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By Correspondent

 Sub-Series

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Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Florence Rickey George papers date from the 1880s to 1965, and measure 13 linear feet. The papers are arranged in 5 series: Biographical, Correspondence, Postcards, Photographs, and Artifacts. The bulk of the collection is correspondence written to Florence by her friends, beaus, and classmates between 1900 and 1917.

The Biographical series includes job applications and job offers for Florence Rickey George, newspaper clippings related to the George’s collie business, and Edward George’s driver’s permit. A 1914 American Motherhood pamphlet from the Willows Maternity Sanatorium contains poems on the topic of eugenics. The series also includes pamphlets and letters relating to Florence and Edward George’s schooling at Colfax High School and the Iowa State Normal School in Cedar Falls. Also included are financial records such as a cancelled mortgage form for the Mission Café in Colfax, Iowa, advertisements and bills, and a 1909 pamphlet about the sale of Peck Indian Reservation Land. The Biographical information folder consists primarily of census records and other genealogical material Mary Noble located on Ancestry.com.

The Correspondence series (1880-1930s) is divided into four subseries: Chronological, Correspondent, Edward George, and Miscellaneous correspondence. The Chronological subseries includes correspondence organized chronologically from 1880 to 1965. The Correspondent subseries is organized alphabetically by the names of major correspondents who wrote to Florence Rickey George. Family members who wrote to Florence George include her mother Mary Rickey and her half-brother J. (Jasper) N. Rickey. The Edward George subseries consists of correspondence to Edward George organized chronologically, including letters from Florence George, his sister Mary George, his father Reverend D. George, and friends such as Effie Brundage. The Miscellaneous correspondence subseries includes letters to Mary George and to Florence’s mother Mary Forrey Rickey as well as Christmas cards and greeting cards sent to the Georges.

The Postcards series includes postcards from the early 1900s organized by correspondent and by subject matter, including many for various holidays, and from Iowa sites such as the Victoria Sanatorium in Colfax.

The Photographs series contains many photographs of Florence Rickey George, Edward George, the Forrey family, the Rickey family, and the George family. The photographs are organized by the subject’s name. Unidentified photographs and portraits and a glass plate negative and print of an old woman in bed with a nurse standing beside her complete the series.

The Artifacts series includes a doll, a puzzle peg game, a 1917 physician’s call-book, Avis George’s 1951 High School yearbook, and blank greeting cards created by the Meskwaki Indians in Tama, Iowa.

Dates

  • Creation: 1880-1965

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 13.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)