Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The papers of the Blackwell family were given to the Library of Congress by Edna L. Stantial, archivist of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, in 1960-1961. Elinor Rice Hays gave additional material in 1967 and 1984. The Library purchased in 1977 a verse on slavery by Antoinette Louise Brown Blackwell and in 1998 a series of letters from Alice Stone Blackwell to Bedros Arakel Keljik. Two letters, one from Emily Blackwell to Elizabeth B. Phelps and another from Emma Lawrence Blackwell to her son, Howard L. Blackwell, were purchased in 2004. Additional letters were purchased in 2020 and 2023.
Processing History
The papers of the Blackwell family were arranged and described in 1974 by Grover Batts and Thelma Queen. Material received between 1977 and 1998 was processed and added to the collection in 1997 and 1998 by Nazera S. Wright and Meg McAleer. Material received in 2004 was processed and added to the collection in 2016. Material received in 2020 was processed and added to the collection in 2022 by Pang H. Xiong. Material received in 2023 was processed and added to the collection in 2024 by Katherine S. Madison. The finding aid was updated in 2024 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Transfers
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division, and an inventory of this material is available in their finding aid. Several books have been transferred to the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Blackwell Family Papers. Patrons are encouraged to contact these divisions in advance of a research visit.
Related Material
The Blackwell Family Papers are closely linked by provenance and subject matter with the Carrie Chapman Catt Papers and with the National American Woman Suffrage Association Records. These three collections held by the Manuscript Division have been known collectively as the "Suffrage Archives." Also related by provenance is the National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, a library of seven to eight hundred titles collected between 1890 and 1938 by members of NAWSA and donated to the Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division by Carrie Chapman Catt, president of NAWSA, in 1938.
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on seventy-six reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition as available.
Online Content
The papers of the Blackwell family are available on the Library of Congress website at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000092. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the online edition as available. A transcription dataset from the Blackwell Family Papers is available online at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/gdcdatasets.2023527889.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Blackwell Family Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.