George and Ellen Frost collection of Robert Frost materials, 1919/1962

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
170 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Special Collections Public Services & Reference Staff
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection has been minimally processed and is open for research.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16956, George and Ellen Frost collection of Robert Frost materials, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Summary

Extent:
0.2 Cubic Feet One letter-sized half-width document box
Creator:
Frost, Robert, 1874-1963
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16956, George and Ellen Frost collection of Robert Frost materials, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains letters, Christmas cards, a magazine, a family genealogy, a book, and other ephemera relating to Robert Frost, compiled by his cousin, George Frost, and his wife, Ellen. The content spans the period from 1919 to 1962. There are four manuscript letters sent by Robert Frost to either Ellen or George: Robert to Ellen, 1919; Robert to George, 1938; Robert to Ellen, 1951; Robert to "Mrs. Frost," 1939. The envelope for a 1938 letter to George Frost from Robert is included, but contains no letter. Also present is a 1939 letter to Ellen Frost from Kathleen J. Morrison, who was charged with "taking care of Robert's letters for him [that] winter" and an undated and unmarked postcard of the Frost family farmhouse in New Hampshire. In addition to the correspondence, there is a Dartmouth College Alumni Magazine dated March 1959 featuring Robert Frost on its cover, sixteen printed Christmas greeting poems by Frost, dating from 1934 to 1962, a funeral notice for Elinor Frost, letters from publishers inviting George and Ellen to readings of Frost's poetry, a handwritten Frost family genealogy, and a signed copy of "New Hampshire," a 1955 poem by Frost.

Biographical / historical:

Robert Frost (1874–1963) was an American poet whose work drew from rural New England life, blending colloquial speech with philosophical reflection. Robert Lee Frost was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874, later relocating to Massachusetts after his father's death. He published his first poem, "My Butterfly," in 1894 and gradually established himself as a major literary figure through early collections such as A Boy's Will (1913) and North of Boston (1914). Known for poems including "Mending Wall," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "The Road Not Taken," Frost became one of the most celebrated poets of the twentieth century, earning four Pulitzer Prizes and serving as U.S. Poet Laureate. Frost died in Boston on January 29, 1963.

References

"Robert Frost." Poetry Foundation. Accessed April 27, 2026.

"Robert Frost." Academy of American Poets. Accessed April 27, 2026.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased from John Waite Rare Books by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on 19 September 2025.
Physical description:
Good
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Poets
poetry
Correspondence