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Caroline McGilvra Burke papers, 1876-1932

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Burke, Caroline McGilvra
Title
Caroline McGilvra Burke papers
Dates
1876-1932 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.75 cubic feet (11 boxes)
Collection Number
4697 (Accession No. 4697-001)
Summary
Correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and personal materials compiled by a prominent Seattlite involved in various civic and cultural groups.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English and French
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Biographical Note

Caroline “Carrie” Ethel McGilvra Burke was born in 1857 to parents John J. and Elizabeth Hills McGilvra. She had two siblings, Lillian and Oliver (who was often known as “Max”), who lived to adulthood, and two other siblings, Floyd and Minnie, who died when they were children. Her father was a prominent lawyer and judge whose office in Illinois was located next to Abraham Lincoln’s. In 1861, then-President Lincoln appointed McGilvra to serve as the United States Attorney for the Territory of Washington. After first moving to Olympia, the McGilvras settled in Seattle in 1864. John J. McGilvra declined a reappointment as United States Attorney, and thereafter worked as Seattle’s first resident attorney. The McGilvra family settled on 420 acres of land along Lake Washington in the area now known as Madison Park.

On October 5, 1879, Caroline married Thomas Burke, who was a successful judge, businessman, and activist who had once been law partners with her father. The Burkes lived in a home on Boylston Street on First Hill and in a cottage on Lake Washington. Caroline had a number of civic and cultural interests, and was involved with a food conservation campaign during World War I, the Red Cross, the Ladies’ Relief Society, Camp Fire Girls, Seattle Garden Club, Lighthouse for the Blind, the Seattle Historical Society, Seattle Tennis Club, Seattle Golf Club, and the Garden Club. Additionally, she was one of the founding members of the Sunset Club. Caroline also traveled extensively and particularly enjoyed Paris, where she lived for much of 1889 and 1890.

One of Caroline and Thomas’ shared interests was Native American culture, and they were avid collectors of Northwest native art and artifacts. Much of their collection is now housed at the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus, which was named in honor of Thomas Burke in 1962, following a bequest from Caroline’s estate.

Caroline McGilvra Burke died at the age of seventy-five on May 11, 1932.

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Content Description

Incoming and outgoing correspondence; lists and inventories of properties and material belongings, including jewelry and books; financial records including statements and receipts, rental and property assessments and other information, profit and loss statements, lists of and certificates for stocks and bonds, tax documents, and cash books; legal documents, including bills of sale, mortgages, leases, deeds, insurance policies, and the last will and testament of Caroline Burke; and personal materials, including medical records, diaries and datebooks, and guestbooks for Illahee Hall. Much of the correspondence is between Burke and her husband, Thomas; her mother, Elizabeth McGilvra; and her brother, Oliver McGilvra; particularly while Burke was traveling abroad. Other correspondence includes letters of sympathy sent to Burke following Thomas’ death, as well as letters of appreciation for a book on the life of Thomas, which Burke sent to many friends. While the majority of correspondence is written in English, some letters are in French. The majority of the remaining correspondence, financial records, and legal documents pertain to Burke’s many investments and to real estate that Burke owned and rented to others. The bulk of this property was located on her father’s former estate on the shore of Lake Washington in the area that later became known as Madison Park.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized into 7 series.

Series 1, Genealogical data

Series 2, Correspondence

Series 3, Lists and inventories

Series 4, Financial records

Series 5, Legal documents

Series 6, Personal materials

Series 7, Judge Thomas Burke materials

Acquisition Information

Gift of Thomas Burke Estate, 1935-06-01.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 


2014 (Last modified: 9/15/2020)

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