| Quantity: | 10 boxes (3.50 cubic ft.) |
|---|---|
| Access: | Records are open to research. |
| Acquisition: | Gift; Hilda Watrous; 4 April 1999 |
| Processed by: | Aimee Morgan, Student Assistant, Spring 2005 |
Hilda Watrous is a freelance writer and historian who has specialized in issues related to women's history. She was active in politics as a longtime member of the League of Women Voters of New York State (LWV-NYS). A member of the organization's state board, Watrous was the first person to serve as official historian for the LWV-NYS.
Publications by Watrous include The County Between the Lakes: A Public History of Seneca County, New York, 1876-1982 (1982); In League with Eleanor: Eleanor Roosevelt and the League of Women Voters 1921-1962 (1984); Oswego Reflections, 1887-1987 (1994); and 75 Years of a Great Idea: A History of the League of Women Voters of New York State (1995). Watrous has also presented papers at numerous conferences and events.
These papers are comprised chiefly of correspondence, research files, and publications related to Hilda Watrous's involvement in state and local organizations of the League of Women Voters of New York State.
Series I consists of Watrous's files on the League of Women Voters.
Included are chronological research files on the LWV-NYS, as well as a sample of LWV-NYS publications. There are a few files on the national League of Women Voters organization, containing mostly publications. Also included are organizational files on the founding of the League of Women Voters of Shenendehowa, later renamed the League of Women Voters of Southern Saratoga. A lengthy run of newsletters from this organization depicts League of Women Voters activities at a local level.
Series II is comprised of Watrous's research files on Eleanor Roosevelt. Of particular interest to Watrous was Roosevelt's connection with the LWV-NYS. In League with Eleanor: Eleanor Roosevelt and the League of Women Voters 1921-1962 was published by LWV-NYS's Foundation for Citizen Education in 1984.
Series III consists of research files from a project completed by Watrous under contract for the New York Capitol Commission in 1985-1986. Watrous was hired to write biographical sketches of activists for woman suffrage whose names were listed on a tablet in the New York State Capitol. The tablet had been placed in the Capitol by LWV-NYS in 1930.
Series IV comprises research for other projects, in particular the lives and careers of Harriet May Mills and Narcissa Cox Vanderlip. Watrous wrote a biography of Mills to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the New York State Fair's Women's Building in Syracuse, which was named to honor Mills. Watrous's research on Vanderlip contributed to the decision to include Vanderlip in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
The papers provide insight into the research process of a local historian. However, they do not present a complete overview of Watrous's career. The collection contains no research files for her publications on Seneca County and the town of Oswego.
| Box | Folder | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Series 1: League of Women Voters, 1910-1998 | ||
| 1 | National League of Women Voters, 1940-1990 | |
| 1 | Archives, 1986 | |
| 2 | History, 1985 | |
| 3 | Military Intelligence Records on the League of Women Voters, National Archives, 1920s,/div> | |
| 4 | Political Activity, ca. 1970s-ca. 1990s | |
| Publications | ||
| 5 | 1940-1957 | |
| 6 | 1962-1970 | |
| 7 | 1971-1986 | |
| League of Women Voters of New York State, 1920-1994 | ||
| 75th Anniversary | ||
| 8 | 1992-1994 | |
| 9 | Commemorative Journal, 1994 | |
| 10 | Gala, Program, 1994 | |
| 11 | Information Packet, 1993 | |
| 12 | Correspondence, 1980s | |
| 2 | 1 | Transfer of League Archives to Columbia University, 1969-1981 |
| Historical Research, ca. 1990s | ||
| 2-3 | 1920s | |
| 4 | 1921 | |
| 5 | 1922 | |
| 6 | 1923 | |
| 7 | 1924 | |
| 8 | 1930s | |
| 9 | 1940s | |
| 10 | 1970s | |
| 11 | 1980s | |
| 12 | 1990s | |
| 3 | 1 | A-F, no date |
| 2 | G-R, no date | |
| 3 | S-Z, no date | |
| 4-6 | At Columbia University Library, ca. 1990s | |
| 7 | Board of Directors, 1920-1923 | |
| 8 | Edey, Birdsall Otis, 1982 | |
| 9 | First Legislative Conference, 1939 | |
| 10 | Mott, Lucretia and Anna Lord Strauss, no date | |
| 11 | Miscellaneous, ca. 1910s-1990s | |
| 12-14 | Histories of the State League, 1980s-1990s | |
| 15 | History Conference Presentation, 1982 | |
| 16 | History Presentation at State Convention, 1985 | |
| 17 | Miscellaneous, ca. 1970s-ca. 1990s | |
| 18 | Oral History Guidelines, no date | |
| 4 | 1 | Political Activity and Organization, ca. 1970s-ca. 1980s |
| 2 | Reports to State Board on League History, 1980-1988 | |
| Publications | ||
| 3 | 30 Years in Action: History of the State Program, 1920-1950, 1951 | |
| 4 | 1919-1969: It Made a Difference, 1969 | |
| 5 | Campaign for a Capital Move, 1988 | |
| 6 | New York State Action in Albany, Winter 1980 | |
| 7 | New York State Voter, 1974-1985 | |
| Weekly News | ||
| 8 | 1925 | |
| 9 | 1926 | |
| 10 | 1927 | |
| 11 | 1928 | |
| 12 | 1929 | |
| 13 | Miscellaneous Publications, 1979-1982 | |
| 14 | Other State League Programs, 1970-1981 | |
| Local Leagues, 1969-1998 | ||
| 15 | Capital District League of Women Voters, Regional Report, 1972-1974 | |
| League of Women Voters of Shenendehowa | ||
| 16 | 1977-1985 | |
| 17 | 1993-1998 | |
| 18 | Budget, 1969-1978 | |
| Newsletter | ||
| 5 | 1 | 1971 |
| 2 | 1972 | |
| 3 | 1973 | |
| 4 | 1974-1975 | |
| 5 | 1976-1977 | |
| 6 | 1978-1979 | |
| 7 | 1980-1983 | |
| 8 | 1984-1986 | |
| 9 | Organizational Documents, 1971-1973 | |
| 10-11 | League of Women Voters of Southern Saratoga County, Clifton Park Development Issues, 1998 | |
| 12 | Other Local Leagues, Historical Research, 1979-1986 | |
| 6 | Series II: Eleanor Roosevelt Research Project, 1982-1998 | |
| Correspondence, 1982-1998 | ||
| 1-2 | Correspondence re: Eleanor Roosevelt, 1982-1984, 1998 | |
| 3 | Correspondence and Clippings re: In League With Eleanor, 1983-1984 | |
| Conferences and Events, 1982-1994 | ||
| 4 | Hofstra University Roosevelt Conference, 1982 | |
| 5 | Grant Application for Eleanor Roosevelt Film, 1983 | |
| 6-7 | Centennial of Eleanor Roosevelt's Birth, Conferences and Events, 1983-1984 | |
| 8 | Presentation on Eleanor Roosevelt at New York State League of Women Voters Convention, 1985 | |
| 9 | Eleanor Roosevelt Program for Russell Sage Elderhostel, 1994 | |
| Historical Research, ca. 1980s-1990s | ||
| 10 | 1920-1924 | |
| 11 | 1925-1929 | |
| 7 | 1 | 1930-1939 |
| 2 | 1940s-1960s | |
| 3 | Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill | |
| 4 | Eleanor Roosevelt Timeline, undated | |
| 5 | Eleanor Roosevelt and the League of Women Voters | |
| 6 | Hyde Park, Brochures and Publications | |
| 7 | Hyde Park, Correspondence and Notes | |
| 8 | Miscellaneous | |
| 9 | Photographs and Postcards, ca. 1930s-ca.1980s | |
| 10 | Publications with Eleanor Roosevelt Content, 1983-1998 | |
| Eleanor Roosevelt, Assorted Buttons, no date [in envelope] | ||
| Series III: Suffrage Tablet Research, 1985-1996 | ||
| 8 | 1 | Background Information on Tablet, ca. 1986 |
| 2 | Completed Biographies of Suffrage Tablet Women, ca. 1986 | |
| 3 | Correspondence, 1982-1996 | |
| 4 | Correspondence with Capitol Commission, 1985-1986 | |
| 5 | Research at New York Public Library, ca. 1986 | |
| 6 | Research at New York State Library, ca. 1986 | |
| 7 | Research, Miscellaneous, ca. 1986 | |
| Suffrage Tablet Names, Research, ca. 1986 | ||
| 8 | A, ca. 1986 | |
| 9 | B, ca. 1986 | |
| 10 | C-D, ca. 1986 | |
| 11 | E, ca. 1986 | |
| 9 | 1 | F-H, ca. 1986 |
| 2 | K-L, ca. 1986 | |
| 3 | M, ca. 1986 | |
| 4 | N-R, ca. 1986 | |
| 5 | S-V, ca. 1986 | |
| 6 | W, ca. 1986 | |
| Series IV: Other Research Projects, 1892-1995 | ||
| 7 | Equal Rights Amendment Research, Correspondence with Elisabeth Griffith, 1983-1987 | |
| 8 | Knapp, Florence, Research, no date | |
| Mills, Harriet May | ||
| Research, ca. 1980s | ||
| 9 | 1892-1918 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1920s-1930s |
| 2 | House, Family, and Friends, no date | |
| 3 | Women's Building 50th Anniversary Publication, 1984 | |
| 4 | Miscellaneous, 1985-1995 | |
| 5 | National Women's Hall of Fame and Women's Rights National Historical Park, 1982-1983 | |
| 6 | The Review (Liverpool, NY), Articles Written by Watrous, 1983 | |
| Vanderlip, Narcissa Cox | ||
| Book | ||
| 7 | Correspondence, 1980-1983 | |
| 8 | Finished Copy, 1982 | |
| 9 | Proposal and Funding, 1980-1981 | |
| Research, ca. 1980s-1990s | ||
| 10 | 1930s-1940s | |
| 11 | At Columbia University Library, 1980 | |
| 12 | Bok Peace Prize, 1923-1924 | |
| 13 | Chicago, ca. 1900s-1920s | |
| 14 | Family, ca. 1910s-1960s | |
| 15 | Palos Verdes, California, 1980-1990 | |
| 16 | Sheppard Towner Act, 1920s | |
| 17 | Trip to Japan, 1920 | |
| 18 | Vanderlip Estate, 1980 | |
| 19 | Women's Land Army, 1915-1919 | |
| 20 | Women's History in the United States: A Handbook, Contract and Contributions, 1987-1988 | |
| 21 | Women's History Month, Presentation at SUNY Plaza Celebration, 1995 |