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The Florence Hamilton Collection Relating to Edwin Markham

A Register of the Collection in the Library of Congress

Prepared by Grover Batts
Revised by Melinda K. Friend

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/xmlcommon/lcseal.jpg

Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

Washington, D.C.

2007

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

Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2007

Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms007095

Table of Contents

Collection Summary

Selected Search Terms

Personal Names

Subjects

Locations

Related Names

Occupations

Administrative Information

Provenance:

Processing History:

Transfers:

Copyright Status:

Preferred Citation:

Biographical Note

Edwin Markham

Florence Hamilton

Scope and Content Note

Related Materials

Arrangement of the Papers

Description of Series

Container List

Correspondence, 1900-1950

Poetry, 1881-1936

Speeches and Writings, 1917-1932

Unpublished Biography, 1922-1959

Scrapbooks, 1872-1955

Photographs and Prints, 1869-1935

Memorabilia, 1880-1936

Miscellany, circa 1876-1950

Addition, 1857-1958

Oversize, 1869-1953

Collection Summary

Title: Florence Hamilton Collection Relating to Edwin Markham
Span Dates: 1857-1959
Bulk Dates: (bulk 1926-1942)
ID No.: MSS31393
Collector: Hamilton, Florence, 1873-1968
Creator: Markham, Edwin, 1852-1940
Extent: 11,000 items; 22 containers plus 15 oversize; 12 linear feet
Language: Collection material in English
Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Abstract: Poet and lecturer. Correspondence, poetry, articles and speeches, biographical material, scrapbooks, photographs, memorabilia, printed matter and other papers pertaining mainly to the poet Edwin Markham.

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.



Personal Names
Hamilton, Florence.
Howells, William Dean, 1837-1920.
Markham, Anna Catherine, 1859-1938--Correspondence.
Markham, Edwin, 1852-1940--Correspondence.
Markham, Edwin, 1852-1940.
Walgreen, Charles R. (Charles Rudolph), 1873-1939.
Walgreen, Myrtle R. Norton, 1879-

Subjects
Literature.
Poetry.

Locations
New York (State)--Social life and customs.
United States--Religion.
United States--Social conditions.

Related Names
Markham, Edwin, 1852-1940. Edwin Markham Collection of Florence Hamilton (1869-1956)

Occupations
Lecturers.
Poets.

Administrative Information

Provenance:

The collection of Florence Hamilton, poet and lecturer, relating to Edwin Markham was given to the Library of Congress by Hamilton from 1937 to 1962. The Rare Book and Special Collections Division transferred some material to the Manuscript Division in 1943 and 1945.

Processing History:

The Florence Hamilton Collection Relating to Edwin Markham was arranged and described in 1983. The register was revised and the collection reprocessed in 2007. An exhibition of the collection was held at the Library of Congress in 1942.

Transfers:

Some photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division where they are identified as part of the Florence Hamilton Collection Relating to Edwin Markham.

Copyright Status:

The status of copyright of the unpublished writings in the Florence Hamilton Collection Relating to Edwin Markham is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Preferred Citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, the Florence Hamilton Collection Relating to Edwin Markham, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note

Edwin Markham
Date Event
1852, Apr. 23 Born Charles Edward Anson Markham, Oregon City, Oregon Territory
1857-1870 Attended school in Suisan and Santa Clara valleys, Calif.
circa1870 Obtained teaching certificate, California College, Vacaville, Calif.
1872 Graduated, San Jose Normal School, San Jose, Calif.
1874 Attended Christian College, Santa Rosa, Calif.
1875 Married Annie Cox (divorced 1884)
1875-1899 Teacher, principal, and school superintendent in Southern California
1880 Published "The Gulf of Night"
1887 Married Caroline E. Bailey (divorced)
1898 Married Anna Catherine Murphy (died 1938)
1899 Published "The Man with the Hoe," San Francisco Examiner
Published The Man with the Hoe. New York: Doxey's
circa 1900 Moved to New York, N.Y.
1901 Published Lincoln and Other Poems. New York: McClure, Phillips
1902 Met Florence Hamilton, later his confidential secretary and lecture manager
1910 Charter member, Poetry Society of America
1914 Published with Benjamin B. Lindsey and George Creel Children in Bondage. New York: Hearst's International Library
Published California the Wonderful. New York: Hearst's International Library
1915 Published The Shoes of Happiness, and Other Poems. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page
1920 Published Gates of Paradise and Other Poems. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page
1921-1940 Poet laureate of Oregon
1922 Read "Lincoln, Man of the People" at dedication of Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
1925 Published Foundation Stones of Success. Chicago: Howard-Severance Co.
1926 Publication of "The Ballad of the Gallows Bird," Century Magazine
1927 Published The Book of Poetry. New York: W. H. Wise
1929 Elected to the Academy of Arts and Letters
1930 Published Songs and Stories. Los Angeles: Powell Publishing Co.
1932 Published New Poems: Eighty Songs at Eighty. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran.
1933 Awarded honorary Literary Doctorate, St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y.
1936 Lecture tour in Mexico
1937 Published The Star of Araby. Stapleton, N.Y.: J. Willig Press
Awarded $5,000 prize by Academy of American Poets
Declared mentally incompetent by a court in New York
1938 Recorded "Edwin Markham Himself," a phonograph album of his principal poems
1940, Mar. 7 Died, Staten Island, N.Y.


Florence Hamilton
Date Event
1873, July 20 Born Florence Danforth, Upper Jay, N.Y.
circa 1890 Married Ernest Hamilton
circa 1920-1936 Confidential secretary and lecture manager for Edwin Markham
1930s-1950s Member and elected official, National League of American Pen Women, Poetry Forum, and Congress of American Poets
Lecturer on poetry
1934 Founding member, Academy of American Poets
1936 Dean of women, Summer School of Poetry, National University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
1939 Published A Moment's Monument. New York: Klein-Heimbinder Co.
1942 Published Mirrors and Human Voices. Prairie City, Ill.: James A. Decker Press
1968, Apr. 14 Died, Richmond, Va.

Scope and Content Note

The collection of Florence Hamilton (1873-1968) relating to Edwin Markham spans the years 1857-1959, with the bulk of the material dating from 1926 to 1942. The papers are organized in the following series: Correspondence, Poetry, Speeches and Writings, Unpublished Biography, Scrapbooks, Photographs and Prints, Memorabilia, Miscellany, Addition, and Oversize.

The Correspondence consists of letters to and from Edwin Markham, Florence Hamilton, and others. A majority of the letters, however, are written by Markham to Hamilton and concern his lecture tours, stays with Charles R. Walgreen, his health, the poetry of others, and his thanks to Hamilton for her assistance. The correspondence reveals a relationship between the two with some of Markham's letters to Hamilton addressed as "Dear Child" and simply signed as either "A" or "Aprile."

The Poetry series contains poems by Markham and includes his most famous work, "The Man with the Hoe," as well as "Lincoln, the Man of the People," "Ode to Lincoln," "Ballad of the Gallows Bird," and "Our Israfel." His notebooks of poems span the length of his career. Of interest also is the guestbook in which Markham wrote poems when staying at Hamilton's home in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, a place he referred to as "The House with the Smiling Face."

The Speeches and Writings file includes articles, speeches, a radio script, and a motion picture script. Many of Markham's works cover social and religious issues as well as poetry. Markham also wrote about individuals including the American realist author and literary critic William Dean Howells.

The Unpublished Biography series consists largely of Hamilton's typescript of " The Man with the Hoe, the Poem, the Poet, and the Problem: The Intellectual Biography of Edwin Markham" that was to have been published in 1936. Included also are biographical sketches of Markham, letters authorizing Hamilton to write his biography, drafts of the work, and a photograph of Markham and Hamilton.

The Scrapbooks series includes clippings, photographs, programs, correspondence, and poems covering the personal lives and writings of Markham and Hamilton. Volumes 3 and 10 pertain mostly to Hamilton and document her poetry, her relationship to Markham, and her life as a poet in New York. Volume 8 contains a copy of Markham's will, while Volume 7 is filled with his obituary notices from 1940. Many of Markham's poems in the scrapbooks have been inscribed to Hamilton.

Other photographs are located in the Photographs and Prints series as well as a print of the painting "The Man with the Hoe" by the French artist Jean-François Millet. The Memorabilia series includes a plaster cast of Markham's hand, a strand of his hair, and horoscopes written for him.

The Miscellany is largely comprised of books inscribed by Markham to Hamilton or annotated by him. Eleven volumes were authored by Markham's friend, Thomas Lake Harris, and others were written or edited by Markham. Of interest among Markham's personal documents is a copyright certificate from the Library of Congress dated 1900 for the poem "Lincoln, the Great Commoner." The printed matter consists of annotated articles, clippings, programs, and prose and poems about and by Markham, many of which seemed to have been collected by Hamilton for her biography of him.

The Addition includes programs, poems, and articles pertaining to Hamilton; some correspondence of Markham's wife, Anna Catherine Markham; and a book of poems by Markham's mother, Elizabeth Markham, published in 1921.

The Oversize is comprised of poems, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia.

Related Materials

Additional material relating to Edwin Markham includes the Edwin Markham Papers in the Manuscript Division and the Edwin Markham Archives in the Horrmann Library, Wagner College, New York, N.Y.

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged in nine series:

Description of Series

Container Series
BOX 1-2

Correspondence, 1900-1950

Letters to and from Markham, Hamilton, and others, with most from Markham to Hamilton.
Hamilton's letters from Markham are organized separately from her general correspondence; both files are arranged chronologically. Markham's correspondnece with others is organized according to letters received and sent and therein chronologically.
BOX 3-5

Poetry, 1881-1936

Handwritten, typescript, and printed copies of poems by Markham with some in notebooks and some in sheet music.
Arranged alphabetically by title or type of material. The notebooks are arranged chronologically.
BOX 6

Speeches and Writings, 1917-1932

Handwritten and typescript copies of speeches, articles, a radio script, and a motion picture script.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
BOX 7

Unpublished Biography, 1922-1959

A typescript, drafts, authorization letters, biographical sketches, and a photograph relating to Hamilton's unpublished biography of Markham, "The Man with the Hoe, the Poem, the Poet, and the Problem: The Intellectual Biography of Edwin Markham."
Arranged by type of material.
BOX 7

Scrapbooks, 1872-1955

Scrapbooks of clippings, photographs, correspondence, programs, poems, and photocopies pertaining to Markham and Hamilton.
Arranged by volume number assigned by Hamilton or by title.
BOX 7

Photographs and Prints, 1869-1935

Photographs of Markham and Hamilton and others and a print of the original painting "The Man with the Hoe."
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
BOX 7

Memorabilia, 1880-1936

A plaster cast of Markham's hand, a strand of his hair, and horoscopes.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material or title.
BOX 8-17

Miscellany, circa 1876-1950

Inscribed books, mostly by Markham to Hamilton, and personal documents and printed matter. Arranged by type of material.
BOX 18-22

Addition, 1857-1958

Correspondence, poems, articles, printed matter, scripts, and phototographs.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and thereunder by name of person.
BOX OV 1-OV 15

Oversize, 1869-1953

Poems, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.

Container List

Container Contents
BOX 1-2

Correspondence, 1900-1950

Letters to and from Markham, Hamilton, and others, with most from Markham to Hamilton.
Hamilton's letters from Markham are organized separately from her general correspondence; both files are arranged chronologically. Markham's correspondnece with others is organized according to letters received and sent and therein chronologically.
BOX 1 Hamilton, Florence
BOX 1 General, 1931-1940, 1950, n.d.
BOX 1 Markham, Edwin
BOX 1 1923-1932
(7 folders)
BOX 1 1933
BOX 1 Jan.-Oct.
BOX 2 Nov.-Dec.
BOX 2 1934-1936, n.d.
(6 folders)
BOX 2 Markham, Edwin
BOX 2 Received, 1911-1912, 1919, 1931-1936, n.d.
BOX 2 Sent, 1900, 1919, 1925-1938, n.d.
BOX 3-5

Poetry, 1881-1936

Handwritten, typescript, and printed copies of poems by Markham with some in notebooks and some in sheet music.
Arranged alphabetically by title or type of material. The notebooks are arranged chronologically.
BOX 3 Guestbook of poems by Markham composed at Hamilton's house, 1924-1932
BOX 3 Notebooks
BOX 3 No. 1, circa 1881
BOX 3 No. 2, 1883
BOX 3 No. 3, circa 1918
BOX 3 No. 4, 1927
BOX 3 No. 5, 1929-1934
BOX 3 No. 6, 1931-1934
BOX 3 No. 7, 1933
BOX 3 No. 8, 1935
BOX 3 No. 9, 1935
BOX 3 No. 10, 1936
BOX 3 Enclosures, 1882-1883, n.d.
BOX 4 Sheet music, 1899, 1906-1916, 1932-1936, n.d.
BOX 4 Titled poems
BOX 4 "A" miscellaneous, 1931-1936, n.d.
BOX 4 "Ballad of the Gallows Bird," 1935
BOX 4 "B-F" miscellaneous, 1929-1936, n.d.
BOX 4 "G-H" miscellaneous, 1929-1936, n.d.
BOX 4 "I-K" miscellaneous, 1931-1936, n.d.
BOX 5 "Lincoln, the Man of the People," 1936 See Oversize
BOX 5 "L" miscellaneous, 1924, 1931-1935, n.d.
BOX 5 "The Man with the Hoe," 1933, n.d. See also Oversize
BOX 5 "M-N" miscellaneous, 1921, 1931-1936, n.d.
BOX 5 "Ode to Lincoln," 1936 See also Oversize
BOX 5 "Our Israfel," 1925 See Oversize
BOX 5 "O-S" miscellaneous, 1929-1936, n.d.
BOX 5 "The Twin Flags," 1936 See Oversize
BOX 5 "T-Z" miscellaneous, 1899, 1929-1936, n.d.
BOX 5 Untitled and fragments, n.d.
BOX 6

Speeches and Writings, 1917-1932

Handwritten and typescript copies of speeches, articles, a radio script, and a motion picture script.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
BOX 6 "A-F" miscellaneous, 1917, n.d.
BOX 6 "G-L" miscellaneous, n.d.
BOX 6 "The Man with the Hoe and the Storm It Started," n.d.
BOX 6 "M-P" miscellaneous, 1923-1930, n.d.
BOX 6 "S-T" miscellaneous, n.d.
BOX 6 "William Dean Howells," n.d.
BOX 6 "W" miscellaneous, n.d.
BOX 6 Unidentified, fragments, and notes, 1920, 1932, n.d.
(2 folders)
BOX 7

Unpublished Biography, 1922-1959

A typescript, drafts, authorization letters, biographical sketches, and a photograph relating to Hamilton's unpublished biography of Markham, "The Man with the Hoe, the Poem, the Poet, and the Problem: The Intellectual Biography of Edwin Markham."
Arranged by type of material.
BOX 7 Authorization letters, biographical sketches, and a photograph, 1922-1934, n.d.
BOX 7 Drafts, n.d.
BOX 7 Typescript, 1930-1934, 1959
(9 folders)
BOX 7

Scrapbooks, 1872-1955

Scrapbooks of clippings, photographs, correspondence, programs, poems, and photocopies pertaining to Markham and Hamilton.
Arranged by volume number assigned by Hamilton or by title.
BOX 7 Vols. 1-2, 1872, 1899-1946, n.d. See Oversize
(2 vols.)
BOX 7 Vols. 3-4, 1919-1952, n.d. See Oversize
(2 vols.)
BOX 7 Vol. 5, 1932-1952, n.d. See Oversize
BOX 7 Vol. 6, 1899-1941, 1948-1955, n.d. See Oversize
BOX 7 Vols. 7, 9-10, 1933-1953, n.d. See Oversize
(3 vols.)
BOX 7 Vol. 8, 1882, 1923-1942, 1952-1953, n.d. See Oversize
BOX 7 Oregon friends, 1921 See Oversize
BOX 7

Photographs and Prints, 1869-1935

Photographs of Markham and Hamilton and others and a print of the original painting "The Man with the Hoe."
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
BOX 7 Photographs, 1869, 1880, 1903-1907, 1918-1935, n.d. See Oversize
BOX 7 Print, "The Man with the Hoe," n.d. See Oversize
BOX 7

Memorabilia, 1880-1936

A plaster cast of Markham's hand, a strand of his hair, and horoscopes.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material or title.
BOX 7 Astrological Review, 1936 See Oversize
BOX 7 Hair strand of Markham, 1880 See Oversize
BOX 7 Horoscopes for Markham, circa 1935 See Oversize
BOX 7 Plaster cast of Markham's hand, n.d. See Oversize
BOX 8-17

Miscellany, circa 1876-1950

Inscribed books, mostly by Markham to Hamilton, and personal documents and printed matter. Arranged by type of material.
BOX 8 Books
BOX 8 By Thomas Lake Harris, circa 1876, 1878, 1886-1892
BOX 9-12 Inscribed to Hamilton, 1887-1910, 1916-1933, 1943
BOX 13-15 Written or edited by Markham, 1899, 1909-1938
BOX 16 Personal documents of Markham, 1879-1883, 1900-1924
BOX 16 Printed matter
BOX 16 Annotated articles and clippings, 1898, 1911, 1924-1938, 1947-1950, n.d.
BOX 16 Programs, 1881, 1917, 1926-1942, n.d.
BOX 16 Prose and poems
BOX 16 About Markham
BOX 16 1899-1902, 1916-1940
(2 folders)
BOX 17 Undated
BOX 17 By Markham 1880, 1899-1943, n.d.
(6 folders)
BOX 18-22

Addition, 1857-1958

Correspondence, poems, articles, printed matter, scripts, and phototographs.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and thereunder by name of person.
BOX 18 Correspondence
BOX 18 Hamilton, Florence, 1926-1956, n.d.
(5 folders)
BOX 19 Markham, Anna Catherine, 1909, 1919-1923, 1932-1935, n.d.
BOX 19 Markham, Edwin 1899-1936, n.d.
(5 folders)
BOX 19 Miscellany, 1918, 1926, 1933-1941, n.d.
BOX 20 Literary file
BOX 20 Hamilton, Florence, drafts, notes, and poems, 1940, n.d.
(2 folders)
BOX 20 Markham, Edwin
BOX 20 Articles and drafts, 1918, 1930, n.d.
BOX 20 Newsreel documentary, "The Romantic Days of '49," circa 1914
BOX 20 Poems, 1900-1935, n.d.
(2 folders)
BOX 21 Miscellany
BOX 21 Articles and poems about Markham, 1932-1941, n.d.
(2 folders)
BOX 21 Books annotated and dedicated by Markham
BOX 21 1857, 1884, 1903
(3 folders)
BOX 22 1916
BOX 22 Correspondence, notes, photographs, and poems, 1930-1942, n.d.
BOX 22 Radio broadcasts and a speech, 1921, 1932, n.d.
BOX 22 Printed matter
BOX 22 Hamilton, Florence, 1930-1950, 1958, n.d.
BOX 22 Markham, Edwin, 1899-1903, 1916-1917, 1926, 1932-1942, 1948, 1954-1955, n.d.
BOX 22 Miscellany, 1921, 1926, 1930-1948, n.d.
BOX OV 1-OV 15

Oversize, 1869-1953

Poems, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.
BOX OV 1 Poetry
BOX OV 1 Titled poems
BOX OV 1 "Lincoln, the Man of the People," 1936
(Container 5)
BOX OV 2 "The Man with the Hoe," 1933, n.d.
(Container 5)
BOX OV 3 "Ode to Lincoln," 1936
(Container 5)
BOX OV 4 "Our Israfel," 1925
(Container 5)
BOX OV 5 "The Twin Flags," 1936
(Container 5)
BOX OV 6 Scrapbooks
(Container 7)
BOX OV 6 Vols. 1-2, 1872, 1899-1946, n.d.
BOX OV 7 Vols. 3-4, 1919-1952, n.d.
BOX OV 8 Vol. 5, 1932-1952, n.d.
BOX OV 9 Vol. 6, 1899-1941, 1948-1955, n.d.
BOX OV 10 Vols. 7, 9-10, 1933-1953, n.d.
BOX OV 11 Vol. 8, 1882, 1923-1942, 1952-1953, n.d.
BOX OV 12 Oregon friends, 1921
BOX OV 13 Photographs and Prints
(Container 7)
BOX OV 13 Photographs, 1869, 1880, 1903-1907, 1918-1935, n.d.
BOX OV 14 Print, "The Man with the Hoe," n.d.
BOX OV 15 Memorabilia
(Container 7)
BOX OV 15 Astrological Review, 1936
BOX OV 15 Hair strand of Markham, 1880
BOX OV 15 Horoscopes for Markham, circa 1935
BOX OV 15 Plaster cast of Markham's hand, n.d.
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