Inventory of the Dawn Langley Simmons Papers, 1848-2001 and undated, bulk 1969-2000

The Dawn Langley Simmons Papers span the years 1848-2001, with the bulk of the papers being dated between 1969 and 2001. The collection consists of material collected and created by Simmons when she was using the names Gordon Langley Hall, Dawn Pepita Langley Hall, and Dawn Langley Simmons. Extensive files of correspondence dating from the 1950s to 2000 document Simmons' formative years in Kent and Sussex, Great Britain; her relationship with her mother, Marjorie Hall Copper; literary circles in Great Britain; later personal events such as her wedding and purchase of her house in Charleston, S.C.; and Simmons' development as a writer. Significant correspondents or individuals mentioned in letters and other materials include Robert Holmes, Sir Harold Nicolson, Nigel Nicolson, Edwin Peacock, Margaret Rutherford, Vita Sackville-West, and Isabel Whitney. The collection also includes writings by Simmons in the form of typescripts and diaries; printed material and clippings including articles by and about Simmons; legal and financial papers; an extensive collection of scrapbooks; photographs; audiovisual materials; and other material relating to Simmons' personal life and career as a writer. The writings in the collection are primarily typescripts but include a few proofs and printers' galleys. Many of the pieces are unpublished. The publication process of the 1995 autobiography Dawn: A Charleston Legend is extensively documented by a series of edited manuscripts and proofs as well as correspondence with the publisher. Collection materials also document to some extent sex change treatments begun in 1967 at the Gender Identity Clinic of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; Simmons' 1969 interracial marriage to John-Paul Simmons; and the disruption in their lives in part brought on by the negative reaction of Charleston society to their marriage.

The Audiovisual Materials Series includes video and audio tape recordings and photographs. The recordings include professionally-produced audio broadcasts discussing Simmons' transgender life and her interracial marriage - and an amateur audio tape of Simmons' wedding. Several hundred photographs document Isabel Whitney and her family as well as Simmons' family and friends. Original recordings are closed to research; listening copies are available for most items. Otherwise, staff must arrange for use copies to be made.

The largest series in the collection, the Correspondence Series consists chiefly of incoming correspondence, spanning five decades, from family and friends, from publishers concerning Simmons' writing, and from other individuals. There is some correspondence written by Simmons scattered throughout.

Brief but detailed entries in the eleven volumes housed in the Diaries Series describe Simmons' writing career, emotional states, and family matters during the time periods from 1975-1976 and 1987-1989, ending with the years 1990-1994.

The Legal and Financial Papers Series chiefly consist of documents concerning Simmons' father, Jack Copper, Isabel Whitney and her family and estate, Simmons and her husband, and Simmons' inheritance from Whitney.

The Printed Materials Series houses clippings, travel guides, flyers, and other items that document Simmons' interests, travels, and hobbies; includes early journalistic writings (chiefly columns), and a hardcover copy of her children's book, the Great White Owl of Sissinghurst.

The twenty-odd albums found in the Scrapbooks Series feature memorabilia, clippings, photos, and correspondence assembled by Simmons concerning her writing career, family, hobbies, and interest in celebrities and royalty.

The small Volumes Series consists of two manuscripts collected by Simmons: a nineteenth-century diary written by Sarah Combs, a transcript of this diary, and an early twentieth century travelogue written by a member of the Whitney family.

The Writings Series primarily consists of typescripts of works by Simmons. There are a few written pieces by other authors. Other writings by Simmons can be found in the Correspondence Series (in the topical correspondence folders for the 1950s and 1960s and scattered throughout in other files); in the William Carter Spann Series, which contains research Simmons conducted in preparation for a book on President Carter's nephew; in the Diaries Series; and in the Printed Materials Series, which contains early columns and later writings by Simmons.

Oversize Materials housed separately from the main collection include posters, cover proofs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and a few diplomas and awards.

Acquired as part of the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture.

• Simmons, Dawn Langley.
• Copper, Marjorie Hall Ticehurst.
• Whitney, Isabel Lydia.
• Rutherford, Margaret, 1892-1972.
• Combs, Sarah.
• Holmes, Robert.
• Nicolson, Harold George, Sir, 1886-1968.
• Nicolson, Nigel.
• Peacock, Edwin.
• Sackville-West, V. (Victoria), 1892-1962.
• Authors, American--Biography.
• Authors, American--Southern States.
• Mothers and sons--Great Britain.
• Sex change--United States.
• Transgender people--United States.
• Transsexuals--South Carolina--Charleston.
• Interracial marriage--South Carolina--Charleston.
• Women authors, American--Biography.
• Women authors, American--Southern States.
• Kent (England)--Social life and customs.
• Charleston (S.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture.
• Diaries.
• Photographs.
• Scrapbooks.
• Video recordings.
• Sound recordings.

• Isabel Whitney Papers, Gordon Langley Hall Papers, and Two Lives of Baby Doe Collection (manuscript) (Elmer L. Andersen Library, University of Minnesota.)

[Identification of item], Dawn Langley Simmons Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

The Dawn Langley Simmons Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift from 1966-2005.

Processed by Daniel Breen, Lee Cloninger, Melissa Delbridge, Paula Jeannet Mangiafico, and Tania Roy, July 2007

Encoded by Lee Cloninger and Paula Jeannet Mangiafico.

Completed August 2007

All accessions from 67-352 to 2005-0035 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.