Scope and Content Note
The papers of Kirk Munroe (1850-1930) consist of diaries, correspondence, writings biographical material, photographs, subject files, printed matter, newspaper clippings, memorabilia, scrapbooks, drawings and watercolors, and an autographed guest book from “The Scrubub,” the Munroe home in Florida. The material extends from 1850 to 1940, with the bulk of the papers concentrated in the period 1867-1932. The collection is organized into four series: Diaries ; General Correspondence ; Article, Short Story and Book File ; and Miscellany .
The papers relate primarily to Kirk Munroe’s literary career as an author of boy’s books; his adventures on a survey team for the Union Pacific and Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroads; trips into the Everglades, into the Hudson Bay region, and to the Far East on a world tour; his work in behalf of the Seminole people of Florida; and his canoeing and bicycling interests. These activities are documented principally by his writings, by the correspondence kept by himself and his two wives, by the diaries kept by himself, and by his first scrapbooks. The writings include handwritten drafts and printed copies of articles, short stories, essays, books, and poetry. The period of his life from 1870 to 1880 is poorly documented.
A diary dated 1853 was kept by Charles W. Munroe, Kirk Munroe’s father. Diaries dated 1867-1869, 1881, and 1923 were kept by Kirk Munroe. Diaries dated 1884-1922 were kept by Mary Barr Munroe, first wife of Kirk Munroe. There are no diaries for the years 1870-1880.
Correspondence to and from Kirk Munroe is meager and focused exclusively on his family for the years 1867-1869. There is considerable correspondence to and from his second wife, Mabel Stearns Munroe, with reference to a proposed biography of Kirk. Her correspondents include Poultney Bigelow, Frank W. Buxton, Randolph Edgar, Duncan U. Fletcher, Ward Greene, Hermann Hagedorn, James K. Hand, Arthur Milton Pope, Herbert Putnam, William F. Raney, Clement Francis Robinson, William A. Rodgers, Charles Scribner (1854-1930) W. P. Stephens, Lyman Beecher Stowe, and Ray L. Wilbur.
The Miscellany series contains family and biographical material, photographs, printed matter, various topical files, and scrapbooks of miscellaneous writings, diary excerpts, correspondence. photographs, and clippings. Depicted in the photographs in addition to the Munroe family are canoeing and bicycling scenes, views from a trip to Hudson Bay in 1909, Indians, and the Monroe home in Florida. Some of these same topics are documented in a subject file within the series, which also contains oversize drawings, sketches, and watercolors.