An aggregation of resources
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
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| Creator: | Barrus, Clara, 1864-1931 |
| Title: | Clara Barrus Papers |
| Dates: | 1901-1931 |
| Quantity: | 5.8 cubic feet (29 boxes) |
| Abstract: | Correspondence from John Burroughs to Clara Barrus and Barrus' journals, written from 1901 to 1924, spanning the years in which she was acquainted with Burroughs. Also, scraps of notes or published articles written about or by Barrus. |
Clara Barrus was born in Port Byron, New York in 1864. She studied medicine at Boston University and received her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1888. For several years she was in private practice in Utica, New York, but in 1893 she became an assistant physician at the Middletown Hospital for the Insane. In addition, she served as professor of psychiatry at Women's College of New York City. She left Middletown Hospital after seventeen years, and in 1912 she opened a private sanitarium in Pelham, New York, until her retirement in 1914.
Doctor Barrus met John Burroughs while she was practicing medicine, and was associated with him for almost two decades, until his death in 1921. She was Burroughs' friend, secretary, biographer, and almost constant traveling companion. When he died, Barrus was named his literary executor. Among other works, she edited two posthumous volumes of Burroughs' essays, and wrote WHITMAN AND BURROUGHS, COMRADES, about the relationship between Burroughs and poet Walt Whitman.
Clara Barrus died on April 4, 1931, after a long illness.
TopThe bulk of the Clara Barrus Papers is made up of correspondence from John Burroughs to Clara Barrus. Letters from Barrus to Burroughs may be found in the John Burroughs Papers. The rest of the collection is mostly superficial, containing scraps of notes or published articles written about or by Barrus. The notable exception is a series of Clara Barrus' journals, written from 1901 to 1924, spanning the years in which she was acquainted with Burroughs
TopThis collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Clara Barrus Papers, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Original guide completed May 1995.
Gift of Elizabeth Burroughs Kelley, granddaughter of John Burroughs, 1990.
Series I. Correspondence |
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Series II. Notes and Notebooks |
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Series III. Material about John Burroughs |
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Series IV. Clippings and Photographs |
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Correspondence from John Burroughs to Clara Barrus and Barrus' journals, written from 1901 to 1924, spanning the years in which she was acquainted with Burroughs. Also, scraps of notes or published articles written about or by Barrus.
1 letter, dated "Thanksgiving Night 1886," from Finley (VC 1889) to her cousin "Effie." Finley writes that an excellent Thanksgiving dinner was served at Vassar College, during which the students costumed themselves as English ladies and gentlemen. She describes the events after dinner as including
VC 1913,31 letters, dated between 13 Jan and 8 Apr 1910, from Fitt (VC 1913) to her family. Fitt discusses a spring semester at Vassar College. She describes coursework, lectures, and exams in subjects such as geometry, Latin, medieval history, and Renaissance history. Fitt also discusses features
11 letters, dated between Oct 18, 1912 and Feb 14, 1916, from Frantz (VC 1916) to her friend Rosemarie. Franz provides detailed descriptions of her four years at Vassar College. Frantz discusses her academic experiences, including exams and final papers at the end of each semester, lectures
1 letter from Nellie G. to Isabel Treadwell Towne. Nellie G. reflects on Towne's absence from Vassar as well as other friends who did not return, expressing her loneliness. Nellie also shares concerns about her own health. She relates news from Vassar, including information about their friends'
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