Scope and Content Note
The papers of Ann Tanneyhill (1906-2001) span the years 1879-2012, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920 to 1985. Writings, correspondence, speeches, appointment calendars, personnel records, tributes and honors, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, sheet music, printed ephemera, photographs, books, and other papers pertain to Tanneyhill's work as an official and vocational guidance program director with the National Urban League. Also included are Tanneyhill’s family papers documenting the accomplishments and activities of members of her family. The papers are in English and organized into four series: Family Papers, Personal Papers, Books, and Oversize.
The Family Papers series highlights Tanneyhill's family history in Massachusetts, focusing in particular on her mother, Adelaide G. Tanneyhill, her sister, Gertrude Tanneyhill Cuthbert, and her grandfather, William Grandison, a printer. Of particular note are the records of the Golden Rule Club, a pioneer mutual-aid club for African American women in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, area. Also included are a printer’s plate of Tanneyhill’s maternal grandfather, William Grandison, and correspondence from Tanneyhill to the Black Press Archive at Howard University in Washington, D.C., concerning his life and accomplishments. Grandison published the Boston Advocate and was the first black member of a printers’ union in Massachusetts. Correspondence and other papers also provide insight into the close relationship between the Tanneyhills and family of F. Holland Day.
The Personal Papers series focuses on Tanneyhill's work with the National Urban League and highlights her advocacy of youth employment as the director of vocational guidance. Personnel records chronicle Tanneyhill's career with the National Urban League beginning in 1928 at the Springfield, Massachusetts, affiliate office and in 1930 when she joined the national office in New York. The records trace the many positions she held in the organization, particularly focusing on vocational guidance. Writings by Tanneyhill primarily relate to vocational guidance and comprise articles, speeches, pamphlets, booklets, a prospectus, and critique of a film proposal about employment. Also included in the papers are correspondence between Tanneyhill and National Urban League officials, as well as friends and family; appointment books that reveal details of her work and travel for the National Urban League; and material related to feature articles on Tanneyhill for Charm magazine in 1954 and 1957. After retirement in 1971, she continued to work for the National Urban League as a consultant. In 1978, Tanneyhill came up with the idea to honor Whitney M. Young, executive director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, on a commemorative stamp. In 1981, the Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp of Young as part of the Black Heritage series, and copies of this stamp are in the collection. Also included is material relating to her involvement with the Mashpee Historical Commission to archive the community and its history.
The Books series contains books owned by Tanneyhill and members of her family. Of significance is the Longfellow Birthday-Book with names and noteworthy dates of family and friends. Also included is a bible given as a wedding gift to Tanneyhill’s parents in 1903.