Search

The bulk of these papers deal with Miss Jarvis' work as the founder of Mother's Day, her attempts to persuade state governors to issue proclamations to establish the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day, and her later protests against the commercialization of the holiday, as well as the efforts of other organizations to promote Mother's Day.

Correspondence, speeches, business and legal papers, newspaper clippings, and photographs of the founder of Mother's Day. The collection includes papers of Anna's father, Grandville E. Jarvis; the notes and typescript drafts of "Recollections of Ann M. Jarvis, 1833-1905," by Anna Jarvis; and the papers of the Fairmont songwriter, William Lynett. Subjects include Jarvis' efforts to institute Mother's Day on a state basis, and her later protest against the commercialization of the day of remembrance; Jarvis coal and farm lands in Taylor County; real estate holdings in Philadelphia; Quaker City Cab Company; and her activities in the library department of a Philadelphia insurance company. Correspondents include Mrs. W.R. Hearst, Spessard L. Holland, John T. McGraw, John W. Mason, Matthew M. Neely, and Jennings Randolph.

The papers received from Mr. Brinkman in 1938 include manuscripts, typescripts, and printed items, and general merchandise account books. The manuscript items are mainly letters, receipts, account statements, and certificates concerning the general merchandise business of George Brinkman in Grafton, Grafton Gas Works, Charles Brinkman's History of Grafton, history of the first memorial service and the location of the National Cemetery in Grafton (Box 13), and stock in the Grafton & Greenbrier Railroad Company.

This collection includes court case papers and exhibits from Taylor & Harrison Counties; deeds; title abstracts; one land grant; a coal lease for mining & stripping; one letter; and a genealogy chart for the Morgan family.

Scrapbooks maintained by Charles Carpenter, Grafton, between 1939-1963. Subjects include descriptions of libraries, book and manuscript collections, museums, rare and unusual books, magazines, book reviews, newspapers, and advertisements for books. There are items as early as 1838, 1875, 1898, 1905, 1917, but the mass of the collection is in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Recurrent topics include book auctions, book burnings, the dime novel, the Freedom Train, the Gutenberg Bible, Hyde Park Library, Incunabula, the Library of Congress, "London Times Notes on Sales," The Morgan Library, New York Times magazine and book review, New York Times columnists (Philip Brooks, Edward Larocque Tinker, and Herbert W. Horwill), and stamps. There are also letters concerning books from Charles Carpenter's son. For more detailed description, see inventory sheet.

Correspondence of Johnson and allied families concerning local church matters and family news, a majority which concerns the descendants of Joseph and William Johnson, the most prominent members of the family. Joseph was the first governor of Virginia from the western part of the state. His brother, William, was the first postmaster at Bridgeport. Noteworthy is a letter to William Johnson dated November 29, 1864, from Mason Hesser a Confederate prisoner at Elmira, New York, during the Civil War. There are genealogical data and articles on the Johnsons, dating from 1801 when they first settled in Bridgeport. In addition, there are programs concerning the Johnson Day Luncheon and Bridgeport Cemetery Dedication sponsored by the City of Bridgeport.