Broomell-Cleghorn-Fisher Papers
Scope and Contents
This collection contains material collected by Anna Pettit Broomell and primarily consists of the writings and correspondence of Anna Pettit Broomell, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and Sarah Cleghorn. It includes letters from Wallace and Zephine Fahnestock, A.J. Muste, Norman Thomas, David Baumgardt, the Broomell family, and the Friends Council on Education. The letters between the three women are mostly personal, but include discussions of their works and activism. The collection has several drafts of manuscripts and poems. There are also journal entries from Sarah Cleghorn and material collected for Sarah Cleghorn’s memorials and oral history project. There is published material from and about Dorothy Canfield Fisher and Sarah Cleghorn, and a draft of a book about Dorothy Canfield Fisher and written by Anna Broomell.
Dates
- Creation: 1876-1967
Creator
- Broomell, Anna Pettit (Person)
- Cleghorn, Sarah Norcliffe, 1876-1959 (Contributor, Person)
- Yarnall, Elizabeth Biddle, 1897-1975 (Contributor, Person)
- Muste, Abraham John, 1885-1967 (Contributor, Person)
- Cleghorn, Sarah Norcliffe, 1876-1959 (Contributor, Person)
- Baumgardt, David, 1890-1963 (Contributor, Person)
- Broomell, Anna Pettit (Contributor, Person)
- Fisher, Dorothy Canfield, 1879-1958 (Contributor, Person)
- Fahnestock, Zephine (Contributor, Person)
- Thomas, Norman, 1884-1968 (Contributor, Person)
Language of Materials
All materials in English
Conditions Governing Access
Permission from the Director or Curator of Friends Historical Library must be obtained before researchers may consult the manuscript, War Journal of a Pacifist.. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce items in this collection beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0/.
Biographical / Historical
Dorothy Canfield Fisher was a famous American author in the early 20th century and a major proponent of the Montessori Method. She spent her adult life in Vermont, where she became friends with Sarah Cleghorn. Sarah Cleghorn was a Quaker author and activist from Vermont who did collaborative work with Fisher. In 1943, Cleghorn moved to Philadelphia. Anna Pettit Broomell took care of her as her health declined and edited Cleghorn's poetry in 1956. Broomell was a Quaker author of children’s books; the introduction to her most successful volume was written by Dorothy Canfield Fisher in 1935.
Dorothy Canfield Fisher was born on February 17, 1879, in Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs. Fisher received her BA from The Ohio State University in 1899 and her doctoral degree in Romance Languages in 1904 from Columbia University. She also received honorary degrees from Dartmouth College, the University of Nebraska, Middlebury, Swarthmore, Smith, Williams, Ohio State University, and the University of Vermont. She married John Redwood Fisher in 1907, with whom she had two children. Her son James was a captain and surgeon during World War II and died during a raid in the Philippines in 1944. There is material about her son and his death in this collection. Mrs. Fisher died in 1958 in Arlington, Vermont at the age of 79.
Sarah Cleghorn was born on February 4, 1876, in Norfolk, Virginia. She lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota before moving to Vermont at the age of 9. In 1895, she graduated from Burr and Burton Seminary in Manchester, Vermont and also studied at Radcliffe College. She began her teaching career and activism in 1915 and was an activist for many causes throughout her life. She moved to Philadelphia in 1943 and died in 1959.
Anna Pettit Broomell was born on December 3, 1887, and graduated from Swarthmore College in 1907. She earned a M.A. from Columbia University and married George Lupton Broomell, Swarthmore Class of 1906, with whom she had two children. She lived in Philadelphia her whole life and died in 1972.
Extent
2 linear ft. (4 boxes)
Abstract
This collection contains material collected by Anna Pettit Broomell and primarily consists of the writings and correspondence of Broomell, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and Sarah Cleghorn.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into three series:
- Ser. 1. Correspondence
- Ser.2. Writings
- Ser.3. Miscellaneous
Physical Location
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donor: Gift of Sarah N. Cleghorn through Sarah Fisher Scott and Anna Pettit Broomell, 1958.
Donor: Gift of Anna Pettit Broomell, 1967.
Donor: Gift of Hannah Broomell Wilson, 2010 [Accession 2010.004]
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This Collection was orignally catalogued at FHL as the Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn Papers (RG5/027). Since all three donations came through Hannah Petitt Broomell, the papers have been combined and recatalogued under the call number RG5/276 to reflect their common provenance.
Separated Materials
This donation also included a dressing gown which was worn by Hannah Bacon Thompson at Swarthmore College in the 1880s; it has been catalgoued and stored separately.
Subject
- Cleghorn, Sarah Norcliffe, 1876-1959 (Person)
- Fisher, Dorothy Canfield, 1879-1958 (Person)
- Fisher, Dorothy Canfield, 1879-1958 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Fisher, Dorothy Canfield, 1879-1958 -- Criticism and interpretation (Person)
- Fisher, Dorothy Canfield, 1879-1958 -- Political and social views (Person)
- Broomell, Anna Pettit (Person)
- Broomell, Anna Pettit -- Friends and associates (Person)
- Fisher, Dorothy Canfield, 1879-1958 -- Friends and associates (Person)
- Cleghorn, Sarah Norcliffe, 1876-1959 -- Friends and associates (Person)
Geographic
Topical
- American Literature -- New England
- American Poetry -- Women authors
- American fiction
- American fiction -- Women authors
- American Poetry
- American Poetry -- 20th century
- Authors, American -- 20th century -- Correspondence
- Children's literature
- Literature -- Women authors
- Manuscripts, American
- Montessori method of education
- Novelists, American -- 20th century -- Biography
- Poetry -- 20th century
- Poetry -- Authorship
- Poetry -- Political aspects -- United States
- Poetry -- Social aspects -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Poetry -- Women authors
- Poetry -- Women authors -- History and criticism
- Poets -- 20th century
- Poets -- 20th century -- Political and social views
- Poets, American -- 20th century -- Correspondence
- Poets, American -- 20th century -- Diaries
- Poets, American -- 20th century -- Fiction
- Poets, American -- 20th century -- Political and social views
- Poets, American -- Family relationships
- Poets, American -- Fiction
- Quaker women -- History -- 20th century
- Quaker women -- New England -- Correspondence
- Quaker women -- New England -- Diaries
- Quaker women -- United States -- Diaries
- Quaker women -- United States -- History
- Quakers -- Pennsylvania
- Quakers -- Poetry
- Quakers -- United States -- History -- Sources
- Society of Friends -- Juvenile fiction
- Society of Friends – Fiction
- Women -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Women and Peace -- United States -- History -- Sources
- Women authors, American -- 20th century -- Juvenile literature
- Women authors, American -- Biography
- Women authors, American -- Family relationships
- Women authors, American -- Fiction
- Women authors, American -- Political and social views
- Women authors, American -- Correspondence
- Women authors, American -- Diaries
- Women poets -- 20th century -- Biography
- Women poets, American -- 20th century
- Women poets, American -- Biography
- Women poets, American -- Correspondence
- Women poets, American -- Family relationships
- Title
- An Inventory of the Broomell-Cleghorn-Fisher Papers, 1876-1967
- Author
- FHL staff
- Date
- 2011
- 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
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