Florida Virginia Hill James Papers

Florida Virginia Hill James Papers, 1909-1950

Overview of the Collection

Creator: James, Florida Virginia Hill
Title: Florida Virginia Hill James Papers
Dates: 1909-1950 (inclusive)
19091950
Quantity: 4 containers., (2 linear feet of shelf space.), (820 items.)
Collection Number: Cage 41
Summary: Correspondence, diaries, photographs and other papers of a student at the University of Oregon and the University of Southern California, 1918-1922; school teacher, 1923-1930; and rural housewife in Whitman County. Included are correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, and legal and financial papers of other members of the Hill and James families.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research use.
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

Florida Hill, born in 1896, the daughter of a Palouse, Washington wheat farmer, lived in eastern Washington until 1917 when she and her widowed mother moved to Eugene, Oregon, where Florida enrolled as a student at the University of Oregon. In 1920 both moved to Los Angeles where Florida finished her college work at the University of Southern California and taught in the public schools of Pomona, California. About a year after her marriage to Arthur James (1929) she returned to the Palouse Country.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers consist primarily of Florida's intermittent diaries and correspondence from friends and family, which includes her letters to her sister Bess. In addition, photographs of the Hill and James families; memorabilia of the Hill Family; papers of Arthur James concerning his wartime experiences and employment as a railroad brakeman and conductor; correspondence of Marylin James, and photographs of Colfax and Palouse scenes, are included in the collection.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 41, Florida Virginia Hill James Papers. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The papers were assembled by Florida's son, Glen James, b. 1937, who donated the material to the Washington State University Library in 1960. A further donation of Arthur J. James' papers was added to this collection in August, 1975.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Correspondence, 1909-1950Return to Top

Container(s): Box 1

350 items.

Series 1: DiariesReturn to Top

9 items.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
2	Colfax	1912
2	Eugene	1918
2	Los Angeles	1920; 1925
2	Palouse	1935
2	fragments	1930

Memoranda and address books.Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2

5 items.

Child's autograph bookReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 2

1 item.

Culver City, California, real estate papers, 1925-1940Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2

30 items.

Programs and announcements, commencements and weddings, 1911-1935Return to Top

Container(s): Box 2

20 items.

Series 2: Diaries (donated in 1974)Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
2	Unknown rancher	1889-1890
2	Besse Hill, Colfax	1912
2	Florida Hill, Eugene	1919

Genealogy, deeds and abstracts, grade cards, bank statements, ration books and other memorabilia of the Hill and James families, 1911-1945Return to Top

Container(s): Box 3

35 items.

Employment and union papers, insurance policies, service records and other papers of Arthur James, 1912-1922Return to Top

Container(s): Box 3

50 items.

Correspondence of Marylin James, 1946-1947Return to Top

Container(s): Box 3

50 items.

Sketch scripts, poetry and essays by Florida James, undatedReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 3

10 items.

Series 3: PhotographsReturn to Top

250 items.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
4	Members of the Hill and James families (some identified)
4	The Palouse farm and the Colfax area
4	The Los Angeles home
4	World War I servicemen's snapshots of Arthur James
4	Hop picking crew	1915
4	A Ku Klux Klan rally near Colfax	1925

Series 4: James, Arthur J. (Addition of 21 August 1975)Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
4	Papers 120 items.	1925-1956
4	Receipt book and miscellaneous invoices, receipts and other papers.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Country life -- Washington (State)--Whitman County--History--Sources

Personal Names

James, Florida Virginia Hill --Archives (creator)
James, Glen. waps (donor)

Corporate Names

University of Southern California--Students -- Diaries
University of Oregon--Students--Diaries

Family Names

Hill family
James family

Archives West Finding Aid

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