Preferred Citation

Mollie Somerville Collection, MS156, Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections, Alexandria, Va.

Biographical / Historical

Mollie Somerville was born in New York City in 1907. A graduate from Cornell and Columbia universities, she moved to Northern Virginia in 1936. Mrs. Somerville became the secretary to Mrs. Roosevelt during the first term of the Roosevelt presidency. She took dictation, typed letters, and did historical research for the first lady. Mrs. Somerville also became the historical researcher for the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1966 she published A Guide to Alexandria: Washington's Home Town. Since then she has written numerous articles and books, the most recent being the recently published Eleanor Roosevelt as I Knew Her.

Content Description

This collection contains the manuscripts and source notes for A Guide to Alexandria: Alexandria, Virginia, George Washington's Home Town (1966) and Washington Walked Here (1970). The collection also holds several boxes of photographs.

Arrangement

Box 1, Series I 1 Index 2 Alexandria History 3 Ghost's and Legends 4 Friendship Fire House 5 Gunston Hall 6 Gadsby's Tavern 7 Christ Church 8 Old Meeting House 9 Apothecary Shop 10 Pohick Church 11 George Washington Masonic Memorial 12 Arlington Mansion 13 Ramsey House 14 Flounder Houses 15 Captain's Row 16 Mount Vernon 17 Woodlawn 18 Strolling (various Alexandria establishments) 19 Cameron Street (Fairfax & Lee Houses) 20 Mr. Dudley of Newell-Cole 21 Carlyle House Series II 22 Chapter I "Introduction" 23 Chapter II "Plantation Neighbors" 24 Chapter III "Birth of a Town" 25 Chapter IV "Life in Early Alexandria" 26 Chapter V "The American Revolutionary War" 27 Chapter VI "After the Revolution" 28 Chapter VII "Alexandria in the District of Columbia" 29 Chapter VIII "The Civil War (The War Between the States" 30 Chapter IX "Reconstruction & Rehabilitation"

Box 2, Series II 1 Sources Code 2 Notes on Years 1608-1694 3 Notes on years 1707-1799 4 Notes on years 1800-1932 5 Miscellaneous items

Box 2, Series III 6 Outline for Washington Walked Here 7 Finished version of A Guide to Alexandria

Series IV 8 Letters to and from Ms. Cornella Rose regarding the George Mason family

Series V Photographs

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Alexandria (Va.) -- History
• Photographs.