Caroline A. Henderson Papers, 1908-1967. MS 0547
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-06-20T11:31-0400
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Caroline A. Henderson Papers
Creation of Caroline A. Henderson Papers
Time of Creation of Caroline A. Henderson Papers
Henderson, Caroline A. (Caroline Agnes), 1877-1966
Biographical History for: Caroline A. Henderson Papers
Biographical Note Caroline Agnes Boa was born on April 7, 1877, in Wisconsin. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1901 and taught high school English and Latin in Red Oak, Iowa until 1903. She then taught in Des Moines, Iowa until 1907. Henderson took up a "claim" to land in the panhandle of western Oklahoma, not far from the New Mexico border. On May 7, 1908 she married Wilhelmine Eugene Henderson, a farmer. They lived on a farm in Eva, Oklahoma and had one daughter, Eleanor in 1909. Eleanor enrolled at the University of Kansas and completed a BA and MD at the university. In order to help finance her education, Caroline went to Lawrence and shared an apartment with Eleanor, while teaching school part-time. Caroline also enrolled in graduate courses in English and in 1935 received a Masters of Arts degree. Caroline and her husband lived in Oklahoma through the worst years of the Great Depression and their farm was located in the heart of the "Dust Bowl" region. Caroline's work on the farm included housekeeping, canning, cooking, tending the vegetable and flower gardens, ironing, as well as caring for chickens. In the final years of her life, Henderson suffered from an injured wrist and deteriorating eyesight. As a result of health issues, she and her husband relocated in the winter of 1965 to live with Eleanor in Arizona. Caroline A. Henderson died on August 4, 1966, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Caroline Agnes Boa Henderson Papers consist of Correspondence, Writings, an Herbarium, Biographical Information and a Photograph. The Correspondence series chiefly contains letters written to friends, especially Rose Alden, Mount Holyoke College class of 1901, describing not only the yearly struggles with crop production and natural disasters on the family farm in Eva, Oklahoma, but also family matters, including the development of Henderson's daughter, Eleanor. Of particular note are Henderson's letters regarding the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The second body of correspondence includes letters Caroline and Eleanor exchanged between 1948 and 1961. The content of these letters details news about Eleanor's son David, who was born in 1947 and her family's life in Phoenix, as well as her medical work, Caroline's travels to the West, domestic issues, the weather and books. Writings include published articles in the April 13, 1913 edition of the "Practical Farmer" and "The Ladies' World", in which Henderson had a regular column entitled "Our Homestead Lady". The articles principally discuss crop harvesting and seasonal changes related to farm life. Caroline Henderson's herbarium makes up the third series and contains approximately 30 samples of local flora and fauna native to Iowa and South Hadley, Massachusetts. Biographical Information includes an account of Rose Alden's visit to Henderson's farm in 1940 as well as the sub-series: Eleanor Henderson Materials that document Eleanor's time at the University of Kansas including handwritten notes and typescript drafts of an essay Eleanor wrote on March 20, 1930 while at the University as well as materials from her medical career. The fifth series: a Photograph includes an image of Caroline's nine-year-old grandson David Eugene Grandstaff dressed as a frontier doctor for a Sunday school pageant.
Conditions Governing Access note Unrestricted
Conditions Governing Use note Unrestricted
Processing Information note Original arrangement and finding aid by Patricia Albright, 2003. Updated arrangement and finding aid by Lori Satter, 2011.
College students -- Kansas -- Correspondence
lcsh
Dust storms -- Oklahoma -- Eva -- History -- Sources
Eva (Okla.) -- Description and travel -- Sources
Farmers -- Oklahoma -- Eva -- History -- Sources
Marriage -- United States -- History -- Sources
Mothers and Daughters -- United States
Mount Holyoke College -- Students
Oklahoma -- Description and travel -- Sources
Women -- United States -- Social conditions -- Sources
Women college students -- Kansas -- Correspondence
Alden, Rose, 1878-1961
lcnaf
Henderson, Eleanor, b. 1909
local
Henderson, Wilhelmine Eugene, d. 1966
University of Kansas - History - Sources
ingest
aat
series
Correspondence
Scope and Contents note This series consists of letters written to and from Carolina Boa Henderson between 1898 and 1965. The majority of the letters were written between Henderson and her daughter Eleanor between 1930 and 1960. The contents of the letters include the weather, farming conditions, travel, Eleanor's education and medical practice, as well as comments about Caroline's deteriorating health.
Related Archival Materials note View digitized content for this series
Creation of Correspondence
Time of Creation of Correspondence
Undated
Writings
Creation of Writings
Time of Creation of Writings
Scope and Contents note This series includes articles Caroline Henderson wrote that were published between 1912 and 1914, in the Practical Farmer, as well as an advice column published monthly between 1915 and 1917 in the Ladies World magazine. Henderson's essays The Woman who Raised her hand: a true story from life, in a letter to the Editor, propounding a problem in ethics which readers will please help to solve, Bringing in the Sheaves, Loneliness, and Raising Turkeys are also included in this series.
Publications based on Caroline Boa Henderson's Writings
Creation of Publications based on Caroline Boa Henderson's Writings
Time of Creation of Publications based on Caroline Boa Henderson's Writings
Herbarium
Creation of Herbarium
Time of Creation of Herbarium
Biographical Information
Scope and Contents note This series contains a typescript account fellow Mount Holyoke College classmate, Ruth Alden wrote after visiting Caroline Boa Henderson on her farm in Oklahoma in September 1940.
A visit to the home of Caroline Boa Henderson
Eleanor Henderson Materials
Creation of Eleanor Henderson Materials
Time of Creation of Eleanor Henderson Materials
Photographs
Creation of Photographs
Time of Creation of Photographs
Scope and Contents note This series contains a single photograph of Caroline Boa Henderson's grandson David Eugene Grandstaff aged nine years old dressed as a frontier doctor for a Sunday school pageant.