Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Doris Burn Family Papers, 1886-2011
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Doris Burn Family Papers
- Dates
- 1886-2011 (inclusive)18862011
- Quantity
- 9 linear feet
- Collection Number
- XOE_CPNWS0345
- Summary
- The Doris Burn Family Papers document the life, career, and family history of local children’s book author and illustrator, Doris Burn. The collection also documents the family history of her parents, Lage and Dotty Wernstedt, and members of the Burn family including June, Farrar and South Burn.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The following materials are subject to an access restriction (researchers must receive written permission from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing): Doris Burn Diaries 1954-1967 and correspondence between South and Doris Burn, approximately 1956-1993. Please contact the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies for additional information. Other collection materials are open to the public for viewing, but subject to a publication restriction (expiring 2025-01-01).
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Doris (Wernstedt) Burn was a United States children's author and illustrator, and long-time resident of the San Juan islands of Washington State. She was born April 24th, 1923 in Portland, Oregon to Lage and Adele (Dotty Graham) Wernstedt. Her father was a Swedish-American explorer, photographer, mountaineer, and surveyor for the United States Forest Service and later in life, an inventor and expert in aerial photography and photogrammetry.
Doris Wernstedt attended Grant High School in Portland, and later the Universities of Washington, Oregon State and Hawaii. Her later artist and author statements frequently reference her childhood dream to live on an island: the Wernstedts purchased land on Waldron island in 1934, where they built a summer cabin, and forged close friendships with island residents including the writer June Burn and her family. Doris Wernstedt married South (Robin) Burn - the younger son of June and Farrar - at the end of World War II. Following completion of her studies, they settled at Fishery Point on Waldron island. Doris and South Burn had four children together (Mark, Robin Skye, Cameron and Lisa). The couple separated in 1955, though would remain close friends.
Burn held a life-long dream of becoming a children's book illustrator and author. In 1956, shortly following the birth of her youngest child, she travelled to New York City with a portfolio of drawings to show to publishers. The response that Burn received encouraged her to continue writing and drawing on her return to Waldron island. Her children recall her working late into the night by kerosene lamp (Waldron island had no electricity) after they had gone to bed.
Burn's first published work, Andrew Henry's Meadow, was issued by Coward-McCann in 1965, and won the Washington Governor’s Art Award in 1966. During the 1960s and 1970s, Doris Burn authored or illustrated a total of eleven published works. She later moved to Oakland, California, before returning to reside in Washington (State) - first to care for her elderly mother on Guemes Island, and finally in Bellingham. By the time of her death in 2011, Doris Burn’s best-known work, Andrew Henry's Meadow, had been republished by San Juan Publishing Company (2005), and her books and illustrations have continued to gain recognition as children’s classics.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Doris Burn Family Papers document the life, career, and family history of local children’s book author and illustrator, Doris Burn. The collection also documents the family history of her parents, Lage and Dotty Wernstedt, and members of the Burn family including June, Farrar and South Burn. The collection contains correspondence, photographs, and biographical information from both families as well as professional correspondence relating to Doris Burn’s career as a writer and illustrator, a series of Wernstedt family history publications, and the publications and professional correspondence of Lage and Frederick Wernstedt.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
All collection materials are subject to a publication restriction that will expire on 2025-01-01 (researchers must receive written permission from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before quotation or reproduction of materials for publication). Some specific materials are also subject to access restrictions as noted in this collection guide. Please contact the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies for additional information.
Preferred Citation
Doris Burn Family papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Collection is organized in accordance with the following series arrangement: Series 1. Family and Biographical Information; Series 2. Journals, Diaries and Notebooks; Series 3. Doris Burn Professional Papers; Series 4. Family and Personal Correspondence; Series 5. Lage and Frederick Wernstedt Family History and Writings; Series 6. Photographic Materials.
Related Materials
Related collections at Center for Pacific Northwest Studies include the June and Farrar Burn Papers, South Burn Papers and the Lage Wernstedt Photographs.
Processing Note
About Harmful Language and ContentTo learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content
Acquisition Information
The Doris Burn Family Papers were donated to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies by Skye Burn, with collection materials transferred in installments (2011, 2015, 2016 and 2017) from Skye Burn and Hannah Burn.
Separated Materials
The Doris Burn Artwork and Manuscripts are housed and available at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies as a separate collection.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Family and Biographical Information, 1913-2011Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Doris (Wernstedt) Burn materials |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Birth certificate (copy) |
1923 |
| 1/2 | Confirmation Certificate |
1938 |
| 1/3 | School Records |
1939-1942 |
| 1/4 | Memoirs, Grant High Yearbook--Portland, Oregon |
June 1941 |
| 1/5 | Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Washington--Doris (Wernstedt) Burn |
1947 |
| 1/6A | Passport |
1950 |
| 1/6B | Provisional Elementary Teaching Certificate |
1966-1969 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/7 | South (Bob) Burn, "Whistlepunks and Geoducks," Oral History Interview |
1990 |
| 1/8 | South (Bob) Burn Naval Service Records |
1942-1950 |
| 1/9 | South (Bob) Burn - Reference Letter re: to the Department of Social Work and Human Services re: Burn's boat |
1991 |
| 1/10 | Dotty (Wilcox) Wernstedt - Quiniault: Senior Class Annual, Aberdeen, Washington |
1913 |
| 1/11 | Dotty Graham - Certificate of Commendation from Skagit County Public Works on her 100th Birthday |
1996 |
| 1/12 | June Burn, Living High (First edition, inscribed by author to the Wernstedts) |
1941 |
| Box | ||
| 14 | Farrar Burn - Sheet Music |
undated |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/13 | Newspaper Clippings re: Family in the News |
1942-2004 |
| 1/14 | Newspaper Clippings re: Waldron Island and Waldron Friends |
1976-1999 |
| 1/15 | Obituaries and Memorial Service Programs |
1959-2011 |
| 1/16 | Estate and Property Records - Farrar Burn and Bob Burn(s) |
1916-1977 |
| 1/17 | Estate and Property Records - Lage and Adele Wernstedt; Doris and South (Bob) Burn |
1923-1997 |
| 1/18 | Charles H. Ludwig, A Brief History of Waldron Island |
1959 |
Series II: Journals, Diaries, and Notebooks, 1935-1967Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/1 | Journal--"Doris Wernstedt, Young Lady Forester, 12 years old" |
approximately 1935 |
| 2/2 | Handmade Memory Book--Doris (Wernstedt) Burn & South (Bob) Burn
Homemade book that includes instructions by Doris Burn on how to make a book, "dream" house/cabin plans imagined by Doris and South Burn, and images and writings documenting the couple's experiences in Alaska.
|
approximately 1947 |
| 2A/1 | Diary--Doris Burn
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
September 1954 - November 1956 |
| 2A/2 | Diary--Doris Burn--"Notebook 1"
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
April 1963 - July 1963 |
| 2A/3 | Diary--Doris Burn--"Notebook 2"
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
August 1963 - April 1964 |
| 2A/4 | Diary--Doris Burn--"Notebook 3"
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
April 1964 - May 1967 |
| 2/3 | Notebook of cabin sketches and plans drawn by Farrar Burn |
undated |
Series III: Professional Papers, 1966-2007Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/1 | Correspondence between Virginia Fowler (Editor, Alfred A Knopf Inc.) and Doris Burn |
1967-1968 |
| 3/2 | Correspondence between Atha Tehon (Random House) and Doris Burn |
1967 |
| 3/3 | Correspondence - Robert Nathan to Doris Burn |
1968 |
| 3/4 | Correspondence - General Professional Contacts |
1969 |
| 3/5 | Correspondence - Liesel Moak Skorpen to Doris Burn |
1969-1971 |
| 3/6 | Correspondence - Ian Polonsky (McIntosh and Otis Inc.) to Doris Burn re: The Summerfolk |
2007 |
| 3/7 | Publication Agreement - G.P. Putnam's Sons for When I First Came to this Land Illustrations |
1974 |
| 3/8 | Juvenile Editors List |
undated |
Public Response |
1966-1999 | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/9 | Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award for Andrew Henry's Meadow |
1966 |
| 3/10 | Correspondence - Governor Daniel J. Evans to Doris Burn (Governor's Invitational Writer's Day) |
1969 |
| 3/11 | Correspondence - Denny Sussman (Books for Boys and Girls) to Doris Burn re: Christina Katarina |
1972 |
| 3/12 | Correspondence - Request for Use of Andrew Henry's Meadow for research |
1977 |
| 3/13 | Correspondence - The Waldron School to Doris Burn re: The Summerfolk Play |
1997 |
| 3/14 | Card re: Andrew Henry's Meadow Screen Adaptation |
1998 |
| 3/15 | Correspondence - Presentation request from Anacortes Friends of the Library |
1999 |
| 3/16 | Correspondence - Fan Letters |
|
| 3/17 | Newspaper Clippings - Book Reviews and General Interest Articles |
circa 1969 |
Series IV: Family and Personal Correspondence, 1928-2011Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Wernstedt Family |
1928-2011 | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/1 | Correspondence--Lage Wernstedt to Dotty Wernstedt |
1928 |
| 4/2 | Correspondence--Lage Wernstedt and Dotty Wernstedt |
1943-1960 |
| 4/3 | Correspondence--To Lage Wernstedt |
1943-1955 |
| 4/4 | Correspondence--Fred and Irene Wernstedt to Dotty Wernstedt and Doris Burn (1) |
1942-1976 |
| 4/5 | Correspondence--To Dotty Wernstedt and Doris Burn from Swedish Relatives |
1949-2002 |
| 5/1 | Correspondence--Dotty Wernstedt (General) |
1946-1996 |
| 5/2 | Correspondence--To Dotty Wernstedt re: Lage Wernstedt's Work |
1949-1994 |
| 5/3 | Correspondence--To Dotty Wernstedt re: 100th Birthday |
1996 |
Burn Family |
1939-2002 | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/4 | Correspondence--June Burn |
1944-1950 |
| 5/5 | Correspondence--North Burn to South (Bob) Burn |
1939-1978 |
| 5A/1 | Correspondence--South (Bob) Burn and Doris (Wernstedt) Burn (1)
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
1956-1969 |
| 5A/2 | Correspondence--South (Bob) Burn and Doris (Wernstedt) Burn (2)
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
1970-1980 |
| 5A/3 | Correspondence--South (Bob) Burn and Doris (Wernstedt) Burn (3)
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
1992-1993 |
| 5A/4 | Correspondence--South (Bob) Burn and Doris (Wernstedt) Burn (4)
This file is subject to an access restriction that will expire on 2043-01-01. Written permission required from the Doris Burn Legacy LLC before materials will be made available for viewing (contact repository for more information).
|
undated |
| 6/1 | Correspondence--Doris Burn (General) |
1940-2006 |
| 6/2 | Correspondence--Sally Robison to Doris Burn |
undated. |
| 6/3 | Correspondence--Waldron Friends to Doris Burn |
1964-2005 |
Series V: Wernstedt Family History and Writings, 1886-2004Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 9/1 | Historical Records and Resources re: Lage Wernstedt's Life and Career--Compiled by John Scurlock and Henry M. Majors |
1926-2004 |
| 9/2 | Correspondence--Lage Wernstedt--re: Aerial Mapping Inventions |
1929-1939 |
| 9/3 | Correspondence--Lage Wernstedt and Professor Earl Church |
1936-1937 |
| 9/4 | Patent for the L. Wernstedt Plotting Instrument--Held by Lage Wernstedt |
1942 |
| 9/5 | Blueprint--"Survey for Chevalier/Guard/Nash"--Krabbe & Star, Inc. |
1976 |
| 9/6 | Topographic Map--"Mount Lago Quadrangle" |
1981 |
| 9/7 | Miscellaneous Personal Papers--Lage Wernstedt |
1910-1942 |
| Box | ||
| 13 | Oversized Framed Certificate from U.S. Forest Service to Lage Wernstedt |
|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 7/1 | The Orientation of Oblique Aerial Photographs, by Lage Wernstedt |
1935 |
| 7/2 | "Daily Weather Notes, etc. May 23, 1946," by Lage Wernstedt |
1946 |
| 7/3 | "Instructions for Setting Up and Operating the Ryker Model PL-13 Stereoscopic Plotter, Wernstedt-Mahan Type," by Harrison C. Ryker, Inc.--License: Lage Wernstedt |
1948 |
| 7/4 | CEBU: Focus of Philippine Interisland Trade, by Frederick L. Wernstedt |
1956 |
| 7/5 | Bros Lage from Wilhelm--Compiled by Wilhelm Wernstedt--Collection of Wernstedt Family History and Correspondence |
1952 |
| 7/6 | The Role and Importance of Philippine Interisland Shipping and Trade, by Frederick L. Wernstedt |
1957 |
| 7/7 | The Philippine Island World; A Physical, Cultural, and Regional Geography, by Frederick L. Wernstedt |
1967 |
| 7/8 | Frederick's Mexico Campground Guide and Trailer Atlas by Frederick L. Wernstedt |
1974 |
| 7/9 | Frederick's Pennsylvania Campground Guide, by Frederick L. Wernstedt--Bicentennial Edition |
1976 |
| 7/10 | Frederick's Mexico-Central America Campground Guide, by Frederick L. Wernstedt |
1977 |
| 8/10 | Manuscript--"A Method of Aerial Topographic Surveying Applicable to Mountainous Country," by Lage Wernstedt |
1926-1927 |
| 8/11 | Manuscript--"The Orientation of Oblique Aerial Pictures," by Lage Wernstedt |
circa 1935 |
| 8/12 | Manuscript--"Description of an Invention Useful in Aerial Mapping," by Lage Wernstedt |
1936 |
| 8/13 | Manuscript--"Slotted Templet System of Radial Control," by Harry T. Kelsch |
undated |
| 8/14 | Manuscript--Loose Manuscript Pages and Drawings--Lage Wernstedt |
undated |
General Publications |
1886-1970 | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 8/1 | Engelsk Skolgramatik, by N. A. Mathesius--English Grammar School Book in Swedish |
1883 |
| 8/2 | Kraftmotorer--Engine Repair/Construction Manual--(Swedish) |
circa 1900 |
| 8/3 | Stathallaren; Christopher Wernstedt; 1542-1627--History of the Wernstedt Family |
1929 |
| 8/4 | Stathallaren; Christopher Wernstedt; 1542-1627--History of the Wernstedt Family (2nd Copy) |
1929 |
| 8/5 | The First Half-Century of the Yale School of Forestry |
1950 |
| 8/6 | Allsvensk Samling --"A Newspaper for All the World's Swedes"--(in Swedish) |
Oct. 1954 |
| 8/7 | Die Heimatwerkschule Mϋlene Richterswil--Book About Swiss Craft School--(in German) |
1963 |
| 8/8 | Heimatwerk: Blätter Fϋr Volkskunst und Handwerk. Edited by Albert Wettstein--Swiss Traditional Crafts--(in German) |
|
| 8/9 | Näa Säteri--History of Wernstedt Family Property in Sweden |
undated |
Series VI: Photographic Materials, 1900-2004Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wernstedt Family Photos |
|||
| Box | |||
| 13 | Large Drawings--Lage Wernstedt |
circa 1910s-1940s | |
| Box/Folder | |||
| 10/1 | Lage Wernstedt Photo Album (1) |
early-1900s | |
| 10/2 | Lage Wernstedt Photo Album (2) |
early-1900s | |
| Box | |||
| 14 | Wernstedt Family Photo Book |
circa 1920s-1940s | |
| 14 | Dotty Wilcox College Scrapbook |
circa 1910s | |
| Box/Folder | |||
| 11/1 | Wernstedt Family Photo Album (1) |
circa 1900s-2004 | |
| 11/2 | Wernstedt Family Photo Album (2) |
circa 1900s-2004 | |
| 11/3 | Wernstedt Family Photos--Loose |
circa 1900s-2004 | |
| 11/4 | "Dotty Wernstedt's Pictures" |
circa 1900s-2004 | |
| 11/5 | Portrait--Meleher Wernstedt in Military Uniform--(Inscription in Swedish on Back) |
1939 | |
| 11/6 | Portraits--Doris (Wernstedt) Burn--Lage and Dotty Wernstedt |
circa 1900s-2000s | |
Burn Family Photos |
|||
| Box/Folder | |||
| 11/7 | Doris Burn's Family and Friends Photos |
circa 1900s-2000s | |
| 11/8 | Doris and South (Bob) Burn's Family Photos (1) |
circa 1900s-2000s | |
| 11/9 | Doris and South (Bob) Burn's Family Photos (2) |
circa 1900s-2000s | |
Lage Wernstedt Professional Images |
|||
| Box/Folder | |||
| 11/10 | Prints of Lage Wernstedt's Photos with Correspondence--Sent to Doris Burn from John Scurlock |
2004 | |
| 11/11 | Images Removed from "Oblique Aerial Photographs" Publication--by Lage Wernstedt |
1936 | |
| 11/12 | Lage Wernstedt Landscape Photos and Negatives--(Removed from Meter Insurance Materials) |
circa 1900s | |
| 11/13 | "Lage's Forest Service Pictures"--Lage Wernstedt |
circa 1900s | |
| Box | Box | ||
| 12 | 13 | Doris Burn Memorial Photo Boards |
circa 1920s-2000s |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Personal Names
- Burn, Doris--Archives (creator)
- Burn, Doris--Family (creator)
- Burn, South, 1924- (creator)
- Graham, Adele, 1896-2002 (creator)
- Wernstedt, Lage, 1878-1959 (creator)
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Women authors, American--Washington (State)--History--Sources
- Women illustrators--Washington (State)--History--Sources
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Geographical Names
- Waldron Island (Wash.)--History--Sources
- Waldron Island (Wash.)--Social life and customs--Sources
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Jaime Ganzel
2017
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
