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Francis Barton Gummere collection
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Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Francis Barton Gummere (March 6th, 1855 - May 30th, 1919) was born to Samuel J. Gummere and Elizabeth H. Barton in Burlington, New Jersey. He was half-brother of Caroline E. Gummere and John Gummere. In 1870, his family moved to Haverford, Pennsylvania. He became a student at Haverford College. He received his bachelor's from Harvard University in 1875 (the same year he received his master's from Haverford College) and taught there for two years as an English instructor. He then ran the William Swain School for Advanced Work at New Bedford, Massachusetts, and later worked with the Penn Cord and Iron Works. After, he worked the law firm F.I. Gowan, and then as a teacher at the Providence, Rhode Island Friends' School and later at Moses Brown School. He went on to become a professor of German and English at Haverford College in 1888. He studied abroad at the Universities of Berlin, Leipzig, and Jena, and received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Freiburg. He married Amelia Smith Mott in 1882, and he had three children: Richard M., Samuel J., and Francis Barton Jr.
This collection contains the correspondence, diplomas and memberships, portraits, speeches and songs of Francis Barton Gummere. The materials are dated between 1874 and 1925 and typically involve Gummere's time as a professor at Haverford College.
Materials are arranged chronologically
Several photographs of Gummere in this collection were the gift of Mary R.G. Williams, 1951 and The Estate of Rufus M. Jones, 1951.
Processed by Cullen Worth, completed July, 2024
- Publisher
- Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- Cullen Worth
- Finding Aid Date
- July, 2024
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use
- Use Restrictions
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Standard Federal Copyright Law Applies (U.S. Title 17)
Collection Inventory
This folder includes the correspondence of Francis Barton Gummere. The initial five letters were written by Gummere to assorted recipients. The following letters were sent to Gummere by various parties, mainly academic institutions. Topics include teaching positions, publishing, salary increases, and invitations to events and ceremonies. All of the letters are dated between 1874 and 1925. Correspondents include Katherine Lee Bates, Christian Brinton, Hamlin Garland, J. Rendel Harris, Walter Hinchman, Richard M. Jones, A. Lawrence Lowell, S. Weir Mitchell, Maxfield Parrish and Isaac Sharpless.
This folder contains a series of diplomas and awards presented to Francis Barton Gummere. Included is Gummere's doctorate diploma from the University of Freiburg, which is dated 1881 and gives his dissertation as "The Anglo-Saxon Metaphor." Two letters come from the American Philosophical Society, welcoming Gummere to the organization and electing him Councilor in 1918. Other honors include The Elizabethan Club, National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. All of the awards are dated between 1881-1918.
This folder contains a total of seven photographic portraits of Francis B. Gummere. Of the total, four are smaller cartes-de-visite, while the remining three are larger. The smaller photographs (generally taken when Gummere was younger) are dated between 1869 and 1878, however, the larger ones are undated. Most of the photographs only capture Gummere's head, though a few present his entire body, with one depicting him in his study.
This folder contains two songs (dated 1888) and a speech (dated 1909) written by Francis Barton Gummere. The songs are written on a single sheet of paper and contain titles as well as short paragraphs intended for the recipient. The content is primarily focused around the sea. The speech was written for the inauguration of President A. Lawrence Lowell of Harvard University and two copies are included. Gummere was chosen to represent certain qualities of Haverford College and, in doing so, he outlines the benefits of a small college and gives a brief history on Haverford's founding and connection to Quakerism.
This folder contains a single song, with lyrics written by Francis Barton Gummere and music by Ernest W. Brown. Included is a full page of sheet music, detailing the melody, with lyrics for the first verse below the notes. Subsequent verses can be found labeled below and to the right of the melody. The song reads as an ode to Haverford, praising its continued education in the classics and success in sporting events. The folder also includes information about a Gummere exhibition in 1955, during which the song was displayed.