Elizabeth Maury Dean Papers, 1916-1966 (bulk 1925-1959)

The bulk of this collection consists of personal correspondence written between Elizabeth Maury Dean and her parents, H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury, from 1925-1959. The Maurys were a prominent family from Butte, Montana. The majority of Dean's letters to her parents were written in Detroit, Michigan, where she moved in 1931 for work in the newspaper industry. After her marriage and the birth of her children, Detroit became the settled home base for the Dean family. In addition, there is some correspondence between John Dean and his in-laws as well as letters sent between the Maury siblings.

Early letters reveal details about student life at the University of Montana in the mid- to late-1920s. Elizabeth Maury Dean's experiences during the Great Depression are prominently featured in her correspondence during the 1930s. Maury family views about WWII, Montana politics and politicians such as Burton K. Wheeler and Wesley A. D'Ewart, book recommendations, and discussion of H. Lowndes Maury's legal victories are expressed in letters written during the 1940s and 1950s. The primary topics covered in this collection concern the home lives and personal affairs of Dean and her immediate family as well as those of her parents and siblings.

In addition, the collection includes photographs of H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury on their 60th Anniversary and an undated portrait of H. Lowndes Maury done by Zubick Art Studio in Butte, Montana.