MS 786 - Newton Family Papers (Xenia, Ohio/Ooltwah, Tennessee) (Mary Leslie Newton Papers)
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Title | MS 786 - Newton Family Papers (Xenia, Ohio/Ooltwah, Tennessee) (Mary Leslie Newton Papers) |
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Biographical Sketch | Mary Leslie Newton was born on November 18, 1874, the fifth and last child born in Xenia, Ohio, to Mary (Mae) Annette Halley Newton and Samuel Newton. After the death of her mother in 1888, Mary Leslie moved to Ooltewah, Tennessee with her father, her sister, Halley, and her maternal aunt, Elizabeth. In 1898, Mary Leslie received her bachelor's degree in literary studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Later she would complete a graduate degree at Columbia University. Shortly after graduating, Mary Leslie began teaching at St. Mary's School, Dallas, Texas. She continued teaching for short periods of time in different institutions until 1916. At this time, she became a teacher at All Saints' Episcopal Girls School, Vicksburg, Mississippi and remained there until her retirement in 1937. During her tenure at this school she also served as Principal. In 1939, the trustees of the school established a scholarship in her name to be awarded to a needy day student. After retiring, Mary Leslie moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee and became involved in church and community activities. She loved writing and had several of her works including poems published. One Sunday in mid-September 1944, Mary Leslie failed to appear at Sunday services at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and was found critically ill at her home. She died on September 19, 1944 from cancer. |
Scope and Content | The Mary Leslie Newton papers contain information documenting her life and her many interests. She was a well-educated woman and a published poet and writer. She was most interested, as illustrated by her career, in education for young women. Her collection contains several personal diaries, essays, books of poems, correspondence, chapbooks and several personal items including her Bible. The correspondence consists mainly of letters she wrote to her father after he left for Tennessee. Samuel left strict instructions for all three of his children to write often to him about the events of their lives as well as those Xenia. The letters Mary Leslie wrote, as well as the other children, are wonderful sources about growing up in a small-town of the Midwest during the turn-of-the century. Also included are several newspaper clippings documenting the many lectures she gave on the subject of world affairs, a dream journal, and her undergraduate thesis. By studying her papers, the spirit of this quite remarkable and talented woman can be discerned. Mary Leslie Newton is an excellent example of a well-educated, professional woman of the early twentieth-century. |
Series Description | CORRESPONDENCE MARY LESLIE NEWTON CORRESPONDENCE LITERARY PRODUCTIONS UNDERGRADUATE THESIS (Euripides' Conception of the Olympian Gods) DREAM JOURNAL DRAFT OF THE DREAM JOURNAL AND POEMS POEMS DIARIES CHAPBOOKS ESSAYS ALGEBRA EXERCISES MUSIC TRANSCRIPTION FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS HOUSEHOLD LEDGER SAFE DEPOSIT BOX INVENTORY PRINTED MATERIAL PUBLISHED LITERARY WORKS BIBLE SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIALS NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT MARY LESLIE NEWTON NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ON MARY LESLIE NEWTON AFTER HER DEATH INFORMATION ON MARY LESLIE NEWTON PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS ARTIFACTS ARTIFACTS |
Inventory | Box 2
Box 3
Box 4
Box 5
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