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Helen Taft Manning papers

 Collection
Identifier: BMC-4BD4

Scope and Contents

The Helen Taft Manning papers house the records of Helen Taft Manning, president of Bryn Mawr College and daughter of President William Howard Taft. This collection, which dates from 1861 to 1992, with bulk dates of 1915 to 1974, consists of correspondence, writings, clippings, and personal objects from the Manning family. These records in particular illuminate remarkable details about the personal life of Helen Taft Manning, especially in regards to her relationship with Frederick J. Manning, as well as with her family members and colleagues. While small, this collection captures the essence of Helen Taft Manning’s life, influence, and achievements, and provides insight into the development of Manning’s remarkable career and contributions to the Philadelphia region.

This collection is arranged into three series: “I. Personal, 1886-1992,” “II. Professional, 1920-1980,” and “III. Frederick J. Manning papers, 1861-1965.”

Series “I. Personal” dates from 1886 to 1992, with bulk dates of 1915 to 1976. The records in this series are mostly comprised of correspondence between Helen Taft Manning and her family members. There are also clippings, oral history transcripts, and writings relating to the Taft family’s history and accomplishments. Correspondence is primarily between Helen Taft Manning and her husband, Frederick J. Manning, including topics ranging from their courtship and subsequent engagement to their careers, living arrangements, and children. Some correspondence between Helen and Frederick can also be found in Series “III. Frederick J. Manning papers.” Other correspondents in this series include Helen’s parents, William H. Taft and Helen Herron Taft, her brothers Robert and Charles Taft, her daughters Helen Manning Hunter and Caroline Manning Cunningham, and other family members.

Records regarding the history of the Taft family include clippings, often regarding events or publicity, such as the Taft Manning wedding and Charles Taft’s death. Also included are writings and dictations by Helen Taft Manning regarding her life and potential biography, an excellent resource for researchers interested in Helen’s personal take on her accomplishments and family. Other personal records to be found here are certificates, tax documents, and deeds. This series provides rich insight into the personal life of Helen Taft Manning, her upbringing, education, career, and family, especially within the correspondence. This series is arranged chronologically within three distinct sections: correspondence, history, and a run of assorted records at the end of the series.

Series “II. Professional” dates from 1920 to 1980, with bulk dates of 1930 to 1974. This series is comprised of correspondence relating to Helen Taft Manning’s positions at Bryn Mawr College, as well as the research and writings she completed over the course of her career. There is also some assorted material relating to her career at the end of the series, including Class of 1915 Bequest Committee letters, writings regarding M. Carey Thomas, and book reviews by Helen Taft Manning. This series particularly captures the influence Helen Taft Manning on her colleagues and students, as well as to provide insight into many of the professional relationships she developed in her role at Bryn Mawr. This series is arranged chronologically, starting with a run of correspondence, followed by assorted professional records.

Series “III. Frederick J. Manning papers” dates from 1861 to 1965, with bulk dates of 1917 to 1965. This series contains materials created by or sent to Frederick J. Manning, husband of Helen Taft Manning. Most of the records are personal correspondence, especially representing lively exchanges between Frederick and his close friend H. Phelps Putnam. Other correspondents include Charles R. Walker, Jr. and Manning family members. There is also some assorted material, including sketches by Manning, photographs, a Baptism certificate, and objects from Manning’s childhood. This series is arranged chronologically, with a run of correspondence preceding some assorted materials.

This collection provides deep and rich insight into Helen Taft Manning’s life, career, thoughts, and choices, often in her own words, through the plentiful personal and professional correspondence between Helen and those who were close to her. The information about her education and subsequent career, which began quite early and progressed exponentially, is an important addition to women’s history in particular, revealing the challenges faced by a connected, well-educated woman who also wanted to fulfill societal expectations to marry and maintain a family. This collection is unique in the extensive personal thoughts recorded in Helen’s letters to Frederick, to her parents, and to her friends and colleagues. It also provides contextual details for the development of Bryn Mawr College, William Howard Taft’s presidency, and Helen Herron Taft’s role in Washington, D.C. as First Lady.

Dates

  • Creation: 1861 - 1992
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1915 - 1974

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Archives with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.

Biographical / Historical

Helen Herron Taft Manning (1891-1987) was the daughter of President of the United States William Howard Taft and his wife Helen Herron. Manning graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1915, was named dean in 1917, and rose to acting president in 1919. She left to earn her doctorate at Yale, reclaiming the deanship in 1925. In 1920, she married Frederick Johnson Manning, a history professor who taught at Swarthmore College.

Extent

5 linear ft. (12 document boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Helen Herron Taft Manning (1891-1987) was the daughter of President of the United States William Howard Taft and his wife Helen Herron. Taft graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1915, was named dean in 1917, and rose to acting president in 1919. The Helen Taft Manning papers house the records of Helen Taft Manning. This collection, which dates from 1861 to 1992, with bulk dates of 1915 to 1974, consists of correspondence, writings, clippings, and personal objects from the Manning family.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Helen Manning Hunter; 1985,1995.

Related Materials

Library of Congress: Papers of Helen Taft Manning and Papers of William H. Taft.

Processing Information

The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

This collection was minimally processed in 2013-2014, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder.

Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article "More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections," the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages in 16 Philadelphia area repositories. A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 4 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections or complete any preservation work.

Subject

Title
Helen Taft Manning papers
Status
Completed
Author
Annalise Berdini, Christiana Dobrzynski Grippe, and Megan Evans
Date
2014 September 26
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

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 repoductions from Bryn Mawr College Library

Contact:
Bryn Mawr College Library
101 N. Merion Avenue
Bryn Mawr 19010 USA US
610-526-6576