Betty Wells Papers, 1931-1995, n.d.

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Andrea Sheehan, revised by Jennifer Gunter King.

© 2005


Collection Overview
	Creator:	Wells, Betty, 1913-2002
	Title:	Betty Wells Papers
	Dates:	1931-1995, n.d.
	Abstract:	Wells, Katharine Elizabeth (Betty) Taylor, 1913-2002; student and high school French teacher. Mount Holyoke College graduate, 1935. Primarily consists of letters to her family describing her junior year abroad (1934-1935) and correspondence (in French) with a French friend, Simone Calvet (1933-1995, n.d.) discussing each woman's intellectual, family, and social life, depression and health problems, reactions to World War II and other world events, and thoughts on marriage, motherhood, children, aging, and the nature of their friendship. Also includes writings and scrapbooks from her years at Mount Holyoke, biographical material, and photographs.
	Extent:	( 1 linear ft.)
	Language:	English.
	Identification:	MS 0598, LD 7096.6, LD 7096.8

Biographical Note

Katharine Elizabeth (Betty) Taylor Wells, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (1935) and a French teacher, was born on December 23, 1913 in Boston, Massachusetts to Earl and Helen Travis Taylor. She graduated from the Girls' Latin School in Boston in 1931, and from Mount Holyoke College in 1935. She spent her junior year abroad (the 1933-1934 academic year) studying in France. In June of 1935, she married Richard Dennison Wells, a graduate of the Harvard Engineering School. They lived in Lewiston, Maine and had one daughter, Katharine, who later attended Colby College. In 1963, Betty Taylor Wells began a program at Northeastern University for her master's degree in education, and started teaching French in high school the following year. She received her M.Ed. in 1966. She died on August 6, 2002, at the age of eighty-eight.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Comprised of Correspondence, Writings, Photographs, Biographical Material, and Scrapbooks. Correspondence (1933-1995, n.d.) consists of letters to her parents, written as a Mount Holyoke College student spending her junior year in France, and correspondence (1933-1995, n.d.) with Simone Calvet, a French penpal and later friend. Student letters describe her studies, social activities, and travels in France, Germany and Italy, while the bulk of her correspondence with Simone Calvet reflect each woman's intellectual, family and social life, and their thoughts on marriage, motherhood, world affairs, illness, aging and the nature of their friendship. The Writings series (ca. 1931-1935, n.d.) is comprised of illustrated short-stories, poems, a manuscript entitled, "First Fruits" and a manuscript entiteld, "What is the Subconscious?" and noted as a French thesis (ca. 1934); all authored by Wells. Some of these items were written for English classes at Mount Holyoke College. The Photographs (1931-1989, n.d.) are primarily of snapshots removed from the correspondence from Simone Calvet, as well as a few photographs of Wells as a student at Mount Holyoke. Biographical Material (1934, 1954-55, 1959) consists of newspaper articles announcing her engagement, wedding and other activities as well as a photocopy of her diploma from the University of Paris. The Scrapbook Series consists of two scrapbooks, one dedicated to her years as a student at Mount Holyoke College (1931-1935) and consisting of corresponence, clippings, programs and photographs. The other scrapbook is dedicated specifically to her year studying abroad in France (1933-1934) and includes travel ticket stubs, photographs and correspondence.

Material from this collection is available in an online digital format.

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