Scope and Content Note
The papers of Bess Furman (1895-1969) span the period 1728-1967, with the bulk of the material from 1900 to 1966. The collection focuses on the social and political events of the presidential administrations of Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Furman's coverage of the activities of prominent women, especially first ladies, is well documented in the papers. The collection is organized in seven series: Diaries, Family Papers, General Correspondence, Subject File, Speeches and Writings File, Miscellany, and Oversize.
The diaries, 1924-1962, chronicle Furman's work as a writer for the Omaha Bee-News, Associated Press, and the New York Times. Her assignments took her from local events and personalities to the national and international scene. The earlier diaries contain personal comments on professional and family life; however, most of the diaries from 1944 to 1961 are comprised of clippings of precis of her articles. The last diary, 1961-1962, is a chronology of her activities at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
A glimpse of Furman's personal life and Nebraska heritage can be seen in the Family Papers series, which spans the period circa 1728-1967. Material relating to her early forebears, the Winslow family of New Hampshire, includes correspondence, bills and receipts, bonds, deeds for property, and other items, particularly for Bartholomew Winslow and his wife, Hannah. Furman's connections with family are evident in copies of letters home that regularly appeared in the South Side Sentinel of Danbury, Nebraska, published by her father. In these letters Bess recounts her latest adventures "celebrity-chasing," as she called it. Also included in her family correspondence are "not for publication" personal opinions. Additional family material consists of the papers of her husband, journalist Robert Burns Armstrong (1903-1955), reporter for the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and their children, Ruth Eleanor Armstrong and Robert Furman Armstrong, Jr.
Lucile N. Furman, Bess Furman's sister, came to live with the Armstrong family and together with Bess started a press and radio consultant and writing service called Furman Features that was used especially by national women's organizations. Material for this venture is available in the Family Papers, Subject File, and Speeches and Writings File. The Furman sisters wrote for such organizations as the Children's Bureau, the American Association of University Women, the League of Women Voters, and the Women's Division of the Democratic National Committee. They also wrote handbooks and campaign fliers for the Democratic National Committee.
The General Correspondence series, 1918-1965, is composed of incoming letters of both a personal and professional nature. They are from longtime family friends, journalists, first ladies, and professional contacts. Prominent correspondents include Bess Streeter Aldrich, Ella F. Auerbach, the Bobbs-Merrill Co., Elizabeth Randolph Shirley Enochs, Edith Benham Helm, Genevieve Forbes Herrick, Frances Parkinson Keys, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., Dorothy McAllister, Mary Margaret McBride, Iantha McCloskey, Myrtle Mason, Anthony Netboy, Ruth Bryan Owen, Rohde, Herbert H. Rogers, Mae Rogers, Eleanor Roosevelt, Malvina Thompson, and Bess Wallace Truman.
The Subject File and Speeches and Writings File include research material, drafts of articles, and related correspondence, with emphasis on Furman's specialization in the areas of education, health, Washington social and political history, the White House, and women in public service.
In the Speeches and Writings File are extensive production materials for Furman's books: Washington By-Line, White House Profile, and A Profile of the United States Public Health Service, 1798-1948. There are also her reporter's notebooks and printed copies of newspaper articles from 1919 to 1960.
In the Miscellany series is a variety of material such as appointment books, clippings, financial papers, and invitations. Of particular interest are scrapbooks compiled by Furman and her family containing correspondence and clippings about her as well as articles written under the pseudonym, Bobbie O'Dare. Also in the series are scrapbooks of articles by Winifred Mallon, a predecessor on the staff of the New York Times, dating from 1903 to 1945. Other writings include manuscripts for books and articles sent to Bess and Lucile N. Furman for editing. Authors represented include Cecil Dickson, Elisabeth Randolph Shirley Enochs, Edith Nourse Rogers, and Fanny Jessop Sherman.