Hervey Allen was an American poet, essayist, and novelist. A University of Pittsburgh Alumnus (1915), Allen grew up in Pittsburgh. His paternal grandfather, Edward Jay Allen, was a Civil War Colonel and influential Pittsburgh figure who traveled west over the Oregon Trail to survey and establish United States land claim in 1852 in what is now Washington and Oregon. The papers primarily document the writing, publishing, and producing of Allen's literary works. They include manuscripts and notes, contracts with publishers and producers, proofs, correspondence with editors and readers, illustrations, and published works. Also present are family papers which include personal materials such as correspondence, diaries, genealogical research, journals, newspaper clippings, photographs, and scrapbooks from multi-generations of the Allen family. Digital reproductions of portions of the collection are available online.
Language
The material in this collection is in English and French.
Author
Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, Kelly McMasters, Margaret Huang, and Liesl Ostergaard.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital reproductions of the collection are available electronically within the finding aid.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following ten series:
Series I. Early Life, Education, Military and Academic Careers, 1890-1949
Series II. Manuscripts, 1900-1949
Series III. Published Material, 1919-1945
Series IV. Prose and Press About, 1920-1959
Series V. General Correspondence, 1903-1972
Series VI: Literary Correspondence, 1916-1956
Series VII: Projects, 1932-1949
Series VIII: Estates and Financial Matters, 1919-1952
Series IX: Family Papers, 1831-1965
Series X: Oversized Material, 1856-1953
Biography
Hervey Allen was born William Hervey Allen Jr. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 8, 1889. Son of William Hervey Allen Sr. and Helen Eby Meyers Allen, Hervey Allen was one of five children. Allen spent much of his childhood at his grandfather's home, Edgehill, reading from his extensive personal library. Allen was educated in Shady Side Academy and at Pittsburgh Public Schools, graduating from high school in 1906.
In 1908 he went to Annapolis, Maryland, to attend Werntz, "a cramming school" to prepare for entrance to the United States Naval Academy. He was admitted in 1909 as a midshipman, but was discharged due to a stomach disorder in 1910. He returned to Pittsburgh and worked for the Bell Telephone Company. He then enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Economics in 1911, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Allen graduated with Honors in 1915 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
He joined the National Guard with the 18th Pennsylvania Infantry, earning the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in 1916. His regiment was ordered to the Mexican border near El Paso, Texas, by President Wilson during the Mexican Expedition, where he wrote and published his first collection of poetry, Ballads of the Border.
Immediately upon his return, Allen was called to report to service for World War I on April 13, 1917. Allen was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of the 111th Infantry A.E.F. and spent the summer of 1917 guarding railroads in Western Pennsylvania. During the autumn of 1917, he went to Camp Hancock in Augusta, Georgia, for training with the 28th Pennsylvania Division. He deployed for France on April 30, 1918 aboard the Finland via New York. While at the front, Allen endured heavy fighting between the Marne and the Vasle. After the death of his captain at Fismette, he became Commander of Company B. He was seriously wounded there and was hospitalized on August 11, 1918. Upon his release, he served as an English instructor at the French Military Mission at Favernay. He was in Paris when the Armistice was signed. While at war, Hervey Allen wrote extensively and kept a diary of his experiences. From these writings Allen produced his most successful poem, The Blindman. His writings while at war inspired later works of his such as Toward the Flame and "It Was Like This: Two Stories of the Great War."
By the spring of 1919, Allen had been honorably discharged at Cap Dix, New Jersey. He settled in Charleston, South Carolina, to teach English, History, and Military Drill at the Porter Military Academy. With the exception of attending a summer English course at Harvard University in 1921, Allen remained in South Carolina, teaching at Charleston High School until 1924. While in South Carolina, he was influential in the revival of southern poetry, founding the Poetry Society of South Carolina with DuBose Heyward and others. By 1921, Allen had published two major poetry collections, Wampum and Old Gold and Carolina Chansons, Legends of the Low Country, a joint publication with Heyward.
Between 1924-1925, Allen was an English Instructor at Columbia University. By the latter half of 1925, Allen left Columbia to lecture American Literature at Vassar College. At Vassar, he met Annette Hyde Andrews, a student 18 years his junior whom he married in June 1927. During this time, Allen conducted extensive research on Edgar Allan Poe and published two separate works in 1926: Israfel: The Life and Times of Edgar Allan Poe and Poe's Brother: The Poems of William Henry Leonard Poe, a collaboration with Thomas Ollive Mabbott. Allen also published a collection of poems entitled, Earth Moods and Other Poems, and Toward the Flame, a novel based on his diary at war.
From 1927 to 1932 Hervey and Ann Allen lived in Bermuda at Felicity Hall, a plantation in Somerset, Parish of Sandys. While in Bermuda, Allen published several poems and collections including Sarah Simon and New Legends both published in 1929. In May of that same year, he began to write Anthony Adverse, the massively successful historical novel set during the Napoleonic era telling a man's journey across several continents in search of meaning to his life. Allen left Bermuda to complete and publish the novel in the United States in 1933. Anthony Adverse became Allen's most successful book, topping the Bestseller list in 1933 and 1934. The novel sold over 3 million copies, was translated in 13 different languages, and became a motion picture produced by Warner Bros. and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The film starred Fredric March, Olivia de Haviland and Claude Rains, and earned several Academy Award nominations including Best Picture.
After the publication of Anthony Adverse, Allen devoted himself entirely to prose. The Allens settled at Bonfield, a plantation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and remained there until the start of World War II. By 1938, Allen had written Action at Aquila, a historical novel about the Civil War and "It Was Like This: Two Stories of the Great War," in 1940.
In 1943, following the death of Stephen Vincent Benét, Allen was appointed as co-editor to Farrar & Rinehart's Rivers of America series. Together with Carl Carmer, Allen reviewed manuscript submissions dedicated to the history of individual American rivers. Also in 1943, Allen was appointed by President Roosevelt to join the War Manpower Commission as a Regional Information Representative in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite these commitments, Allen continued to write and set out to begin his most ambitious literary project: a five part volume on American history starting with Forest and the Fort, published in 1943, Bedford Village in 1944, and Toward the Morning in 1948. These three titles, though published individually, consisted of the first volume, The City and the Dawn, of the series, The Disinherited. Allen was working on Richfield Springs, the fourth and final installment of The City and the Dawn, when he suffered a fatal heart attack in The Glades, his Coconut Grove, Florida home on December 28th, 1949. He was survived by his wife Ann and their three children, Marcia, Mary Ann, and Richard. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, Kelly McMasters and Liesl Ostergaard in 2012.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
All rights reserved. University of Pittsburgh.
Previous Citation
Hervey Allen Papers, 1831-1965, SC.1952.01, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Hervey Allen Papers, 1831-1965, SC.1952.01, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Acquisition Information
Portions of the papers were purchased from the estate of Hervey Allen (Mrs. Hervey Allen) in February 1952. Subsequent materials were donated through Holt, Rinehart and Winston publishing (formerly Farrar & Rinehart and Rinehart & Company) in 1964-1965 and Lawrence Kunetka of J & S Graphics in 1969.
Scope and Content Notes
The papers consist of handwritten, holograph and typewritten drafts and manuscripts, research notes, singular serial publications, and associated material related to press coverage of Allen's novels and film adaptations. Extensive personal and professional correspondence exists with Allen's main publishing company, Farrar & Rinehart/Rinehart & Company, and other international publishers; financial and business correspondence related to his personal and professional finances; and personal correspondence with notable writers such as Stephen Vincent Benét, William Rose Benét, John Bennett, Carl Carmer, Padraic Colum, John Drinkwater, Robert Frost, DuBose Heyward, Amy Lowell, Kenneth Roberts, E.A. Robinson and Philip Wylie.
Also present are the Allen's family papers which include correspondence, diaries, genealogical research, journals, newspaper clippings, photographs, and scrapbooks. Of special interest are the papers of this grandfather, Edward J. Allen, a Civil War Colonel and early pioneer of the Pacific Northwest territory and Allen's two great uncles, William H. and George T. Allen, both of whom document their involvement in Ohio and Mississippi riverboat activities.
Subjects
Corporate Names
St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.)
Bread Loaf School of English (Middlebury College)
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College
University of Pittsburgh -- Alumni and alumnae
Farrar & Rinehart
Rinehart & Company, Inc
United States. War Manpower Commission
Personal Names
Farrar, John Chipman
Allen, Edward Jay
Allen, Edward Jay -- Diaries
Benét, William Rose
Wyeth, Andrew
Lowell, Amy
Frost, Robert
Butcher, Fanny
Benét, Stephen Vincent
Alexander, John White
Allen, Hervey -- Alumni and alumnae
Family Names
Allen family
Geographic Names
Oregon National Historic Trail -- History
United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Fiction
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Genres
Personal papers
Manuscripts for publication
Correspondence
Family papers
Financial records
Other Subjects
Poets, American -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Poets, American -- 20th century
Authors, American -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Authors, American -- 20th century
West (U.S.) -- History -- 19th century
World War, 1914-1918
Container List
Scope and Content Notes
This series includes all of Allen's manuscript iterative drafts, notes, revisions, editions, and some correspondence related to research and manuscript production. The subseries are arranged according to title and genre (Poetry and Prose), as well as incomplete or unpublished material.
See Also
Oversized galleys of Allen's pre-published material are separately housed and can be found in Series XI: Oversized Material, Box 187-188.
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries contains early handwritten and typewritten rough drafts of mostly subsequently published poems. The first subseries features Allen's draft single leaf titles, the second subseries features collective manuscript material of Allen's major poems and collections, and the third features poetry written by other authors. Because many of the materials lack dates in particular the single title materials, titles are arranged alphabetically. Some materials lack a proper titles or have indecipherable titles. For these, titles with ellipses reflect indecipherable or illegible words or phrases. For materials without a clear given title, titles are borrowed from the first discernable verse of the poem and are in brackets.
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box 5, folder 1
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box 6, folder 12
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box 6, folder 13
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box 7, folder 1
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box 7, folder 2
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box 7, folder 3
Scope and Content Notes
Correspondence includes editorial conversations Allen had with Amy Lowell. Allen sent early drafts of The Blindman to Lowell who was influential in getting the manuscript published in the North American Review. In her September 12, 1919 letter to Allen she identifies that Allen had "improved [the poem] immensely" and talks about sending it to a "Mr. Sedgwick," most likely Atlantic Monthly's editor at the time, Ellery Sedgwick. The letter ends on a humorous note with Lowell stating Mr. Sedgwick does not know a poem from a potato, but sometimes his taste betrays him and he gets something good by mistake.
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box 7, folder 4
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box 7, folder 5
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box 9, folder 10
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box 9, folder 11
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box 9, folder 12
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box 9, folder 13
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box 10, folder 1
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box 10, folder 2
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries includes bound and loose-leaf handwritten and typewritten drafts, proofs, prefaces, and related correspondence to the pre-publication of Hervey Allen's prose, including various iterative drafts of his novels, short stories, and non-fiction material.
Scope and Content Notes
This group includes handwritten, typewritten, original and various drafts and associated material of Hervey Allen's pre-published biographies, novels and short stories. Material is arranged in alphabetical, chronological, and when possible, in iterative order.
See Also
Box 187-188, Series X: Oversized Material for oversized galleys of particular manuscript titles in this subseries.
This subseries includes notes and drafts of incomplete or unidentifiable Allen works. Those that have been identified are arranged and grouped alphabetically while others are arranged according to genre.
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box 34, folder 1-6
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box 34, folder 7-10
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box 34, folder 11
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box 34, folder 12
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box 34, folder 13
Scope and Content Notes
This material, while some may be incomplete, is much more developed and further along the completion process than material featured in the Incomplete/Unidentified Material subseries. All material in this subseries is titled and may include abstracts, character plots, summaries, and drafts of various Allen unpublished works. Notable is the nascent beginning of a novel, Usted Stanes, set in the future 2015. It was begun October 20th, 1949, just two months before Allen's passing.
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box 35, folder 1
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box 35, folder 2
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box 35, folder 3
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box 35, folder 4
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of journal and magazine publications of Allen's work. Allen at times published individual poems or serialized installments of his prose in literary journals and commercial magazines such as Cosmopolitan. Note: this series only includes periodical publications and is not an exhaustive representation of Hervey Allen's published works.
See Also
Oversized serial publications are separately housed and can be found in Series XI: Oversized Material, Box 191.
Hervey Allen's personal library of his published works is cataloged separately and is available by call number in the Special Collections stacks. Please see Special Collections staff for more information.
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries includes Allen's personal copies and/or special editions of his published poetry. Featured are individual poetry submissions to various journal publications. Some material is enclosed in special containers.
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box 36, folder 1
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box 38, folder 8
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box 38, folder 9
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box 38, folder 10
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box 38, folder 11
Scope and Contents
Privately printed book of poety including Black Roses, The Approach to Madness, and The Tree of Life in the Mystical Island. Published for Hervey Allen in Peterborough, NH. Back flap includes galley with edits.
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries includes Allen's personal copies and/or special editions of his published prose. Featured are individual short story and essay submissions to various publications. Some material is enclosed in special containers.
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box 39, folder 1
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box 39, folder 2
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box 39, folder 3
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box 39, folder 4
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box 39, folder 5
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box 39, folder 6
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box 39, folder 7
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box 39, folder 8
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box 39, folder 9
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of prose or press written about Hervey Allen and his work. It includes autobiographical and biographical notes, drafts, published material written by other authors, press coverage, newspaper clippings, obituaries and posthumous dedications about Hervey Allen and/or his work.
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries details autobiographical and biographical material about Hervey Allen and/or his literary work. Included are press release statements from Farrar & Rinehart introducing Allen to the media; short essays written by other authors on Allen's work; manuscripts of term and theses projects on Allen and his work; and an unpublished manuscript entitled, "The Selected Poems of Hervey Allen" by Lawrence Lee. The manuscript names a foreword written by poet Robert Frost, however such foreword is not present in the manuscript.
Also included in this material are some notes about the Allen family history.
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box 40, folder 1
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box 40, folder 7
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box 40, folder 8-9
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box 40, folder 10
Scope and Content Notes
In this subseries are newspaper clippings and general publicity statements about Allen and his work. Included are reviews, interviews, and itineraries of Allen's publicity tours.
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box 40, folder 11
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box 40, folder 12
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box 40, folder 13-15
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box 41, folder 1
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box 41, folder 2
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box 41, folder 3
Scope and Content Notes
In this subseries are newspaper clippings, press releases, promotional posters, reviews, and publicity statements about particular Allen works.
See Also
Oversized Material, Hervey Allen Promotional Posters, Box 192.
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box 41, folder 4-5
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box 42, folder 1-3
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box 42, folder 4-6
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box 43, folder 1-2
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box 43, folder 3
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box 43, folder 4
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box 43, folder 5
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box 43, folder 6
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box 43, folder 7
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box 44, folder 1
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box 44, folder 2
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries features newspaper clippings and press releases reporting on Hervey Allen's death. It also features documents relating to Allen's Arlington National Cemetery burial and memorials dedicated to Allen's memory at the University of Miami and University of Pittsburgh.
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box 44, folder 3
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box 44, folder 4
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box 44, folder 5
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box 44, folder 6
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of general correspondence between Allen and individuals or institutions. While some correspondence with individual figures located in the General Correspondence may arguably be of literary nature, the material found in this series may include personal correspondence/subject matter, while the following Literary Correspondence series is thematically concentrated on literary production.
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries features Hervey Allen's general correspondence with individuals and institutions. Related correspondence can be found in other series (i.e. family correspondence and literary correspondence). This material may include business, personal, or philanthropic correspondence between Allen and other parties.
An existing arrangement prior to the 2012 arrangement organized single loose correspondence material in alphabetical folders (i.e. Ta-Th), listed by surname or institution.
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box 45, folder 23-24
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box 45, folder 25-28
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box 46, folder 1-6
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box 46, folder 7-9
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box 46, folder 10-11
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box 47, folder 11-14
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box 68, folder 1-3
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box 68, folder 4
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box 68, folder 5-6
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box 68, folder 7
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box 68, folder 8
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box 68, folder 9
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box 68, folder 10
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box 68, folder 11
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box 68, folder 12-13
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box 68, folder 14
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box 68, folder 15
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box 68, folder 16
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box 69, folder 1
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box 69, folder 2
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box 69, folder 3-5
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box 69, folder 6-7
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box 69, folder 8
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box 69, folder 9
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box 69, folder 10
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box 69, folder 11
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box 69, folder 12
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box 69, folder 13-14
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box 70, folder 1
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box 70, folder 2
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box 70, folder 3
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box 70, folder 4
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box 70, folder 5
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box 70, folder 6
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box 70, folder 7
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box 70, folder 8-12
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box 70, folder 13-17
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box 71, folder 1-2
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box 71, folder 3
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box 71, folder 4-7
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box 71, folder 8
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box 71, folder 9
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box 71, folder 10-11
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box 71, folder 12
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box 71, folder 13
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box 71, folder 14-16
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box 72, folder 1
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box 72, folder 2
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box 72, folder 3-6
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box 72, folder 7-8
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box 72, folder 9-11
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box 72, folder 12-13
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box 73, folder 1-2
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box 73, folder 3-5
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box 73, folder 6
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box 73, folder 7-10
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box 74, folder 1-3
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box 74, folder 4
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box 74, folder 5
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box 74, folder 6
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box 74, folder 7
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box 74, folder 8
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box 74, folder 9-11
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box 75, folder 1-3
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box 76, folder 1-3
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box 76, folder 4
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box 76, folder 5
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box 76, folder 6
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box 76, folder 7
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box 76, folder 8-10
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box 77, folder 1
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box 77, folder 2
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box 77, folder 3-4
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box 77, folder 5
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box 78, folder 1-3
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box 78, folder 4-6
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box 78, folder 7-9
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box 78, folder 10
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box 78, folder 11
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box 78, folder 12
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box 79, folder 1-2
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box 79, folder 3
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box 79, folder 4
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box 79, folder 5
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box 79, folder 6-11
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box 80, folder 1-3
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box 80, folder 4-5
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box 80, folder 6
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box 80, folder 7
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box 80, folder 8
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box 80, folder 9
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box 80, folder 10
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box 80, folder 11
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box 80, folder 12
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries contains correspondence from fans to Hervey Allen. The subject matter of fan correspondence ranges from fact checking, corrections, suggestions, to autograph requests. It also includes solicitations for book plates, speeches, employment, and student research projects. Folders are arranged according to book title and person's last name.
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box 81, folder 1-4
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box 81, folder 5-11
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box 82, folder 1-10
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box 83, folder 1-10
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box 84, folder 1-7
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box 84, folder 8
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box 84, folder 9-10
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box 85, folder 1-6
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box 86, folder 1-4
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box 86, folder 5
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box 86, folder 6
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box 86, folder 7-10
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box 87, folder 1
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box 87, folder 2
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box 87, folder 3-4
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box 87, folder 5-9
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box 88, folder 1-3
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box 88, folder 4
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box 88, folder 5-9
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box 89, folder 1-5
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box 89, folder 6-8
Scope and Content Notes
Correspondence from individuals expressing their condolences to Ann Allen after Hervey Allen's passing in 1949.
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box 90, folder 1-3
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box 90, folder 4-6
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box 90, folder 7-9
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box 90, folder 10-11
Scope and Content Notes
In this series exists correspondence that primarily functioned as a mode of communication for Allen's various literary projects, namely his research on Edgar Allan Poe; his affiliation with the Poetry Society of South Carolina and the Bread Loaf School of English; his voluminous correspondence with his main publishing companies - Farrar and Rinehart/Rinehart and Company; his rights management correspondence with multiple international publishers of his work; and his editorial responsibilities on the Rivers of America series. While some correspondence with individual figures located in the General Correspondence may arguably be of literary nature, the material found in this series is thematically concentrated on literary production, while correspondence in the General Correspondence series may include personal correspondence/subject matter.
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries consists of correspondence relating to Allen's research and his two publications on Edgar Allan Poe. Allen's extensive research into the works and life of Poe positioned him as an authority on Poe subject matter. He received various requests on information about Poe, including rights and permission use of Allen's publications and other general, little known knowledge about Poe. Included is correspondence with various specialty interest groups including, "The Edgar Allan Poe Club," "The Edgar Allan Poe Shrine," "The Edgar Allan Poe Society," and the "Poe Cottage Committee of the Bronx Society of Arts and Sciences," among others.
Affiliated materials on the publication of Israfel and Poe's Brother are included, in particular a contentious rights issue with one J.H. Whitty, who tried to "delay and thwart" the publication of Israfel by withdrawing permission to reproduce Poe materials owned by him. This section also features collected material such as pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and articles authored by other writers.
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box 91, folder 1-12
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box 92, folder 1-17
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box 93, folder 1-10
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box 93, folder 11
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box 93, folder 12-14
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box 93, folder 15
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box 93, folder 16
Scope and Content Notes
The Poetry Society of South Carolina, a still existent entity, was founded in 1920 by Hervey Allen, Dubose Heyward, and John Bennett. Included in this subseries is correspondence, newspaper clippings and general media, and documents affiliated with the founding and administration of the Poetry Society of South Carolina. Some documents worth highlighting are the establishment of The Blindman Prize, a contest prize named after Allen's poem which awards $250 to a winning poem. Also, correspondence with Amy Lowell and Allen's manuscript, "Elements of Poetry" given at a Poetry Society of South Carolina lecture.
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box 94, folder 1
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box 94, folder 2
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box 94, folder 3
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box 94, folder 4-5
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box 94, folder 6
Scope and Content Notes
Hervey Allen's participation with the Bread Loaf School of English started in 1925, six years after its foundation. John Farrar, Allen's publisher at Farrar & Rinehart, created of the Writers Conference in 1926. Together with Farrar, Allen was featured various times as a lecturer in the annual event along with other notable figures such as Robert Frost, Achmed Abdullah, and Louis Untermeyer. Included in this subseries is affiliated correspondence, documents, press, and notebook (of Allen's) pertaining to various years of the Writers Conference.
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box 94, folder 6
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box 94, folder 7
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box 94, folder 8
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box 95, folder 1
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box 95, folder 2
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box 95, folder 3
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box 95, folder 4
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box 96, folder 1
Scope and Content Notes
Hervey Allen's relationships with his publishers extended beyond the literary and professional. Stanley M. Rinehart Jr. and his wife Fay, Fredrick R. Rinehart (Ted) and his wife Betty, John Farrar and his wife Margaret, were close personal friends of the Allens. Due to the voluminous fanfare and requests Allen received from the public, Farrar & Rinehart publishing company (later Rinehart & Company) acted as a correspondence liaison for Allen, managing his personal and literary finances, forwarding interesting solicitations to him, and corresponding on behalf of him. In 1943, after the death of Stephen Vincent Benét, Allen was appointed to the publishing company's poetry series, Rivers of America (see Rivers of America subseries).
In this subseries exists business and literary correspondence from Farrar & Rinehart as well as personal correspondence from individuals associated with the publishing company to the Allens regarding financial and personal matters. Notable correspondence includes correspondence between Farrar & Rinehart's Art Editor, Faith Ball, to Hervey Allen about Andrew Wyeth's artwork in Allen's books. The first folder entitled "Summary of Contents" was made prior to the revised 2012 arrangement and it lists individual names and topics found in the correspondence.
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box 96, folder 2
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box 96, folder 3-6
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box 97, folder 1-10
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box 98, folder 1-12
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box 99, folder 1-8
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box 100, folder 1-9
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box 101, folder 1-9
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box 102, folder 1-3
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box 102, folder 4-8
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box 103, folder 1-7
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries contains correspondence relating to foreign language edition licensing rights of Allen's works. Subject matter may include inquiries about foreign edition misprints and corrections. Correspondence about such subject matter may also be found in the Farrar & Rinehart/Rinehart & Company subseries.
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box 104, folder 1
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box 104, folder 2
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box 104, folder 3-5
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box 104, folder 6
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box 104, folder 7
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box 104, folder 8
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box 104, folder 9
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box 104, folder 10
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box 104, folder 11
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box 104, folder 12
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box 104, folder 13-15
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box 105, folder 1-4
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box 106, folder 1
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box 106, folder 2
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box 106, folder 3
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box 106, folder 4
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box 106, folder 5
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box 106, folder 6
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box 106, folder 7
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box 106, folder 8
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box 106, folder 9
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box 106, folder 10
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box 106, folder 11
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box 106, folder 12
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box 106, folder 13
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box 106, folder 14
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box 106, folder 15-16
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box 106, folder 17
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box 106, folder 18
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box 106, folder 19
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box 106, folder 20
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box 106, folder 21
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box 106, folder 22
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box 106, folder 23
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box 107, folder 1-3
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box 107, folder 4
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box 107, folder 5
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box 107, folder 6-12
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box 108, folder 1-5
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box 108, folder 6-8
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box 108, folder 9
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box 108, folder 10
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box 108, folder 11
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box 108, folder 12
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box 108, folder 13
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box 108, folder 14
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box 108, folder 15
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box 109, folder 1-2
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box 109, folder 3
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box 109, folder 4
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box 109, folder 5
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box 109, folder 6
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box 109, folder 7
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box 109, folder 8
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box 109, folder 9
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box 109, folder 10
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box 109, folder 11
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box 109, folder 12
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box 109, folder 13-14
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box 109, folder 15
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box 110, folder 1
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box 110, folder 2
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box 110, folder 3-4
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box 110, folder 5
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box 110, folder 6
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box 111, folder 1
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box 111, folder 2
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box 111, folder 3
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box 111, folder 4
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box 111, folder 5
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box 111, folder 6
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box 111, folder 7
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box 111, folder 8-9
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box 111, folder 10
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box 111, folder 11
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box 111, folder 12
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box 111, folder 13
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box 111, folder 14
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box 111, folder 15
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box 112, folder 1
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box 112, folder 2-4
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box 112, folder 5
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box 112, folder 6-7
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box 112, folder 8
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box 112, folder 9
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box 112, folder 10-12
Scope and Content Notes
The Rivers of America series began in 1937 under the editorial of Constance Lindsay Skinner at Farrar and Rinehart. Throughout its publication run, the series underwent three major publishing companies (Farrar and Rinehart, Rinehart and Co., and Holt, Rinehart and Winston), and various editors. Following the death of Skinner, who was found dead at her desk while editing the sixth volume, The Hudson, Carl Carmer, the same author who wrote The Hudson became a co-editor with Stephen Vincent Benét. After Benét's death in 1943, Allen stepped in as co-editor of the series until his death in 1949. The series published individual volumes written by literary authors, as opposed to historians, about individual rivers of the American terrain and their histories.
In this subseries are correspondence between Allen and other members of the publishing series, correspondence about accepted or rejected manuscripts, and documents relating to the Rivers of America Radio Broadcast at WBEZ Chicago.
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box 113, folder 1
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box 113, folder 2
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box 113, folder 3
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box 113, folder 4
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box 113, folder 5
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box 113, folder 6
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box 113, folder 7
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box 113, folder 8
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box 113, folder 9
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box 113, folder 10
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box 113, folder 11
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box 113, folder 12
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box 113, folder 13
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box 113, folder 14
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box 113, folder 15
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box 113, folder 16
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box 113, folder 17
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box 113, folder 18
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box 113, folder 19
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box 113, folder 20
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box 114, folder 1
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box 114, folder 2
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box 114, folder 3
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box 114, folder 4
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box 114, folder 5
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box 114, folder 6
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box 114, folder 7
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box 114, folder 8
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box 114, folder 9
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box 114, folder 10
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box 114, folder 11
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box 114, folder 12
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box 114, folder 13
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box 114, folder 14
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box 114, folder 15
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box 114, folder 16
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box 114, folder 17
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box 114, folder 18
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box 114, folder 19
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box 114, folder 20
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box 114, folder 21
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box 114, folder 22
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box 114, folder 23
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box 114, folder 24
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box 114, folder 25
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box 115, folder 1
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box 115, folder 2
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box 115, folder 3
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box 115, folder 4
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box 115, folder 5
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box 115, folder 6
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box 115, folder 7
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box 115, folder 8
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box 115, folder 9
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box 115, folder 10
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box 115, folder 11
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box 115, folder 12
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box 115, folder 13
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box 115, folder 14
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box 115, folder 15
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box 115, folder 16
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box 115, folder 17
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box 116, folder 1
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box 116, folder 2
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box 116, folder 3
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box 116, folder 4
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box 116, folder 5
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box 116, folder 6
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box 116, folder 7
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box 116, folder 8
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box 116, folder 9-10
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box 117, folder 1-6
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box 117, folder 7
Scope and Content Notes
Beside a prolific literary career, Allen dedicated his life to numerous roles outside of writting including various academic, government, and even inventor occupations. Featured in this series are documents that demonstrate Allen's involvement with various academic institutions including the University of Miami (then Miami University), St. John's College, Cazenovia Junior College, Ransom School, and Washington and Jefferson College; his tenure as Regional Information Representative in the US War Manpower Commission at Atlanta, Georgia; and documentation of a machine he invented called the "Tangential Engine."
Scope and Content Notes
Hervey Allen had a number of diverse roles at the University of Miami. He lent his name and support to the development of various literary programs, like the Winter Institute of Literature and the Hispanic-American Institute. Allen was also influential in the establishment of the then nascent University, serving as a member of its Board of Trustees, the Committee on Development, and other various administrative roles. Featured in this subseries is correspondence with other influential individuals at the University such as Dr. Bowman F. Ashe. Due to the overlapping nature of the material, some material has been filed under one individual's folder, though it may also involve other individuals who have assigned folders of their own.
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box 117, folder 8
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box 117, folder 9
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box 117, folder 10
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box 117, folder 11
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box 118, folder 1
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box 118, folder 2
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box 118, folder 3
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box 118, folder 4
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box 118, folder 5
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box 118, folder 6
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box 118, folder 7
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box 118, folder 8
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box 118, folder 9
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box 118, folder 10
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box 119, folder 1-2
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box 119, folder 3
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box 119, folder 4
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box 119, folder 5
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box 119, folder 6-8
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box 120, folder 1-4
Scope and Content Notes
As a member of the Board of Visitors and Governors, Allen played a vital role in the administration of the College. He lent his name to the College in order to procure endowments and establish other fundraising groups such as founding the Friends of St. John's. He helped reconfigure their education program and promote St. John's achievements and programs by writing articles in the local newspaper and other publications such as the Atlantic Monthly. Included in this subseries is correspondence between the College and the Department of Navy, who wanted to expand the Naval Academy by purchasing part of St. John's campus. Due to the overlapping nature of the Committee of Development, Resource Committee, and Board of Visitors and Governors these materials are all filed under the latter's name.
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box 120, folder 5
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box 120, folder 6
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box 120, folder 7
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box 120, folder 8
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box 120, folder 9
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box 121, folder 1
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box 121, folder 2
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box 121, folder 3
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box 121, folder 4
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box 121, folder 5
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box 121, folder 6
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box 122, folder 1
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box 122, folder 2
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box 122, folder 3
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box 122, folder 4
See Also
Related material can be found in Box 120, Series XII: Projects, Subseries 2: St. John's College.
Scope and Content Notes
In 1942-1943, Allen invented a rotary internal combustion motor called the Tangential Engine. Included in this subseries are blueprints, correspondence, patent information, and sketches relating to Allen's engine.
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box 123, folder 1
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box 123, folder 2-5
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box 123, folder 6
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box 123, folder 7
Scope and Content Notes
During World War II, Hervey Allen served as Regional Information Representative for the US War Manpower Commission. Due to domestic labor shortage during the war, President Roosevelt signed an executive order to establish the Commission whose primary charge was to draft policies that effectively managed and recruited labor for war and essential civilian industries. Allen was employed by the Commission for eight months but was forced to resign and become a non-paid consultant due to tax reasons. Several of Allen's close friends were also affiliated with the Commission including Philip S. Broughton and Frank Constangy. B.F. Ashe, President of the University of Miami, was the Regional Director of the Atlanta division of the Commission.
Included in this subseries are correspondence and associated documents about the Commission.
This subseries contains correspondence and material related to other academic institutions Hervey Allen was affiliated with as a member of the Board of Trustees.
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box 124, folder 5
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box 124, folder 6
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box 124, folder 7
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box 124, folder 8
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box 124, folder 9
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box 124, folder 10
Scope and Content Notes
This series includes material that pertain to Hervey Allen's estate and financial matters. It includes correspondence and ephemera of the purchase and quotidian upkeep of his estates: Bonfield Manor, Felicity Hall, and The Glades, as well as correspondence that took place in Cazenovia, New York where the Allens lived with Ann Allen's parents' home for some time and where they purchased a summer home. Also included are bills and receipts, cancelled checks, insurance and tax documents.
Scope and Content Notes
Material in this subseries is arranged on a folder-level according to year.
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box 125, folder 1
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box 125, folder 2
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box 125, folder 3
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box 125, folder 4-5
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box 126, folder 1-4
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box 127, folder 1-5
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box 128, folder 1-8
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box 129, folder 1-7
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box 130, folder 1-4
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box 131, folder 1-8
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box 132, folder 1-5
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box 133, folder 1-5
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box 134, folder 1-7
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box 135, folder 1-7
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box 136, folder 1-4
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box 137, folder 1-6
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box 138, folder 1-7
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box 139, folder 1-3
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box 139, folder 4-6
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box 140, folder 1-3
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box 141, folder 1-5
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box 142, folder 1-10
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box 143, folder 1-7
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box 144, folder 1-2
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box 144, folder 3-5
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box 144, folder 6-7
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box 145, folder 1
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box 145, folder 2
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box 145, folder 3-13
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box 145, folder 14
box 145, folder 14, unknown_item
Scope and Content Notes
Includes correspondence between Allen and estate staff on matters of upkeep. Also included is information on the Bonfield fire.
The Family Papers series includes papers, correspondence, financial documents, genealogical information, photographs, scrapbooks, journals, and ephemeral material associated with the Allens, the Gills, and the Myers (maternal families).
The Allen family lineage can be traced back to the immigrating generation of Edward Allen (1794-1874) and Millicent (Amelia) Bindley Allen (1797-1890) who immigrated from England. The series features a variety of personal family mementos from multi-generational members of the Allen family. Among the highlights of the series are scrapbooks and journals of Hervey Allen's great uncle, William Hervey Allen, a steamboat captain who survived a horrific accident on board the New Hampshire during which Allen's younger brother, George T. Allen, was killed. The series also features a separate subseries for the personal papers of Hervey Allen's grandfather, Colonel Edward Jay Allen.
Hervey Allen's own photographs, scrapbooks, journals, and ephemera are included in this series. Since the majority of all photographs feature family members, all photographs are featured in this series.
See Also
Oversized materials are located in Box 193.
Family obituaries and other newspaper articles (collected or written by family members) can be found in Box 194.
Scope and Content Notes
Edward Jay Allen, Hervey Allen's paternal grandfather, was a Civil War colonel whose travels on the Oregon Trail made him a well-known and highly honored early pioneer of the Pacific Northwest territory. In 1852 at the age 22, he traveled west to Puget Sound via the Oregon Trail, documenting his experiences via correspondence and later recounting them in his manuscript, "Letters from the Oregon Trail." He settled in Olympia and remained in the Pacific Northwest for three years, surveying the land and acquainting himself with the native culture and language, the Chinook Jargon. In 1852, he became one of the signers of the Monticello Memorial, a resolution to Congress in favor of splitting the Oregon and Washington Territories.
He returned east in 1855, and continued a successful career as an civil engineer, building roads, bridges, and railroads. He married Elizabeth Wilson Robinson on July 16th, 1857 in Pittsburgh. They had five children: William Hervey (Hervey Allen's father), Edna A. Rickmers, May L., Edward H., and Harold Allen.
At the onset of the Civil War, Allen was working as a railroad contractor for the Virginia Central Railroad. During Virginia's secession from the Union, Allen narrowly escaped Confederate capture as he attempted to smuggle back to Pittsburgh. He volunteered on the Union side for some time in Washington DC and Virginia, repairing roads and bridges destroyed by the Confederates before returning to Pittsburgh and recruiting the 155th Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry in 1862. For three years, he headed the Infantry at the rank of Colonel. The Infantry fought at various battles including the Battle of Antietam and Fredericksburg.
After the war, Colonel Allen dedicated himself to local work in Pittsburgh. He worked for the Pacific and Atlantic Telegraph Co. as a secretary and also became active in real estate. Allen became a larger than life figure, often writing about his life stories in local papers. He became an early supporter and patron of John W. Alexander, adopting the orphaned Alexander while he worked at the Pacific and Atlantic Telegraph Co. as a young man. Allen brought Alexander to the Allen home at "Edgehill" and painted various members of the Allen family, including Colonel Allen (see [Edward Jay Allen, Three-Quarter-Length Portrait, Standing, Face Right]). Colonel Allen died at the age of 85, on December 28, 1915; Mrs. Allen, his widow, died just five days after him.
Featured in this subseries are Allen's typescript manuscript (re-told, original lost) of "The Oregon Trail," personal correspondence, Civil War memorabilia, journals, obituaries, notebooks, photographs, will and last testament, and other creative works, including his poem, "The Veteran."
See Also
Oversized Material, Family, Box 193; Newspapers, Box 194.
Oversized Material, Artwork Collection, Artwork on Display, [Edward Jay Allen, Three-Quarter-Length Portrait, Standing, Face Right].
In early 1852, the introduction of a bill to construct a military road from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Steilacoom reached Congress by way of Joseph Lane, delegate to Congress from the Oregon Territory. The bill was met with opposition from Congress due to the lack of a topographical survey and approximate estimate cost. By December of that year, House Bill No. 187 passed, allotting $20,000 to the construction of this road. George H. Himes (1844-1940), historian at the Oregon Historical Society, wrote this document as he traced the construction of this road through newspaper articles of the The Columbian. He writes that on May 28, 1853 Edward Jay Allen joined a committee to "view out a route and report therson as follows"; Allen headed east to begin construction on the side of Steilacoom (page 2). The road was hoped to be constructed by the end of 1853 "to accommodate incoming immigrants" (page 2). This document also details some of the first settlements made from crossing the Columbia river to Puget Sound pre-1853.
This is Edward Jay Allen's journal as he traversed the Oregon Trail. The journal is not written in chronological order. A flag has been set at the beginning of the journal, in the middle of the journal, on the June 2nd entry. The journal continues through and back the beginning of the book, and finally back to the adjacent page of the June 2nd entry, dated at October 4th. Writing includes calculations, lists of itemized expenses, and individuals' names on wagon trains.
Edward Jay Allen kept in extensive correspondence with his loved ones in Pittsburgh while on the Oregon Trail. After his return from the Northwest Territories, his letters were amalgamated into a narrative entitled, "Letters from the Oregon Trail." In this narrative, Allen details his quotidian adventures on the trail, starting at Council Bluffs (then Kanesville, Iowa): "[w]e knew but little of the country we should traverse, it was terra incognita. All the region that lay to the westward was marked on the map as the "Great American Desert" (page 3). Throughout his accounts, Allen encounters other pioneers venturing West, Native Americans, and details the strenuous labor and setbacks that he endured during his trip.
The narrative is re-told and typewritten in 1913, with a preface from the author. External sources argue that the typewritten manuscript was actually written around 1908 (Larsen and Johnson).
Included in this subseries are genealogical and official documents of Hervey Allen's families. In this subseries is the oldest document in the papers, a marriage certificate between John Gill and Anna Caldwell dated at February 24, 1831. Also included are the Golden Wedding invitations and mementos of both Hervey Allen's great-grandparents, Edward Allen Sr. and Amelia Bindley Allen in 1866, and his grandparents, Colonel Edward Jay Allen and Elizabeth Robinson Allen in 1907. Other documents include estate and financial documents.
Contains "Notes for Family History" which traces Allen history from England to Pittsburgh. Also contains detailed biography of Edward Jay Allen, a handwritten family tree, and history of "Edgehill."
Containers
box 173, folder 5-6
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box 173, folder 7
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box 173, folder 8
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box 173, folder 9
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box 173, folder 10
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box 173, folder 11
Scope and Content Notes
Various members of the Allen family were also writers, including his grandfather who wrote the Civil War inspired poem, "The Veteran." His father, William Hervey Allen Sr., wrote amateur poetry as well. Colonel Edward Jay Allen's works can all be found in his own subseries, Boxes 156-160. In this subseries are numerous creative endeavors written by other members of the Allen family including his wife Ann Andrews Allen, and his great-uncle, William Hervey Allen.
Containers
box 173, folder 12
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box 173, folder 13
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box 173, folder 14
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box 173, folder 15
Containers
box 173, folder 16
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries contains the bulk of all photographs in the papers. When possible, folders are listed by identified individuals and date. If there is no discernable name and/or date associated, photographs were grouped as unidentified individuals, groups, or places. Other materials found here are photographic negatives, photographic reproductions, and associated materials found with photographs. Please note: folders are fastened with plastic clips, please use precaution upon perusal. Place folders flat on a stable surface upon removal of clips.
See Also
Oversized photographs of Hervey Allen and the Allen family exist in Boxes 189-194.
These are photographs of the home Colonel Edward Jay Allen kept on Braddock Road, Pittsburgh. According to inscriptions on the back of these photographs, the home was built at about 1879. The Allens lived here until 1900 when it was purchased by a M. Lovejoy who demolished the home soon after.
Containers
box 178, folder 3
Containers
box 178, folder 4
Containers
box 178, folder 5
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box 178, folder 6
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box 178, folder 7
Containers
box 178, folder 8
Containers
box 178, folder 9
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries includes personal journals and scrapbooks composed by various members of the Allen family including George T. Allen, great-uncle of Hervey Allen. At the age of 20, George was killed on May 6, 1847 on board The New Hampshire, a steamboat captained by his older brother, William Hervey Allen. First account portrayal of the accident is evident in William's journals. William Hervey, who was deeply affected by the accident, took a great deal of responsibility and sorrow because of it. Mention of the accident is also evident inLloyd's Steamboat Directory and Disasters of the Western Waters, 1856 (in the Hervey Allen personal library collection). Also included here is the Colonel Edward Jay Allen and Elizabeth R. Allen's Golden Wedding Scrapbook.
Mementos, personal items, postcards, and newspaper clippings gathered by the Allen family including a sermon pamphlet from the Presbyterian Church given just days after the assassination of President Lincoln.
Containers
box 185, folder 1
Containers
box 185, folder 2
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box 185, folder 3
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box 185, folder 4
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box 185, folder 5-6
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box 185, folder 7
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box 185, folder 8
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box 185, folder 9
Containers
box 185, folder 10-16
Containers
box 185, folder 17
Scope and Content Notes
Sermon about Lincoln's assassination.
Containers
box 185, folder 18
Containers
box 185, folder 19
Containers
box 185, folder 20
Scope and Content Notes
This series is dedicated to housing oversized or three-dimensional materials including artwork, galleys, newspapers, and familial ephemera. Some materials in this series are on permanent display, please see Special Collections staff for more information.
Scope and Content Notes
Featured here are various art works including pieces by John White Alexander, who lived with the Allen family as a young man. While working as a telegraph boy, the orphaned Alexander was taken under Edward Jay Allen's tutelage. Allen provided financial support and encouragement to the young Alexander, allowing him an artist studio in his home at "Edgehill." A photograph of Alexander as a young man and the rest of the Allen family posing outside of "Edgehill" exists in the Family Oversized, Box 193.
Other art works include prints, reproductions, and oversized Anthony Adverse posters. Some of these materials are on permanent display, please see Special Collections staff for access to these materials.
Containers
box 185, frame 1
Containers
box 185, frame 2
Containers
box 185, frame 3
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box 185, frame 4
Containers
box 186, folder 1
Containers
box 186, folder 2
Containers
box 186, folder 3
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box 186, folder 4
Containers
box 186, folder 5
Containers
box 186, folder 6
Separated Material
Item is on shelf next to Box 186.
Containers
box 186, folder 7
Separated Material
Item is on shelf next to Box 186.
Containers
box 186, folder 8
Separated Material
Item is on shelf next to Box 186.
Containers
map-case 1
Separated Material
On top of Map-Case 1.
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries includes galley proofs of Allen's works. Each proof is described on an item-level by title.
Containers
box 187
Containers
box 188
Scope and Content Notes
This subseries features oversized materials such as awards and diplomas, blueprints, photographs, literary works and promotional materials regarding Hervey Allen. Hervey Allen's military coat and a honorary flag are featured in box 190 and 195.
Containers
box 189
Containers
box 190
Containers
box 191
Containers
box 192
Containers
box 195
Containers
box 195, tube 1
Scope and Content Notes
Included are two nautical charts that Hervey Allen used to course his journey on the Chesapeake Bay between Piney Creek, Maryland and his home at Bonfield Manor in Maryland.
Scope and Content Notes
In this subseries are oversized materials belonging to the Allen family including personal items, ledgers, photographs, obtituaries, and manuscripts. Some highlights include a handwritten poem by Colonel Edward Jay Allen and an oversized photograph of the Allen family pictured with a young John White Alexander at "Edgehill" dated in 1876 (note: photograph is in two pieces).