Florence Isabel Penwell Papers, 1882-1901

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Penwell, Florence Isabel, 1867-1947
Title
Florence Isabel Penwell Papers
Dates
1882-1901
Quantity
1 folder
Collection Number
Collection 0736, MtBC, us (collection)
Summary
The Florence Penwell papers consist of a sample of wallpaper from the Penwell home in Gallatin County and a handwritten schedule likely for the Methodist Church, ca. 1880s. The collection also includes the following four handwritten letters sent to Florence Penwell from Methodist minister William Wesley Van Orsdel in Havre, "Addie" in Bozeman, C. W. Hill of White Sulphur Springs, and Esther [Penwell?] of Illinois. Topics include church work travels, arranging visits, family news, and genealogy information.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Florence Isabel Penwell was born in 1867, the eldest of eight children born to Merritt William Penwell (1840-1926) and Mary Ann Biggs Penwell. Merritt had first come to Montana Territory during the 1863 gold rush, and after a brief residence in Bannack moved on with his brothers Oscar and John to establish a farm in Gallatin County about five miles north of present day Belgrade. Florence grew up on the family farm and remained there for the rest of her life, becoming an active member of the local Methodist church. She never married and passed away in 1947.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Florence Penwell papers consist of a sample of wallpaper from the Penwell home in Gallatin County and a handwritten schedule listing only dates and months for the "Fourth Quarterly Meetings" of the "North Montana Mission," likely for the Methodist Church, ca. 1880s. The collection also includes the following four handwritten letters sent to Florence Penwell: from Methodist minister William Wesley Van Orsdel in Havre, Montana, October 18, [1882], describing his travels for church work; from "Addie" in Bozeman, Montana, June 21, 1891, arranging a Fourth of July visit to the Penwell farm; C. W. Hill of White Sulphur Springs, Montana, August 10, 1897, making arrangements for a visit to the Penwell home; from Esther [Penwell?] of Illinois, March 25, 1901, giving some family news and genealogy information.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

A collection of original documents and printed material recovered from the Merritt William Penwell family home was donated to Montana State University by Alvin Thompson, Bozeman, Montana, in the summer of 1969. All printed material was subsequently removed from the accession and added to either the circulating collection of the University Library or retained in Special Collections.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2012 October 22

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Methodist Church -- Clergy -- Correspondence
  • Methodist Church -- Montana -- Gallatin County
  • Methodist women -- Montana -- Gallatin County -- Correspondence

Personal Names

  • Hill, C. W. -- Correspondence
  • Penwell family -- Genealogy
  • Penwell, Esther, b. 1867
  • Van Orsdel, W. W. (William Wesley), 1848-1919 -- Correspondence

Geographical Names

  • Gallatin County (Mont.)
  • Havre (Mont.)
  • White Sulphur Springs (Mont.)