Register of the Semans Family Papers, 1878-1991
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleSemans Family Papers,
1878-1991
Creator
Semans Family
Extent
Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 49.5
Number of items: ca. 37,125
Repository
Number of items: ca. 37,125
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library
Durham, North Carolina 27708-0185
Language
English.
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Administrative Information
AccessAccess to the Semans Family Papers is restricted.
In addition, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in the papers of the Semans family have not
been transferred to Duke University.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Papers of the Semans Family, Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Semans Family Papers were donated to the library by James
Hustead and Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans beginning in 1969 through 1991. The
collection includes the papers of Mary Duke Biddle and Elizabeth Lucina Gotham.
Funds from The Duke Endowment supported the processing of the collection.
Processing Information
Processed by Madeleine Bagwell Perez and Donna Longo DiMichele
Date Completed: April 19, 1991
Encoded by Alvin Pollock
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Biographical Note
Mary Duke BiddleCollection Overview
The papers of the Semans family span the years 1878 to 1991. The
collection consists of four sub-groups of papers: the Mary Duke Biddle Family
Papers, the James H. Semans Family Papers, the James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans
Family Papers, and the Elizabeth Lucina Gotham Family Papers.
The collection reflects the philanthropic, cultural, and social
activities of the Semans family. Major focuses are the interrelationships of
the Semans family with the Biddle, Duke, and Trent families. Additionally the
papers document the roles Mary Duke Biddle, James H. Semans, and Mary Duke
Biddle Trent Semans have taken in the development of arts and educational
programs throughout North Carolina. To a lesser degree, the papers reflect on
childcare during the early twentieth century.
Individuals represented include Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Nicholas
Benjamin Duke Biddle, Angier Biddle Duke, Angier Buchanan Duke, Benjamin Newton
Duke, Sarah Pearson Angier Duke, Elizabeth Lucina Gotham, and Josiah Charles
Trent as well as other members of the Duke, Biddle, Trent, and Semans families.
Political and educational leaders are also represented.
Subject areas represented include: arts; charities; childcare; The
Duke Endowment; Duke University and other universities and colleges; the North
Carolina School of the Arts; education; genealogy; personal finances;
philanthropy; Durham, N.C., politics and social life; vocational
rehabilitation; and the Methodist church.
For additional collections of Duke family papers, see the Washington
Duke Papers, the Benjamin Newton Duke Papers, and the James B. Duke Papers. For
further information on the contributions of the Duke family to Duke University,
contact the Duke University Archives.
Collection Overview
The papers of Mary Duke Biddle span the years 1894 to 1960, although
the bulk of the material dates from the 1920s to the 1930s. They consist of
correspondence, legal papers, scrapbooks, pictures, address books,
miscellaneous expense accounts, wedding memorabilia, baby books, and other
materials relating to Mrs. Biddle's personal and family life, and social,
cultural, and philanthropic activities.
The Correspondence series consists primarily of correspondence to
and from Mary Duke Biddle, but also includes correspondence to and from Anthony
J. Drexel Biddle, Benjamin N. Duke, Sarah P. Duke, Angier Buchanan Duke, Mary
D.B.T. Semans and Nicholas Benjamin Duke Biddle, and Duke University officers,
board members, and faculty. There is also a significant amount of
correspondence from Duke family business managers that relates to Mrs. Biddle's
private finances and correspondence from Mrs. Biddle to Duke University wherein
she continued the Duke family tradition of giving to Duke University. Some
legal papers relating to financial transactions and purchases are interspersed
with correspondence. There are many condolences addressed to Mrs. Biddle on the
deaths of her brother, father, and mother as well as other materials relating
to the death and funeral of B.N. Duke. Additional materials related to the
death of Benjamin N. Duke are in the Benjamin Newton Duke Papers.
The Scrapbooks Series contains newspaper society page clippings
about the Duke and Biddle families and Duke University. Some scrapbooks contain
correspondence to and from Benjamin N. Duke, primarily related to Duke
University. Mrs. Biddle's interest in the performing arts is reflected in
scrapbooks which contain primarily photomechanical pictures of opera and
theater celebrities.
Four autochrome portraits of Mrs. Biddle and Sarah P. Duke are in
the Pictures Series. The autochromes, a rare early color photographic process,
are displayed in diascope cases and date from about 1910. Other pictures are of
Mrs. Biddle and her family and friends at Biddle's Durham residence "Pinecrest"
in the 1950s. Numerous pictures of Mary Duke Biddle are also found in the
Pictures Series of the James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans Family Papers.
Collection Overview
The papers of the James H. Semans Family span the years 1878 to
1953, with the bulk of the materials dating from the 1930s and 1940s. They
consist of genealogical materials, correspondence, financial papers, legal
papers, writings and speeches, scrapbooks, calendars, printed materials,
student and professional reports, pictures, and miscellaneous materials
relating to the Semans family of Uniontown, Pa. The papers particularly
describe the life of James H. Semans, including the academic and professional
course Dr. Semans took toward becoming a physician and the early years of his
medical practice, before his marriage to Mary Duke Biddle Trent in 1953.
The Correspondence Series especially illustrates Dr. Semans's
relationships with his parents and several other family members and his medical
training and career. Dr. Semans carried on considerable correspondence with his
parents during the 1930s and 1940s, and with his sister Virginia and her
husband Wendell A. Stone in the 1940s. The letters describe family life and Dr.
Semans's academic, professional, and personal life. Many of these letters were
written during Semans's medical residencies at Johns Hopkins Hospital in
Baltimore, St. Mary's Hospital in Pierre, S.D., Ancker Hospital in St. Paul,
Minn., and various military base hospitals. He served on the urological service
of Dr. Hugh H. Young at Johns Hopkins Hospital. There are also scattered
letters from acquaintances.
From 1938 to 1939 Dr. Semans served a medical internship in Pierre,
S.D. In a series of letters to his parents he describes his work at the
hospital and relationships with members of the staff, his impressions of the
community and citizens including American Indians, and the surrounding
countryside. Notable are Dr. Semans's descriptions of his St. Mary's Hospital
mentor, Dr. Theodore E. Riggs, grandson of Stephen R. Riggs, a missionary to
Indians. [Dr. Riggs is also mentioned in letters dated March 31 and April 15,
1944.]
Beginning in 1946 the bulk of correspondence occurs between J.H.
Semans and his medical colleagues. Much of it concerns the establishment of his
Atlanta medical practice, arrangements for professional meetings and
organizations, personnel references and other professional matters. There is
some correspondence between Dr. Semans and his patients. The latter part of
1953 includes information on Dr. Semans's establishment of a medical practice
in North Carolina and family and personal correspondence related to his
marriage to Mary D.B. Trent.
Most of the letters from the 1880s and early 1900s in the
Correspondence Series are addressed to the father of James H. Semans, Thomas B.
Semans, a successful businessman. They relate to family matters and business
investments, including a coal enterprise in New Zealand. The Financial Papers
Series and the Legal Papers Series include personal financial records created
by Thomas B. Semans and records pertaining to his estate. The Writings and
Speeches Series includes periodic diary entries made by Dr. Semans. Most diary
entries date to 1946 wherein he describes various trips he made as he looked
for a location to establish a medical practice. Most of the medical papers and
speeches were prepared for medical professionals but some speeches were
presented to local service clubs.
The Scrapbook Series includes photographs, clippings, and
correspondence from Dr. Hugh H. Young and others. Dr. Semans compiled and
annotated an autobiographical scrapbook for the years 1910 to 1952. Types of
materials similar to those in this scrapbook are located in the
autobiographical files of the Speeches and Writings Series of the James H. and
Mary D.B.T. Semans Family Papers.
There are a variety of family photographs, chiefly of members of the
Semans family, in the Pictures Series. There are some formal pictures of
children's birthday parties (1910s, 1920s) and Uniontown houses, and some
candid photographs made in Atlanta, Ga., and Pierre, S.D. There are copy
photographs of Semans family ancestors made from a cartes de visite album. See
the James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans Family Papers for pictures of the Semans
family dated after 1953.
Collection Overview
The papers of the James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans family span the
years 1925 to 1991. The bulk of the papers date after 1950, except for the
Pictures Series which dates from the 1880s to 1990. Included in the papers are
genealogical materials, correspondence, financial papers, legal papers, subject
files pertaining to the many academic institutions and philanthropic, artistic,
and social organizations in which the Semanses are involved, writings and
speeches, scrapbooks, pictures, and miscellaneous materials such as audio
tapes, awards and certificates, calendars, clippings, motion films, and
phonograph records. The papers also document the commitment of the Semans and
Trent families to use their personal and financial resources to support
artistic endeavors, academic institutions, and research in social welfare and
medical programs, particularly in North Carolina.
Papers dating from 1925 to 1953 focus on Mary Duke Biddle Trent
Semans; her personal and family life including travel, school life, musical
pursuits, her marriage to Josiah Charles Trent and their family life and
activities; and her relationship with Elizabeth L. Gotham. Her philanthropic,
political, and social activities are also illustrated. The development of Mary
and Josiah C. Trent's collection of rare book materials and their donations of
these to the academic and medical libraries of Duke University are described,
as well as their relationships (and later Dr. Semans's) with book dealers Henry
and Ida W. Schuman.
James H. Semans's papers merge with those of Mary Semans beginning
in 1953, the year in which the two were introduced and subsequently married.
After their marriage materials reflecting the Semanses' joint and individual
activities are interspersed throughout the sub-group.
The Correspondence and Subject Files Series form two of the largest
and most important components of the papers. There is much overlap of topics
between the two series. The papers demonstrate the continuing interest of Duke
family members in the welfare of Duke University and the institutions served by
The Duke Endowment. Mary Semans's positions with the Duke University Board of
Trustees and numerous committees, the Woman's College, and with The Duke
Endowment are documented, especially in the Subject Files Series.
Correspondents for Duke University include university presidents, officers and
staff, especially Douglas M. Knight, Terry Sanford, Keith Brodie, Thomas L.
Perkins, Benjamin E. Powell, and Joel L. Fleishman. Medical Center
correspondents include Barnes Woodhall, Wilburt C. Davison, Lenox D. Baker, and
William G. Anlyan. The Duke Endowment correspondents include Marshall I.
Pickens and Robert McCormack. However, since many of these individuals operated
within several organizational spheres, their correspondence may be
scattered.
James and Mary Semans's involvements with Duke University's Art and
Music departments and other programs and events are described in the
Correspondence and Subject Files Series. Mary Semans participated in the
development and expansion of the academic and medical libraries. James Semans
was instrumental in the expansion of the medical library in the 1950s. Their
trusteeship in the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and its contributions to Duke
University and the arts outside of the university are prominently represented.
Other educators and civic leaders who corresponded with the Semanses include
William C. Friday, George Watts Carr, Jr., and Dan K. Moore.
The North Carolina School of the Arts is heavily supported by the
Semanses, particularly by Dr. Semans who is a school founder. The school,
including its summer sessions in Siena, Italy, is documented primarily in the
Subject Files Series, but references will be found also in the Correspondence
and Miscellaneous Series, and additional photographs are in the Pictures
Series. The correspondence illustrates the close personal and professional
relationships of the Semanses with school staff and students. Prominent people
represented in the North Carolina School of the Arts materials include Vittorio
Giannini, Robert C. Suderburg, Samuel M. Stone, and Giorgio Ciompi.
The Correspondence and Subject Files Series document the Semanses'
work in the arts and their memberships in many arts organizations, including
the Advisory Board of the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and the
Concert Opera Board of New York City, and James Semans's extensive connections
stemming from the North Carolina School of the Arts. Numerous artists, writers,
musicians, dancers and art supporters have close ties with the Semanses.
Correspondents for these areas include John Ehle, Iain Hamilton, Nancy Hanks,
Agnes De Mille, and Archie K. Davis.
The Semanses sponsor music scholarships and prizes, artistic
programs and concerts, and have commissioned art and musical works at Duke
University, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and elsewhere. A number of
endowments, funds, scholarships, and foundations have been started by the
Semanses in support of the arts, social and medical research, and other
academic endeavors. They also sponsor a collection of art for Duke University
in honor of Dr. Semans's parents.
The Correspondence and Subject Files Series also reflect the
extensive involvement of Dr. and Mrs. Semans in medical and vocational
rehabilitation in local, state, and national organizations in the late 1950s
through the 1960s. There is significant correspondence from Mary Switzer and
Howard Rusk for this area. Three major subject files of these materials are
Duke University Medical Center, the National Paraplegia Foundation, and
Vocational Rehabilitation.
The Correspondence Series also contains information on family,
personal, social, and business activities and relationships. There is
correspondence from Duke, Biddle, and Semans family members. The close
relationships between the Semanses and members of the Trent family of Oklahoma
and elsewhere after Josiah C. Trent's death are reflected in the
correspondence. The correspondence also reflects many of the Semanses' close
personal relationships with people in North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania,
Washington, D.C., Italy, and Greece.
The Trent and Semans children, Mary Duke Trent Jones, Sally
Elizabeth Trent Harris, Rebecca Gray Trent Kirkland, Barbara Biddle Trent
Kimbrell, Jenny L. Semans Koortbojian, James D.B.T. Semans, and Beth Gotham
Semans are also described throughout the Correspondence, Pictures, and
Miscellaneous Series. This includes information on their academic and
professional activities as well as their personal and adult family lives.
Copies of many of the speeches given by the Semanses at the
ceremonies in which they received awards and at other public occasions are in
the Writings and Speeches Series. Files, including correspondence and other
related materials, created by Dr. Semans and his assistants for the publication
of an autobiography titled Coming of Age are also in the Writings and Speeches
Series. Some of the correspondence in the autobiographical files does not
relate to the publication of the book but is background information compiled by
Dr. Semans.
The Scrapbooks Series consists of three scrapbooks compiled by Mary
D.B.T. Semans during the 1930s. They illustrate her travels across the U.S.,
her student years at Duke University, and her courtship with Josiah C.
Trent.
People represented in the Pictures Series include the Angier family
of North Carolina, the Biddle family of Philadelphia, the Duke family, the
Trent family (related through Josiah Charles Trent) of Oklahoma and elsewhere,
and the Semans family of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. For most of these
individuals there are candid photographs as well as formal portraits. Family
oriented subjects include children's birthday parties (1920s), family group
Christmas portraits that were also reproduced on Christmas cards (1941-1988),
weddings, travel in the U.S. and Europe (1950s-1980s), and leisure in Atlantic
City, N.J. (ca. 1915-1920s), southern resorts, and at home. This series
provides an opportunity for an examination of affluent society in the 1920s and
1930s. A significant number of the pictures were made by professional
photographers, and many were reproduced on the newspaper society pages. There
are extensive photographs taken in Palm Beach, Fla., showing people engaged in
recreational activities and pictures of homes and social clubs.
Collection Overview
The Elizabeth Lucina Gotham Family Papers are useful for the study
of women's history, particularly that of women trained as baby nurses in the
early twentieth century. The papers span the years 1902 to 1968, with the bulk
occurring in the 1920s. They include correspondence, pictures, a few
genealogical items and clippings. Most of the Correspondence Series consists of
letters from Miss Gotham's family and women friends. Many of the latter are
evangelistic in nature and include letters mailed from a missionary station in
Honduras.
A significant amount of correspondence to Elizabeth Gotham from Mary
Semans and her family, which documents their close relationships, is in the
James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans Family Papers Correspondence Series. It dates
from about 1938 to 1941 and then is scattered throughout the 1950s and
1960s.
The Pictures Series includes photographs of Gotham family members,
portraits of nurses and nurses in baby hospitals, and towns in the state of New
York.
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Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- Semans family.
- Biddle, Anthony Joseph Drexel, 1896-1961.
- Biddle, Nicholas Benjamin Duke, 1921-
- Biddle, Mary Duke, 1887-1960.
- Duke, Angier Biddle, 1915-
- Duke, Angier Buchanan, 1884-1923.
- Duke, Benjamin Newton, 1855-1929.
- Duke, Sarah Pearson Angier, 1902-1936.
- Semans, James H.
- Semans, Mary Duke Biddle Trent.
- Trent, Josiah Charles, 1914-1948.
- Gotham, Elizabeth Lucina, 1887-1968.
- Duke Endowment.
- Duke University.
- North Carolina School of the Arts.
- Biddle family.
- Duke family.
- Trent family.
- Arts--North Carolina.
- Charities--North Carolina.
- Methodist Church--North Carolina.
- Durham (N.C.)--Politics and government.
- Durham (N.C.)--Social conditions.
- New York (N.Y.)--Social life and customs.
- Childcare--20th century.
- Education--North Carolina.
- Philanthropists--North Carolina.
- Social history--19th century.
- Social history--20th century.
- Universities and colleges--North Carolina.
- Women in politics--North Carolina.
- Women in public life--North Carolina.
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | Mary Duke Biddle Family Papers | ||||||
| | James H. Semans Family Papers | ||||||
| | James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans Family Papers | ||||||
| | Elizabeth Lucina Gotham Family Papers | ||||||
 | | Oversize Materials | ||||||
Detailed Description of Collection
Mary Duke Biddle Family Papers
Correspondence Series
1894-1919
1920-1960,undated
(16 folders)
Box 2
Condolences:
Angier Buchanan
Duke
1923, Sept.-Oct.,undated
(2 folders)
Telegrams,
1923, Sept.
Benjamin Newton
Duke
1929, Jan.-June
1929,Funeral
Sarah P. Duke
1936, Sept.-Nov.,undated
(3 folders)
Telegrams,
1936, Sept.
Legal Papers Series
Wills:
Biddle, Mary Duke,
1960
Duke, Benjamin N., 1926and
Duke, Sarah P., 1936
Scrapbooks Series
Bridal book,
1915
Opera/Theater Personalities,
1900-1920
Baby book (
Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans), 1920
Box 4
Baby book (
Nicholas Benjamin Duke Biddle), 1921
Family,
1928-1932
Pictures Series
Biddle, Mary Duke (2 diascopes), ca.
1910
Duke, Sarah P. (2 diascopes), ca.
1910
Box 6
Photograph albums, ca.
1938-1956
(6 folders)
Miscellaneous Series
Address books,
1950,undated
Printed,
1927
School notes,
1903,undated
School publications:
Biddle, Nicholas Benjamin Duke, 1938-1939,undated
Wedding,
1915
James H. Semans Family Papers
Genealogical Papers Series
Thomas B. Semans and descendants,
1892-1953,undated
Correspondence Series
1878-1925
1934-1947, Dec.
(12 folders)
Box 9
1948-1953
(11 folders)
Financial Papers Series
Thomas B. Semans,
1884-1921
Legal Papers Series: Estate
Thomas B. Semans,
1941-1948
(3 folders)
Virginia B. Semans, undated
Writings and Speeches Series
Diary,
1946-1951
Medical,
1941-1952,undated
Medical notes,
1940-1951,undated
Scrapbooks Series
Annotation by
J.H. Semans, 1910-1952
Pages 1-20
(9 folders)
Pictures Series
Uniontown, Pa., ca.
1911-1920
Friends, undated
James H. Semans, ca.
1947-1953
Francis M. Semans family,
Uniontown, Pa.
Thomas B. Semans family,
Uniontown, Pa., undated
Thomas B. and Virginia Belle (Smith) Semans,
1912,
1922,undated
Semans family,
Uniontown, Pa., ca.
1860-1918
(5 folders)
Hilltop School (near
Uniontown, Pa.), ca.
1916
Pierre, S.D.,
1930s
Box 93-A
Thomas B. Semans family, undated
Miscellaneous Series
Calendars,
1947
Box 12
Calendars,
1947-1953
(3 folders)
Certificates and Awards,
1944,
1952
Clippings,
1940s-1952
Memberships,
1947-1955,undated
Printed,
1910
School related,
1927,
1932,undated
James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans Family Papers
Genealogical Papers Series
Biddle family,
1950-1987,undated
Drexel family,
1970,
1975,
1983
Duke family,
1958-1988,undated
Roney family,
1941,undated
(4 folders)
James H. Semans family,
1956-1990
Mary D.B.T. Semans family,
1972-1980s
Josiah C. Trent family,
1928-1983,undated
Correspondence Series
1927-1949, Apr.
(16 folders)
Box 15
1949, May-1954
(16 folders)
Box 16
1955-1959,undated
(15 folders)
Box 17
1960, May-1961
(12 folders)
Box 18
1962, Jan.-1964, Dec.
(11 folders)
Box 19
1965, Jan.-1966, Dec.
(9 folders)
Box 20
1967, Jan.-Dec.
(8 folders)
Box 21
1968
(11 folders)
Box 22
1969
(12 folders)
Box 23
1970
(13 folders)
Box 24
1971
(13 folders)
Box 25
1972
(13 folders)
Box 26
1973
(13 folders)
Box 27
1975
(8 folders)
Box 28
1976
(12 folders)
Box 29
1977-1978, Oct.
(14 folders)
Box 30
1978, Nov.-1979, Dec.and
undated
(15 folders)
Box 31
1980
(12 folders)
Box 32
1981
(13 folders)
Box 33
1982
(11 folders)
Box 34
1983
(9 folders)
Box 35
1984
(11 folders)
Box 36
1985
(11 folders)
Box 37
1986
(12 folders)
Box 38
1987
(12 folders)
Box 39
1988, Jan.-1989, May
(17 folders)
Box 40
1989, June-1991, May
(13 folders)
Box 41
undated
(8 folders)
Box 42
Condolences:
Josiah Charles
Trent
1948, Dec. 10-30,undated
(6 folders)
Telegrams,
1948, Dec.
Funeral,
1948, Dec.
Box 43
Condolences:
Mary Duke Biddle
1960, June 15-Aug.,undated
Telegrams,
1960, June
Funeral,
1960, June 16
Anthony J. Drexel Biddle
(Ambassador to Spain)
Appointment, Service,
1961, Mar.-Sept.
Illness and death,
1961, Oct.-Dec.
(2 folders)
Telegrams,
1961, Nov.
Financial Papers Series
General,
1948-1990
Cash receipts/disbursement statements,
1946-1990
(3 folders)
Trial balance,
1964,
1976-1982
Property: (1009 Fifth Avenue)
1960,
1967-1990
(5 folders)
Restoration Contract,
1982
History and Architecture of 82nd St.
from Fifth Ave. to Madison Ave.,
1975
Legal Papers Series
Duke University,Trent/Semans Gifts to,
1949-1965
Box 45
Estates:
Biddle, Mary Duke,
1960-1967
(3 folders)
Duke, Sarah P.,
1937-1984
Gotham, Elizabeth L.,
1961-1987
Trent, Josiah C.,
1949-1950,
1967
Non-family,
1967-1986
Property:
Pinecrest,1936-1980,undated
Trusts:
Children,
1964-1984,undated
Duke, Doris,
1924-1925
Semans, James H.,
1964-1986
Wills:
Semans, James H.,
1954,
1959-1960
Box 46
Wills:
Semans, Mary D.B.T.
1940-1987
(4 folders)
Appraisals,
1979-1985,undated
Codicils, inserts,
1977-1986
Index, undated
Subject Files Series
American Dance Festival,
1980-1987
Arts (general),
1966-1990
(4 folders)
Arts Advocates of North Carolina,
1984-1990
British/American Festival,
1982-1984
Bull Durham Movie Premiere,
1988, Apr.
Community Chest,1949-1952,undated
(2 folders)
The Cooperative School for Pregnant School
Girls,
1970-1971
Cornish Institute,
1984
Cosmos Club,
1956-1966
Box 48
The Duke Endowment,
1963-1986
(13 folders)
Box 49
The Duke Endowment:
1987-1990,undated
(3 folders)
Angier B. Duke Memorial, Inc.,
1973-1989
B.N. Duke Leadership Fund,
1985-1988,
1990
The Doris Duke Trust,
1968,
1974,
1976,
1979-1990
(3 folders)
Educational Affairs (self-study),
1976
Hospital and Child Care Division,
1960,
1980-1989
Job descriptions, undated
The Nanaline H. Duke Fund,
1982,
1985
Salary study,
1981
Box 50
Duke Family Association,
1989
Duke Homestead,
1968-1982
Box 50
Duke University, 1958-1979,undated
(12 folders)
Box 51
Duke University, 1980-1990,undated
(13 folders)
Box 52
Duke University:
Art Department,
1967-1988
(5 folders)
Art Museum,
1965-1989,undated
(2 folders)
Chapel,
1961-1983,undated
Board of Visitors,
1971-1972
Drama Program,
1980-1990
Duke Media Center/N.C. Film Institute,
1974
Duke-Semans Fine Arts Foundation,
1981-1988
East Campus Parlors,
1979-1986
Gothic Bookshop,
1986
Harriet C. Carter Lectureship Committee,
1968-1969
Institute of Art,
1980-1989
(2 folders)
Box 53
Duke University:
Library, ca.
1943,
1960-1985
Mary Lou Williams Memorial,
1980-1981
Music Department,
1972-1989,undated
(6 folders)
Translation Service,
1976-1985,undated
University Planning Committee/Fine Arts
Subcommittee,
1971-1973
Vigil:
Martin Luther King,1968, Apr. 8
White Duchy:
Organization correspondence,
1947-1948
Alumnae (Reorganization)/Questionaire, By-laws,
ballots,
1947
The Lucky Number,
1947,
1949
Woman's College:
Board of Visitors,
1964-1971
Dean of Women, Search Committee,
1968
Memorial rooms,
1972
Box 54
Duke University Medical Center
1955-1990
(9 folders)
"Davison Symposium,"
1961
Library Committee,
1958-1962,undated
Trent Collection in the History of Medicine, ca.
1940-1966
Box 55
Durham, N.C.:
1955-1985
(2 folders)
Mayor's Committee on Human Relations,
1958-1959
Race Relations,
1950s-1960s
Durham Arts Council,
1983-1990
(2 folders)
Durham Homes, Inc.,
1968-1981
Durham Homes, Inc., Financial Statements,
1969-1978
Durham Social Planning Council,
1955-1958
Elizabeth City State University
Foundation,
1968-1975
Box 56
Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee,
1965-1990,undated
(10 folders)
Josiah Charles Trent Fund,1974-1980,undated
Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation,
Inc.,
1977-1988
Box 57
Kittrell College,1968,undated
Linden Court [Irvington-on-the-Hudson], Tarrytown,
N.Y. (renovations), undated
Louisburg College,1955-1985,undated
Mary Duke Biddle Foundation,
1963-1982
(11 folders)
Box 58
Mary Duke Biddle Foundation:
1983-1990,undated
Annual Report,
1970-1985
Mary D.B.T. Semans Foundation,
1982-1983
National Institute of Musical Theater,
1984-1985
National Paraplegia Foundation,
1955-1970
(3 folders)
North Carolina Civil Liberties Union,
1965-1969
Box 59
North Carolina Museum of Art:
1961-1989,undated
(6 folders)
Director (selection),
1969-1970
Mary Duke Biddle Gallery for the Blind,
1968-1987
Site selection:
1972-1975
Analysis,
1972
Box 60
North Carolina School of the Arts,
1961-1970
(8 folders)
Box 61
North Carolina School of the Arts,
1971-1977
(10 folders)
Box 62
North Carolina School of the Arts,
1978-1985
(13 folders)
Box 63
North Carolina School of the
Arts:
1986-1990,undated
(7 folders)
Board of Trustees:
Minutes,
1964-1989
Notes, undated
Board of Visitors,
1984-1985
Box 64
North Carolina School of the
Arts:
Hipp, William E., III: Bust of
James Semans,1980-1986
International Music Program,
1971-1991
(7 folders)
Search Committee,
1967-1990
(4 folders)
Box 65
North Carolina School of the
Arts:
Semans Art Fund,
1977-1990
Siena:
1967-1977
Histories,
1974-1976
Clippings,
1964-1987
Box 66
North Carolina School of the Arts
Twenty-fifth Anniversary,
1991
North Carolina School of the Arts Foundation,
Inc.,
1964-1984
(4 folders)
Box 67
North Carolina School of the Arts,
Pictures:
1975-1986,undated
(3 folders)
International Music Program (IMP),
1983,
1991
Italy
Concerts,
1967-1968
Audience with the Pope,
1968
Siena,
1967-1968
(2 folders)
Box 68
North Carolina Symphony,
1969-1983
(2 folders)
Southern Railway Company,
1963-1964
Vocational Rehabilitation,
1955-1986
(7 folders)
Volunteer Services Bureau of Durham,
1971
Warren Wilson College,
1971-1985
Women in Action for the Prevention of Violence and
Its Causes, Inc.,
1968-1981
Writings and Speeches Series
Mary D.B.T. Semans:
Children's Writings/Drawings,
1929,undated
Diary,
1930
1947-1977
(9 folders)
Box 70
Mary D.B.T. Semans,
1978-1991
(7 folders)
Box 71
Mary D.B.T. Semans, undated
(13 folders)
Box 72
Mary D.B.T. Semans, undated
(13 folders)
Box 73
Mary D.B. T. Semans:
undated
(4 folders)
Fragments
(9 folders)
Box 74
James H. Semans:
1955-1977
(5 folders)
European trip,
1958
Greece,
1963
Norway,
1960
Box 75
James H. Semans:
1978-1990
(6 folders)
undated
(4 folders)
Box 76
James H. Semans, Autobiography,
1985:
Background information,
1957-1982
Correspondence (re: publication),
1984-1986
Curriculum Vitae information, 1985
Expenses, 1985
Family emblem, 1985
Family tree, notes, chart, 1985
Langston Hughes quote source,
1985
Mailing lists, 1985
“New” scrapbook subtitles, 1985
Photographs, subtitles, 1985
Clippings, 1985
Preface, 1985
Acknowledgements, 1985
Table of contents, 1985
Bibliography, 1985
Index, 1985
Interviews,
1981-1983
(3 folders)
Box 77
James H. Semans, Autobiography,
1985:
Transcripts,
1984, Jan.-July
(4 folders)
Manuscripts,
1984, June-Nov.
(2 folders)
Corrections,
1984, Nov.
(3 folders)
Box 78
James H. Semans, Autobiography,
1985:
Manuscript,
1985, Mar.-Apr.
(2 folders)
Corrections,
1985, June-1986
(4 folders)
Blueline copy, 1985
Published copy, 1985
Reminiscences,
1990-
Scrapbook Series
Scrapbooks:
1934-1935(photocopy)
(2 folders)
ca.
1936
ca.
1937
(3 folders)
Box 80
Scrapbook:
1934-1935(original,
moldy; see container 79 for photocopy)
Pictures Series
Albums:
ca.
1914-1920
ca.
1920s
(7 folders)
Box 82
Albums:
ca.
1912
ca.
1921-1922
Upright Boxes
*
N.B. There are two alphabetical sequences of loose pictures.
Size considerations created the need to store pictures in both flat and upright
boxes. Therefore the first alphabetical sequence refers to pictures in upright
boxes, the second to pictures in flat boxes, e.g., pictures of Anthony J.
Drexel Biddle are in boxes 83 and 90.
Box 83
Angier, Malbourn Addison (engraving),
undated
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel:
ca. mid-1910s-1940s
ca.
1917,World War
I
ca. 1920s (snapshots)
ca. 1920s-1930s,
Palm Beach, Fla.
and children, ca. 1920s-1930s
Box 83
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel and
Biddle, Mary Duke, ca.
mid-1910s-1930s
Biddle, Livingston, ca. 1915,
undated
Biddle, Margaret Atkinson Loughborough
and children,
1960-1987
Biddle, Mary Duke:
ca. 1890s-1950s
(8 folders)
1920s-1930s, with children
ca. 1940s-1960s, with
Semans, Mary D.B.T. and
grandchildren
1949,Dedication
Mary Duke Biddle Room
Biddle, Nicholas Benjamin Duke, ca.
1925-1952,undated
(5 folders)
Box 84
Duke, Angier Biddle and
Duke, Anthony Drexel, ca. 1920s,
undated
Duke, Angier Buchanan:
ca. 1890s-1920
1910s-1923 (with family and friends)
1915,Wedding
ca. 1920-1925, with sons
Duke, Benjamin Newton:
ca. 1890s, undated
ca. 1890s, engraving, portraits
(2 folders)
ca. 1890s, 1920s, with family
undated, sculpture
Duke, Benjamin Newton and
Duke, James Buchanan, ca. early
1900s
Duke, Benjamin Newton and
Duke, Sarah Pearson Angier:
ca.
1910-1920,with
others
ca.
1920-1925,with
family
ca.
1925,
Atlantic City
Duke, Cordelia Drexel Biddle, ca.
1915
Duke, James Buchanan, ca.
1875-1925,undated
Duke, Sarah Pearson Angier, ca.
1930s
Duke, Washington:
ca. 1880s-1890s (portrait)
ca. 1890s, with grandchildren
1904,
Erwin Mills Associates
Duke family, undated,
unidentified
Box 85
Harris, Sally Elizabeth Trent and
family,
1942-1986
(2 folders)
Jones, Mary Duke Trent and family,
1941-1980s
(4 folders)
Kimbrell, Barbara Biddle Trent, ca.
1950s-1980s
Kirkland, Rebecca Gray Trent,
1943-1983
Koortbojian, Jenny Lillian Semans,
1950s-1979
Semans, Elizabeth Gotham, ca.
1966-1984,
1979-1981,
(2 folders)
Bull Durham Movie Premiere,
1988
Semans, James Duke Biddle Trent,
1957-1970s
(2 folders)
Box 86
Semans, James H.:
1950s-1980s
Oak Grove Cemetery, Uniontown, Pa. (
Semans family graves), 1980s
UniontownSemans relatives,
1950s-1980s
Semans, Mary D.B.T.:
ca. 1920-1980s
(9 folders)
ca.
1926-1930,with
Biddle, Nicholas B.D.
1932,with
Schelling, Ernest
1938,with
Trent, Josiah Charles
1940,with
Trent, Josiah Charles and daughter,
Mary
1945,undated, with
Trent, Josiah Charles
1940s-1950s, with daughters
1930s,
Duke University
ca.
1920-1929,
Palm Beach, Fla.
(3 folders)
Box 87
Semans, Mary D.B.T. and James
H.:
Events:
Arts,
1971-1988
The Duke Endowment,1979,undated
Duke Homestead Dedication,
1968
Duke University:
undated (2 folders) (unidentified)
Commencement,
1983,
1986
(2 folders)
Durham City/County,
1950s
Elon College,
1965
Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee,
undated
Guilford College,
Greensboro, N.C.,
1968
Mary Duke Biddle Foundation,
1979
National Conference of Christians and
Jews--Award,
1969
North Carolina Museum of Art,
1964,
1967
North Carolina (State of),1976-1982,undated
(2 folders)
Yale University School of Music,
1981
Unidentified, undated
Portraits,
1977
Snapshots, 1950s-1980s
Semans family:
ca. 1950s-1980s
(2 folders)
Children, ca. 1940s-1956, undated
(4 folders)
Box 88
Trent/Semans Family Christmas
cards:
1938-1988
(11 folders)
1940-1965,prints of
photographs used as Christmas cards
Trent, Josiah Charles:
1920s-1940s
(2 folders)
Medical school/internship/residency,
1930s-1940s
Box 88
Trent, Mary Simpson,
1940s-1950s
Trent family, 1940s-1980s
Box 89
Buildings and grounds:
Duke family mausoleum,
Maplewood Cemetery, Durham, N.C., ca.
1960
Duke Farms, Somerville, N.J.,
undated
Four Acres, Durham, N.C.,
undated
Houses, miscellaneous, undated
Linden Court [Irvington-on-the-Hudson],
Tarrytown, N.Y.,1956,undated
(2 folders)
Palm Beach, Fla.,
1920s-1930s
Pinecrest, Durham, N.C.,
1960
Pinecrest and
Les Terrasses, Durham, N.C.,
undated
1009 5th Avenue,
New York, N.Y.1929,
1990,undated
Sarmiento, Palm Beach, Fla., ca.
1920s-1930s
Sepulchral Chapel,
Duke University, undated
Naval Ships: U.S. Battleships, ca.
1930s-1940s
People:
Duke University:
Medical school (students/staff),
1941-1950s
Vigil for
Martin Luther King,1968
Related pictures, undated
Men:
Identified,
1941,
1984,undated
Unidentified, undated
In
Palm Beach, Fla., 1930s
(unidentified)
Women:
Identified, undated
Unidentified, 1900- 1940s, undated
(2 folders)
Miscellaneous people:
Identified, 1930s-1980s
(2 folders)
Unidentified,
1931,
1954,undated
Political, 1960s, undated
Recreational scenes, 1920s
(unidentified)
Travel photographs:
India,Japan (Yagi family), American West,
1910s-1930s
1953-1986
(4 folders)
Flat Boxes
Box 90
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel:
Drawings,
1916-1954
1930s
(2 folders)
ca.
1944-1945,World War
II
With
Biddle, Mary Duke,
mid-1910s-1930s
With son,
Biddle, Nicholas Benjamin Duke, 1920-1930s
Biddle, Cordelia Rundell Bradley, ca.
1920
Biddle, Mary Duke:
ca.
1920-1939
(2 folders)
With
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel, ca.
1920s
With
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel and
children,
1921-1926
Biddle, Nicholas Benjamin Duke, ca.
1920s-1932
Duke, Anthony Drexel, ca.
1920s
Duke, Benjamin Newton and
Duke, Sarah Pearson Angier:
ca.
1915-1920,with
Duke, Angier Buchanan and his
family
ca.
1920-1925,with
grandchildren
Mary and Nicholas Biddle
Duke, James Buchanan, 1900s,
undated
Duke, Washington, 1900s
(portrait)
Box 91
Jones, Mary Duke Trent,
1940
Semans, Mary D.B.T.:
ca. 1920s-1936
(4 folders)
Alone; with
Biddle, Nicholas B.D., ca.
1932-1935
Pencil drawing,
1937
School plays, 1930s
With daughter, Mary,
1940
With
Trent, Josiah Charles and daughters,
1943
With
Trent, Josiah Charles, 1938
Semans family, children, undated
(unidentified)
Family Christmas cards, transparencies and prints,
1978-1981
(2 folders)
Trent, Josiah Charles,
1920-1940s
Buildings and grounds:
Duke family mausoleum,
Maplewood Cemetery, Durham, N.C., ca.
1900
Duke University. Etchings by
Louis Orr, 1930s
Four Acres (?), undated
Sarmiento, Palm Beach, Fla.,
1920s-1930s
Box 92
People:
Men (unidentified), undated
Palm Beach, Fla., 1930s
(unidentified)
Women (unidentified),
1902
Miscellaneous:
1930s, unidentified children
Identified, n.d
The Duke Endowment Presentation Album,
40th Anniversary,
1964
Box 93
(Fragile material):
Mary Duke Biddle, 1920s
Angier Buchanan Duke,
1880s
Benjamin N. Duke and
Sarah P. Duke, 1880s
Benjamin N. Duke, ca.
1900
Box 94
Negatives:
Balls/Parties, 1950s
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel, ca.
1915-1930s
Biddle, Mary Duke and
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel, and
daughter,
1920
Duke, Benjamin N. and
Duke, Sarah P., undated
Duke family mausoleum, undated
Duke University Medical Center,Josiah C. Trent Library, Room
Dedication,
1956
Christmas cards,
1949-1968
(2 folders)
Christmas holiday,
1956-1957
Harris, Sally Elizabeth Trent, 1960,undated
(2 folders)
House: Miscellaneous, 1950s, undated
Jones, Mary Duke Trent,
1941-1959
(2 folders)
Semans, J.H. and M.D.B.T.,
1970s
Semans, Mary D.B.T. with daughters,
ca.
1949-1950
Semans/Trent family, ca.
1947-1948
Semans family and
Elizabeth Gotham, 1954-1955
Semans family, ca.
1955-1960, June
(10 folders)
Semans, Mary D.B.T.:
Before
1953,undated
(2 folders)
And
James H. Semans, ca.
1954-1955
Travel: Miscellaneous,
1935-1960,undated
Trent, Josiah C., undated
Trent boat, undated
Miscellaneous, 1950s, 1980s
Miscellaneous Series:
Audio-Visual Materials
Box 95
Audio Tapes:
Cassette: Memoirs,
Semans, Mary D.B.T., 1977, Jan. 15
5 inch reels:
Newcomer: Duke Makes a Difference,
1964, Jan. 16
Rehabilitation in
Jerusalem,Semans, Mary D.B.T., 1965, Aug. 8
John Riley,Sept. 16(?)
7 inch reels:
Breakfast,
1975[?] Unused
[label difficult to read]
Music (?), undated (partial reel)
Wedding of
Rebecca Trent and
John Kirkland, 1965, June 26
National Conference of Christians and Jews
Awards Dinner,
1969, Sept. 9(2
tapes)
Box 96
Audio Tapes:
7 inch reel:
Mr. Riley #2
Nova Scotia, undated
Target: Artistic Oasis at
Winston-Salem, undated (2
tapes)
Motion picture film, 16 mm:
Siena:
1968(7 inch
reel)
Fanfani: alla
Accademia Chigiana, undated (5 inch
reel)
Unlabeled, undated (3 inch reel)
Other Materials
Box 97
Address Books:
Semans family, undated
(3 folders)
Awards,
1951-1987
(4 folders)
Beta Rho Sorority minutes,
1938, Apr.
Births: Announcements/certificates,
1914-1962
Calendars,
1952-1957
(5 folders)
Box 98
Calendars,
1957-1970
(11 folders)
Box 99
Calendars,
1972-1985
(8 folders)
Box 100
Calendars,
1973-1975(3
books)
Box 101
Calendars,
1976-1978(3
books)
Box 102
Calendars,
1979-1981(3
books)
Box 103
Clippings,
1915-1990,undated
(13 folders)
Box 104
Lichen Flora: Parmelia Seman Siana,
1980
Piano Recitals (
Mary D.B.T. Semans),1930-1934
School reports:
(
Miss Hewitt's School),
1928-1935;(
Woman's College, Duke University),
1936
Semans, Elizabeth Gotham, 1968-1980,undated
Semans, James D.B.T.,
1965-1976
Semans, Jenny Lillian, 1966-1972,undated
Trent, Barbara Biddle, 1949-1964,undated
Trent, Mary Duke,
1951-1957
Trent, Rebecca Grey,
1955-1964
Trent, Sally Elizabeth,
1956-1959
Trent, Josiah C., 1929-1970,undated
Trent, Sally Elizabeth, Diary,
1958(trip to
Europe)
Box 105
Weddings:
1938-1953
(2 folders)
Announcements,
Semans family,
1961-1987
Elizabeth Lucina Gotham Family Papers
Correspondence Series
1902-1968
(5 folders)
Box 107
Clippings,
1918-1971,undated
Pictures Series
ca. 1880s-1960s
(5 folders)
ca.
1900-1940(women)
ca.
1900-1920(men)
ca. 1900-1940s (weddings, births, groups,
miscellaneous)
ca.
1900-1964(mostly
children)
1930s-1950s
Trent/Semans family
ca. 1920s-1967
(Duke and
Biddle family members)
1880s-1930s (miscellaneous buildings)
ca.
1905Nursing school or
hospital,
Brooklyn, N.Y.
undated
Oversize Materials
Mary Duke Biddle Family Papers
Scrapbook Series
Ovsz. Box 108
Angier B. Duke,
B.N. Duke,
1923-1931
Family, early 1930s
Biddle divorce,
1930-1931
James H. Semans Family Papers
Pictures Series
Oversize Cabinet
OC:II:5:
Francis Marion Semans and family,
1902,
1938,undated
Miscellaneous Series
Ovsz. Box 108
Awards,
1932-1943
James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans Family Papers
Subject Files Series
Ovsz. Box 108
Duke Homestead,
1968
Oversize Cabinet
OC:II:5:
Durham, N.C.:
Community Chest speech given by
Mary D.B.T. Semans, 1952
Durham City Council:
Voting tallies, 1950s
Campaign poster, 1950s
Pictures Series
Ovsz. Box 109
Biddle, Anthony Joseph Drexel,
1914-1920
Biddle, Mary Duke,
1910-1930s
Duke, Angier Buchanan:
ca.
1880-1923
With sister,
Mary Lillian Duke, 1890
Duke, Benjamin Newton, ca.
1890-1926
Duke, Doris, 1920,undated
Duke, Sarah Pearson Angier:
alone, undated
funeral,
1936
Duke, Washington,
1870-1880
(2 folders)
Duke/Biddle family,
Durham, N.C.,1910-1920
Ovsz. Box 110
Semans, Mary D.B.T
ca.
1920-1933
(3 folders)
With
Biddle, Nicholas Benjamin Duke, ca.
1930s
Semans, Mary D.B.T. and James H.,
Events:
The Duke Endowment,1973
Semans family: Children, undated
Trent, Josiah Charles,
1930
Buildings and Grounds:
Duke Homestead,1920,undated
Durham Homes, Inc., Unity Village, ca.
1970
Newport, R.I.: Chetwold (Storrs
Wells/Astor Home), undated
Palm Beach, Fla.:
Bath and Tennis Club, ca.
1920
Everglades Club(?), ca.
1920
Sarmiento, ca.
1920
1009 Fifth Avenue,
New York, N.Y., undated
Miscellaneous (identified),
1960,undated
Mary Duke Biddle Foundation/The Duke Endowment:
Publicity Shots, ca.
1970
Ovsz. Box 111
Pictures-fragile (shelved
out-of-sequence)
Oversize Cabinet
OC:II:5:
Biddle, Mary Duke:
1915(wedding)
ca. 1930s
Semans, James H. and Mary D.B.T., 1953(wedding)
Miscellaneous Series
Audio-Visual Materials
Ovsz. Box 108
Phonograph record,
Mary D.B.T. Semans, ca.
1931,undated
Other Materials
Oversize Cabinet
OC:II:5:
Awards,
1947-1982
Diploma for
Mary Lillian Duke, 1897
Floor Plans and Plats for properties in
N.Y. and
N.C.,1948-1975
Paper Dolls, 1920s
