resolve the question of his life's
work, he returned to Lewiston and enrolled in the theological
school which had just become a department of the College after
having been previously located at New Hampton, N.H. Meanwhile the
College offered him a position teaching Greek and he spent the next
year teaching and pursuing his studies in theology. At the end of
that year, after he realized that the ministry was not his calling,
the College offered him a position teaching English. In order to
better prepare himself, he spent a year as a graduate student at
Harvard, returning in 1872 to join the Bates faculty as Professor
of Rhetoric and English Literature.
George Chase taught for 22 years and during that time his
administrative skills were also being developed. President Cheney
was often gone for long periods of time soliciting funds for the
College, and Professor Chase served as Acting President during
these absences. When the College found itself in a tight financial
situation, Professor Chase offered to do what he could to raise
money. He was so successful that President Cheney and the Trustees
came to depend on him and eventually the solicitation of funds was
added to his responsibilities. In 1894, upon President Cheney's
resignation, George C. Chase became the second President of Bates
College. During Chase's 25 years as president, the College grew in
many areas-the endowment, the number of buildings and the number of
faculty and students. However, what he strove to see realized were
the ideals that he felt Bates stood for: scholarship, democracy, a
spirit of service and most of all, Christian character.
President Chase received several honorary degrees: a Doctor of
Divinity from Colby College and Doctors of Laws from Bowdoin
College, the University of Colorado and the University of New
Brunswick. He was a member of the Lewiston School Board from
1874-1890 and served two years as its president.
In 1872 George Chase married Emma F. Millett, a former member of
the College's first graduating class. They had five children:
George, Emma, Muriel, Elizabeth and Caroline. President George C.
Chase died at his home in Lewiston, Maine on May 27, 1919 at the
age of 75.
Return to the Table of Contents
Scope and Content
Note
These records contain material pertaining to the presidency of
George C. Chase at Bates College, although some material pre- and
post-dates his tenure. Much of the material is correspondence to a
variety of educators, politicians, Bates alumni, and others, mostly
relating to the academic and financial issues at Bates. Some
correspondence folders contain letters about the name on the
folder, not necessarily material to or from that person. Of
particular note is the Carnegie Foundation correspondence folders,
which contain much information on a significant fundraising event
in Bates College history. The "General Education Board" folder also
contains much corrrespondence about early fundraising efforts. A
few of the folders contain notes added by Harry Rowe in the 1950s,
probably during his various gatherings of historical material as
the unofficial college archivist and historian. These notes often
add interesting insight to the material contained within the
folders. See also the scope and content notes for each individual
series.
Return to the Table of Contents
Organization and
Arrangement
The records are arranged into three series: Administrative
records, Diaries, and Originals. The Administrative series is
arranged alphabetically by folder title; the Diaries are arranged
chronologically. The Originals are also arranged alphabetically by
folder.
Return to the Table of Contents
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The records in Series 3, Originals, are
closed to patrons, owing to the records condition. Patron-use
photocopies of all Series 3 material exist in the first two
series.
Use Restrictions
The collection is the physical property
of Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library. Bates
College holds literary rights only for material created by College
personnel working on official behalf of the College, or for
material which was given to the College with such rights
specifically assigned. For all other material, literary rights,
including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and
assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permission from
rights holders for publication or other purposes that exceed fair
use.
Return to the Table of Contents
Related
Material
CA 02.01, Office of the President, General records, Edmund S.
Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College,
http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/EADFindingAids/CA0201.html
CA 02.02, Office of the President, Assistant to the President
records, Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library,
Bates College,
http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/EADFindingAids/CA0202.html
CA 02.03, Office of the President, Oren Burbank Cheney records,
Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates
College,
http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/EADfindingaids/CA0203.html
CA 02.05, Office of the President, Clifton Daggett Gray records,
Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates
College,
http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/EADfindingaids/CA0205.html
MC-071, Harry W. Rowe Collection, Edmund S. Muskie Archives and
Special Collections Library, Bates College,
http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/EADFindingAids/MC071.html
MC-073, Fred Pomeroy correspondence, Edmund S. Muskie Archives
and Special Collections Library, Bates College,
http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/EADFindingAids/MC073.html
Return to the Table of Contents
Index Terms
These records are indexed under the following headings in the
Bates College Library catalog. Researchers wishing to find related
materials should search the catalog under these index terms.
Personal Names:
Bates, Benjamin E., 1862-1902
Carnegie, Andrew
Chase, George Colby
Dingley, Nelson, 1832-1899
Frost, Robert, 1874-1963
Frye, William P. (William Pierce),
1831-1911
Hale, Edward Everett
Long, John Davis, 1838-1915
Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe,
1850-1943
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Taft, William Howard
Washington, Booker T.,
1856-1915
Corporate Names:
Bates College (Lewiston, Me.) --
Faculty
Bates College (Lewiston, Me.) --
History
Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching
Phi Beta Kappa
Return to the Table of Contents
Administrative
Information
Acquisition and Custody Information
Accession No.: xx-002, xx-008.
Preferred Citation
Office of the President, George Colby
Chase records, Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections
Library, Bates College.
Return to the Table of Contents
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CA02.04/01:
Administrative records, 1875-1921
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Scope and Content Note |
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The Administrative series consists primarily of
correspondence to and from Chase, concerning a variety of
administrative, academic, and financial issues. The series also
contains several other files, including a typescript on Addison
Small believed to have been written by President Chase. (Small
graduated from Bates in 1869 and served the College as an Overseer
from 1886-1900 and as Treasurer from 1886-1893.) There is also a
letter written by Chase as a protest to the board of the St.
Joseph's Parochial School, and signed by several others members of
the board. |
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The correspondence files are arranged
alphabetically by correspondent or subject. Some of the subjects
concern campus matters such as the closing of the Cobb Divinity
School, hazing of Bates College freshmen, efforts to obtain a
chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, appointment of Rhodes Scholars, and
plans for Chase's retirement and successor. The "Carnegie
Foundation" and "Carnegie Foundation Gifts" folders consist of
correspondence concerning the two conditional gifts, of $50,000
each, given to the College by Andrew Carnegie. The correspondence
is primarily between President Chase, Andrew Carnegie, and James
Bertram, Carnegie's personal secretary. Also included are letters
of solicitation, written by President Chase, to raise the needed
funds to meet the conditions of the gifts. These gifts and funds
were added to the College's endowment and used for the erection of
the Carnegie Science building. |
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The majority of personal correspondence concerns
Chase's efforts at fundraising for Bates. Many of the letters are
written to or by Chase, but a substantial portion are letters of
introduction written on Chase's behalf to help him in the
solicitation of funds. Most of the correspondents are business,
financial, legal, and religious professionals in Boston, New York
City, and across New England. Finally, a few letters are written to
those whom Chase hoped to have come speak at Bates, including
Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill,
Percival Lowell, William Howard Taft, Wilfrid Laurier, Robert
Frost, and Owen Wister. |
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Finally, the correspondence with Nellie Hutchinson
Cushing concerns coeducation at Bates, and contains Chase's
recollections of some of the first women to attend Bates, and the
attitudes of those in the College community both for and against
coeducation. |
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Organization and Arrangement |
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box |
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1 |
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"An Appeal for Bates College",
undated
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1 |
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Boston Meeting on behalf of Bates
College, 1903
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Alfred Williams
Anthony, 1908
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1 |
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Correspondence -- A, 1885-1910
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Charles M. Bailey,
undated
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Benjamin E. Bates,
1893-1905
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Lillian G. Bates,
ca. 1906
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Clarence A.
Bickford, 1884-1906
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Albert E. Blanchard,
1889-1897
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Phillips Brooks,
1886-1890
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1 |
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Correspondence -- B, 1892-1913
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Carnegie Foundation,
1904-1907
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Carnegie Foundation
Gifts, 1904-1914
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Earl L. Castner,
1916
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Chase Hall Donors,
1916-1920
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1 |
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Correspondence -- George M. Chase,
1886
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Person C. Cheney,
1896
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Winston Churchill
(American author), 1908
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Oliver B. Clason,
1889
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Cobb Divinity
School, 1908
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Nellie Hutchinson
Cushing, 1909
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1 |
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Correspondence -- C, 1882-1914
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1 |
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Correspondence -- D, 1882-1902
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1 |
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Correspondence -- E, 1916
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1 |
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Correspondence -- D.M. Fisk,
1884
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Robert Frost,
1915-1916
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1 |
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Correspondence -- William P. Frye,
1875-1908
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1 |
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Correspondence -- F, 1887-1919
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1 |
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Correspondence -- General Education
Board, 1905-1912
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1 |
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Correspondence -- G, 1883-1916
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Edward Everett Hale,
1882-1908
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Hazing,
1900-1920
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1 |
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Correspondence -- James A. Howe,
1908
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1 |
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Correspondence -- William De Witt
Hyde, 1897-1900
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1 |
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Correspondence -- H, 1882-1910
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1 |
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Correspondence -- Sarah Orne Jewett,
1882-1910
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box |
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2 |
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Correspondence -- J, 1917
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2 |
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Correspondence -- K, undated
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Wilfrid Laurier,
1912
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Percival Lowell,
1902
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2 |
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Correspondence -- L, 1882-1914
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Maine State Seminary
students, 1896-1914
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2 |
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Correspondence -- M, 1881-1916
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2 |
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Correspondence -- N, 1901, 1913
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Phi Beta Kappa,
1912-1917, undated
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2 |
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Correspondence -- P, 1882-1912
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Retirement,
1915-1919
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Rhodes Scholars,
1906-1910
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Herbert C. Roberts,
1915-1917, undated
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Theodore Roosevelt,
1918
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2 |
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Correspondence -- R, 1883-1914,
undated
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box |
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1 |
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Correspondence -- John S. Sewall,
1883
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1 |
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Correspondence -- George E. Smith
(Libbey Forum), 1906
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box |
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2 |
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Correspondence -- S, 1901-1919
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2 |
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Correspondence -- William Howard Taft,
1908
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2 |
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Correspondence -- T, 1882-1892
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Booker T.
Washington, 1908
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2 |
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Correspondence -- Owen Wister,
1908
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2 |
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Correspondence -- W, 1895-1906
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2 |
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Correspondence -- unknown, 1884,
1919
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2 |
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St. Joseph's Parochial School,
undated
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2 |
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Addison Small, undated
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CA02.04/02:
Diaries, 1868-1914
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Scope and Content Note |
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This series consists of eight diaries; most do not
have daily entries or cover complete years. The entries contain
accounts of Chase's daily activities including his travels and the
various people with whom he had contact. Also included are notes
and memos to himself, his personal reflections on family and
college matters, and notes from sermons he heard. Several of the
volumes contain financial information such as Chase's personal
expenses, and accounts with various family members and others who
boarded with the Chases. Also included are College expenses and an
accounting of the money raised by Chase for the College, as well as
names and amounts given by various donors. |
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The files in this series are all photocopies of
Chase's diaries. The originals can be found in Series 3, but are
not available to patron research due to their condition. |
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Organization and Arrangement |
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box |
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2 |
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Diary, 1868-1871
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2 |
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Diary, 1882-1900
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2 |
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Diary, January 1904
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2 |
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Diary, 1904-1907
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2 |
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Diary, 1901, 1913-1914
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CA02.04/03:
Originals
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Scope and Content Note |
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Box 3 in the George C. Chase records contains the
original copies of many items of correspondence, most of which are
in fragile condition. In addition, Chase's diaries, copies of which
can be found in Series 2, are kept here. These records are not
available for research, unless exigent circumstances exist. |
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Organization and Arrangement |
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box |
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3 |
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Original letters and diaries
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