Women

S

Ruth Jones Scurlock Scrapbooks, 1920s-1960s (CA6415)
2 volumes

Scrapbooks of Ruth Jones Scurlock who attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and later lived in Columbia, Missouri.

Counties

Laura Redden Searing Papers, 1846-1963 (C2290)
4.0 cubic feet (142 folders)

 Finding Aid

The papers of Laura Redden Searing, a poet and author whose works appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and Searing’s writings.  Also included are correspondence, publicity clippings, and photographs of Searing’s daughter, Elsa Searing McGinn.

Amy Bradfield Sefrit Letters, 1976-1993 (K0876)
0.3 c.f.

Sefrit's letters document the life of a rural Missouri farm family in Atchison County, MO. She writes about the daily life of her family, her husband's work and the activities and development of her children. Also her work as a substitute teacher in the local schools, condition of the crops, weather, and news of other family members.

Counties

Elizabeth Seifert Papers, 1944 (C0401)
0.1 cubic feet (5 folders)

 Finding Aid

Manuscript of DOCTOR WOODWARD'S AMBITION (originally called "The Hospital"), published by Dodd, Mead & Company in 1945. Also notes, clippings, and two letters from the publishers.

Counties

Mary Anne Sell Diaries and Social Calendars, 1941-1944 (S0054)
1 roll microfilm

 Finding Aid

The Mary Anne Sell Diaries and Social Calendars consist of microfilmed diaries and social calendars owned by Mary Anne Sell Pernoud, a high school student and St. Louis socialite that attended Villa Duchesne high school during the mid-20th century.

Counties

Selleck Letter, 1849 (C3531)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Letter to Emeline E. Selleck, of Oregon, Missouri, from New Orleans, Louisiana, July 23, 1849. Written to his wife after her departure from New Orleans on the steamboat Ioway. They apparently had moved out of a house prior to her trip to Missouri.

Peg Serrano Papers, 1977 (S1062)
0.4 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

The Peg Serrano Papers contains literature from Univeristy City delegates pertaining to the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas, held from November 18 to 21, 1977.

Subjects

Thomas Shackelford Papers, 1820-1908 (C0163)
0.6 cubic feet

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Personal and business letters, documents and memoirs of a lawyer and politician of Glasgow, MO. He was a member of the Missouri Convention of 1861 and of the Constitutional Convention of 1875. Includes family letters and letters relating to his legal practice and politics, a few of them pertaining to the Constitutional Convention of 1875.

Counties

Shake Rag Cemetery (Macon County, Mo.) Records, 1985 (C0557)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The records of the Shake Rag Cemetery contain the names and birth and death dates from tombstones located in Shake Rag, also known as Pleasant Hill, Cemetery, in Macon County, Missouri.

Counties

Shakespeare Club (Clinton, Mo.) Minutes, 1892-1911 (C2477)
0.14 cubic feet (3 volumes)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains minutes of the meetings of a ladies' cultural improvement club. Members are listed and the lesson for each meeting described.

Counties

Sue Shear Papers, 1972-1997 (S0987)
40 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Sue Shear Papers contains correspondence, legislative materials, and newspaper clippings relating to her career as a legislator representing St. Louis County (District 83) in the Missouri House of Representatives (1972-1998). Topics of interest in the collection include abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, mental health, and children and families in Missouri.

Counties

Barbara Rosa Barnett Shelley Papers, 1850-1980 (K0049)
3 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Personal, business, and legal documents pertaining to the Barnett, Williamson, and Shelley families.

Counties

Margaret Sheppard Papers, 1976-1997 (S0588)
0.5 cubic foot, 19 folders

 Finding Aid

Margaret Sheppard was an editor for "Action News" and "The Insider." The papers contain monthly newsletters from the Regional Commerce and Growth Association, as well as issues of Action News Newsletters, annual reports, and two cookbooks.

Counties

Shirey Family Papers, 1855-1959 (SP0051)
0.4 cubic foot (21 folders, 2 photographs)

 Finding Aid

The Shirey Family Papers contain documents belonging to Etta Shirey and her family, including letters and postcards addressed to Etta, two diaries she kept, and her childhood school notes. The collection also contains publications that the Shirey family saved.  

Counties

Beth Campbell Short Papers, 1927-1968 (C3994)
0.6 cubic feet (33 folders)

 Finding Aid

The papers of Beth Campbell Short, a journalist from Oklahoma who primarily worked in Washington, D.C. covering Eleanor Roosevelt for the Associated Press, consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, speeches, reports, and photographs.

Sigma Alpha Iota, St. Louis Alumnae Chapter Records, 1943-2022 (S0399)
3.75 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The collection contains meeting minutes, yearbooks, photographs, and scrapbooks documenting Sigma Alpha Iota, St. Louis Chapter's mission as a fraternal organization to develop music appreciation and talent in the United States and the globe through education and philanthropy. 

Counties

Sigma Delta Epsilon, Delta Chapter Records, 1924-1970 (C4658)
0.4 cubic feet (11 folders)

 Finding Aid

Records of the University of Missouri chapter of a graduate women's scientific fraternity. Includes minutes, organizational histories, membership records, convention proceedings, newsletters, by-laws, and charter, initiation proceedings, and miscellany.

Counties

Gloria Simpson Collection, 1868-1946 (S1074)
0.25 cubic foot, 7 folders, 178 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

This collection contains items related to Gloria Simpson’s time working for sculptor and commercial photographer Frank Morgan White (1877-1956), who was active in St. Louis from 1913 to 1947. Photographs include images of streetcars, the September 29, 1927 tornado, Soldan High School, and sculptures. Also included are White’s official photographs of Charles Lindbergh’s trophies.

Counties

Betty Sims Papers, 1994-2004 (S0301)
3.5 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Betty Sims Paper contains correspondence, newsletters, legislative materials, photographs, newspaper clippings, subject files, and a visitors log pertaining to Sims' career as a Missouri State Senator from 1995 to 2002. Subjects of interest include Sims' involvement with the passage of House Bill No. 974, which imposed sentencing guidelines and lifetime supervision for sexual predators.

Counties

"Sister Jerome, Hospital Sister from Osage County," Herbert G. Kramer, no date (C2940)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Brief account of the life of Elizabeth Kramer (1852-1922), who became Sister Jerome, a nun in the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis, including her obituary and eulogies of her.

Counties

Alberta Slavin Papers, 1965-1978 (S0392)
9 cubic feet, 227 folders, 3 reel-to-reel tapes, 10 microfilm rolls

 Finding Aid

The papers of Alberta Slavin contain correspondence, newsletters, press releases, survey sheets, position papers, and photographs pertaining to her career as a consumer activist and her work with Save our Symphony and her campaign for Missouri Lieutenant Governor in 1976.

Counties

Slusher Family Papers, 1874-1974 (C4028)
1.7 cubic feet (24 folders, 7 volumes)

 Finding Aid

The Slusher family papers consist of personal correspondence and account books of the Slushers of Lexington, Missouri, and their extended family who lived in Missouri and Virginia.

Counties

Cora Smith Collection, 1920-1960 (S0220)
0.5 cubic foot (2 diaries, 1 folder, 3 photographs)

 Finding Aid

The collection primarily consists of two diaries written by Cora Smith, a native of Batchtown, Illinois, chronicling life with her sister, Lily Ann Briggs, in the Skinker-Debaliviere neighborhood in the 1950s.

Counties

Louise Grant Smith Constitutional Convention Papers, 1941-1943 (C0028)
1 cubic foot (93 folders), 1 roll of microfilm (volume only)

 Finding Aid

Correspondence, circulars, and bulletins maintained by Smith as the executive director of the Committee of Ten and the State-Wide Committee for the Revision of the Missouri Constitution. The collection also contains related correspondence of Chairman Allen McReynolds and Assistant Vice President Robert Kratky.

Counties

Rose Dorf Wiggins Smith Papers, 1919-1982 (R1515)
1 cubic foot (18 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Rose Dorf Wiggins Smith Papers contain the diaries and personal papers of Rose Smith, nee Dorf. The diaries contain almost daily entries of her life in Crawford County,
Missouri including her work for local newspapers.

Counties

Seymour Smith Papers, 1930s-1980s (CA4407)
25.2 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The papers of a professor of theology and president of Stephens College include correspondence, class notes, research, writings, sermons, speeches, publications, and materials concerning Stephens College and various professional and civic organizations. Also contains material from Smith’s career prior to Stephens College.

Smith-Cotton Family Papers, 1834-1929 (C0399)
0.15 cubic feet (7 folders)

 Finding Aid

Papers of George R. Smith, a Missouri pioneer lawyer and politician, and his daughters, Sarah E. Cotton, and Mrs. M.E. Smith. Some letters about the George R. Smith College. Smith was the founder of Sedalia, Missouri.

Counties

Rosemary L. Smithson Papers, 1970-1982 (K0307)
3 c.f.

 Finding Aid

The organizational records of the Missouri Equal Rights Amendment Coalition for which Smithson was an active leader. Includes correspondence, minutes, reports, working papers, and tape recordings.

Smithton United Methodist Church (Smithton, Mo.) Records, 1865-1954 (C3704)
2 rolls of microfilm

 Finding Aid

The records of the Smithton United Methodist Church contain church membership records and minutes for the Ladies Aid Society, the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, and the Woman's Society of Christian Service, of the English and German churches which united in 1924 to form the Smithton United Methodist Church of Smithton, Pettis County, Missouri.

Counties

Susan Snead Papers, [1848] (C1909)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Two covers, postcard, and a letter from Susan Snead to her sister, Sarah M. Price.

Subjects

Soroptimist International of Springfield, Missouri, Records, 1942-1983 (C4435)
2.0 cubic feet (50 folders)

 Finding Aid

This collection contains correspondence, newsletters, meeting minutes, membership records, service projects, and conference materials concerning Soroptimist International of Springfield, Missouri. It also includes magazines, newsletters, and convention materials from regional clubs and the national organization.

Counties

Isabelle Sorrels Collection, 1920-1921; 1947-1989 (C4568)
0.4 cubic feet (8 folders, 1 volume)

 Finding Aid

The papers of a Columbia (Mo.) woman that outlines her participation in various community activities and women’s organizations, including the Banks Mothers Club.

Counties

Joan Sorrels Collection, 2000s (CA6321)
0.2 cubic feet

Collection of yearbooks, directories, and programs largely for women's organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames of America, Continental Society Daughters of Indians Wars, and Daughters of the American Colonists, mostly dated 2000s.

Mabel Spielman Papers, 1888-1968 (K0182)
1 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Photographs, diaries, and legal documents, but mainly correspondence to and from Spielman, a resident of Webb City, Jasper County, MO, to her husbands and friends. These letters contain information on the day to day lives of the correspondents.

Counties

St. Joseph, Missouri, Photograph Collection, 1865-1966 (P0954)
6 photographs

An artificial collection of photographs depicting the city of St. Joseph and its residents.

Subjects

St. Louis Abused Women's Support Project, Inc. Records, 1977-1981 (S0118)
0.01 cubic foot, 1 folder

 Finding Aid

The St. Louis Abused Women’s Support Project Inc. Records contains memos, flyers, newsletters, newspaper clippings, a questionnaire, correspondence, bylaws, legal advice, and a legislation notice relating to the organization’s mission to providing help and shelter for women subject to domestic violence.

Counties

St. Louis Area Women In Higher Education Collection, 1973-1980 (S0113)
0.01 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

The collection consists of correspondence, meeting minutes, fliers, and membership lists regarding St. Louis Area Women in High Education efforts to create a support network for women employees in higher education.

Counties

St. Louis Association of Colored Women's Clubs, 1901-1980 (S0218)
0.02 cubic feet, 9 folders

 Finding Aid

Collection includes minutes, photographs, histories, convention programs, yearbooks, pamphlets, and publications of the Informal Dames, the Auroran Club (of the YWCA), the Prudence Crandall Club, and the association.

Counties

St. Louis Emergency Aid Association Records, 1908-1918 (C1240)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Finding Aid

Papers of a women's organization dedicated to providing the poor and unemployed with necessities if employment could not be found. This was accomplished in part through the donation of money to various St. Louis charities. The papers include correspondence, minutes of special and annual meetings, and treasurer's reports.

Counties

St. Louis Harmony Chorus Records, 1958-2011 (S0334)
9 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

This collection contains scrapbooks, CDs, and VHS tapes, documenting the group's history as a volunteer women's chorus, with a specialization in four-part, a cappella harmony.  Materials of interest include scrapbooks containing photographs, program booklets, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and histories chronicling the group's yearly activities, including local performances and participation in choir competitions in the United States.

St. Louis History Slide Shows, 1984-1986 (S0519)
0.8 cubic foot, 6 folders, 561 slides, 5 reel-to-reel audio tapes, 7 audio cassette tapes, and 1 videotape

 Finding Aid

The St. Louis History Slide Shows contains three slide shows: a forty-minute presentation highlighting women who have made significant contributions to St. Louis, a slide show about the Western Historical Manuscript Collection (WHMC)-St. Louis Research Center’s labor history collections, and a slide show about the St. Louis Collection.

Subjects

Counties

St. Louis Hosmer Hall Yearbook, 1909 (S1082)
0.5 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of the 1909 edition of the Ivy yearbook of Hosmer Hall, a young women's school that opened in Clayton, Missouri, in 1904. The yearbook contains photographs, cartoons, illustrations, and business advertisements that document the activities of the school and its students. The Clayton School District purchased the building in 1936 and converted it into a middle school.

Counties

St. Louis Housewives' League Scrapbook and Programs, 1973-1980 (S0155)
0.01 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

This collection contains a scrapbook titled, "The History of the St. Louis Housewives League, 1931-1973," as well as a program for the 43rd annual meeting of the National Housewives League in St. Louis, Missouri, 1980. The St. Louis Housewives League was founded on March 9th, 1931, to support African-American owned businesses in the St. Louis area.

Counties

St. Louis Joint Council of Women's Auxiliaries Scrapbook, 1926-1976 (S0209)
1 volume

 Finding Aid

Founded on February 27, 1926, under the leadership of Mary Ryder to assist strike efforts and to lobby for legislation to improve working conditions for laborers. It helped to establish Mary Ryder Homes for underprivileged and homeless women in 1930 and pioneered the organization of state and national auxiliary groups. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, photographs, and histories of individual auxiliaries.

Counties

St. Louis Metropolitan League of Women Voters Records, 1936-2006 (S0234)
39 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The records of the St. Louis Metropolitan League of Women Voters contains correspondence, financial records, reports, publications, and newspaper clippings chronicling the organization's mission to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government.

Counties

St. Louis Self-Help Clinic Records, 1979-1982 (S0985)
1 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

This collection includes newsletters and publications pertaining to abortion, including copies of "Our Bodies Our Selves" and the "Cervical Cap Handbook."

Counties

St. Louis Women Historians Records, 1983-1988 (S0478)
1 cubic foot, 57 folders, 10 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

This collection contains reports, correspondence, photographs, and publicity relating to the St. Louis Women Historians from 1982-1988. The St. Louis Women Historians was founded in 1981 to provide a local forum for women historians throughout St. Louis.

Counties

St. Louis Women's Choir Records, 1986-1990 (S0977)
0.25 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The St. Louis Women's Choir Records contain concert programs, a philosophy statement, and retreat materials.

Counties

St. Louis Women's Labor Conference Collection, 1973 (S0110)
0.01 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

The St. Louis Women’s Labor Conference met in 1973 to discuss working women’s issues such as organizing the unorganized, job training, equal pay and advancement, and daycare. Conference participants listened to speeches by prominent women unionists, attended workshops, and passed resolutions as part of a larger plan that was designed to further women’s positions in the workforce. The collection includes correspondence, flyers, a meeting packet, resolutions, and handouts.

Counties

Frances Hurd Stadler Papers, 1917-2000 (S0329)
0.01 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

The papers contain a 15-page typescript titled That Was No Picnic, by Frances Hurd Stadler, recounting her experiences as a stenographer for Bechtel-Price-Callahan’s Canol Project, a $100,000,000 United States Department of War construction project to build an oil pipeline from Norman Wells, Canada, to Whitehorse, Alaska. Also included are photocopied newspaper articles and magazines about Bechtel and the Canol Project.

Subjects

Counties