Archives West Finding Aid
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Ava Williams papers, 1880-2004
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Williams, Ava, 1912-2003
- Title
- Ava Williams papers
- Dates
- 1880-2004 (inclusive)18802004
- Quantity
- 5 cubic feet, (11 document cases, 1 oversize box, 2 oversize folders)
- Collection Number
- Coll 225
- Summary
- Ava Williams (1912-2003) performed as a popular music singer and pianist on stages on both coasts of the United States from 1939 to the late 1990s. She grew up in Eastern Oregon and spent her final years in Portland. In the intervening years, she lived and worked in California; New York City; Provincetown and Boston, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her personal collection spans from her childhood to her death, and includes papers, photographs, and sound and video recordings, mostly pertaining to her musical career. The collection also includes family papers and photographs dating back to 1880.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for processing this collection was provided by the OHS Performing Arts fund.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Comedienne, songwriter, singer and pianist Ava Williams (aka Ava Lorraine) made her show business debut at the age of 19 in Sacramento, California, and soon moved on to Los Angeles and Hollywood. In 1939, Williams moved to New York City and began a thirty-year residence in East Coast cafes, nightclubs, hotels, and cocktail lounges. In 1962, she commenced an annual tour as the "Piano Lady" in Provincetown, Massachusetts, giving her final performance there in 1983.
Williams was born on March 4, 1912 in Pendleton, Oregon, to parents Joseph A. Williams and Laura Merritt Williams. Her brother, Dick, was born eighteen months later. The family moved to La Grande in 1916, and eventually owned both a barber shop and an adjacent restaurant. Ava Williams' early exposure to music came through her father's barber shop, the local church, and her mother's restaurant, where local vaudeville acts dined. She began vocal training at age 12. Williams attended high school in Enterprise, Oregon, where the family lived for one year, and graduated from La Grande High School in 1931. She married Jorge (George) Carlozzi in 1941 in the Panama Canal Zone, but returned to New York without him after a few months. The marriage later ended in divorce.
During her years on the East Coast, Ava Williams regularly returned to Portland in the summer months and performed there in order to spend more time with her parents. After her mother passed away in 1982, Williams gave up her apartment in New York City in 1984 and followed her forty-three boxes of music to Portland, where she lived until her own death on June 4, 2003.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The bulk of the collection pertains to Ava Williams' career as a musical performer from 1939 to the 1990s, and includes photographs, clippings, programs, and other ephemera relating to Ava Williams and fellow performers, as well as commercial sound recordings and video recordings. The collection also includes family photos, papers, legal documents, memorabilia, and correspondence of family members Joseph A. Williams and Laura Merritt Williams, Martin R. Williams, and J.C. Williams; World War I correspondence of Mort Merritt, and papers and memorabilia relating to Ava's childhood and her marriage to Jorge Carlozzi.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Ava Williams papers, Coll 225, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series:
- Series 1: Personal papers
- Series 2: Family papers
- Series 3: Photographs
- Series 4: Audiovisual materials
Acquisition Information
Gift of the estate of Ava Williams, care of Donald J. Lee, February 2004 (Lib. Acc. 25377).
Processing Note
Photographs in Box 10, folders 1-8, were removed from "magnetic," 1980s-era, and other photo albums for preservation purposes. Collection guide was revised in July 2023 to conform to current standard.
Separated Materials
A framed oil painting of Ava Williams was transferred to museum collections at the Oregon Historical Society.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Personal papers, 1918-2004Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Autobiography |
undated |
| 1 | 2 | Correspondence |
1934-2002; undated |
| 1 | 3 | Birthday cards |
1955-2002; undated |
| 1 | 4 | Other greeting cards |
1970-1990; undated |
| 1 | 5 | Certificates |
1924; 1978-2000 |
| 1 | 6 | Ephemera |
1939-1986; undated |
| 1 | 7 | Guest books |
1981; 1993 |
| 1 | 8 | Notes |
undated |
| 1 | 9 | Memo book |
undated |
| 1 | 10 | World War II savings bond book |
circa 1942 |
| 1 | 11 | Divorce papers |
1943-1944 |
| 1 | 12 | Regarding old age in Portland |
2002-2003 |
| 1 | 13 | Poems written for Ava Williams |
1951; 1976; undated |
| 1 | 14 | "Prayerful Moments," poetry by Ava Williams |
circa 1999 |
| 1 | 15 | Memorials and obituaries - Ava Williams |
2003 |
| 1 | 16 | Other obituaries |
1985-2002 |
| 2 | 1 | Contracts |
1947-1976; 1994 |
| 2 | 2 | Programs |
1954; 1977 |
| 2 | 3 | Publicity - Ava Williams |
1942-2004; undated |
| 2 | 4 | Publicity - others |
1961-1992; undated |
| 2 | 5 | Songs and song lists |
1935-1974; undated |
| 2 | 6 | Clippings (folder 1) |
approximately 1945-1992 |
| 2 | 7 | Clippings (folder 2) |
approximately 1945-1992 |
| 2 | 8 | Clippings (folder 3) |
approximately 1945-1992 |
| 2 | 9 | Clippings - Oregon |
1960-2003; undated |
| 3 | 1 | Lesson book |
1918 |
| 3 | 2 | Enterprise High School (Enterprise, Oregon) - yearbook, "Hi-Life" |
1928 |
| 3 | 3 | Enterprise High School (Enterprise, Oregon) - memory book, "Hi-Life" |
1929 May |
| 3 | 4 | Enterprise High School (Enterprise, Oregon) - yearbook, "Hi-Life" |
1930 |
| 3 | 5 | School autograph book |
circa 1931 |
| 3 | 6 | La Grande High School (La Grande, Oregon) - diploma, pep book, and 1931 yearbook, "The Mimir" |
1927-1928; 1931 |
| 3 | 7 | La Grande High School (La Grande, Oregon) - class reunion programs |
1961 |
| 3 | 8 | Autograph books |
1933-1938; 1941 |
| 3 | 9 | Scrapbook |
1934-1964; 1987 |
| 4 | 1 | Scrapbook |
undated |
| 4 | 2 | Daybook |
circa 2002 |
| 4 | 3 | Address books |
undated |
| 4 | 4 | Address books |
2002; undated |
| 4 | 5 | "Who's Who in Show Business" |
1951-1952 |
| 5 | 1 | "Music & Dance in New York State" |
1951 |
| 5 | 2 | Hildegarde, "Over 50 - So What!" (autographed copy) |
1963 |
| 5 | 3 | Gary Simmons, "Madame My Misbegotten Memoirs" (autographed copy) |
1963 |
| 5 | 4 | James Gavin, "Intimate Nights: The Golden Age of New York Cabaret" (autographed copy) |
1991 |
Series 2: Family papers, 1909-1983Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 6 | 1 | J. A. and Laura Williams - Correspondence |
1911-1981; undated |
| 6 | 2 | J. A. and Laura Williams - personal papers |
1910-1982; undated |
| 12 | 1 | Marriage certificate - J. A. and Laura (Merritt) Williams |
1910 August 2; undated |
| 6 | 3 | Joseph A. Williams - business papers |
1909-circa 1980 |
| 6 | 4 | Williams family - "Lorraine" trademark |
1947 |
| 6 | 5 | J. A. and Laura Williams - political papers |
1938-1950; undated |
| 6 | 6 | Martin Williams memorabilia |
1932-1934; circa 1940; 1946 |
| 6 | 7 | J. C. Williams |
1927-1952 |
| 6 | 8 | Williams family - World War I correspondence and ephemera |
1942-1945 |
| 6 | 9 | Letters from Mort Merritt (World War I) |
1918-1919 |
| 6 | 10 | Legal papers regarding estate of Margaret M. Donahue |
1923-1974 |
| 6 | 11 | Other estate papers |
1978-1983 |
| 6 | 12 | Silhouettes (probably Ava Williams and her parents, J. A. and Laura Williams) |
undated |
| 12 | Guest book for Laura and Joe Williams
For the celebration of their 65th wedding anniversary, and Joe Williams' 90th birthday.
|
1976 September 27-28 |
Series 3: Photographs, approximately 1880-2002Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 7 | 1 | Family photo album |
circa 1920 |
| 7 | 2 | Family photos |
circa 1900-1984 |
| 7 | 3 | Ava's parents, Laura and Joe Williams |
circa 1920-1976 |
| 7 | 4 | J. C. Williams |
approximately 1935-1941 |
| 7 | 5 | Ava Williams |
approximately 1934-1999 |
| 7 | 6 | Marquees advertising Ava Williams' shows |
approximately 1950-1980 |
| 7 | 7 | Ava Williams and friends |
approximately 1936-1999 |
| 7 | 8 | Ava Williams with Judy Garland |
circa 1965 |
| 7 | 9 | Loose pages from photo albums |
approximately 1940-1962 |
| 8 | 1 | Publicity portraits of Ava Williams (negatives)
35 unnumbered negatives, assigned a-e and 1-32, with numbers 18 and 24 missing from sequence.
|
approximately 1975 |
| 8 | 2 | Publicity portraits - Ava Williams |
1933; circa 1935 |
| 8 | 3 | Publicity portraits - Ava Williams |
1941 |
| 8 | 4 | Publicity portraits - Ava Williams |
1955 |
| 8 | 5 | Publicity portraits - Ava Williams |
circa 1970 |
| 8 | 6 | Publicity portraits - Ava Williams |
circa 1975 |
| 8 | 7 | Publicity portraits - Ava Williams |
1983 |
| 8 | 8 | Publicity portraits - Ava Williams |
1993 |
| Folder | |||
| Oversize 1 | Publicity portrait - oversize mounted color photograph |
1993 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 8 | 9 | Publicity portraits - others |
approximately 1930-1990 |
| 8 | 10 | Presidential photographs
Photograph of Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing the Social Security Act of 1935, and portrait of George H. W. and Barbara Bush, circa 1990.
|
1935; circa 1990 |
| 9 | 1 | Barber shop, La Grande, Oregon |
approximately 1890-1930 |
| 9 | 2 | Soda fountain, La Grande, Oregon |
1910s or 1920s |
| 9 | 3 | Group photo in front of First Baptist Church, location unknown |
circa 1940 |
| 9 | 4 | La Grande High School (La Grande, Oregon) reunion |
1961 |
| 9 | 5 | Portraits and snapshots - men (mostly unidentified) |
approximately 1915-1980 |
| 9 | 6 | Portraits and snapshots - women (mostly unidentified) |
approximately 1915-1980 |
| 9 | 7 | Portraits and snapshots - men and women (mostly unidentified) |
approximately 1930-1985 |
| 9 | 8 | Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Vale (La Grande, Oregon) |
1920s? |
| Folder | |||
| Oversize 2 | Oversize photographs of an unidentified group in Portland, Oregon, and an unidentified baseball team |
1940s; undated | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 9 | 9 | Other photos |
undated |
| 9 | 10 | Picture postcards - people |
1910s-1940s |
| 9 | 11 | Scenic postcards (blank)
Postcards with messages are filed with correspondence.
|
approximately 1920-1990 |
| 10 | 1 | Family photo album |
circa 1915-1975 |
| 10 | 2 | Photo album / scrapbook |
approximately 1933-1980 |
| 10 | 3 | Photo album |
approximately 1940-1974 |
| 10 | 4 | Photo album |
approximately 1940-1978; undated |
| 10 | 5 | Photo album |
1961-1971; undated |
| 10 | 6 | Photo album |
1963-1964; undated |
| 10 | 7 | Photo album |
1967-circa 1985; undated |
| 10 | 8 | Family photo album |
approximately 1880-1980 |
| 10 | 9 | Photo album - Ava at 90 |
2002 |
Series 4: Audiovisual materials, circa 1950-2001Return to Top
Video recordings, sound recordings, and related items.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 11 | VHS tapes |
1989-2001; undated |
Provincetown! |
undated | |
Ava's B-Day Final Master |
undated | |
Rose Tattoo 1989 / Ava Williams Valentine Show 1990 / Ava Williams & Rod Barrows |
circa 1989-1990 | |
Ava's Birthday Party at Darcelle's 1993 |
1993 | |
Ava's Birthday 1996 Jasmine Tree |
1996 | |
Ava's 86th Birthday Party |
1998 | |
Ava's Birthday March 4, 2000 |
2000 March 4 | |
Ava's 89th Birthday Party (2001) |
2001 | |
| 12 | Ava Williams sound recordings and related materials |
circa 1950-1970; circa 2000 |
Yours (45 rpm record, 2 copies) |
circa 1950-1970 | |
A Night with Ava (long-playing record) |
circa 1950-1970 | |
Ava Misbehaves (long-playing record) |
circa 1950-1970 | |
All of Ava (long-playing record) |
circa 1950-1970 | |
All of Ava (compact disc) |
circa 2000 | |
Print block for "All of Ava" album cover |
circa 1950-1970 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Performing arts--Massachusetts--Provincetown
- Performing arts--New York (State)--New York
- Performing arts--Oregon--Portland
- Popular music--United States--20th century
- Women musicians--United States--20th century
Personal Names
- Williams, Ava, 1912-2003
- Williams, Joseph A.
- Williams, Laura Merritt
- Williams, Martin Richard
Family Names
- Williams family
Geographical Names
- Portland (Or.)--Social life and customs
Form or Genre Terms
- albums (sound recordings)
- clippings (information artifacts)
- photographs
- scrapbooks
- videotapes
