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Marcella Miller du Pont

A Register of Her Papers in the Library of Congress

Prepared by Nan Thompson Ernst 

with the assistance of Susie H. Moody

Manuscript Division

 Library of Congress

Washington, D.C. 

1996

Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html

Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress

 Manuscript Division, 2002

Collection Summary

Title:		Papers of Marcella Miller du Pont 

Span Dates:	1861-1976 (bulk 1935-1965)

ID No.:		MSS61970

Creator:		 Du Pont, Marcella Miller

Size:			12,000 items; 34 containers plus 1 oversize;
14 linear feet

Repository: 	 Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,Washington,
D.C.

Abstract:		Poet and socialite. Correspondence, diary
transcripts and notes, drafts of writings, notes, publication
records, legal documents, scrapbook, Miller family genealogical
records, photographs, and other papers relating to Marcella
Miller du Pont's poetry and other writings, literary
matters, and affairs of the du Pont and Miller families.

Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description
of this collection in the Library's online catalog.
They are grouped by name of person or organization,
by subject or location, and by occupation and listed
alphabetically therein.

Names:

Du Pont, Marcella Miller

Bianchi, Martha Dickinson, 1866-1943

Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886

DuPont, Alfred I. (Alfred Irénée), 1864-1935

Du Pont, Alfred V. (Alfred Victor), 1900-1970

Eichenberg, Fritz, 1901-

Hampson, Alfred Leete

Hergesheimer, Joseph, 1880-1954

Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis), 1880-1956

Wecter, Dixon, 1906-1950

Du Pont family

Miller family

Miller, Arthur Scott. Papers of Arthur Scott Miller

Miller, Emma Ellwood. Papers of Emma Ellwood Miller

Subjects:

American poetry

Banks and banking--Florida

Frontier and pioneer life--Colorado

Literature

Real estate business--Colorado

Real estate business--Florida

Occupations:

Poets

Socialites

Administrative Information

Provenance: The papers of Marcella Miller du Pont, poet,
writer, and socialite, were given to the Library of
Congress by her estate in 1986. 

Transfers: Items have been transferred from the Manuscript
Division to other custodial divisions of the Library.
Some books have been transferred to the Rare Book and
Special Collections Division. Sound recordings have
been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting,
and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified
in these divisions as part of the Marcella Miller duPont
Papers.

Copyright Status: Copyright in the unpublished writings
of Marcella Miller du Pont in the custody of the Library
of Congress has been dedicated to the public.

Preferred Citation: Researchers wishing to cite this
collection should include the following information:
Container number, Marcella Miller DuPont Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note

1903, Sept. 9			

Born, Denver, Colo.

1923			

B.A. degree, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

1924			

Married Alfred V. du Pont, Denver, Colo. (divorced 1948)

1929-1930			

Lived in Paris, France, while her husband studied architecture
at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts 

1939			

Built residence, "Calmar," in Wilmington, Del., and
entertained literary friends there

1942-1945			

Lived in Washington, D.C.; wrote radio scripts as a
volunteer for the American Red Cross and the American
Women's Voluntary Services

1949			

Moved from Delaware to Washington, D.C.

1950			

Published  Sonnets and Lyrics (New York: Spiral Press.
56 pp.)

1956			

Published  Poems: Folio Two (New York: Spiral Press.
60 pp.)

1965			

Published  Definitions and Criteria (Denver, Colo.:
Alan Swallow. 28 pp.) 

1985, Sept.			

Died, Washington, D.C.

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Marcella Miller du Pont (1903-1985) span
the years 1861-1976 with the bulk of the material concentrated
in the period 1935-1965. The collection includes correspondence,
writings and publication records for her books of poetry
and aphorisms, legal documents, photographs, a guest
book, school and travel records, genealogical records,
diary transcripts, and memoirs. The papers are organized
into three series: Family and Biographical Files, General
Correspondence, and Literary File.

The Family and Biographical Files include substantial
correspondence with du Pont's father-in-law, Alfred
Irénée duPont (1864-1935), of the prominent industrial
family in Delaware. Alfred I. duPont became one of the
principals in the family company, battled for and lost
control of the firm, and then made a new private fortune
in Florida real estate and banking ventures. His correspondence
with Marcella Miller du Pont concerns family and business
matters during his years in Florida and touches upon
the architectural work undertaken by his son, Alfred
Victor du Pont (1900-1970), at "Nemours," Alfred I.
duPont's estate in Wilmington, Delaware, and other building
projects. 

The Family and Biographical Files also include extensive
genealogical records of the Miller family in Denver,
Colorado, and their ancestors in the Midwest and New
England. Marcella Miller's parents were pioneers in
Denver. Her father, Arthur Scott Miller, migrated to
Colorado after the Civil War as a legal clerk and became
a prominent citizen and real estate investor. He was
an energetic diarist, and typescripts for four volumes,
dated 1871-1879 and 1886-1887, record matters of daily
business and personal affairs. His wife, Emma Ellwood
Miller, wrote a memoir, "We Went West," working drafts
of which are included in the family file of the series.

The General Correspondence series includes Marcella
du Pont's correspondence with literary associates and
other friends, most prominently with H. L. Mencken and
Joseph Hergesheimer. Mencken and his wife, Sara, met
Marcella and Alfred du Pont in 1932 on a Caribbean cruise
and became instant friends. Their earliest letters are
not entirely preserved, but after 1936 the correspondence
between Mencken and Marcella du Pont is fairly complete.
After Mencken's stroke in 1948, their correspondence
dwindled to a few notes dicatated by Mencken to his
secretary, Rosalind Lohrfinck. Marcella du Pont considered
publishing the correspondence a number of times after
Mencken's death in 1956 and made preliminary arrangements
by copying and dating the letters, but publication plans
were never completed. Much of the Mencken correspondence
touches only lightly on literary matters and more often
concerns arrangements for visits, travels, and news
of mutual friends such as Lillian Gish and Joseph Hergesheimer.

Copies of selected Mencken letters have been available
for research at the libraries of the University of Denver
and Princeton University and at the New York Public
Library. The originals are preserved with du Pont's
papers where the context of her other correspondence
and literary files amplify the Mencken record. The correspondence
with Hergesheimer, for instance, is heavily weighted
with literary, political, and philosophical topics and
contains commentary on family and friends such as Mencken.
The Literary File also includes notes on the correspondence
and the working file for du Pont's essay on Mencken
that appeared in the summer 1966 number of Menckeniana.
Correspondence with Betty Adler, editor of Menckeniana,
includes reminiscences of Mencken. He is also a subject
of du Pont's correspondence throughout the 1940s in
his role as sage and boon companion.

Other literary correspondents include Dixon Wecter,
critic and commentator on American civilization known
for such works as The Saga of American Society (1937)
and Hero in America (1941). His work is mentioned, but
for the most part their correspondence is a record of
his critiques of her poetry. When she published her
first book, Sonnets and Lyrics, he wrote the introduction,
but the book was not yet in print at the time of his
sudden death in 1950. 

Emily Dickinson was du Pont's favorite poet. Du Pont
made a pilgrimage to Amherst, Massachusetts, and there
met Dickinson's niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi. Bianchi
was compiling and publishing her aunt's poetry and letters,
and her correspondence with du Pont details these efforts
and future plans for the Dickinson family home and papers.
Du Pont thought of publishing the Bianchi correspondence
and toward that end prepared typescripts and copies
of the letters which are preserved with the originals.
After Bianchi left the estate to her collaborator, Alfred
Leete Hampson, Hampson's correspondence picked up where
Bianchi's left off in documenting the disposition of
the family papers and Dickinson scholarship in the 1940s
and 1950s. Hampson sent Bianchi's incomplete memoir
to du Pont for editing. Only a portion of it is preserved
in the General Correspondence series; the fate of the
remainder is unknown. Du Pont's correspondence with
literary and film critic Jay Leyda also includes notes
and letters concerning Emily Dickinson.

Marcella du Pont's poetry and prose are documented in
the Literary File. The series includes drafts of writings,
working notes and jottings, correspondence, and publication
records for du Pont's books, single poems, essays, criticism,
newspaper articles, short stories, an opera libretto,
and radio scripts, along with unpublished works of poetry
and fiction. Scrapbooks compiled by du Pont to document
the publication of her books include correspondence
from literary friends and from the artist Fritz Eichenberg
who created the woodcuts used in her books by Spiral
Press. A file of miscellaneous notes is sorted into
categories such as philosophy, parapsychology, religion,
and politics. Unsorted notes concern her family, friends
and acquaintances, readings, and ideas for stories,
characters, names, and titles. Although a diary is not
included among the papers, du Pont makes frequent reference
to one in her correspondence and elsewhere. Her notes,
diary addenda, and unpublished fiction and poetry are
rich in references to her former husband, Alfred V.
du Pont, and the complicated antagonisms of the Alfred
I. duPont family.

Organization of the Papers

The collection is arranged in four series:

	 Family and Biographical Files, 1861-1974, n.d.

	 General Correspondence, 1932-1976, n.d.

	 Literary File, 1914-1973, n.d.

	 Oversize, 1920

Container List

Box 1-7 

Family and Biographical Files, 1861-1974,  n.d.

Correspondence, genealogical records, diary transcripts,
memoirs and other writings, photographs, guest book,
school and travel records, and printed material. 

Arranged alphabetically by subject or type of material.


Box 1 

Family file

du Pont family

duPont, Alfred Irénée (father-in-law), 1927-1935 

(4 folders)

du Pont, Alfred Victor (husband), 1942-1945

duPont, Bessie (mother-in-law), 1928

duPont, Jessie Ball (step-mother-in-law), 1928-1940,
1967

Genealogy, 1949, 1958, 1972-1973, n.d.

Box 2 

Miller family

Genealogy

Data, 1907-1930, n.d. 

Printed matter, 1911-1917, 1946-1951 

(4 folders)

Miller, Arthur Scott (father)

Correspondence, 1882-1890, 1919

Diaries

Correspondence and notes concerning, 1942-1956, n.d.

Transcripts

1871-1874 

(2 folders)

Box 3 

1877-1879, 1886-1887 

(4 folders)

Photographs and printed matter, 1914, n.d.

Writings

Miscellany, 1914, n.d.

 Vida: An Historical Romance, bound typescript of book-length
poem, n.d.

Box 4 

Miller, Emma Ellwood (mother)

Correspondence, miscellaneous writings and clippings,
1920-1943, n.d.

"We Went West" (memoir)

Drafts, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Outlines and miscellany, 1944, n.d.

Miller, George W. (grand-uncle), 1861-1862

Miller, Victor Arthur (brother)

Genealogical material collected by, 1920-1941, n.d.


(2 folders)

Letter to, 1920

Memorabilia and unidentified photographs, 1861-1866,
n.d.

Miscellaneous correspondence and papers, 1920-1969

Box 5 

Biographical file

Gardening, 1933-1947

Guest book, 1963-1974

Miscellaneous

Clippings, 1944-1959, n.d.

Printed matter, 1921-1973, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Theater programs, 1919-1923

Passport records, 1929-1964

Box 6 

Photographs

Miscellaneous, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Portraits, ca. 1940s-1950s

Political interests, 1951-1952, 1969

School records

Corona School, Denver, Colo., 1914-1915

Miscellany, 1922-1923

Box 7 

Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Class notes, 1922, n.d.

Miscellany, 1924-1925, 1957-1960, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Wolcott School, Denver, Colo.

Miscellany, 1916-1920, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Scrapbook, 1920 See Oversize

Trip, USSR, 1937

Box 8-19 

General Correspondence, 1932-1976,  n.d.

Letters to and from du Pont with enclosed or related
material including photographs, notes, legal documents,
printed matter, and writings. 

Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and
chronologically thereunder.

Box 8 

Academy of American Poets, 1959-1960

Adler, Betty, 1965-1971 

(3 folders)

Arnold, Thurman Wesley and Frances, 1945-1957

Bianchi, Martha Dickinson 

Correspondence 

1934-1939 

(6 folders)

Box 9 

1940-1943, n.d. 

(6 folders)

Related material

Emily Dickinson Foundation, 1940

"Life Before Last: Reminiscences of a Country Girl,"
excerpt from memoir, n.d.

Phi Delta Gamma, Zeta chapter, memorial brochure project,
1946

Bowles, Kay, 1969

Boyd, Julian P., 1942-1951

Box 10 

Cairns, Huntington and Frances, 1946-1966 

(2 folders)

Coleman, Elliott, 1948-1971

Crèt, Marguerite ("Margo" or "Cricket"), 1936, 1956-1961


(3 folders)

Crèt, Paul P., 1940, n.d.

Dixon, Jeanne

Correspondence, 1951-1974 

(3 folders)

Box 11 

Related material

Appearance, Wilmington, Del., 1967

Clippings, 1967-1975, n.d.

Notes and jottings, 1967-1972, n.d.

Speech, Wilmington Sales and Marketing Executives, Wilmington,
Del., 1969

Eisenhower, Dwight D.

Dulles, John Foster, 1952-1953 

Presidential inauguration

Floor Committee, 1952-1953 

(2 folders)

Vice chairman, Hostess and Hospitality Committee, 1957,
n.d. 

(2 folders)

Eisenhower, Mamie Doud, 1969-1973, n.d.

Fletcher-Cooke, John, 1971-1972

Geissler, Leonor, 1969 

Gish, Dorothy and Lillian, 1941-1964

Graves, Louise, 1947-1948

Hamilton, Edith, and Doris Fielding Reed, 1950-1973

Hampson, Alfred Leete 

Correspondence 

1938-1946 

(2 folders)

Box 12 

1947-1951 

(2 folders)

Sale of Emily Dickinson material, 1949-1952 

Hampson, Mary

Correspondence, 1946-1967 

(8 folders)

Naming du Pont as heir, 1952-1958, n.d. 

Research material on Dickinson family, 1935-1960, n.d.

(1 folder)

Box 13 

(1 folder)

Hanighen, Frank C.

Correspondence, 1958-1963

Memorial fund, 1964

Hawthorne, Hazel and Joseph, 1958-1970 

Hearst, Austine, 1948-1974, n.d.

Hergesheimer, Dorothy

Correspondence about, with Hemphill relatives, 1964-1971

Correspondence with

1932, 1942-1957 

(4 folders)

Box 14 

1958-1967, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Hergesheimer, Joseph

Correspondence, 1936, 1942-1954, n.d 

(4 folders)

Related material

Bibliography of works, 1954

Napier, James, critical study, 1959 

(2 folders)

Box 15 

Obituaries and mementoes, 1954-1956, n.d.

Sale of his personal papers, 1956-1959

Stappenbeck, Herb, library catalog and biographical
study, 1968-1973

Hoover, Herbert, 1955

James, Marquis

Correspondence with

du Pont, Alfred V., 1941

du Pont, Marcella, 1939-1941

Papers collected for biography of Alfred I. du Pont,
1934-1935, n.d.

Johnson, Thomas H., 1950-1958

Leyda, Jay, 1952-1961, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Luce-Romeike Press Clipping Service, 1965

Mary James, Sister, 1946

Masséna, Gabriel, Martha, Mimi, Noelle, and Dede

1945-1958 

(2 folders)

Box 16 

1959-1965, 1975 

(2 folders)

Masters, Edgar Lee, 1939

McCarthy, Joseph and Jean, 1954-1957

Mencken, August, 1949-1951, n.d.

Mencken, H. L. 

Correspondence about

Bode, Carl, 1963-1976

Miscellaneous, 1938-1972, n.d.

Correspondence with

du Pont, Alfred V., 1936-1947

du Pont, Marcella

Copies of selected letters, 1934-1952 

(2 folders)

Originals

1932-1937 

(3 folders)

Box 17 

1938-1948 

(11 folders)

Box 18 

1949-1952

Related notes and photograph, 1932, 1963, n.d.

Mencken, Sara, 1932-1934

Miscellaneous, 1931-1972, n.d. 

(2 folders)

National Society of Arts and Letters, Washington, D.C.,
Chapter, poetry contest, 1962-1963 

Nixon, Richard M.

Inflation, 1969-1970, n.d.

Presidential inaugurations, 1968-1973

Women for Nixon-Agnew, 1968

Box 19 

Puharich, Henry K., Round Table Foundation, 1949-1956


(2 folders)

Thaddeus, Victor, 1940-1943, 1957

Thibault, Conrad and Mary Clare, 1943-1965 

(2 folders)

Wecter, Dixon and Elizabeth, 1936-1951 

(4 folders)

Williams, Herschel, 1952-1961

Williams, Oscar, correspondence about Dylan Thomas,
1952-1959

Wilmington, Del., Poetry Society, 1961-1962

Box 20-34 

Literary File, 1914-1973,  n.d.

Drafts and notes for writings, diary and journal notes,
galleys and other publication material, promotion and
distribution records, legal documents, correspondence,
photographs, and printed matter. 

Arranged alphabetically by type of publication and thereunder
by title, subject, or type of material.

Box 20 

Diary and journal notes, 1919, 1925, 1944-1956 

(3 folders)

Poetry

Books

 Poems: Folio Two 

American Institute of Graphic Arts, Fifty Books of the
Year award, 1956

Correspondence

Criterion Books, 1954-1956

Devin-Adair Co., 1955-1956

Editors, 1955-1961

Miscellaneous, 1956-1963

Spiral Press, 1956-1960, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Gift books, 1956-1959

Jacket, blurbs, title page, ca. 1956

Notes, n.d.

Notices and related clippings, 1957

Orders and sales, 1956-1958

Promotion, 1956-1962 

(3 folders)

Scrapbook, dismantled, 1956-1957, n.d. 

(3 folders)

Box 21 

Text

Drafts, 1955-1956, n.d. 

(4 folders)

Box 22 

(4 folders)

Galleys, edited by du Pont, ca. 1956

 Sonnets and Lyrics 

American Institute of Graphic Arts, Fifty Books of the
Year 1950, award, 1951

Correspondence

Editors and publishers, 1949-1950, n.d.

Miscellaneous, 1945-1951

Spiral Press, 1950-1955, n.d. 

(3 folders)

Box 23 

Gift books and inscriptions, ca. 1950-1951

Notices, reprints, and clippings, 1950-1951

Orders

Bookshops, 1950-1951 

(3 folders)

Individuals, 1950-1952

Promotion and distribution, 1950-1951, n.d. 

(3 folders)

Box 24 

Scrapbooks

Vol. 1, 1950-1955 

(3 folders)

Vol. 2, 1950-1951 

(3 folders)

Text 

Drafts, n.d. 

(4 folders)

Box 25 

Galleys, edited by du Pont, ca. 1950

Wilmington Poetry Society and Delaware Writer's Inc.,
1948-1952, n.d. 

(3 folders)

Miscellaneous publications 

Audio recordings list, 1951-1968, n.d.

Correspondence and tear sheets, 1938-1962

Library of Congress recordings, 1968-1973, n.d.

Unpublished and preliminary texts 

"Early poetry," ca. 1918-ca. 1930 

(3 folders)

Miscellaneous 

Drafts, ca. 1931-ca. 1970 

(3 folders)

Box 26 

(7 folders)

Notes and partial drafts, 1948-1956, n.d. 

(3 folders)

Box 27 

Prose

Book, Definitions and Criteria (aphorisms and analects)

Correspondence

Alan Swallow, Publisher, 1964-1970, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Gift book recipients and readers, 1965-1967

Notices and clippings, 1965

Orders

Jeane Dixon's fifty copies, 1965

Miscellaneous, 1965-1966

Publication announcements and reception, 1965

Text

Final draft, 1964

Preliminary drafts, 1964, n.d. 

(5 folders)

Box 28 

Essays

Autobiographical sketches, n.d.

"Apology for the Sonnet," ca. 1945

"Attention Delaware!" (Pre-Raphaelite exhibit), 1934

"Business Man for President," 1944

"C'Est L'Habitude: Paris, 1929," ca. 1930

"A Colonel Garfinkel," 1943, 1957, n.d.

Dickinson, Emily, projects, 1946-1950, n.d.

"The Endless Study: The Years and Hours of Emily Dickinson,
compiled by Jay Leyda, and The Complete Poems of Emily
Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson," review essay,
New Republic (28 Nov. 1960)

Correspondence, 1960-1961

Text and notes, 1960

"Firm's Record of Growth True to Best American Tradition:
Masséna and du Pont, Architects, Celebrate Tenth Anniversary,"
ca. 1940

"Gabriel Francois Masséna, 1902-1945," Journal of the
AIA (Feb. 1946), ca. 1945

"Heroic Days and Hours with Henry Mencken," Menckeniana
(Summer 1966), 1964-1970, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Miscellaneous, 1927-1934, n.d.

Nabokov, Vladimir, parody, 1952

"Nemours Carillon Tower," Architectural Concrete, 1936,
n.d.

"North to Asia: The Big Road by Norman Rosten," review,
Voices, A Quarterly of Poetry (Autumn 1946), 1946, n.d.

Box 29 

"Notes on a Russian Visit," 1937, n.d.

"Preface," for biography of Emily Dickinson by Martha
Dickinson Bianchi, 1941, n.d.

"Their Last Hearth," ca. 1932

Journalism

Miscellany, 1947-1953

 News Sheet of the Junior League of Buffalo, N.Y., 1927

Juvenilia, 1914-1921

Miscellaneous notes

Fine arts, 1941, n.d.

"New King-Smith School," 1945-1946

Russian visit and political sketches, 1937, 1944, 1954

Sorted by category, 1942-1964, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Box 30 

(5 folders)

Box 31 

Unsorted, ca. 1930s-1968, n.d. 

(8 folders)

Box 32 

(7 folders)

Novella, "Return to Chambray," ca. 1948-1952 

(4 folders)

Box 33 

Scripts

Opera libretto, "Blossom Rock" 

Notes, 1958-1959, n.d.

Text drafts, 1968, n.d. 

(2 folders)

Radio

"Billy Mitchell, Pioneer and Prophet of the Air," for
Cavalcade of America," ca. 1942

"Broadcast for American Women's Voluntary Services on
War Photography," 1943, n.d.

Miscellaneous

Notes, ca. 1940s

Texts, 1936, n.d.

"The Test of Courage," n.d.

"That They Might Live -- Red Cross Nurse Recruitment
Campaign," 1943

Short stories

"Doctor of Finance," Junior League Magazine, 1933, n.d.

"Geraldon Haddonby, With Gestures," 1925

"The Gifted Guest," 1948, n.d.

"Green Bay," n.d.

Box 34 

"Horse-Kissers," n.d.

"Letter to Saint-Exupery," n.d.

"The Long Burney Races," n.d.

Miscellaneous notes, 1927, n.d.

"Pattern for Murder," n.d.

"Reprise," n.d.

"The Roan Inn" 

Notes, 1948-1952, n.d.

Text, 1951, n.d.

"Sophomore Carnival: The Adventures of Little Follo,"
1925

"Soviet Chiaroscuro," 1937

"The Story of Marit," n.d.

Box OV 1 

Oversize, 1920

Scrapbook.

Box OV 1 

Family and Biographical Files

Biographical file

School records

Wolcott School, Denver, Colo.

Scrapbook, 1920 (Container 7)


September 10, 2003