Florence Gray Beall, Papers, 1815-1980

Inventory

Prepared by Jeffery Scaggs and James K. Stimpert, December 1, 1980
Prepared for the Web by Barbara Bass, December 30, 1996; revised February 2004
2 record storage boxes, 2 cubic feet, 11th floor

Biographical Note

Florence Gray Beall was born in Newark, Ohio, on June 5, 1894. She received the A.B. degree from Columbia University in 1925. In 1926, she became a faculty member at the University of Michigan where she remained until 1933 when she received her Ph.D. in English. In the fall of 1933 she joined Kent State University as Assistant Professor in English. Beall continued teaching at Kent until her resignation in 1957. She then accepted a position at Ohio State University's branch in Newark.

Scope and Content

Installments of this collection arrived in the Archives through the efforts of George Urban and Robert Baumgardner. Additional material was received on June 24, 1980.

Several old books and textbooks received with the papers have been transferred to Special Collections, along with a necklace presented to Beall by her students. In addition, an ashtray and a paperweight presented by the University have been placed with other artifacts in Special Collections and Archives. Remaining with the collection, however, are three handwritten notebooks of mathematical problems and equations, and two ledgers, all produced by Beall's ancestors.

Beall's papers will prove of interest to researchers in a number of different fields. Of particular interest are several letters from the Civil War years, a letter from an "Indian fighter" dated 1870, letters from a missionary in Africa in the 1930's and 1940's, and letters from Germany dated 1939-1955. There are also letters written to Beall from World War II servicemen who were former students of hers.

Literary and property rights to this collection have been kindly donated to Kent State University.

Box 1

Folder--Contents
  1. Correspondence: November 21, 1846-June 19, 1859
  2. Correspondence: December 10, 1863-March 9, 1869
  3. Correspondence: February 6, 1870-July 28, 1873
  4. Correspondence: February 8, 1884
  5. Correspondence: July 12, 1904; April 10, December 10, 1921
  6. Correspondence: June 17, 1932-November 18, 1939
  7. Correspondence: February 28, 1940-November 11, 1944
  8. Correspondence: February 15, 1945-June 11, 1948
  9. Correspondence: July 19, 1953-September 8, 1959
  10. Correspondence: August 23, 1961-December 15, 1969
  11. Correspondence: November 30, 1970-December 2, 1976
  12. Correspondence: January 28-December 30, 1977
  13. Correspondence: January 11-June 24, 1978
  14. Correspondence: July 17-December 30, 1978
  15. Correspondence: January 4-June 25, 1979
  16. Correspondence: July 5-December 12, 1979
  17. Correspondence: January 5-May 12, 1980
  18. Correspondence: [no date]
  19. Correspondence: [no date]
  20. Correspondence: [no date]
  21. Practical Geometry notebook handwritten by Baruch Gray: May, 1823
  22. Notebook of mathematical problems and calculations handwritten by Joshua Wells: [1850?]
  23. Account ledger: 1895-1925
  24. Notebook of Joshua Wells, [no date]
  25. Account ledger of George W. Beall: 1912-1936; 1942
  26. Documents, mortgage deeds: February 10, 1849; April 5, 1853; March 15, 1864; April 6, 1867; and October 27, 1877
  27. Documents, sheriff's sale deeds: February 28, 1870; Auguts 18, 1871; and September 7, 1895
  28. Documents, land deeds: February 9, 1815; April 24, 1825; June 2, 1826; August 24, 1832; October 11, 1832; April 23, 1833; December 30, 1833; March 3, 1834; July 4, 1848; January 4, 1845; April 5, 1848; October 16, 1848; and March 28, 1849
  29. Documents, land deeds: March 1, 1855; March 7, 1855; April 19, 1855; October 7, 1856; May 31, 1858; May 21, 1860; October 3, 1868; January 11, 1873; February 15, 1877; and February 9, 1889
  30. Documents, miscellaneous: June 1, 1848; March 7, 1911; September 14, 1949; August 16, 1954; and [no date]
  31. Documents, administration of the will of Mary Dodd dated August 16, 1854; military leave of absence for Corporal Cokenbarger dated April 26, 1864; notice of appointment for Dr. Beall, one dated 1947, and the other dated 1948
  32. Miscellaneous papers: [no date]
  33. Cards and postcards
  34. Miscellaneous greeting cards
  35. Miscellaneous cards
  36. Commemorative postmark, "Entry of Third Fleet U. S. Navy Tokyo Bay Japan": [1945?]
  37. Miscellaneous receipts
  38. Miscellaneous drawings
  39. Poems, "Black Lamb" by Reva Montgomery; and a poem by English Professor E. Packard celebrating arrival of Dr. Beall at Kent

Box 2

Folder--Content
  1. Printed material, The Shakespeare Newsletter: April, 1957-February, 1960
  2. Printed material, miscellaneous magazine articles and newsletters: February, 1959; May, 1964; and [no date]
  3. Printed material, articles from the journal Publications of the Modern Language Association (PMLA): December, 1938; September, 1940; and September, 1942
  4. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: [no date]
  5. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: [no date]
  6. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: [no date]
  7. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: [no date]
  8. Printed material, brochure on dedication of Tri-Towers; the President's Report 64/65; Map of Kent State University [1967?]; brochure on dedication of Satterfield Hall; and miscellaneous material
  9. Printed material, brochure on dedication of Beall-McDowell Halls; last Christmas message of R. E. Manchester 1884-1974; a signed copy of "The Biography of an Educator George A. Bowman"' Fifth Annual Scholarship Day at Kent State University: May 27, 1937 [Dr. Beall gave the address]; and miscellaneous material includeing biographical material on Dr. Beall.
  10. Newspaper clippings, some pertain to Dr. Beall, Beall Hall, and relatives of Dr. Beall.
  11. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English 364: [no date]
  12. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English 384: [no date]
  13. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on the Renaissance: [no date]
  14. Subject file miscellaneous notes for English class on Shakespeare comedies: [no date]
  15. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Historical plays: [no date]
  16. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Middle Ages: [no date]
  17. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Scandinavia: [no date]
  18. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Far East literature: [no date]
  19. Subject file, miscellaneous notes and drawings: [no date]
  20. Subject file, miscellaneous notes on teaching: [no date]
  21. Subject file, miscellaneous materials from Summer English Conference: 1956
  22. Subject file, miscellaneous notes, subject unknown: [no date]
  23. Photograph of a young woman [Florence Beall?]: [no date]
  24. Photograph of a young woman [Florence Beall?]: [no date]
  25. Photograph of George W. Beall as a young boy: [no date]
  26. Photograph of George W. Beall as a young boy: [no date]
  27. Photograph of Ray A. Beall: [no date]
  28. Photograph of Mrs. Jane Hirst: [no date]
  29. Photograph of Zoe Lillian Hirst as a girl: [no date]
  30. Photograph of Ed Gray: [no date]
  31. Photograph of unidentified man [Ed Gray?]: [no date]
  32. Photograph of Jacob Yasse with wife and child. [Probably in Africa, from Hattie Sheldon, a missionary who corresponded with Dr. Beall in the1930's and the 1940's]: [no date]
  33. Photographs of Miss Edna Kilby and her fiance, removed from letter dated March 5, 1944 .
  34. Photographs of popular sites in London from Lt. Jack E. Gray, removed from letter dated September 23, 1945
  35. Photograph of Walt Seifert. [See letter dated May 9, 1975]
  36. Photograph of Dr. Beall and President White outside Beall Hall: [no date] (missing as of 4/30/03)
  37. Photograph of Dr. Beall and President White and three unidentified men standing around a picture of Beall Hall: [no date]
  38. Photograph of Dr. Beall and two unidentified men standing around a picture of Beall Hall: [no date]
  39. Photography of Emeritus Dean Raymond E. Manchester in a small boat: [no date]
  40. Photograph of unidentified woman, dated August, 1940, "at Bausin on the Baltic". [Possibly the woman is Dr. Ann Schafheitlin, who lived in Germany and corresponded with Dr. Beall?]
  41. Photographs, veterans and Dr. Beall in class room; Mr. George Urban; Dr. Marian Van Campen, Lester Munzenmayer, George J. Altman, John McSweeney, all associated with the "Small Group Housing Complex"; Charles Anspach; and unidentified building
  42. Photographs, unidentified man; unidentified woman; Mary Pearl Hirst Beall; and Josephine Mansfield: 1870
  43. Photograph of unidentified girl: 1889
  44. Photograph of unidentified woman: [1870?]
  45. Photograph of unidentified girl: [1870?]
  46. Photograph of unidentified girl: early twentieth century
  47. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  48. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  49. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  50. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  51. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  52. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  53. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  54. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  55. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  56. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  57. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  58. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  59. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  60. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  61. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  62. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  63. Photograph of unidentified woman: [no date]
  64. Photograph of unidentified woman, dageurreotype: [no date]
  65. Photograph of two unidentified women: [no date]
  66. Photograph of two unidentified women: [no date]
  67. Photograph of two unidentified women: [no date]
  68. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  69. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  70. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  71. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  72. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  73. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  74. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  75. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  76. Photograph of unidentified man, woman, and child: [no date]
  77. Negative of unidentified group, two adults, four children: [no date]
  78. Photograph of unidentified group in a field: [no date]
  79. Photograph of unidentified group playing musical instruments: [no date]
  80. Photograph of painting showing Abraham Lincoln and George Washington embracing: 1865
  81. Photograph of a train tunnel through rock: [no date]
  82. Photograph of a cliff and beach: [no date]
  83. Photograph of cows grazing on a hillside: [no date]
  84. Photographs from Cambodia, addressed "English Department From the Coronation": [no date]
  85. Photograph of palm tree and ocean, with a caption on the back reading, "Mrs. J. M. Klasovsky, Box 31, Gatun, Canal Zone": [no date]
  86. Photograph of the Columbus Grandmothers Club #270: August 22, 1967 [in legal folder]
  87. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  88. Photograph of unidentified man: [no date]
  89. Photograph of two unidentified men: [no date]