Nellie Day Lawrence papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0903

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Nellie Day Lawrence papers consist of articles and drafts (approximately 1889-1890s), manuscript copies of the Grange Banner (1889-1892), printed ephemera related to the Turner Grange and Maine schools (1885-1942), correspondence (1880s-1930s), and other writing (approximately 1879-1890s). The collection includes manuscripts of poems and multiple working drafts of articles submitted to the Grange Banner. Topics range from musings on the weather and animals to life in Maine, farming, the World’s Columbian Exposition, the local State Fair, challenges faced by women, education, and narratives of travel and adventure.

Articles and drafts consist of stories, poems, and accounts likely intended for publication in the Grange Banner. The collection also contains four compiled handwritten issues of the Grange Banner (some of these appear to be incomplete). In some cases there are two copies of an article, which are likely the author’s original submission and a copy made by Lawrence. While some of the submissions can be found in the extant issues of the Grange Banner, the majority of the articles do not appear in the issues in this collection.

Ephemera related to the Turner Grange and Maine schools consists of Turner Grange program booklets (1891-1914), brochures and magazines related to Maine public schools (1885-1916), Turner Natural History Club Exhibit and Flower Show programs (1934-1942), and copies of the Leavitt Angelus, a quarterly publication by students at the Leavitt Institute in Turner, Maine (1901-1918).

The correspondence consists of letters sent to Lawrence by her family and friends. The bulk of the correspondence spans from 1886 to 1908 and 1930 to 1939, with an absence of letters in between. The majority are accompanied by original envelopes. The letters are written by family members and friends living in New England states. The letters range in content from descriptions of everyday life and health, to responses about events occuring at the Turner Grange, and content for the Grange Banner. A large portion of the correspondence is letters from friend Nellie B. (from Lynn, Massachusetts) and from Lawrence’s siblings.

Other writing comprises diary entries about a trip in Maine, articles, fragments, writings by Lawrence (likely from her school days, circa 1879), and a complete manuscript issue of the Pearl, a newspaper that may have been edited by Lawrence. The Pearl contains articles similar in subject matter to the Grange Banner. Authorship of the articles and fragments varies.

Dates

Creation: 1879-1942

Creator

Lawrence, Nellie Day, 1865- (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

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

Nellie Day Lawrence

Nellie Day Lawrence (born 1865) was an active member and club officer of the Turner Grange, Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, in Turner Center, Maine. At the Turner Grange, Lawrence was involved in organizing events like the annual Flower Show. Lawrence also served as one of the editors of the Grange Banner, an amateur newspaper created by Turner Center locals for the benefit of the community. She was president of the Turner Natural History Club in the 1930s.

Lawrence was born in Buckfield, Maine to parents Almond Curtis Day (born 1838) and Clara (neé Bradford) Day (born 1839). Almond Day was a farmer, agriculturalist, and a Maine legislator in 1897. The Days were both schoolteachers and Universalists. Lawrence had two sisters, Elsie and Clara, and a brother named Wallace. Lawrence and Wallace became actively involved at the Turner Grange, serving as Grange officers and committee members.

Lawrence attended Hebron Academy, graduating in 1887. She may have been a teacher at the Leavitt Institute. Lawrence married Walter Lawrence (born 1866) in 1894. By 1910, the Lawrences lived in Turner, Maine with a fourteen-year-old son named Almore D. Lawrence.

Information derived from dealer description.

Turner Grange

The Turner Grange was organized in Turner Center, Maine, in 1874. Intended to improve agriculture and farming, the Turner Grange was a fraternal organization for men, women, and children. Most farmers in the early 1900s belonged to the Grange, exchanging ideas and techniques about farming. Members attended official meetings twice a month, which consisted of lectures, discussions, singing, readings, and a dinner for families.

French, W. R. A History of Turner, Maine, from its Settlement to 1886. Portland: Hoyt, Fogg & Donham, 1886.Turner Museum and Historical Society. “Turner Grange #23, Turner Center, ca.1910, Description.” Maine Memory Network. Accessed September 18, 2019. https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/30860.

Extent

1.5 linear foot (2 boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Nellie Day Lawrence (born 1865) was an editor and club officer of the Turner Grange, Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, in Turner Center, Maine. The Nellie Day Lawrence papers consist of articles and drafts, manuscript copies of the Grange Banner, printed ephemera related to the Turner Grange and Maine schools, correspondence, and other writing. Topics range from musings on the weather and animals, to life in Maine, farming, the World’s Columbian Exposition, the local state fair, challenges faced by women, education, and narratives of travel and adventure.