PUBLIC "-//Virginia Commonwealth University::James Branch Cabell Library::Special Collections and Archives//TEXT (US::ViRCU::vircu00093::Mary Sinton Leitch Papers)//EN" "vircu00093.xml" A Guide to the Mary Sinton Leitch Papers 1929-1954 Mary Sinton Leitch Papers M 52 Mary West Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Virginia Commonwealth University, James Branch Cabell Library © 2002 By Copyright Virginia Commonwealth University. All Rights Reserved.

Conditions of Use

[ca. ## Kilobytes]

 Machine-readable finding aid derived from word processing program MS Word 6.0 and encoding by Scott Kay August 2002 Description is in English Feb 16, 2004 PUBLIC "-//Virginia Commonwealth University::James Branch Cabell Library::Special Collections and Archives//TEXT (US::ViRCU::vircu00093::Mary Sinton Leitch Papers)//EN" "vircu00093.xml" converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Feb 25, 2004 converted to conform to eadVIVA.dtd by vivastrict.xsl 2013-11-21 Converted to schema conforming EAD by dtd2schema.vh.xsl. A Guide to the Mary Sinton Leitch Papers 1929-1954 A Collection in Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library M 52

James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University 2002 Mary West Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University Descriptive Summary Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University Mary Sinton Leitch Papers 1929-1954 M 52 3.33 linear feet English Mary Sinton Leitch Administrative Information Access

Collection is open for use without restrictions.

 Use Restrictions

none

 Preferred Citation

Box/folder, Mary Sinton Leitch Papers, M 52, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University

 Acquisition Information

Barbara Murphy, a granddaughter of Mrs. Leitch, gave the papers to Randolph-Macon Women's College, where they were in the custody of Roberta Cornelius, a faculty member. Ms. Cornelius retired in 1968 and sent the collection to Mrs. Emma Gray Trigg. Mrs. Trigg gave the Leitch papers to the Department in November 1968, along with the papers of Marietta Minnegerode Andrews (M189).

 Processing Information

Collection processed in March 1984 and revised in June 1990.

 Biographical/Historical Information

Mary Sinton (Lewis) Leitch was born 8 September 1876 in New York City, the daughter of Carlton Thomas and Nancy Dunlap (McKeen) Lewis. She received her early education in private prepatory schools and then attended Smith College, Columbia University and schools in France and Germany.

In New York, she served as an inspector of women's prisons and later became a contributing editor to Harper's Monthly, the New York Herald, and the New York Evening Post. On leaving these positions, she began a world tour on sailing ships and tramp steamers in order to gain insight into native languages and customs.

She married John David Leitch on 17 October 1907 and settled in Lynnhaven, Virginia. She became one of the founding members of the Poetry Society of Virginia, served as its president in 1933 and its co- President in 1944-1945. In 1932, Mrs. Leitch edited the highly praised Lyric Virginia Today (vol. 1). She spent the remainder of her life at "Wycherly" in Lynnhaven, Virginia. Mrs. Leitch died 20 August 1954.

Leitch's works include The Wagon and the Star (1922), The Unrisen Morrow (1926), The Black Moon (1929), Spider Architect (1937), From Invisible Mountains (1943), Himself and I (1950), and Nightingales on the Moon (1952).

 Scope and Content Information

The Papers of Mary Sinton Leitch consist of various materials of and by this Virginia author. Conatined in the collection are a large number of manuscript poems and short stories by Leitch, her correspondence with other authors (including Carl Sandberg and T.S. Eliot) and a good deal of miscellaneous material. The collection spans the years 1930 through 1968.

 Arrangement Arrangement

Collection is arranged by series and chronological therein.

 Organization

Series I--Short Stories (n.d., 1929, 1941, 1947) Series II--Poems (n.d., 1944) Series III--Correspondence (n.d., Mary Sinton Leitch Papers 1937-1954) Series IV--Miscellaneous and Clippings (n.d., 1939-1954) Series V--Publications, Workbooks and Notebooks (n.d., 1936-1954)

 Contents List Series I-Short Stories, n.d. 1929, 1941, 1947 At the Sign of the Merry Oyster, n.d. 1.1-1.4 The Black Moon, n.d. 1.5-1.6 The Black Moonprogram 1929 1.7 The Clock Strikes Ten, n.d. 1.8 Deuteronomy Brown, n.d. 1.9-1.10 The Forefinger, n.d. 1.11 The Hero's Return, n.d. 1.12 I Was a Famous Baby 1941 1.13 Rizette Woodworth Reese, n.d. 1.14 The Perfect Crime 1.15 Pungo Sevens, n.d. 1.16-1.18 Two Mile Tree, n.d. 1.19-1.20 The Uninvited Guest, n.d. 1.21-1.22 The Unwilling Conspirator, n.d. 1.23-1.24 The Will of Peter the Great 1947 1.25 Series II-Poems, n.d. 1944 A- Anywhere, n.d. 2.1 A, n.d. 2.2 B-C, n.d. 1944 2.3 D-E, n.d. 2.4 F-G, n.d. 2.5 H, n.d. 2.6 I, n.d. 2.7 L-M, n.d. 2.8 N-O, n.d. 2.9 P, n.d. 2.10 R, n.d. 2.11 R, n.d. 2.11 S- Silas, n.d. 2.12 S, n.d. 2.13 T- To A Seagull, n.d. 2.14 T, n.d. 2.15 U-V, n.d. 2.16 W, n.d. 2.17 Untitled Limmericks, n.d. 2.18 Series III-Correspondence, n.d. 1937-1954 Lyric 1937 3.1 Spider Architect, n.d. 1939-1942 3.2 Feuchtwanger, Lion 1940 3.3 Pinckey, (Miss) from Leitch 1940 3.4 Bigelow, Poultney, n.d. 1940-1945 3.5 Publishers 1940-1949 3.6 Laukes, J.J. 1941-1950 3.7 Gogarty, Oliver St. John 1941-1952 3.8 Roberts, Ruby Altizer 1942 3.9 Manda from Leitch 1942 3.10 Phelps, William Lyon, n.d. 1943 3.11 Fine Edition Press 1943 3.12 From Invisible Mountains, n.d. 1943-1945 3.13 Publication of Songs 1943-1946 3.14 Ambrose W. 1944 3.15 Ambrose W. from Leitch 1944-1945 3.16 Stuart, Jesse, n.d. 1944-1946 3.17 Coffin, Robert P. Tristam 1945 3.18 Coffin, Robert P. Tristam 1944-1954 3.19 O'Sheel, Shaemas 1945 3.20 Rutledge, Archibald, n.d. 1945-1946 3.21 Sandberg, Carl, n.d. 1945-1947 3.22 Frost, Robert (sec.) 1945-1948 3.23 Wheelock, John Hale 1945-1948 3.24 Morton, David 1946 3.25 Mayer, Harry H. 1946-1951 3.26 Wood, Clement 1947 3.27 Eastman, Max 1947-1953 3.28 Poetry Society of Virginia 1947-1953 3.29 Eliot, T.S. 1948 3.30 Sullivan, A.M. 1952 3.31 von Preussen, Louis Ferdinand 1953 3.32 Herndon, Brodie S. 1954 3.33 Speyer, Leonora, n.d. 3.34 Gordon, Douglas, n.d. 3.35 Series IV-Miscellaneous and Clippings, n.d. 1939-1954 Irene Leache Memorial Poetry Contest Winners 1931 3.36 Poetry Society of Virginia 1952-1953 3.37 Address read PSV, n.d. 3.38 Non-Communicative Art 1954 4.1 Checklist of Virginia poets and their works 1953 4.2 Clippings of published poems, n.d. 1940-1953 4.3 Leitch clippings, n.d. 1944-1953 4.4 Miscellaneous 1953-1954 4.5 Clippings, n.d. 1949 4.6 Poems by various poets, n.d. 1942 4.7 Poems by various poets, n.d. 1947-1952 4.8 Series V-Publications, Notebooks and Workbooks, n.d. 1936-1954 From Invisible Mountains(paste-up) 4.9 From Invisible Mountains(proof) 1943 4.10 From Invisible Mountains(proof) 1943 4.11 Notebook: Himself and Iand Nightingales on the Moon 1949-1953 5.1 Nightingales on the Moon(paste up) 5.2 Record book of poems 1949-1954 5.3 Scribble Book of poems(drafts), n.d. 5.4 Workbook: poems (drafts), n.d. 5.5 Workbook: Poems (drafts), n.d. 5.6