Series 2: Morgan Brooks (MB) and Frona Marie Brooks (FMB)

Morgan Brooks (1861-1947) and Frona Marie (Buck) Brooks (1861-1947) are central figures in the Brooks Family collection. They descended from the Brooks, Butler, and Buck families from Massachusetts. Morgan and Frona had eight children, all of whom survived into adulthood: Henry M., Charles F., Frances, Frederick A., Roger, Edith, Frona Marguerite ("Margie"), and Dorothy.

Frona Marie Brooks was born 4/9/1861 in Tours, France. She graduated from Smith College in 1883 and also attended Radcliffe. Her grandfather, Charles Buck (1798-1863), married Sophronia Herrick (1803-1841) in 1839. The couple had two children, Charles W. Buck (CWB), a Boston lawyer, and Charlotte Frances Buck, b. 1828. In 1852, Charlotte married attorney Benjamin Franklin Brooks (BFB), and the couple had four children: Frona Marie, Charles, Esther (ECH), and Franklin Herrick Brooks. Extensive business papers of Benjamin Franklin Brooks and Franklin Herrick Brooks are included in Series 6 of the collection.

Morgan Brooks was born 3/12/1861 and graduated from Brown University and the Stevens Institute. Morgan's grandfather, Caleb Butler, married Clarissa Varnum, and they had a daughter, Frances Butler, in 1822. Frances married Francis Augustus Brooks (FAB), a corporate attorney and railroad president, in 1847. This couple had three children: Charles B., Frederick, and Morgan. Both Morgan and Frona corresponded frequently with their extended families.

Morgan and Frona met in 1885, became engaged in 1887, and sent each other almost daily-letters during Morgan's travels from 1887 until their marriage on 4/24/1888. They moved to Urbana, Illinois, shortly after their wedding, where Morgan became a nationally respected professor of electrical engineering at University of Illinois - Urbana and businessman. The collection includes their correspondence with their families, each other, and their children. Also included are Morgan's professional writings and voluminous correspondence with his father, Francis Augustus Brooks (1824-1902) in which they frequently discussed science and religion. Frona Marie ran their busy household with eight children, wrote, was an activist in women's leagues, and entertained a variety of guests. Frona was also a prolific writer who actively sought to publish her writings with only a small degree of success. The collection includes several of her short stories, plays, and poems, including drafts and correspondence with publishers. Her nickname to her grandchildren was "Dada."

One of the couple's friends was Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, a former classmate of Morgan at Brown University. Other notable guests were Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel Laureate for literature from India), Alfred Noyes (English poet), and Anoclito Bugayon (Filipino exchange student). The collection contains some correspondence, articles, and other materials from these individuals.

Morgan and Frona enjoyed a deeply devoted marriage, evident from the constant affectionate correspondence between one another when separated. This included Morgan's years of sabbatical leave when he taught at the University of Nebraska and several summers when Frona took some of their children to Lake Minnesota. Morgan died 4/23/1947, and Frona followed him on 8/31/1947.

Note: See also Series 1 for correspondence with Charles F. and Eleanor Stabler Brooks and Series 4 for correspondence with Esther Brooks.