Charlotte Shivvers papers

Collection

Identifier: IWA0896

Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

The Charlotte Shivvers papers date from 1940 to 2015 and measure 2.67 linear feet in 5 containers. The records are arranged in two series: Biographical (1940-2015) and Unitarian Universalist Church (1979-2018).

The Biographical series (1940-2015) contains Shivvers’ autobiography that she compiled into a binder. Scrapbooks detailing Shivvers’ school years and her time in 4-H are included, along with an essay by Shivvers about her father, John Shivvers. The essay describes his experiences in France during World War One and the insights on farming and ethics that he passed onto his daughters.

The Unitarian Universalist Church series (1979-2018) contains sermons written and delivered by Shivvers at the Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society in North Hills, California. Her sermons range from topics of love and service to adoption and affirmative action. Also included is a binder detailing Shivvers’ ministry work, as well as a file on Shivvers’ work for the Witness for Peace organization in 1985.

Dates

Creation: 1940-2015

Creator

Shivvers, Charlotte, 1935- (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Charlotte Shivvers was born in 1935 to John and Vera Shivvers on their family farm in Knoxville, Iowa. John Shivvers was elected to the Iowa State Senate in 1962, but died before he could take office. Vera Shivvers filled her husband's seat, becoming the third woman to serve in the Iowa State Senate. Charlotte Shivvers married twice, first to Vergil Brown, with whom she had three children, and later Bob Baker.

She worked as a realtor before becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister in California. In 1996, she returned to Iowa to practice sustainable farming with her sisters Martha Shivvers Skillman and Marietta Shivvers Carr on the family's 520 acre farm, which they inherited in 1990. Charlotte Shivvers later founded the Rural History Buffs, a guided tour company that explored Iowa history.