Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Adelaide A. Claflin Letters, Ms1992-005, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Adelaide A. Claflin Letters were purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1992.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Adelaide A. Claflin Letters commenced and was completed in September, 2023.

Biographical / Historical

Narcissa Adelaide Avery, daughter of Alden A. and Lucinda Miller Brown Avery, was born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 28, 1846. A couple of years after graduating from Boston Girls' High School in 1862, she became a teacher at the Winthrop School. In 1870, Avery married Frederick A. Claflin. The couple lived in Quincy, Massachusetts, and had four children. Adelaide Claflin became a lecturer on women's suffrage in 1883. She also lectured on other topics and wrote for newspapers. Adelaide Avery Claflin died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 31, 1931, and was buried in Mt. Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of two letters from Adelaide A. Claflin, a woman suffragist living in Quincy, Massachusetts. Written in November, 1884, to Mrs. Hollander, the letters relate to Claflin's upcoming lecture on the suffrage question. On November 11, Claflin relates that "Mrs. Stone" (probably suffragist Lucy Stone) had recently asked if she would be willing to address a club in Somerville, and Claflin mentions her essay, "What Women as a Class Owe to Each Other," recently read before an audience in South Boston. On November 14, Claflin responds to a recent letter from Hollander, providing further background on her experience in speaking about women's suffrage and proposing the lecture topic "The Need of the Feminine Influence in the School, the Town, and the State." She requests feedback on the proposal and more information about the venue in which the lecture is to be delivered.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Women -- History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Adelaide A. Claflin Letters by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).