Mislabeled Date Section

Thanks for sharing, Margaret! I found the section in question here: https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/anna-e-dickinson-papers/dickinson-family-correspondence/mss184240028/?

I'm calling on our Dickinson experts in LOC Manuscript Division to weigh in on whether these pages might be mislabeled/misordered and if so why that might be the case.

Thank you for your message, Margaret!

After some digging into the original documents and checking into other letters from both 1882 and 1883, I believe it is correctly identified as 1882 and is in the correct order.

Looking at the locations from where she was writing, it lines up pretty well with Ohio in 1882. Anna Dickinson was traveling Ohio at the time, in September 1882, which is recorded in newspapers as well, for example, in this newspaper article from Jackson, Ohio. Jackson is not too far from Columbus, where she wrote this letter on September 22, 1882 only a day after the Jackson lecture event.

If we also take a look at her letter from the same October 2, 1882 and October 2, 1883, she marks two different locations. So it appears that while she may have been traveling around Ohio a year apart, the years are correctly labeled. This comparison also lets us see the way she is writing her “2” and “3” in her dates.

If you still have questions about the dating, I will be glad to forward your comments to one of my Manuscript Division colleagues who has expertise in American literary history.

I hope this helps!

Lara
Reference Librarian
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress

Thanks Henry, I think this thread is a good place to compile these sort of observations.  When the project wraps up our staff will compile yours (and others) observations and will find a way to clear up some of these errors. 

All the best,

Patrick

Right side page is probably 1928. Boston Guardian was founded in 1901 and they refer to " for 27 years"

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/letters-between-friends-allies-and-others/mss425490229/mss425490229-23/

If you prefer I not try to date these pages, please let me know.

Henry -  More good detective work!  Keep reporting these here and I see that the item has been tagged "1928" which I think it a great idea. 

Thanks again!  Patrick

This page is dated in Mrs. Terrell's handwriting

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/letters-between-friends-allies-and-others/mss425490230/mss425490230-5/

Hi Victoria- the letter on the left side of the page is dated December 1905. I found it in a section of Mary Church Terrell Speeches and Writings. It was a speech on Peonage from 1907. Please forward to manuscript in the event you agree it was misplaced.

Thanks,

Henry

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/speeches-and-writings/mss425490392/mss425490392-21/

Lara-  I am in a section, "Mary Church Terrell Papers:Speeches and Writings,1866-1953; [1907],

"Peonage in the United States. The following pages have letters on the left side that do not seem to belong. They are letters from December 1906 and should be in Letters 1906.

Thanks,

Henry

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/speeches-and-writings/mss425490392/mss425490392-11/

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/speeches-and-writings/mss425490392/mss425490392-12/

Hi Henry,

The pages on the left side are the reverse of the previous page. These pages are all part of a draft of Mary Church Terrell's speech "Peonage in the United States", several pages of which are written on the backs of letters she had received.

Thank you for providing an opportunity for us to talk about this practice! It is not unusual and something to keep in mind when looking at drafts of speeches and writings.

Edie

Okay. But the letter should not have been copied. Many times she writes on previously used paper. We don't transcribe that. As you can see,both letters were transcribed into "Peonage" and should probably be removed.

Thanks,

Henry

Shouldn't you make it clear to transcribers that if such a page pops up they should not transcribe it? And if it is transcribed should we delete it or if accepted report it to you? Respectfully, a report on DC's schools should not be a part of a Speech on Peonage, IMHO.

Thanks for all of your work and guidance,

Henry

Hi Henry Rosenberg, good questions. In these cases we would suggest that volunteers do transcribe the pages that MCT is recycling. It might be the only copy of that letter or document in her papers, and so it could be a unique historical object. It's not part of the speech itself, you're right, but it's part of the material and historical context of the speech. Sometimes these kinds of things can help us date undated materials. For example, if I know that an undated speech was written on the back of a document dated to 1900, I know it could not have been written before that time. Scholars and researchers of many stripes are interested in the ways that documents are recycled. So, no need to delete or skip these transcriptions.

Thanks!

Victoria

Hi Henry Rosenberg, good questions. In these cases we would suggest that volunteers do transcribe the pages that MCT is recycling. It might be the only copy of that letter or document in her papers, and so it could be a unique historical object. It's not part of the speech itself, you're right, but it's part of the material and historical context of the speech. Sometimes these kinds of things can help us date undated materials. For example, if I know that an undated speech was written on the back of a document dated to 1900, I know it could not have been written before that time. Scholars and researchers of many stripes are interested in the ways that documents are recycled. So, no need to delete or skip these transcriptions.

Thanks!

Victoria

Okay Victoria. Thanks for the guidance.

Henry

Sorry to bother you again,Victoria. Do you want us to notify manuscript when we find such a letter? I did that the other day and the response wasn't clear.

Hi Henry,

In cases like this where you have one manuscript written on the back of another, there is no need to notify Manuscript staff. Thanks again for all your hard work!

Edie

Hi- I am working in Mary Church Terrell Speeches and Writings, specifically February 12, 1917, Dedication of the Miner Normal School. The left page is a letter from 1937 and has some handwritten notes. I'm pretty sure this is misplaced.

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/speeches-and-writings/mss425490402/mss425490402-7/

Hi- I am working in Mary Church Terrell Speeches and Writings, specifically February 12, 1917, Dedication of the Miner Normal School. The left page refers to events that happened in the 1930's. A League of Nations Disarmament Conference was held in the early 1930's. I cannot place an exact date for the letter. It may need to be moved to undated letters.

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/speeches-and-writings/mss425490402/mss425490402-9/

Sorry for the multiple messages. The letter on the left goes with the letter on the left from page 9 of this section that I submitted a few minutes ago and refers to the League of Nations.

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/speeches-and-writings/mss425490402/mss425490402-10/

Hi- it's me again. Still working in MCT Speeches and writings 1917 Feb 12 Dedication of the Miner School.

The left page is in the wrong place.

Conna Bell Shaw did not graduate Oberlin until 1928.

It may be either 1932 or 1937 which is when January 15th was a Friday during the 1930's.

https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women/speeches-and-writings/mss425490402/mss425490402-12/