Patricia O'Connell Papers, 1884-1991

The bulk of this collection is correspondence, photocopied documents, news articles, interviews and research notes related to the arrival of Ursuline nuns, especially Mother Amadeus, in Montana in 1884 and their work at missions on the Indian reservations. The collection also contains some class notes, drafts of unpublished stories and articles, and miscellaneous including a small amount of correspondence as well as articles and essays about religion, primarily Catholicism.

The collection has been divided into five series. Series I, Research, contains materials related to the background of the Ursuline nuns in the United States, the arrival of the Ursuline nuns in Montana beginning in 1884, prominent Ursuline nuns including Mother Amadeus and Mother Angela, specific research on Mother Amadeus’s secular family, the Dunnes, and the Ursuline missions mostly located on Montana’s Indian reservations. Series II, Correspondence with Mother Amata, contains O’Connell’s initial correspondence with Mother Amata Dunne, the niece of Mother Amadeus, regarding the life of Mother Amadeus and the history of Ursuline nuns. It also contains later correspondence in which O’Connell addresses Mother Amata more as a friend and spiritual advisor. Series III, Class notes, contains English, labor history, general U.S. history and writing class notes as well as research about writing and miscellaneous topics. Series IV, Drafts of stories and articles, contains O’Connell’s original drafts of unpublished stories and articles, the latter related to Montana history. Series V, Miscellaneous, contains miscellaneous correspondence, magazine rejection slips, articles and essays about religion, particularly Catholicism, and some Catholic related ephemera. Series VI, Publications, contains books annotated by O'Connell, most are on American Indian or American history topics.