Georgine Milmine Collection the Mary Baker Eddy Library
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Georgine Milmine Collection Bulk Dates 1903 - 1909 The Mary Baker Eddy Library 6 Document Cases, 2 Small Document Cases 3 Linear Feet Processed: January 2010 – January 2011 By: Amanda Gustin and Nicole Lapenta Access: Access to this collection is in accordance with the policies of The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity. Acquisition: Purchased by The First Church of Christ, Scientist from a New York Manuscript dealer in June 1920. Copyright: Requests for permission to publish should be directed to The Rights and Permissions Group, The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, 210 Massachusetts Avenue, P03-25 Boston, MA 02115. Tel: (617) 450-3400 Email: [email protected] Georgine Milmine Collection - Scope and Content Notes The Georgine Milmine collection documents research, writing, and correspondence related to a series of articles about Mary Baker Eddy that appeared in McClure’s Magazine from January 1907 to June 1908. The collection also contains material related to the 1909 biography by Georgine Milmine titled The Life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of Christian Science. The collection also contains later correspondence and memos related to the purchase and subsequent handling of the papers by The First Church of Christ, Scientist. The bulk of the collection dates from 1903 – 1909, during the research, writing, and publication of the original McClure’s articles. The early years primarily document the preparation of the articles, and the later years document public reaction to the articles, both favorable and unfavorable. There exists the possibility that some of the research material included in Milmine’s notes was actually prepared prior to 1903 by Frederick W. Peabody, but no outside verification has yet been made. A subset of the collection dates from the early 1920s and is concerned with the acquisition and organization of the collection. The total date range of materials is 1903 to1930. The organization of the collection follows, roughly, its original order as documented in a June 1920 inventory made by employees of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, following the Church’s purchase of the papers. The inventory is included in the collection and items that have been moved are marked. There are ten subseries, each containing a type of record as grouped by the original inventory. The records are in mixed physical condition. The bulk have some wear at fold lines and edges, and are yellowed, but in otherwise good condition. Some papers have deteriorated further, and the scrapbook of clippings is in average condition. All items have been copied for public use. The majority of the collection is unique to this location; some memos exist in multiple copies, and Milmine’s typed selections from Eddy’s writings exist in published form. There are no restrictions on use of the collection. The collection was generated primarily by Georgine Milmine as she set out to write a series of articles about the life and work of Mary Baker Eddy. In this pursuit, she took extensive research notes, both from library work and from personal interviews, kept a clippings file of newspaper articles, collected photographs, and retyped passages from Eddy’s published writings. She eventually turned her research into drafts of articles, none of which seem to bear any resemblance to the final published articles. Her work also sparked a great deal of correspondence involving Milmine, various McClure’s editors, and individuals writing to express approval, disapproval, or offer more information about Eddy. Biographical Notes Adams, Georgine Milmine Welles (1874-1950) Georgine Milmine was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1874. According to most accounts, she was inspired by Ida Tarell's reporting on Standard Oil in McClure's Magazine, and decided to write about Mary Baker Eddy in a similar fashion. She spent a number of years (most likely 1903 - 1906) interviewing and researching for the articles, and turned in her materials as well as early drafts to McClure's, after which her involvement with the project was limited. The articles were largely rewritten by staff editors. Milmine worked for a time on the staff of the Syracuse Herald, editing its women's pages, and married its managing editor, Benjamin Welles, on August 22, 1905. She moved with him to Auburn, New York, when he became an editorial writer for the Auburn Citizen. Welles passed away in 1911 and Milmine married Arthur A. Adams, a prominent druggist in Auburn, on August 24, 1914. References indicate that she continued as a newspaper and magazine writer, but no other work of hers has ever surfaced. Milmine and her husband moved to Falmouth, Massachusetts in 1937, and Milmine passed away on August 27, 1950, three weeks before her husband. Cather, Willa (1873-1947) Willa Cather was born in Virginia, and moved to Nebraska with her family when she was four years old. At one time she wanted to become a surgeon, but after she graduated from the University of Nebraska, she began writing for newspapers following a lively undergraduate literary career. After some time in Pittsburgh, she accepted an editing job at McClure’s in 1906; in 1908 she became managing editor, and stayed in that position until 1912, when her first book – Alexander’s Bridge – was published. Subsequently, she wrote books and short stories full time, and was an extremely accomplished and prolific writer; her most famous works, such as My Antonia, O Pioneers!, and Death Comes for the Archbishop, all deal with life in the American West, and often have semi-autobiographical elements. Cather passed away in 1947, at the end of a long and distinguished career. Hendrick, Burton J. (1870-1949) Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Hendrick attended Yale University, continuing on there to receive his master’s in 1897. After graduation he went to work for the New Haven Morning News. Within a few years, he had moved to New York and was writing for a number of publications such as The New York Evening Post and The New York Sun. In 1905, he was hired as a staff writer at McClure’s, where his most prominent work was an exposé titled ―The Story of Life-Insurance.‖ In September 1912, Hendrick wrote an article for McClure’s titled ―Christian Science Since Mrs. Eddy,‖ calling on his earlier involvement in editing the Milmine series. In 1913, Hendrick left McClure’s to serve as an associate editor of World’s Work; in 1919, he struck out on his own as an extremely successful biographer. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1921, for The Victory at Sea; in 1923, for The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page; and in 1929, for The Training of an American. He continued on to write several ―group‖ biographies of businessmen and politicians, and was working on a biography of Louise Whitfield Carnegie, wife of Andrew Carnegie, when he passed away. Irwin, Will (William Henry) (1873-1948) A graduate of Stanford University, Irwin worked for a number of newspapers including the San Francisco Sun, the New York Sun, and then as an editor of McClure’s Magazine from 1901-1907. He won acclaim for his coverage of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and was a war correspondent for the Saturday Evening Post during the First World War. He later wrote plays, novels, and corresponded extensively with Herbert Hoover. Irwin was married to the feminist author Inez Haynes Irwin (who published as Inez Haynes Gilmore) from 1916 until his death. Peabody, Frederick W. (1862-??) Peabody was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended the New York Polytechnic Institute, then Columbia University. He received a law degree in 1888, and after passing the New York bar, moved to Boston. There, he married Anna May, daughter of a prominent Boston family; their marriage was a tumultuous one that ended in divorce in 1908 after several court cases and accusations that he had stolen and spent his wife’s inheritance. In 1899, Peabody was hired by Josephine Woodbury to prosecute a libel suit against Mary Baker Eddy. What began as a simple attempt to earn money and fame seems to have turned personal, and Peabody spent the rest of his life fighting bitterly against Eddy and Christian Science. He delivered the lecture A Complete Exposé of Eddyism or Christian Science: The Plain Truth in Plain Terms Regarding Mary Baker G. Eddy, then published his talk as a pamphlet in 1901. He delivered further lectures on the same topic, and went on to write two more books. From 1906-1907, he corresponded with Georgine Milmine and Willa Cather, and a portion of the research and testimonies they used to write the McClure’s articles seem to have come from him; he probably introduced them to many of the individuals they interviewed. Many of the accusations and assumptions he used in his lectures and writings re-appear in the McClure’s articles. In March 1907, Peabody joined in the ―Next Friends‖ suit against Mary Baker Eddy as a junior counsel. He was in fact a moving force behind the entire suit, which accused Eddy of being incompetent to manage her affairs. The suit was dismissed in October 1907. Peabody remained in contact with Eddy’s son George Glover, and was invo lved in the suit to contest Eddy’s will in 1911. Georgine Milmine Collection – Folder Descriptions The Georgine Milmine collection is largely preserved in the original order in which they were received when purchased by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, from a New York manuscript dealer in June 1920. The records were later grouped into ten series, as below: I. Scrapbook II. Inventory and General Information III. Affidavits and Interviews IV. Letters V. Miscellaneous Items VI.