Contents

Collection Overview

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Organization of the Collection

Search Terms

Thyra Jane Foster Papers, 1917-1984

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Danielle M. Ryan.

© 2005

Biographical Note

Thyra Jane Meyers Foster, a secondary school teacher, author, archivist and Mount Holyoke College graduate, was born on March 12, 1898 in West Branch, Iowa to Joseph E. Meyers, a dairy farmer, and Mary Meyers. She attended Westtown Preparatory School in Westtown, Pennsylvania and went to Mount Holyoke College from 1917-1921, graduating with a B.A. in chemistry and minors in zoology and physiology. She married Henry C. Foster, a farmer, on September 5, 1924 and had three children. She taught high school chemistry, physics and Latin for seventeen years. She worked at the Barnesville Friends Boarding School in Barnesville, Iowa from 1921-1924 and at Coventry High School in Coventry, Rhode Island from about 1945-1960. She subsequently founded the New England Friends Archives (housed at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library) and worked there from 1960-1980. She was very active in the Quaker religion and held numerous state and local offices in the American Friends Association. She died in Warwick, Rhode Island on June 29, 1984 at the age of eighty-six.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Thyra Jane Foster Papers are comprised of course records, a scrapbook, writings by Foster, correspondence, memorabilia and photographs. Most of the material in the collection relates to her years as a Mount Holyoke College student, 1917-1921. Course records consist of a notebook, examinations, and papers for a zoology course on chick embryology and compositions written for her freshman English course. Her scrapbook contains photographs of Mount Holyoke students, faculty and buildings as well as programs to several college events such as Faculty Show, Junior Show and Debating Society events. Writings by Foster consist of copies of three of her publications: Rhode Island Quakers in the American Revolution 1775-1790 (1976), A Tribute to Elizabeth Foster, Member of an Uncommon Family (circa 1980), and Growing Up in a Friends Family in Iowa 1902-1907 and Growing Up in a Friends Family on an Ohio Farm 1907-1915 (1983). Correspondence includes letters from Mount Holyoke administrators concerning her scholarships and remunerative work and letters from friends, 1918-1983, as well as Christmas cards and notes from Marion Kendall Parsons, circa 1940-1967, a member of the Mount Holyoke College Class of 1923. Most of these cards are illustrated with photographs of Parsons' children. Memorabilia includes notes and greeting cards from friends and copies of College songs. Biographical information consists of newspaper articles about Foster and a copy of her obituary, 1968-1984. Photographs in the collection include one of Foster taken at a Mount Holyoke reunion in about 1971, slides taken at reunions, 1958-1981, and photographs of several Mount Holyoke classmates.

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Search Terms

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into seven series:

• Course Records (1917-1921)
• Scrapbook (1917-1921)
• Writings (1976, circa 1980, 1983)
• Correspondence (1918-1983)
• Memorabilia (circa 1917-1921)
• Biographical Information (1968-1984)
• Photographs (circa 1920-1981)

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Course Records 1917-1921

Scrapbook 1917-1921

Writings 1976, circa 1980, 1983

Correspondence 1918-1983

Memorabilia circa 1917-1921

Biographical Information 1968-1984

Photographs circa 1920-1981