A. O. H. Grier letter to Blanche J. Swayne

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0098-F0191

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Delaware historian and journalist A. O. H. Grier (1867-1953) wrote to thank Wilmington native Blanche J. Swayne for her note congratulating him on the publication of his 1945 book, This was Wilmington : a veteran journalist’s recollections of the "good old days" .

Written on July 5, 1945, Grier also thanked Swayne for her help with his study of "Old King's Road," on which he hoped to do more work.

Dates

Creation: 1945 July 5

Creator

Grier, A. O. H. (Albert Oliver Herman), 1867-1953 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Access Information

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, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

A. O. H. Grier (1867-1953)

Delaware journalist and local historian A. O. H. Grier (1867-1953) worked sixty years for the News Journal papers, retiring on June 30, 1945.

On the occasion of his retirement, his book This Was Wilmington : a veteran journalist’s recollections of the "good old days," was published by the News-Journal Company. The volume is a collection of reminiscences based on Grier's observations of Wilmington since 1875. The articles, which appeared regularly in the Every Evening, were written from 1935 to 1945.

Born on March 4, 1867, in Milford, Delaware, Albert Oliver Herman Grier was a graduate of Wilmington High School. He worked his way from printer's apprentice on the Wilmington Every Evening to become editor of the paper in 1934.

Grier, A. O. H.This Was Wilmington : a veteran journalist’s recollections of the "good old days."Wilmington, Del. : News-Journal, 1945.Marquis, Albert Nelson (ed.)Who's Who In Delaware. Volume 1 (1939). Chicago: The A. N. Marquis Company, 1939. p. 342.Rebecca Button, "Oral History Interview with Miss Blanche Swayne, Friend of Artists of the Howard Pyle School, September 9, 1976," MSS 179, Robert H. Richards, Jr., Delaware Oral History collection (Box 10 F186).

Blanche J. Swayne

Wilmington native Blanche J. Swayne was a friend to several of Howard Pyle's students, particularly Stanley Arthurs, N. C. Wyeth, and Frank Schoonover.

In a 1976 interview, Swayne mentioned that she had posed for both Frank Schoonover and Stanley Arthurs. She posed as several of the women in Stanley Arthurs's mural, "Colonel Hazlett Leaving Dover Green."

During much of her life, Swayne was drawn to social work, especially settlement work. She worked at several settlement houses and at one point, "took observation" under Jane Adams in Chicago. Later she was a state investigator with the Children's Bureau. She also worked for fourteen years for Wilmington's legendary Greenwood Book Shop.

Rebecca Button, "Oral History Interview with Miss Blanche Swayne, Friend of Artists of the Howard Pyle School, September 9, 1976," MSS 179, Robert H. Richards, Jr., Delaware Oral History collection (Box 10 F186).

Extent

1 item (1 page)

Additional Description

Abstract

Delaware historian and journalist A. O. H. Grier (1867-1953) wrote to thank Wilmington native Blanche J. Swayne for her note congratulating him on the publication of his 1945 book, "This was Wilmington : a veteran journalist’s recollections of the 'good old days.'"