Florence Gray Beall papers, 1815-1980

Finding Aid

Prepared by Jeffery Scaggs and James K. Stimpert, December 1, 1980
Prepared for the Web by Barbara Bass, December 30, 1996; updated July 2011
2 cubic feet (2 record storage boxes), 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, Dr. Beall joined Kent State University as Assistant Professor in English. Beall continued teaching at Kent State until her resignation in 1957. She then accepted a position at Ohio State University's branch in Newark.

Beall Hall, a student dormitory on Kent State University's main campus, was constructed and dedicated in honor of Florence Gray Beall in 1966. View the Kent State University Buildings and Grounds Subject Files for information on Beall Hall.

Scope and Content

The Florence Gray Beall papers contain correspondence, photographs, and official documents, including many deeds from the 19th century. The collection also holds selected journal articles as well as subject files relating to teaching English at Kent State University.

Box 1

Folder--Contents
  1. Correspondence: 1846-1859
  2. Correspondence: 1863-1869
  3. Correspondence: 1870-1873
  4. Correspondence: 1884
  5. Correspondence: 1904-1921
  6. Correspondence: 1932-1939
  7. Correspondence: 1940-1944
  8. Correspondence: 1945-1948
  9. Correspondence: 1953-1959
  10. Correspondence: 1961-1969
  11. Correspondence: 1970-1976
  12. Correspondence: 1977
  13. Correspondence: January-June 1978
  14. Correspondence: July-December 1978
  15. Correspondence: January-June 1979
  16. Correspondence: July-December 1979
  17. Correspondence: January-May 1980
  18. Correspondence: undated
  19. Correspondence: undated
  20. Correspondence: undated
  21. Practical Geometry notebook handwritten by Baruch Gray, 1823
  22. Notebook of mathematical problems and calculations handwritten by Joshua Wells: [1850?]
  23. Account ledger: 1895-1925
  24. Notebook of Joshua Wells, undated
  25. Account ledger of George W. Beall: 1912-1942
  26. Documents, mortgage deeds: 1849-1877
  27. Documents, sheriff's sale deeds: 1870-1895
  28. Documents, land deeds: 1815-1849
  29. Documents, land deeds: 1855-1889
  30. Documents, miscellaneous: 1848; March 7, 1911-1954
  31. Documents, administration of the will of Mary Dodd, 1854; military leave of absence for Corporal Cokenbarger, 1864; notice of appointment for Florence Gray Beall, 1947-1948
  32. Miscellaneous papers: undated
  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; poem by English Professor E. Packard celebrating arrival of Florence Gray Beall at Kent State University

Box 2

Folder--Content
  1. Printed material, The Shakespeare Newsletter: 1957-1960
  2. Printed material, miscellaneous magazine articles and newsletters: 1959-1964
  3. Printed material, articles from the journal Publications of the Modern Language Association (PMLA): 1938-1942
  4. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
  5. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
  6. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
  7. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
  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, 1937; biographical material
  10. Newspaper clippings
  11. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English 364: undated
  12. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English 384: undated
  13. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on the Renaissance: undated
  14. Subject file miscellaneous notes for English class on Shakespeare comedies: undated
  15. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Historical plays: undated
  16. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Middle Ages: undated
  17. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Scandinavia: undated
  18. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Far East literature: undated
  19. Subject file, miscellaneous notes and drawings: undated
  20. Subject file, miscellaneous notes on teaching: undated
  21. Subject file, miscellaneous materials from Summer English Conference: 1956
  22. Subject file, miscellaneous notes, undated
  23. Photograph of young woman, undated
  24. Photograph of young woman, undated
  25. Photograph of George W. Beall, undated
  26. Photograph of George W. Beall, undated
  27. Photograph of Ray A. Beall, undated
  28. Photograph of Jane Hirst, undated
  29. Photograph of Zoe Lillian Hirst, undated
  30. Photograph of Ed Gray, undated
  31. Photograph of unidentified man, undated
  32. Photograph of Jacob Yasse with woman and child, undated
  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 Florence Gray Beall and President White outside Beall Hall, undated
  37. Photograph of Florence Gray Beall and President White and three unidentified men standing around a picture of Beall Hall, undated
  38. Photograph of Florence Gray Beall and two unidentified men standing around a picture of Beall Hall, undated
  39. Photography of Emeritus Dean Raymond E. Manchester in a small boat, undated
  40. Photograph of unidentified woman, 1940, "at Bausin on the Baltic". [Possibly the woman is Dr. Ann Schafheitlin, who lived in Germany and corresponded with Beall]
  41. Photographs, veterans and Florence Gray Beall in classroom; George Urban; Marian Van Campen, Lester Munzenmayer, George J. Altman, John McSweeney, undated
  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: undated
  47. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  48. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  49. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  50. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  51. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  52. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  53. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  54. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  55. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  56. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  57. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  58. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  59. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  60. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  61. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  62. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  63. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
  64. Photograph of unidentified woman, dageurreotype: undated
  65. Photograph of two unidentified women: undated
  66. Photograph of two unidentified women: undated
  67. Photograph of two unidentified women: undated
  68. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  69. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  70. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  71. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  72. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  73. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  74. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  75. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  76. Photograph of unidentified man, woman, and child: undated
  77. Negative of unidentified group, two adults, four children: undated
  78. Photograph of unidentified group: undated
  79. Photograph of unidentified group playing musical instruments: undated
  80. Photograph of painting showing Abraham Lincoln and George Washington embracing: 1865
  81. Photograph of a train tunnel through rock: undated
  82. Photograph of a cliff and beach: undated
  83. Photograph of cows grazing on a hillside: undated
  84. Photographs from Cambodia, addressed "English Department From the Coronation": undated
  85. Photograph of palm tree and ocean, with a caption on the back reading, "Mrs. J. M. Klasovsky, Box 31, Gatun, Canal Zone": undated
  86. Photograph of the Columbus Grandmothers Club #270: 1967 [in legal folder]
  87. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  88. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
  89. Photograph of two unidentified men: undated