Martha Webb Purcell and Anna Brooke Purcell papers, 1882/1951

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

Martha Webb Purcell and Anna Brooke Purcell papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
1 Linear Feet Two full legal size Hollinger boxes.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Martha Webb Purcell and Anna Brooke Purcell papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of correspondence and travel journals created by sisters Martha Webb Purcell and Anna Brooke Purcell, between 1882 and 1951. The majority of the correspondence in the collection documents various trips around Europe that Martha and Anna took between 1914 and 1937, during which the sisters witnessed the outbreak of World War I (WWI) in 1914, the stock market crash of 1929, and the buildup to World War II (WWII) in 1937. Later letters were sent to the sisters from their cousins in Ireland from 1938 to 1954, documenting life in Europe during and after WWII. The collection also includes seven travel journals written by Anna Purcell. The journals contain daily notes about her travels, including the places she visited, her expenses, and meals.

Acquisition information:
Purchased with the Molly Elliot Seawell Endowment.
Arrangement:

The Martha Webb Purcell and Anna Brooke Purcell papers are arranged into two series: I. Martha Webb Purcell and Anna Brooke Purcell correspondence and II. Anna Brooke Purcell travel journals.

Physical description:
Correspondence and letters in good condition, with some tears and wrinkles.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard