University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
The University of Montana—Missoula
Missoula, MT 59812
406-243-2053
http://www.lib.umt.edu/asc
library.archives@umontana.edu
Mss 931
Dean, Elizabeth Maury, 1908-1997
Elizabeth Maury Dean Papers
1916-1966 (bulk 1925-1959)
2.2 linear feet
The Elizabeth Maury Dean collection is composed primarily of personal correspondence written between Dean and her parents, H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury, from 1925-1959. The Maurys were from Butte, Montana. Dean moved to Detroit in 1931 where she worked first in newspapers and then as a social worker.
Materials are inEnglish
Historical Note
Elizabeth Maury was born on October 2, 1908 in Butte, Montana to Henry Lowndes Maury, a prominent attorney who practiced from 1899-1959, and Anne Henderson Maury. She was the fifth of seven children. Elizabeth studied journalism at the University of Montana from 1925-1930 where she was voted "most likely to become the best newspaperman" by her fellow students. After graduation, she moved to Wenatchee, Washington and, later, Glasgow, Montana to report for small-town newspapers such as the Glasgow Courier. As the Great Depression deepened, she moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1931 upon the recommendation of her eldest brother Reuben Maury, a Pulitzer-prize winning writer for the New York Daily News. There she eventually became the Women's Club Editor for the Detroit Free Press, a position she held until 1942. In the second phase of her career, she worked as a social worker in the Detroit metro area during the late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. After her retirement, she was named to the Wayne County Solid Waste Commission where she advocated for recycling programs. She was also active in the pro-choice movement and the Detroit Unitarian-Universalist Church.
Elizabeth married John Dean in 1933, and they had two children, John Maury and Josephine Blair. The couple remained married until John Dean's death in 1970. Elizabeth Maury Dean died in 1997 in Dearborn, Michigan.
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.
This collection has been arranged as a single series. Correspondence has been arranged chronologically by author.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of
Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and
The University of Montana-Missoula.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and
any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive intellectual property rights are held by the University of Montana.
Elizabeth Maury Dean Papers,
Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The
University of Montana-Missoula.
Items within this collection were held by Elizabeth Maury Dean until her death.
Elizabeth Maury Dean's daughter, Josephine Blair Dean Cooter, donated this collection to the University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections in June of 2018.
Materials were organized chronologically and placed into folders during processing.
The Montana Historical Society holds the Henry Lowndes Maury Papers (MC 177). The University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections holds the Maury Family Papers (Mss 122) and the Lowdnes Maury Papers (Mss 456).
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Dean, Elizabeth Maury, 1908-1997--Archives
Maury, Henry Lowndes, 1875-1959
Maury family--Correspondence
Dean family--Correspondence
Maury, Anne Henderson
Dean family
Maury family
State University of Montana (Missoula, Mont.)
State University of Montana (Missoula, Mont.)--Students
Butte (Mont.)--Social life and customs--20th century
Detroit (Mich.)--Social life and customs
Michigan--Detroit
Montana
Montana--Butte
United States
Women journalists--United States
Depressions--1929--Montana--Personal narratives
Depressions
Manners and customs
Women journalists--United States
Home and Family
Montana
Women
Family papers
Photographs
1/1Elizabeth Maury Dean, Grade School Language ProjectMcKinley School in Butte, project about George Washington
1916
1/2University of MontanaLetter from UM registrar, UM application, deposit receipt for room
1925
1/3Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryStudent life at UM, sorority life, journalism classes, Tanans (women's honorary organization)
1925-1926
1/4Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryMove to Detroit, description of newspaper assignments, differences between Montana and city life, Great Depression, work at the Children's Home
1931-1932
1/5Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryDetroit Free Press, marriage, birth control methods
1933
1/6Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryGreat Depression
1934-1939
1/7Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryMontgomery Case, brother Lowndes Maury's marriage, views on WWII, Burton K. Wheeler
1940-1941
1/8Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryWWII, birth of son John Maury Dean, Darian Deal, Montgomery Case victory
1942-1943
1/9Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryHome life
1944
1/10Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryVE Day, Detroit factories (return to civilian products), return to unemployment for women, election of Wesley A. D'Ewart, VJ Day celebrations in Detroit, birth of daugher Josephine Blair Dean
1945
1/11Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryBetter Schools Association, home life
1946-1949
1/12Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryH. Lowndes Maury's car accident, move to a new house
1950-1952
1/13Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryJohn Dean illness and hospitalization; Mowat Case victory
1953-1954
1/14Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryReturn to work, social services
1955-1957
1/15Elizabeth Maury Dean to H.Lowndes Maury and Anne MauryMaury family reunion, trip West, strike at GM plant
1958
2/1Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne MauryH. Lowndes Maury's death
1959
2/2Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury1960
2/3Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury1961
2/4Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury1962
2/5Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury1963
2/6Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury1964
2/7Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury1965
2/8Elizabeth Maury Dean to Anne Maury1966
2/9H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1926-1927
2/10H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1931
2/11H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1932
3/1H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury DeanJanuary - July 1933
3/2H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury DeanAugust - December 1933
3/3H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1934
3/4H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1935
3/5H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1936
3/6H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1937
3/7H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1938
3/8H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1939
3/9H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1940
3/10H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1941
4/1H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury DeanJanuary - July 1942
4/2H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury DeanAugust - December 1942
4/3H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1943
4/4H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1944
4/5H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1945-1947
4/6H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1948-1949
4/7H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1951-1952
4/8H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1953
4/9H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury DeanJanuary - July 1954
4/10H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury DeanAugust - December 1954
4/11H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1955
5/1H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1956
5/2H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1957
5/3H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury to Elizabeth Maury Dean1958
5/4Photograph of H. Lowndes Maury and Anne Maury60th Anniversary
undated
5/5Portrait Photograph of H. Lowndes Maury Zubick Art Studio
undated