Ruth Frances Woodsmall Papers, 1863-1968

Ruth Frances Woodsmall was born in Atlanta, Georgia, September 20, 1883, the youngest of three children of Harrison S. Woodsmall, a lawyer and teacher, and Mary Elizabeth Howes, an art teacher. She grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and attended local schools. She received her A.B. from the University of Nebraska in 1905 and her A.M. from Wellesley in 1906. From 1906 to 1917 she worked as a high school English teacher and principal in Nevada and Colorado. Beginning in 1917 and for the next 30 years (with the exception of 1928-32) Woodsmall held various positions with the National and World YWCA. As a member of the National Board of the YWCA of the United States, she worked with the War Work Council directing Hostess Houses in the United States and France during World War I. From 1918 to 1920 she did post war work and field studies of the Baltic and Balkan countries. In 1920 Woodsmall became executive secretary of the Near and Middle East, a post she held until 1928. In 1928 she received a traveling fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation to conduct a study of the changing status of Moslem women in the Middle East. Her 1930 report was later published in 1936 as Moslem Women Enter a New World. In 1930 Woodsmall participated in the Laymen's Foreign Mission Inquiry, an independent ecumenical project of the Protestant churches to assess missionaries' record in converting non-western populations. Her Eastern Women Today and Tomorrow (1933) contained the results of this project. In 1932 Woodsmall returned to the YWCA as staff specialist for the National Board, and in 1935 she became General Secretary for the World YWCA, a post she held until 1947. Between 1947 and 1948 she did special service for the YWCA in Japan.

In 1949 Woodsmall became Chief of the Women's Affairs Section of the U.S. High Commission for Occupied Germany, a position she held until 1952. She was appointed by the Department of State to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women for two sessions in 1949 and 1952. In 1951 she was a member of the UNESCO Working Party on the Equality of Access of Women to Education. In the years following her retirement she continued her research and writings, updating her earlier research in Study of the Role of Women, Their Activities and Organizations in Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria (1955) and Women and the New East (1960). She died in New York City on May 25, 1963.

For additional biographical information, see "Ruth Frances Woodsmall" in American National Biography (Oxford University Press, 1998) and Notable American Women: the Modern Period (volume IV), Belknap Press, Harvard University, 1980.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Ruth Frances Woodsmall Papers consist of thirty-four linear feet of material dating from 1863 to 1968. Types of material include diaries, personal and professional correspondence, research notes and interviews, publications, speeches, reports, photographs, sound recordings, and memorabilia. Extensive correspondence with family and contacts around the world provide insight into Woodsmall's life and work and reflect the status of women in the Middle and Far East as well as post-war (World Wars I and II) conditions in Europe. There is an extensive record of her work for the YWCA (l9l7-1948) and as Chief of Women's Affairs for the US High Commissioner for Occupied Germany (HICOG) (l945-l959. These document her work in Europe during and after World War I and post World War II Germany. They reflect HICOG work with German women to prepare them for citizenship and leadership in postwar Germany and the problems of displaced and refugee populations. The field surveys of the Balkans and the Near East as well as surveys of migration conditions in Switzerland, Italy, France, and Belgium are of particular interest as well as research notes and reports on the conditions of women compiled for the World YWCA.

From October 1931 to January 1932 Woodsmall served on the Commission on Christian Education in Japan and there is correspondence, interviews, meeting reports, proposals, questionnaires documenting this work. There is correspondence, schedules, interviews and reports resulting from her work with the Laymen's Foreign Mission Inquiry and the Baptist Home Mission Study. In addition there is extensive source material on women in the Near and Middle East, and (to a lesser extent) Europe and the Far East, gathered by Woodsmall in support of her publications: Eastern Women, Today and Tomorrow (1933); Moslem Women Enter a New World (1936); and Women and the New East (1960). In addition, there is a substantial collection of photographs of women from around the world during the first half of the twentieth century.

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into seven series:

• I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL
• II. BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL MATERIALS
• III. CORRESPONDENCE
• IV. WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
• VI. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
• V. MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS
• PHOTOGRAPHS
• OVERSIZE MATERIALS

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BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS (1863-1963) 1.5 linear ft

This series is arranged alphabetically and consists of biographical material about Ruth Woodsmall and members of her family: her parents, Harrison Woodsmall and Mary Howes Woodsmall; her sister and brother Helen Woodsmall Eldredge and Hubert W. Woodsmall; and her niece Marlen Eldredge Neumann and husband Robert. Ruth Woodsmall's material includes articles, clippings, biographical sketches and vitae, her birth certification, school material, honors, lecture engagements, memorabilia, and her will.

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL MATERIALS 1911-1957 .5 linear ft

This series consists of a miscellany of business papers which includes employment material, inventories, taxes, insurance information, documents regarding her retirement and pension from the YWCA and investments, and account books. In addition there are items related to the Mary Howes Woodsmall Memorial Foundation for the Encouragement of the Arts (a fund established to develop and promote ceramics in Indiana).

CORRESPONDENCE 1905-1962 6.5 linear ft

This series is divided into three subseries: Family, Friends and associates and Third party. The Family subseries is arranged by person and then by incoming and outgoing. Woodsmall was a prolific correspondent and her letters to her family, especially her sister Helen, provide a rich and detailed description of postwar Europe and her activities overseas with the YWCA and HICOG. The Friends and associates subseries is arranged alphabetically by person and includes both incoming and outgoing. Woodsmall maintained ongoing relationships through the years with her professional associates and there is an overlap between this series and correspondence elsewhere especially in the YWCA subseries of SERIES V. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES. Notable correspondents include Pearl Buck, Clementine Churchill, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Lakshmi Menon, Jawaharal Nehru, Frances Perkins, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Rockefeller, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harry Truman. There is only one letter in the Third party subseries: Mary R. Beard to Mrs. Blaisdell.

WRITINGS AND SPEECHES 1874-1968 4 linear ft

This series is divided into four subseries: Diaries, Notes, Speeches and broadcasts, and Publications and reports. The Diaries subseries contains 44 volumes (1905-62) plus loose pages (1942-43, 1954). These range from line-a-days in the early 1900s with longer entries beginning in the early teens. These personal narratives combined with Woodsmall's correspondence and notes provide an excellent and well rounded view of her life and activities. The Notes subseries is divided into two sections: Countries and Miscellaneous. The countries section consists of notes on China, Egypt, Greece, India, New Zealand, and Russia. Although these may be related to research for her publications or her professional work, their origin is unidentified. The miscellaneous notes consist of eight notebooks some of which are in diary form. In addition there are notes from an economics course she took in Geneva, notes on student themes (Turkey, Egypt, Persia, Jerusalem, India), the United Nations, and miscellaneous and unidentified items.

There are eight folders in the Speeches and broadcasts subseries arranged by date.

The Publications and reports subseries consists of five sections: "Changing Status of Moslem Women"; Moslem Women Enter the New World ; Study of the Role of Women in Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq Jordan and Syria; Women and the New East; and miscellaneous writings.

The "Changing Status of Moslem Women" was conducted with the support of a Rockefeller Grant in 1928. The scope of the study was to ascertain the general trends of change affecting the position of Moslem women in the Near and Middle East and India. It was primarily based on interviews. This section consists of correspondence, notes, reports, reviews, drafts, manuscripts and typescripts, and interviews. Of particular interest are the interviews, statistics, and reports done for the project and student essays on Moslem women.

Moslem Women Enter the New World (1936) represents a composite of research done for the Rockefeller Grant and during Woodsmall's years of service with the YWCA. This section contains correspondence, drafts, reports, reviews, and publicity.

Study of the Role of Women in Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria (1955) updated her earlier research. Of particular interest are the interviews regarding progress of women in the Middle East between the World Wars and into the 1950s.

Women and the New East (1960) includes correspondence and reports, but of particular interest are interviews on the status of women in Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Turkey.

The Miscellaneous writings include an entry for the Encyclopedia Britannica on "Harem," an interview with Eleanor Roosevelt, and three articles: "That They May Not Have Died In Vane," "With The Peoples of France," and "Women in the New Germany."

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 1914-1963 16 linear ft

This series is arranged alphabetically into ten subseries: Baptist Home Mission Study, Commission on Christian Education in Japan, Committee of Correspondence, Laymen's Foreign Mission Inquiry, Liaison Committee of Women's International Organizations, Michi Dawai Christian Fellowship, United Nations, U.S. High Commission for Germany (HICOG), and the YWCA. There is an additional folder about miscellaneous activities. The bulk of the material is contained in HICOG and the YWCA.

In 1934 Woodsmall was asked to evaluate the cooperative and non-cooperative projects of the Baptist Home Mission Society. The Baptist Home Mission Study was the result of this project. This subseries contains correspondence, schedules, and personal interviews with Baptist mission secretaries, workers, and other mission leaders. The final published report, "Study of the Baptist Home Mission Program," is included as well.

In 1931 Woodsmall took a leave from her position at the YWCA and as a member of the Higher Education Commission to Japan took on a research project for The Commission on Christian Education in Japan. Her work for the Commission is represented in this subseries by correspondence, meeting reports, proposals, questionnaires, and the final report: "Christian Education In Japan: A Study, International Missionary Council."

Although it is not clear what Woodsmall's relationship was with the Committee of Correspondence, this subseries contains correspondence, workshop information, and miscellaneous items.

The Layman's Foreign Mission Inquiry subseries contains administrative and preliminary material, appraisal and fact-finding commission's items, correspondence, and reports. Of particular interest are the interviews and conference material regarding Burma, China, India, and Japan along with related questionnaires. There are also interim and final reports plus material related to the final publication of findings: Eastern Women Today and Tomorrow. A copy of the published book is included along with a copy of Re-Thinking Missions: A Laymen's Inquiry After 100 Years written by the Commission of Appraisal.

Between 1940 and 1962 Woodsmall was a representative to the Liaison Committee of Women's International Organizations. This subseries consists of m eeting notes, correspondence, and conference material. It is primarily from the New York Liaison Committee.

Woodsmall was a sponsor of the Michi Dawai Christian Fellowship. This subseries includes correspondence, printed material, notes, and minutes from general meetings as well as meetings of the board of directors.

The United Nations subseries includes reports of the U.N Commission on the Status of Women; copies of the "Newsletter on the Status of Women;" and reports, working papers, and miscellaneous material on a seminar on Civic Responsibilities and Increased Participation of Asian Women in Public Life. In addition there is material related to UNICEF, UNESCO, United States Mission to the UN, and four phonograph recordings entitled "U.N Story."

There is 3.5 linear feet of material in the U.S. High Commission for Occupied Germany (HIGOC) subseries. Much of it is in German. The subseries is divided into eight sections: Conferences, Correspondence, Organization and administration, Woodsmall's personal material, Projects and programs, Publications, Reports, and Subjects. Noteworthy in this subseries are reports on conditions in post war Germany and the status of women, and information on refugees and projects sponsored by the Women's Affairs Section of HIGOC to educate and train German women for public life.

The conference section contains information on fifteen conferences sponsored by the Commission plus an additional folder of miscellaneous conference material. There is significant material on the Bad Reichenhall International Women's Conference (1950), an International Conference of Young Women (1951), and a Panel of Eleven Prominent American Women (American Voluntary Agencies) who visited Germany in 1951.

The Correspondence section consists of one folder of general correspondence arranged by date. Correspondence related to other subjects is located elsewhere.

Organization and administration consist of budgets, history, miscellaneous memoranda, personnel materials, and publications related to HICOG's Women's Affairs Section and Educational and Cultural Division. There are issues of Occupied Countries News Notes as well as other miscellaneous publications and printed material.

Woodsmall's personal material consists of appointment and salary documents, identification papers, memorabilia, notes, and general speeches and reports.

The Projects and programs section contains information on twelve projects and programs. One of the major undertakings of the Women's Affairs Section was to prepare German women for leadership roles and civic responsibility in post war Germany. There are budgets, descriptions, lectures and reports for several projects that relate to this effort. These include a Citizen Training Project and a Women's Institute for Training of Leadership in Citizen Education. The Women's Affairs Section sponsored various exchange programs between the United States and Germany. There are reports, evaluations and statistics regarding these programs as well as information on an exchange conference. In addition, there is material on projects and programs related to German women's organizations, preparing women as effective citizen in economic life, a reorientation, the Tripartite project (an umbrella for a number of other projects), U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Program, Women's Advisory Committee in Bavaria, and Women's Affairs, Hesse.

The Publicity section consists of press releases, material generated by the Public Information Office and Public Relations Division, and correspondence and miscellaneous items related to broadcasts by Gabrielle Strecker on Radio Frankfurt.

The Reports section consists of daily, monthly, and semiannual reports, plus report Highlights and Women's Affairs administrative reports. In addition HICOG engaged consultants and specialists to examine conditions in post war Germany and their reports are included here. There are reports from the East Zone and on German women's activities, reports by visitors to the U.S. from Germany and from Germany to the U.S., and Vocational Guidance and Occupational Activities.

There are twenty seven subjects in the final section, arranged alphabetically. Of note are materials on employment and labor, German occupation and unification, German women, refugees, and religion and religious affairs.

YWCA is the largest of the subseries consisting of six linear feet of material plus the photos in boxes 81 and 82. This subseries is divided into eight sections: 1914-1918 (World War I), Post World War I, Conferences, Correspondence, Organization and administration, Woodsmall, Publications and subjects. As a member of the National Board of the United States, Woodsmall worked with the War Work Council directing Hostess Houses where servicemen could visit with their wives, mothers, and friends. There is material particularly about Camp Pike Arkansas as well as reports, clippings and correspondence from guests. Additionally in this first section is information about the YWCA in France during the war, miscellaneous reports on War work, and issues of War Work Bulletin ( 1917-19) and Women's War Work (1918) published by the YWCA.

Woodsmall's post World War I work is documented in reports she wrote on her way to France in 1918, reports from France on summer camps and war brides as well as from Germany and Switzerland. Of particular interest are field surveys from the Balkans and the Near East. The later include Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Constantinople as well as interim and final reports for her "Near East Survey" which was completed in 1928.

The third section contains information on six conferences (International Suffrage Alliance, Istanbul, National Industrial Assembly Columbus Ohio, Social Service Conference, World Conference of Christian Youth, World Council of the YMCA, and Young Leaders Conference) plus five World YWCA Council meetings (1936-59).

The Correspondence section consists of eighteen folders of General correspondence arranged by date plus individual correspondence with Vera Cushman, Virginia Heim, Sarah Lyon, Marianne Mills, Elizabeth Palmer, Ruth Rouse, and Cornelia Van Asch van Wyck.

The fifth section contains organizational and administrative information. This includes anniversaries, budgets and finances, executive committee correspondence and reports, history and constitution, memorabilia; information related to policies and public relations, annual reports of the General Secretary, and miscellaneous reports and staff information.

The sixth section contains information related directly to Ruth Woodsmall, including employment material, interviews, letters of congratulations on her appointment as General Secretary (1935-36), notes, reports, schedules and itineraries, and speeches.

The publications section consists of the YWCA's publications Blue Triangle (1940-52), Foreign Mail (1931-33), World YWCA Monthly (1935-47) plus a folder of miscellaneous publications.

The final section consists of thirty files. Of particular interest are notes, reports, and printed material on seventeen countries and regions and on refugees, internees and POWs in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Norway.

SUBJECT FILES 1936-1963 .25 linear ft

This series consists of nine miscellaneous subjects alphabetically arranged: Church and Christian organizations, Ewha University, Federal Union, Gandhigram, Islam, League of Nations, Hiroshima Peace Center Association, Speeches by others, and Status of women.

PHOTOGRAPHS 1915-1967 4.25 linear ft

This series is divided into six subseries: Ruth Woodsmall, Family, Friends and associates, Public figures, Professional activities, and Subjects. The photographs of Ruth Woodsmall are divided into two sections: alone and in groups. There are personal photos dating from childhood and YWCA publicity photographs. The group photos consist of Woodsmall with groups in Australia and at HICOG, plus miscellaneous identified and unidentified group shots. The Family subseries contains photographs of Helen Woodsmall Eldredge, Marlen Eldredge Neumann and her family and friends, Hubert H. Woodsmall, and Mary Elizabeth Howes Woodsmall. There is also a folder of miscellaneous and unidentified family photos.

The Friends and associates subseries is arranged alphabetically by individual. There are also a large number of unidentified photos in this subseries.

The Public figures subseries contains photos of Lakshmi Menon, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Eleanor Roosevelt, plus miscellaneous photos.

Professional activities subseries is divided in three sections: YWCA, U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, and United Nations.

There are three sections in the Subject subseries: Conferences, Countries, World War I, and World War II. The bulk of the photographs are contained in the Countries, World War I and World War II sections. Woodsmall traveled widely, especially for the YWCA and for the Laymen's Foreign Mission Inquiry. The countries section contains a substantial collection of photographs from twenty countries, especially China and Turkey. Although many have minimal identification and/or are undated, they provide a rich and valuable insight into the status of women especially in the Middle and Far East. Photographs for Women and the New East are located in this section. The World War I section contains British photographs of farm workers and war industries as well as war work in France. The World War II section contains photographs of WAACs and WRENs, scenes, and war work.

OVERSIZE MATERIALS 1927-1956 1 linear ft

This series consists primarily of Chinese memorabilia. In addition there are photographs of Hubert Woodsmall, HICOG and UN activities; 24 glass slide negatives of women and World War I; Woodsmall's honorary degree certificate and academic hood; Laymen's Foreign Missions Inquiry reports, and her passport.

SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS

SERIES II. BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL MATERIALS

SERIES III. CORRESPONDENCE

SERIES IV. WRITINGS AND SPEECHES

SERIES V. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

SERIES VI. SUBJECT FILES

SERIES VII. PHOTOGRAPHS

OVERSIZE MATERIALS