Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Marion Sherrard Oneal Papers, 1910-1962
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Oneal, Marion S. (Marion Sherrard)
- Title
- Marion Sherrard Oneal Papers
- Dates
- 1910-1962 (inclusive)19101962
- Quantity
- .2 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 22
- Summary
- Marion Oneal was a Montana writer, teacher, and homesteader. Collection consists of correspondence (1916-1962); copies of published articles and poems (1910-1960) reflecting her experiences teaching and homesteading at Big Breezes and farming near Libby; and an unpublished article on the town of Bannack.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Marion Sherrard was born in Marion, Alabama, in 1884, the daughter of James and Helen Raymond Sherrard. After graduating from Tulane University in Louisiana, she moved to Montana where she taught at several rural schools in the Big Hole Basin. In 1912 she married Glen Oneal at Bannack. She returned to school at Montana State University in Missoula, graduating in 1913. The Oneals later moved to Libby, and then in the 1940s to Pomeroy, Washington. In 1910, Marion Sherrard began writing articles, stories, and poems for several national magazines, including Colliers, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, and The Land. These articles fictionalized her experiences teaching and homesteading in Montana. She wrote under her maiden name, and as Oneal, M.S. Oneal, and M.S. O'Neil. One of Mrs. Oneal's poems, "Christmas Child," won a gold medal in a contest sponsored by the National Poetry Center in New York. Another, entitled "Best Wishes to a Cloud," won a state-wide poetry contest sponsored by the Montana Federation of Women's Clubs. She was also a honorary member of the Eugene Field Society and the International Mark Twain Society.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection consists of correspondence (1916-1962); copies of published articles and poems (1910-1960) reflecting her experiences teaching and homesteading at Big Breezes and farming near Libby; and an unpublished article on the town of Bannack.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Incoming Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1 | Miscellaneous (correspondents include National Poetry
Center, Eugene Field Society, International Mark Twain Society) |
1916-1945 |
Photographs Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 2 | List of photographs transferred to the Photograph
Archives |
Writings Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 3 | "Bannack, Ghost Town" |
undated |
| 1 / 4 | Poems (mostly published) |
1938, 1941, undated |
| 1 / 5 | Stories (mostly published; includes "My Montana
Homestead," "The Ranch Nobody Wanted," "A Cow-boy Hold Out," "The Schoolmarm at Big
Breezes," "Big Breezes Kaleidoscope," "Busting a Broncho School," "The Rustlers' Pay,"
"Kidnapping a Cook," "The Answer Is Water," "Can't Keep a Good Town Down," "Wallowa:
Beloved Land" and various short pieces) |
1910-1960 |
| 1 / 6 | List of works; "Recipe for Making Skis in 1910";
resume |
1910-1961, undated |
Clippings Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 7 | List of best short fiction of year; award given to
Marion Oneal, alumni news |
1915-1954, undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Authors--Montana
- Rural schools--Montana
- Women homesteaders--Montana
- Women teachers--Montana
Personal Names
- Oneal, Marion S. (Marion Sherrard) (creator)
Geographical Names
- Bannack (Mont.)
- Big Breezes (Mont. : imaginary place)
- Libby (Mont.)
Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2005
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
