Contents


Collection Overview

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Organization of the Collection

Search Terms

Series 1: CORRESPONDENCE

Series 2: PROSE AND POETRY OF CARL SANDBURG

Series 3: ARTICLES ON SANDBURG BY ALAN JENKINS

Series 4: MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL ON CARL SANDBURG

Series 5: NEWS CLIPPINGS

Series 6: MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL

Alan Jenkins (AC 1924) Carl Sandburg Collection, ca. 1938-1970

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Peter A. Nelson, Alicia Yang Cao.

Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

© 2004

Collection Overview

Creator: Jenkins, James Alan, 1903-1971
Title: Alan Jenkins (AC 1924) Carl Sandburg Collection
Dates: ca. 1938-1970
Abstract: Jenkins was a Congregational pastor who formed a friendship with poet, novelist and folk singer Carl Sandburg. Collection contains correspondence between Sandberg and Jenkins, articles on Sandburg by Jenkins, other news clippings, photographs, notes, and related letters from Sandburg's literary contemporaries.
Extent: 3 archives boxes(1.5 linear ft.)
Language: English.

Biographical Note

Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet, novelist, folk singer and author of a major biography of Abraham Lincoln.

James Alan Jenkins (1903-1971) was a member of the Amherst College Class of 1924. He was pastor of the First Congregational Church, Elkhart, Indiana (1936); Galesburg (Illinois) Congregational Church (1943-1953); and First Congregational Church of Royal Oak, Michigan (1953-1971). He formed a friendship with Carl Sandburg, wrote on Sandburg and served on the board of directors of the Carl Sandburg Association. Sandburg and Jenkins were mutual friends of Thomas Irwin Starr, another Lincoln biographer and collector of Lincolniana.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection contains correspondence between Sandberg and Jenkins, articles on Sandburg by Jenkins (typescript, clippings and reprints) and other news clippings and materials on Sandburg. Also included are Jenkins' notes on Thomas Irwin Starr and Philip Green Wright. There is an extensive file of photographs of Sandburg, Jenkins and Starr and a file of letters related to Sandburg from Sandburg's literary contemporaries.

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Search Terms

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into six series:

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Series 1: CORRESPONDENCE

Series 1, CORRESPONDENCE, contains 24 letters of Carl Sandburg and in some cases carbon copies of Alan Jenkins' replies. Also in this series are a group of letters from literary figures to Alan Jenkins concerning Sandburg and a group of partial transcripts of photostatic copies of letters concerning an exhibition in honor of Sandburg.


Box

Folder

1 1
Carl Sandburg to Alan Jenkins (includes 1 letter to Tom Starr) 1938-1962

2
Alan Jenkins to Carl Sandburg (includes 1 letter from David Wahler to Sandburg) 1952-1960


Letters to Alan Jenkins (arranged alphabetically by sender's name): n.d.


Angle, Paul M. - 1


Baker, Nina Brown - 1


Beach, Atmore - 2


Bentley, Robert A. - 1


Black, Fred - 1


Boehm, Eric H. - 1


Bombard, Owen - 1


Brown, Athol - 1


Butcher, Fanny - 2


Calkins, Earnest Elmo - 1


Carrutberg, Olive - 3


Cash, Arthur W. Jr. - 1


Cramton, Louis C. - 1


Crile, Helga Sandburg - 1


Dennis, Ruth - 3 plus carbon TL Alan Jenkins to R.D.


Diamant, Nicholas - 1


Dickinson, Frederick - 2


Dilliard, Irving, carbon to, from Alan Jenkins - 1


Durlee, Amy W. - 1


Ellison, Chester - 1


Ferril, Thomas Hornsby - 1


Flad, Margaret - 1


Ford, Anne - 2


Francis, Susie Evert - 1


Golden, Harry - 3 plus carbon Alan Jenkins to H.G. and carbon H.G. to Jerry Freed


Grônberg, Olaf - 1


Graffis, Herb - 2


Hansen, Harry - 3 plus carbon Alan Jenkins to H.H.


Harrison, H.B. - 1


Jinishian, Mari - 2


Johnson, Mrs. Eric - 1


Johnson, Mary Sandburg - 2


Ligon, Margaret H. - 2


Lord, Leroy I. - 1


Lovitt, Craig E. - 1


McCarthy, Catherine - 2


McCoy, George - 1


McCracken, Donald - 1


McCracken, Bernice - 1 plus carbon Alan Jenkins to Mrs. McCracken


Newman, Ralph G. - 4


Norton, William J. - 1


Nyman, Lloyd - 1


Perrine, Owen - 1


Pratt, Harry E. - 4 plus photostat TLS Lilian Paula Sandburg to H.P. (inc. ANS C.S. to H.P.)


Pritchard, John W. - 1


Reader's Digest - 1


Salivar, Mildred - 1


Sandburg, Lilian Paula - 2


Sandburg, Margaret - 1


Sandburg, Richard - 1


Seitz, Harold A. - 1


Shepherd, Jane - 1


Shutes, Milton H. - 1


Sickels, Ada H. - 1


Smith, Arthur - 1


Smith, Harrison - 1


Smith, Shelby -1


Smith, Walter - 1


Springer, William - 1


Starr, Thomas - 2 plus carbon to Daily Tribune, plus AMS by T.S. concerning Acanthus Club (10 pp.)


Starr, Mrs. Thomas - carbon to and from Alan Jenkins - 1


Steichen, Edward - 1


Stevenson, Adlai E. with carbon TL Alan Jenkins to A.S.-1


Stinger, Gilbert - carbon to and from Alan Jenkins - 1


Temple, Wayne C. - 4 plus 4 carbons Alan Jenkins to W.T Thomas, Benjamin P. - 1


Toman, Helga Sandburg - 1


Wachs, Ester - copy of letter from


Wakefield, Olive Lindsay - 1


Walter, Claire - 1


Weirick, Bruce - carbon TL to Mr. Reynall


Wetzler, Josephine - 1


Wiegel, John C. - 3


White, Patricia - 1


Wood, Harry - 1


Wright, Quincy - 2

4
Typescripts of photostatic copies of letters concerning an exhibition in honor of Carl Sandburg at Pack Memorial Library, Asheville, North Carolina. n.d.


List of photostats - 3 pp.


Allen, Robert S.


Atkinson, Brooks


Benton, Thomas H.


Block, Herbert


Bowen, Catherine D.


Brooks, Van Wyck


Conant, James


Cousins, Norman


Dabney, Virginius


Daniels, Jonathan


Dobie, J. Frank


Douglas, William O.


Ferber, Edna


Farrell, James T.


Frankfurter, Felix


Frost, Robert


Hersey, John


Holt, Hamilton


Hutchins, Robert M.


Ives, Burl


Kieran, John


Lewis, John L.


Lilienthal, David E.


McCormick, Robert R.


Mumford, Lewis


Murrow, Edward R.


Nevins, Allan


Overstreet, Harry R.


Rockwell, Norman


Shoemaker, Don


Street, James


Stuart, Jesse


Thomas, Norman


Thurber, James


Van Doren, Mark


Wallace, H.A.


Wilder, Thornton

Series 2: PROSE AND POETRY OF CARL SANDBURG

Series 2, PROSE AND POETRY OF CARL SANDBURG, contains only four items (2 typescript, two printed items).


Box

Folder

1 5
"Moonlight and Maggots" - carbon typescript, 2 pp., plus ANS from Sandburg to Alan Jenkins 1950 Aug 8

6
"Memorandum" (from The Letters of Lincoln Steffens), [1938]; n.d.


"Meditation at Arlington" (broadside), 1943;


"An Address by CS to Illinois State Historical Society...", multilith copy (11 pp.), 1949 Oct 8

Series 3: ARTICLES ON SANDBURG BY ALAN JENKINS

Series 3, ARTICLES ON SANDBURG BY ALAN JENKINS, contains typescripts clippings and reprints of 21 articles on Sandburg


Box

Folder

1 7
"Carolina Dinner with CS" - typescript 6 pp. reprint 2 pp. n.d.


"Home-Town Evening with CS" - mag. clipping 3 pp.


"The Religious Message of CS's 'Remembrance Rock'" - pamphlet 7 pp. plus news clipping on sermon


"Lincoln and Sandburg - Prairie Prophets" - reprint 4 pp.


"CS - Right Kind of Septuagenarian" - typescript 4 pp.


"Sandburg: A Poet Who Keeps on Learning and Growing" - news clipping 1 p. (2 copies)


"Portrait of a Poet at College" - reprint 6 pp. plus news clipping on Jenkins


"CS - Lusty American Psalmist" - news clipping 2 pp., plus news article on Jenkins


"CS's Mentor and First Publisher" - mag. clipping 5 pp., plus 2 reprints


"Review of Always The Young Strangers" - mag. clipping 4 pp.


"Sandburg's Private Printings" - mag. clipping 6 pp.


"CS: The Lincoln Years" - mag. clipping 2 pp.


"Portraits of CS" - 3 reprints


"CS Meditates at 87" - mag. clipping 1 p.


"Anecdotes about CS" - mag. clipping 5 pp.


"CS 1878-1967" - mag. clipping 3 pp.


"Memorial Lines for CS Suggest by His Poem 'Finish'" - mag. clipping - 1 p.


"Fraternal Night Owl" - mag. clipping - 4 pp.


"The Prayers of CS" - pamphlet 7 pp.


"The Long Thoughts of CS" - typescript (unpub.), 9 pp.


"Carl Sandburg" - typescript 5 pp.

8
Chapters from Sandburg biography planned by Alan Jenkins n.d.


"Lincoln Biographer" - typescript 12 pp.


"Political Liberal" - typescript 8 pp.


"Fraternal Night Owl" - typescript 12 pp.


"Seeker-Believer" - typescript 13 pp.


"Creator of Children's Tales" - typescript 7 pp.


"Platform Artist" - typescript 10 pp.


"Anecdotes About Sandburg" - typescript 11 pp.

Series 4: MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL ON CARL SANDBURG

Series 4, MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL ON CARL SANDBURG, contains notes on Sandburg by Alan Jenkins from conversations with Sandburg, biographical sketches, criticism and bibliographic information.


Box

Folder

1 9
Notes by Alan Jenkins from conversations with CS 1951-1953


Notes from Tom Starr's files on CS


Notes from Mrs. A.C. Wachs scrapbooks on CS


Notes on comment by Louis J. Alber

10
Biographical information: 1948-1952


"A Selective Checklist of CS's Writings," - reprint;


Library of Congress bibliography compiled by Thomas S. Shaw, typescript

11
Index of CS tape recordings owned by Leo Orso - Xerox copy - 10 pp. 1966

12
Background information on style of CS - typescript clippings - 34 pp. n.d.

13
Biographical sketches of CS - typescript, clippings 64 pp. n.d.

14
General Criticism on CS's writing - typescript, news clipping 56 pp. n.d.

15
Criticism of Golden biography of CS - typescript, ms. notes, news clippings 18 pp. n.d.

16
CS's 75th Birthday Dinner - 2 programs, typescript of program 12 pp. [1953]

17
Information on Sandburg Contemporaries n.d.


Thomas Hornsby Ferril - notes - 2 pp.


William Carlos Williams - clippings - 2 pp.


Vachel Lindsay - clipping - 1 p.


Ben Hect - new clipping - 3 pp.


Josephine Wetzler - broadside poem, signed


Edwin Ford Piper - typescript poem - 1 p.


Catherine Drinker Bowen - new clippings - 7 pp.

Series 5: NEWS CLIPPINGS

Series 5, NEWS CLIPPINGS, includes general news clippings about Sandburg for the years 1945-1970 and some clippings on Sandburg's publications.


Box

Folder

2 1
Criticism on Always The Young Stranger n.d.


Criticism on Remembrance Rock

2
Criticism on Abraham Lincoln n.d.


Criticism on Lincoln Collector

3
Criticism on Complete Poems, plus notes on In Reckless Ecstasy n.d.

4
Mounted general news clippings 1945-1951

5
Mounted general news clippings 1952

6
Mounted general news clippings 1953

7
Mounted general news clippings 1954-1957

8
Mounted general news clippings 1958-1959

9
Mounted general news clippings 1960-1970

Series 6: MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL

Series 6, MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL, contains photographs of Sandburg, information on Edward Steichen, Thomas Starr and Philip Green Wright.


Box

Folder

3 1
Material on Abraham Lincoln / George A. Dondero n.d.


"Congressman Abraham Lincoln" by G.A. Dondero - pamphlet - 6 pp.


"Lincoln Lore" - pamphlet - 4 pp.


"...Girl That Made Lincoln Grow a Beard" - typescript of news article - 5 pp.


Notes on G.A. Dondero - typescript - 4 pp. plus Photostat of letter to Dondero


News clipping on Lincoln letter - 1 p.

2
Material by Thomas Starr: n.d.


List of writings to TS - typescript - 2 pp.


letter to editor - typescript - 3 pp.


"The Will of Katherine Burke Has Been Probated" - reprint - 6 pp., typescript - 6 pp.


".. I Bid You An Affectionate Farewell" - mag. article - 3 pp., reprint - 3 pp. (2 copies)


"Lincoln and the Methodists" - mag. article 3 pp.


"At The Crossroad of Decision" - reprint 4 pp.


"Beaver Built Where We Now Labor ..." - mag clipping - 2 pp., typescript - 3 pp.


"The Frank Howard Collection" - reprint 5 pp.


"Abraham Lincoln and the Detroit River" - reprint 3 pp. (3 copies)


"When 'Mike' Drew Lincoln" - typescript - 2 pp.

3
Material on Thomas Starr by Alan Jenkins - typescript - 51 pp., reprint - 5 pp., news clipping - 1 p. n.d.

4
Material on Thomas Starr - news clippings, mag. article - approximately 75 pp. n.d.

5
Material on Edward Steichen - magazine clippings - approximately 20 pp. n.d.

6
Material on Philip Green Wright - typescript 17 pp., mag. clippings 2 pp. n.d.

7
Photographs of and concerning CS - 84 pieces n.d.

8
Engravings of Lincoln by Lloyd Ostendorf - 8 pieces n.d.

9
Magazines concerning CS: Journal of Illinois State Historical Society, Spring 1950; Winter 1952; Winter 1953 1950-1953

10
Magazine concerning CS: Lincoln Herald, 1946 Dec 1946


Lincoln Herald, 1949 Oct 1949


Lincoln Herald, 1954 Winter 1954


Lincoln Herald, 1961 Summer 1961


Lincoln Herald, 1963 Summer 1963


Lincoln Herald, 1964 Winter 1964


Lincoln Herald, 1966 Winter 1966


Lincoln Herald, 1967 Winter (2 copies) 1967


Lincoln Herald, 1968 Spring 1968