Scope and Content Note
The papers of the Wilson-McAdoo families span the years 1860-1966 with the majority of the papers concentrated from 1912 through 1943. The bulk of the papers are those of Eleanor Randolph Wilson McAdoo and Margaret Woodrow Wilson, the daughters of President Woodrow Wilson. Additional family members represented in this collection include William Gibbs McAdoo, Jessie Wilson Sayre, and Ellen Axson Wilson. The collection is divided into three series: Eleanor Randolph Wilson McAdoo Papers , Margaret Woodrow Wilson Papers , and Other Family Papers .
The papers of Eleanor Randolph Wilson McAdoo , 1911-1950, are divided into three groups: family correspondence, general correspondence, and miscellany. Family correspondence, 1911-1939, contains primarily letters of family members to Eleanor McAdoo concerning family matters, local news, and occasionally national politics. The majority of the correspondence is from McAdoo's husband, William Gibbs McAdoo. His letters pertain chiefly to his work as Woodrow Wilson's secretary of treasury and director general of railroads and his legal practice in Los Angeles, California, from 1920 through 1932. William McAdoo's early correspondence contains love letters to Eleanor prior to their marriage in 1914. Also included are letters from Eleanor McAdoo's sister, Margaret Woodrow Wilson, most of which document Wilson's life in Pondicherry, India. The general correspondence, 1913-1950, contains letters to Eleanor McAdoo from friends, acquaintances, and the general public concerning primarily her articles and books about the Wilson family. Miscellany files, 1914-1937, include financial papers, certificates, and other printed matter documenting McAdoo's personal activities. One item worthy of note is Ellen Wilson McAdoo's baptism certificate, which contains her grandfather's (Woodrow Wilson's) signature as one of her sponsors.
The Margaret Woodrow Wilson Papers , 1912-1943, are also divided into three groups: family correspondence, general correspondence, and miscellany. The family correspondence, 1912-1943, consists mainly of letters to Margaret Wilson from various family members concerning family and local news. The majority of the correspondence is from her sisters, Eleanor McAdoo and Jessie Wilson Sayre. McAdoo's early letters focus on her husband and children and occasionally national politics. Correspondence after 1936 relates to McAdoo's writings about the Wilson family. Several letters written in 1943 concern a movie about Woodrow Wilson's life. Jessie Sayre's letters pertain primarily to her husband, Francis B. Sayre, and their children but occasionally contain news about Woodrow Wilson and his second wife, Edith Galt Wilson. Also included in this series are a number of letters from Margaret Wilson to Jessie Sayre.
The other two groupings in the Margaret Wilson Papers are general correspondence and miscellany. The general correspondence, 1912-1943, consists mostly of letters to Margaret Wilson from friends, acquaintances, and the general public. The majority of the early correspondence relates to Wilson's brief singing career and her interest in promoting American schools as community centers. Correspondence after 1937 pertains primarily to her life in Pondicherry, India, as a follower of the Hindu mystic, Sri Aurobindo Ghose, and her efforts to get Aurobindo's writings published. The miscellany files, 1917-1943, include Wilson's writings, financial papers, certificates, and other material documenting her activities and interests.
The final series in this collection is Other Family Papers , 1860-1966, and is divided into two subgroups: general correspondence and miscellany. The most prominent correspondents in the general correspondence, 1860-1966, are William Gibbs McAdoo, Jessie Wilson Sayre, and Ellen Axson Wilson. Other correspondence in this series includes incoming and outgoing correspondence between family members and their friends. Topics focus mainly on their daily activities, family matters, and local news. The Miscellany, 1912-1935, includes unidentified speeches, statements, and writings; financial papers; photographs; and other papers pertaining to the Wilson-McAdoo families.