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Compositions of Mary B. Griggs

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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library 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

Mary Griggs and her family lived in Center Rutland, Vermont. Mary attended Rutland Union High School from 1861-1864, during which time she wrote the several compositions which comprise this collection.

According to donor information (see "Biographical Note, 1956"), Mary Griggs attended Vassar College, and married the Rev. James Zernold of Philadelphia. Wilson R. G. Bender of Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1985), was the grandson of Mary's brother, George Henry Griggs, to whom she makes reference in, "How I do wish my schooldays were over!"

Biographical AND/OR historical information derived from the collection.R.L. Polk & Co. Wilmington City Directory. Richmond, VA: R.L. Polk & Co., 1918-86.

Mary Griggs and her family lived in Center Rutland, Vermont. Mary attended Rutland Union High School from 1861-1864, during which time she wrote the several compositions which comprise this collection. In addition, the collection includes a composition, dated 1858, that she wrote when she was younger. These compositions are written in her own hand, most are several pages in length, and many contain comments and corrections written in pencil, presumably by her teacher. Through these brief works one gets a sense of her personality, her interests, and her family life. They also provide interesting reflections of a teenager on life in the 1860s, particularly the story entitled "Old and New," which laments the passage of time, and compares various aspects of life in her time with those of her grandmother. In all of these compositions, there is no hint of the Civil War which was raging at the time, and this silence may reflect the geographical distance of the struggle, the lack of family or friends in the war, or even suppression of her own emotions.

Box 99: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes

Wilson R.G. Bender, 1956

Processed by Arthur Siegel, November 1997. Encoded by Jaime Margalotti, July 2020.

Publisher
University of Delaware Library Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
Finding Aid Date
2020 July 16
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

Written between 1858-1864, these compositions are holograph manuscripts by Mary B. Griggs. Several of the works have no formal title, so the first line is provided in substitution for these. Also included is a brief biographical note, typed in December 1956, in which some of the information is incorrect -- such as the claim that the letters were written at Vassar.

Biographical Note, December 1856.
Physical Description

1 page

"Sunshine And a Sunbeam", July 1858.
Physical Description

2 pages

"Night", 1861 February 20.
Physical Description

3 pages

"Imagining the Last Day of School,", 1861 June 8.
Physical Description

3 pages

"What a magic power has Eloquence!", 1863 May 2.
Physical Description

2 pages

"Our Sail Down the Hudson", 1863 November 9.
Related Materials

Written during the Fall term, it is noted as the "5th Composition"

Physical Description

3 pages

"One beautiful summer morning", 1864 January 27.
Physical Description

3 pages

"I love solitude", 1864 February.
Physical Description

2 pages

"How I do wish my schooldays were over!", undated.
Physical Description

2 pages

"A Story", undated.
Physical Description

3 pages

"Old and New", undated.
Physical Description

3 pages

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