Contents

Collection Overview

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Organization of the Collection

Search Terms

William Allan Neilson Personal Papers, 1852-1946

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Maida Goodwin.

Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

© 2003

Biographical Note

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The William Allan Neilson Papers consist of 25 linear feet of correspondence, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, press releases, lecture notes, texts of speeches, photographs, and miscellaneous papers which document Neilson's life and career. While these papers contain material dating from Neilson's years at Smith College (1917-1939), his official correspondence as president of the college is stored separately in the College Archives' holdings of records of the Office of the President.

The papers document Neilson's personal life with extensive family material. His letters to his brother and sisters are particularly valuable. Among other things these letters present Neilson's view of life at Bryn Mawr College under M. Carey Thomas, his strong opinions on world politics, his experiences tutoring Helen Keller at Radcliffe College, and his first impressions of Smith College. This series of letters is especially strong for the years between Neilson's arrival at Harvard University for graduate study in 1895 and his marriage in 1905. In addition to the Neilson family correspondence there is extensive correspondence between the Neilson and Muser families plus diaries and writings of Elisabeth Muser Neilson, her parents, and her sister. Much of the Muser family material is in German.

Other personal material such as photographs, correspondence, class notes, and student essays document Neilson's youth and education. His love of his native Scotland and his study of its language and literature are clearly in evidence in his University of Edinburgh essays.

Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1917-1946, document such day-to-day concerns as finances, family health, the running of the household, and travel arrangements.

Neilson's career as professor and scholar of English and Scottish literature is represented by class notes and correspondence with students and colleagues which date primarily from his years at Harvard and Radcliffe. Smith College material includes a few notes for courses Neilson taught in the English department but consists primarily of documentation of the events and celebrations of his presidency such as his appointment, inauguration, tenth and twentieth anniversaries, and retirement. Other material documents Neilson's affiliation with scholarly organizations such as the Modern Language Association, the Scottish Text Society, and the Shakespeare Association of America. There are also texts and notes for speeches on Shakespeare and Burns. Neilson's scholarly publications are represented by a number of articles, an unfinished manuscript for a book on allegory, and proofs for a 1942 edition of Shakespeare's plays and poems. Correspondence and news clippings document other writing and editorial projects in different stages of the work. Two such projects of particular interest are the 'five foot shelf' series of Harvard Classics, which Neilson edited with Charles W. Eliot, and the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary, for which Neilson was editor-in-chief.

In addition to his work as professor, administrator, and scholar, Neilson was much in demand for committee work. As a respected educator and administrator, his advice and support was continually sought by educational institutions and organizations. Correspondence documents Neilson's work as a member of various committees for Harvard University, his suggestions on the planning of the campus and curriculum of Bennington College, and his advice and endorsements for the New School for Social Research and a variety of organizations promoting adult education such as the Affiliated Schools for Workers, the Eliot Foundation for Adult Education, and the Committee on University Extension in the Connecticut Valley.

Neilson was also well-known for his vigorous support of liberal causes of the day. His political activities are reflected in his involvement with a large number of organizations most of which worked for civil liberties, peace, aid to refugees, or improved foreign relations. This work is documented by correspondence with such organizations as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Foreign Policy Association, the American Society for Cultural Relations with Russia, the National Refugee Service, various League of Nations organizations, and the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace.

All of Neilson's interests and concerns are in evidence in his speeches and writings. Texts contained in the papers are a rich source for the study of life at Smith College, and trends in education and politics during Neilson's term as president of Smith (1917-1939). News clippings document the quite considerable attention paid to his views.

Neilson was a renowned speaker who seldom prepared a text, preferring to talk from cursory notes made shortly before the speech was to be delivered. Because of this process the texts contained in the papers are almost exclusively transcriptions. Some of them were edited for publication, others remain more or less as they were delivered. The papers also contain some of Neilson's handwritten notes for speeches.

Correspondence, citations, and news clippings document Neilson's many awards and honors and a group of biographical articles gives an overview of Neilson's life and work. The papers also contain notes, typescripts, and correspondence for Margaret Farrand Thorp's 1956 biography Nelson of Smith.

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Search Terms

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into six series:

• I. Biographical Material
• II. Photographs and Portraits
• III. Academic Life
• IV. Other Activities
• V. Speeches
• VI. Writings

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Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL 1852-1982 8 linear ft.

This series is divided into four sections: 'General;' 'Education;' 'Family;' and 'Writings About Neilson.'

'General' consists of correspondence, news clippings, award certificates and citations, memorabilia, and miscellaneous notes pertaining to Neilson's life, career, and death. The material in this section is arranged by subject with the oversize material in a separate sequence.

'Education' consists of essays, notes, and miscellaneous papers primarily from his years at the University of Edinburgh and at Harvard University. There are two notebooks and an article which pre-date Neilson's college days. This material is arranged chronologically with the oversize material in a separate sequence.

'Family' consists primarily of correspondence with some writings and diaries. Both the Neilson and Muser families are well represented. The material is arranged by family and then alphabetically by individual with oversize material in a separate sequence.

'Writings About Neilson' contains biographical articles and volumes arranged in two sequences alphabetically by title.

Series II. PHOTOGRAPHS AND PORTRAITS 1883-1948 1 linear ft.

Photographs consists primarily of black and white photographs of William Allan Neilson. There are also photographs of Neilson's family, Elisabeth Muser Neilson and her family, and of Scotland. There is a small amount of correspondence with photographers and a 19th-century Neilson family photograph album.

Portraits consists of photographic reproductions of oil, charcoal, and silhouette portraits plus correspondence about the portraits arranged by the name of the artist.

Series III. ACADEMIC LIFE 1898-1941 3.5 linear ft.

This series consists of correspondence, lecture notes, news clippings, and press releases pertaining to Neilson's life as a college professor and administrator. The material is arranged by the name of the institution. Oversize material is in a separate sequence.

Series IV. OTHER ACTIVITIES 1891-1946 4.5 linear ft.

This series documents Neilson's professional and volunteer activities outside of his primary employment. The series has two sections: 'Organizations' and 'Subjects'. Unless otherwise noted the folders contain only correspondence.

The first section, 'Organizations,' is arranged alphabetically by the name of the organization.

Material has been filed in the second section, 'Subjects,' where Neilson was involved with a number of organizations or causes with a similar focus.

Series V. SPEECHES 1901-1944 2.5 linear ft.

This series is divided into five sections: 'Texts-by title;' 'Texts-by date;' 'Texts-by occasion;' 'Notes;' and 'Miscellany.'

The texts have been divided into three categories depending on the information available about the speech. Each text that has a title has been filed alphabetically. Other texts have been filed chronologically (where possible) or by occasion. Unless otherwise noted the texts are in typed or printed form.

'Notes' have also been filed by available information. They are all in Neilson's hand.

'Miscellany' is primarily news clippings and correspondence about Neilson's speeches but also contains a list of the topics of Neilson's Smith College Chapel talks from 1934 to 1936.

Series VI. WRITINGS 1894-1946 5.5 linear ft.

This series has two sections: 'Texts and Notes' and 'Correspondence and News Clippings.'

'Texts and Notes' is made up of manuscript, typescript, and published versions of articles and books by William Allan Neilson. They are filed by the title of the work. Reviews written by Neilson are filed at the end of the section.

'Correspondence and News Clippings' contains correspondence with editors, collaborators, publishers, and fans plus press releases, new clippings, and reviews. They are filed by the title of the work. Also included is correspondence from publishers of periodicals soliciting manuscripts. These are filed together under 'periodicals.'