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  Manuscript Division  Jeannette Thurber Connor Collection of Floridiana

Jeannette Thurber Connor Collection of Floridiana

 Collection
Identifier: MSS16642

Scope and Content Note

The collection of Floridiana of Jeannette Thurber Connor (1872-1927) spans the years 1570-1927. The collection is in English, Spanish, and French and is organized into the following series: Correspondence, Writings, Speeches, Transcripts, and Oversize.

The Connor collection contains correspondence, research material, reports, writings, speeches, notes, photographs, printed matter, and transcripts and photocopies of documents in repositories relating to the early history of Florida and represents a selective assemblage of material concerning Spanish Florida gathered by Connor on subjects of interest to her. The Correspondence series primarily concerns Connor's research and transcription efforts at the Archivo General de Indias, Seville, Spain, while Writings contains her research notes, drafts, and source material for miscellaneous writings and research projects, including files relating to Jean Ribaut, author of Connor's commemorative edition of The Whole and True Discouerye of Terra Florida. The Speeches series consists of a report addressed to the annual meeting of the Florida State Historical Society by Connor and a brief talk given by her to a history class at John B. Stetson University, De Land, Fla. The Transcripts series contains the transcript and photocopied reproductions of primary documents collected by Connor for her research at the Archivo General de Indias, Seville, Spain, as well as other repositories.

Dates

  • Creation: 1570-1927

Language of Materials

Collection material in English, French, and Spanish

Access and Restrictions

The collection of Jeannette Thurber Connor is open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

Copyright Status

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Jeannette Thurber Connor is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Biographical Note

Jeannette Thurber Connor, born 1872, became interested in researching the early history of Florida after her marriage to Washington Everett Connor in 1913. Following her investigation into the background of a Spanish mission on her husband's Florida estate, Connor began her research into the early Spanish settlements and missions of Florida. She accumulated transcripts and photocopies of original letters, reports, and other documents of Spanish officials of Florida from 1570 to the beginning of the eigthteenth century that had been preserved in Spanish repositories, especially the Archivo General de Indias, Seville, Spain. Together with John B. Stetson (1884-1952), Connor founded the Florida State Historical Society in 1921 and began a publication project of Florida historical studies supported by the society. Among the volumes Connor translated and edited for the series were Pedro Menéndez de Avilés: Memorial by Gonzalo Solis de Merás (De Land, Fla.: Florida State Historial Society, 1923); Colonial Records of Spanish Florida, 2 vols. (De Land, Fla.: Florida State Historial Society, 1925 and 1930); and The Whole and True Discouerye of Terra Florida (De Land, Fla.: Florida State Historial Society, 1927). Connor died on June 9, 1927 in New York, N.Y. Upon Connor's death and following financial losses suffered by Stetson in 1929, the Florida State Historical Society was discontinued and its publishing program terminated.

Extent

4,500 items
23 containers
1 oversize
11 linear feet

Abstract

Historian. Correspondence, research material, reports, writings, speeches, photographs, and transcripts of documents in French, Spanish, and English repositories relating to the early history of Florida.

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged in five series:

Additional Guides

Card indexes for certain files are available in the Manuscript Reading Room.

Provenance

The Floridiana collection of Jeannette Thurber Connor, historian, was given to the Library of Congress by Connor in 1923. Additions were given by her husband Washington Everett Connor, 1929-1930.

Processing History

The Connor collection was processed circa 1980. The finding aid was revised in 2011.

Title
Jeannette Thurber Connor Collection of Floridiana
Subtitle
A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
Author
Prepared by Manuscript Division Staff
Date
2011
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Part of the Manuscript Division Repository

Contact:
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