Skip to main content

John Russell Hayes Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG5-180

Scope and Contents

The collection contains letters received by Hayes, 1887-1936, diaries covering the period 1880-1935, and miscellaneous papers including an album of collected manuscript samples of contemporary poets. The diaries include poetry and local notes and photographs and cover personal and Swarthmore College activities and concerns..

Dates

  • 1880-1936

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

Collection is open for research

Copyright and Rights Information

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

John Russell Hayes (1866-1945) was a Quaker educator, poet, and Librarian of Swarthmore College, 1906-1927, and Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, 1927-1935. He was born in 1866, the son of William M. and Rachel (Russell) Hayes, and was descended from a long-time Chester County, Pa., Quaker family. He spent much of his childhood on the Hayes family farm on the Brandywine River. He married Emma Gawthrop of Wilmington, Delaware, in 1892. Both were graduates of Swarthmore College, Class of 1888.

J. Russell Hayes graduated from the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, but he only practiced law for a year before returning to Swarthmore College to teach literature and composition. He also attended Harvard, Oxford, the University of Strassburg, Germany.

In 1906 he became College Librarian, a position he held until 1927. From 1927 to 1935, he served as Librarian of Friends Historical Library, and after his retirement, he was made Librarian Emeritus. Hayes supported the war effort in 1918, a position that was controversial among Quakers. J. Russell Hayes and his wife were both members of Swarthmore Monthly Meeting. They had three daughter, Esther, Katharine, and Eleanor, all of whom were also Swarthmore College graduates. Emma Hayes died in 1939, and J. Russell Hayes died Dec. 29, 1945. He was the author of a number of books, primarily of verse. Most of his poetry reflected the local landscape and his Quaker roots.

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

John Russell Hayes (1866-1945) was a Quaker educator, poet, and Librarian of Swarthmore College, 1906-1927 and Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, 1927-1935. The collection contains letters received by Hayes, 1887-1936, diaries covering the period 1880-1935, and miscellaneous papers including an album of collected manuscript samples of contemporary poets. The diaries include poetry and cover personal and Swarthmore College activities and concerns.

Arrangement

The colleciton is divided into four series:

  1. Correspondence
  2. Diaries
  3. Albums
  4. Writings

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donor: J. Russell Hayes and family, before 1949

Donor: Jay Monaghan, 1974, 1975

Letters were found in FHL in 1949 and catalogued. Diaries were deposited by the family. Some writings and a letter from J. Russell Hayes were deposited by Jay Monaghan in 1974-75.

Related Materials

See book catalogue for published materials.

Processing Information

Letters catalogued and added to manuscript collection in 1949. In 1961, the diaries were added. Writings and a letter from J.R. Hayes deposited by Jay Monaghan were added to the collection in 1974-75 and transferred from Small Collection to Record Group 5 in 1988. Letters from Hayes' father, William M. Hayes, 1905 transferred from PG7 to Series 1, Correspondence. Correspondence relating to Hayes' tenure as Librarian were transferred to RG 4/027, Friends Historical Library Records, in July 2001.

Title
John Russell Hayes Papers, 1880-1936
Author
SKM
Date
2001
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

Contact:
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA