Special Collections Department
Everett C. & Louise Staton Johnson
Papers
Manuscript Collection Number: 361
Accessioned: Gift of Mrs. Marjorie Tilghman, 1989-1995
Extent: 2 linear ft.
Content: Manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, sketches, books, clippings, certificates,
speeches, ledger, and ephemera.
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: April 1998 by Arthur Siegel.
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Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267
(302) 831-2229
Table of Contents
Biographical Notes
Everett C. Johnson
From 1899-1902 Johnson pursued postgraduate studies in history and political science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In order to earn a living, he taught at the Deichmann College Preparatory School (see F5) in Baltimore, and lectured on Hamlet. After graduating, he married Louise Staton, daughter of Joseph L. Staton, who was pastor of the Welsh Tract Baptist Church in Newark, Delaware, from 1880 until his death in 1891. For the next several years Johnson undertook a career in agriculture, purchasing a farm several miles south of Newark, but largely gave this up in 1910 when he founded the Newark Post, originally located on the corner of Main Street at South College Avenue. The circulation of this weekly newspaper was quick to expand, and Johnson remained the editor until his death in 1926. In 1916 Johnson built the Press of Kells, a printing house situated on the corner of South College Avenue and Park Place. The name was taken from the Book of Kells, a large illuminated gospel created by Irish monks in the eighth century, and it represented the nostalgia for master craftsmanship and the rejection of technology that were at the center of the Arts and Crafts ideology. Johnson brought the craft of handprinting to Newark, modeling the Kells building after the Tudor-style Roycroft print shop of Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915), the leading American Arts and Crafts printer of his time.
Hubbard founded Roycroft in East Aurora, New York, in 1895, after spending several years selling soap products door-to-door. He had acquired an interest in writing and literature, and he combined this interest with the marketing and promotional techniques which he learned as a salesman. He was the first to undertake mass-market advertising of books on a large scale and to distribute them to would-be customers through mail-order gift catalogs. Hubbard was well aware that colorful and artistic graphic designs would sell books, and he was wholly dedicated to the production of books which were hand-crafted without the aid of machinery.
Johnson admired Hubbard and was influenced by his work, and after Hubbard's death on the Lusitania in 1915 Johnson ordered the special memorial edition of Hubbard's Little Journeys series for his daughter Marjorie. Johnson hired a linotype operator from Boston by the name of John Schultz, affectionately known as the "vagabond printer," who also took the movement very seriously. Schultz helped to shape the ideology of Kells, "Where Printing is an Art & not a Job," and was the centerpiece of a promotional booklet which celebrated the spirit of the movement (see F49). However, the artistic typography and crafted style only lasted at Kells until about 1918, when state government took Johnson away from Newark for several years, and when Schultz left for a tour of duty in post-war France.
Johnson was a progressive Republican, seeking social, governmental, and educational reforms, and he used his newspaper as a forum for his progressivism. He sought improvements for a better Newark -- the establishment of good roads, good schools, a free library, a city sewer system, and a YMCA -- and became a very popular and outspoken local figure. In the same year that he founded the Newark Post (1910), Johnson was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives on the Republican ticket, and was re-elected in 1912. While in Dover, Johnson did a great deal for Newark, helping rejuvenate the social sciences at Delaware College and fostering agricultural expansion and improvements in the area. In 1911 he was elected to the board of trustees of the University of Delaware. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment, however, was criticism of Delaware's lack of commitment to women's higher education and sponsorship of state legislation which admitted women into Delaware College, which occurred in 1913.
His political career soon gained momentum, and in 1917 he was appointed by recently-elected Governor John G. Townsend as Delaware secretary of state, a position he held until 1921. Governor Townsend was a staunch reformer as well, and together they set out a successful program to improve Delaware's infrastructure, including the creation of better roads and the reform of education and the tax system. Townsend utilized Johnson's charismatic personality by calling upon him to speak for the cause of reform, a role which Johnson continued to play after retiring from public office. During the First World War, Johnson served as a leader in numerous drives, including those for Liberty Loans and the Red Cross, and he also served as chairman of the State Council of Defense. In addition, Johnson lobbied Congress to have the Cape Henlopen lighthouse, a colonial-era structure, given to the state of Delaware. It was about to collapse due to erosion from the sea, and Johnson hoped to shore up enough money to preserve it. Unfortunately, it collapsed in 1926, but a small drawing of the lighthouse, which had been hanging on the wall in his house, is in the collection (see F1).
The last years of his life were spent in public speaking and in his continuing support of the community. He constantly endeavored to assist the University and its students, even offering loans and employment to students who needed financial aid. In 1922, Johnson was elected chairman of the Committee on Grounds and Buildings, which was responsible for planning the new library for the University, to be named Memorial Hall in commemoration of those Delawareans who had died in World War I. Johnson also continued his duties at the Press of Kells and at the Newark Post, though his increasingly frail health forced him to spend several days a week at rest. The most important work to come out of Kells at this time was a 1924 printing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This had a very large regional distribution, finding its way into Rotary Clubs and numerous high schools. The publication won Johnson election into New York's Grolier Club in 1925, and was made an official souvenir for Philadelphia's Sesquicentennial Exposition in 1926. Unfortunately, Johnson did not live to see this last distinction, for he died of a heart attack on February 20, 1926. Moreover, after his death, the Press of Kells went into a rapid decline, and was eventually sold in 1935.
After the death of her husband in 1926, Louise continued at the Newark Post as editor for several years and rented rooms in her house to university professors and other professionals in order to make extra money. However, she soon embarked on a number of ventures that would take her to New York and Washington, D.C. In 1928 she and her daughter left Delaware to take a temporary job at the Manumit summer camp in New York state, and later that year Louise moved to Troy, New York, as an assistant dietitian at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This job was cut short, however, by an invitation to work as a secretary in the office of family friend John Townsend, who had been elected to the United States Senate by the state of Delaware in November 1928. In early 1929 she moved to Washington, DC., and continued to work for Townsend through two terms of office, from 1929-1940. Afterwards she worked for several years in the Commerce Department as an editor in the Division of International Economics and Statistics. During this period she was encouraged to take Spanish classes, and in 1946 she retired and eventually moved back to Newark. While in Washington, and as a result of her senatorial connections, she was invited to various state functions: the inauguration of Herbert Hoover, the reception of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and the unveiling of statues of Caesar Rodney and John Middleton Clayton in the Capitol rotunda.
The remainder of her years in Newark were relatively quiet. She was very interested in family history and subsequently wrote memoirs of her life, a work which she completed in 1975. She also wrote countless narratives and poems, which she submitted to magazines and newspapers throughout Delaware and Maryland over the course of forty years. Many were published, and through these she did a great deal to preserve the memory of her husband and his work. She died in 1977, at the age of 95.
Sources:
Delaware History. Fall-Winter 1993-94 (vol. 25 no. 4)Hamilton, Charles F. As Bees in Honey Drown: Elbert Hubbard & the Roycrofters. Cranbury, N.J.: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1973.
McKenna, Paul. A History & Bibliography of the Roycroft Printing Shop. North Tonawanda, N.Y.: Tona Graphics, 1986.
The National Cyclopedia of American Biography. New York: James T. White & Co., 1892-1984.
Note: Historical and biographical material also found in the collection.
Scope and Content Note
The first series spans the period 1897-1988, and includes newspaper clippings, correspondence, photographs, photocopied newspaper articles and manuscripts, certificates, speeches, booklets and programs, items from the Lincoln Club of Delaware, and other miscellaneous items.
The second series spans the period 1835-1988 and includes a wide variety of original writings, as well as copies of magazines and newspapers in whch they were found; memoirs; correspondence; photographs; speeches; invitations; items relating to the death of Everett Johnson; a ledger; and a scrapbook.
The third series spans the period 1911-1926, and includes original publications from the Press of Kells and the Roycroft printing shop.
The collection is a depository for numerous publications from the Press of Kells between the period 1916 and 1925, as well as some of the works of the Roycroft shop in Aurora, New York. Many of the publications are printed in the craftsman style, enriched with color and hand- lettered initials, and printed on handmade paper. Many of the works that were produced at Kells were no more than several pages in length and were directed towards the Newark community, such as a printed program for the Shakspere festival of 1916, or transcripts of speeches given at the University. Other publications were more ambitious, such as the Gospel of St. John or Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. However, most of the extant material in this collection is only a page or two in length. The decline of the craftsman influence is seen in later works, such as the 1921 English Bible, which was printed in standard type, reflecting Johnson's extended absence from Kells and a gradual loss of interest in the movement.
The collection is rich in biographical and historical material, including information about Everett Johnson and the Press of Kells in various scholarly journals, newspaper articles, and family narratives. Of particular interest are the memoirs of Louise Johnson, "A Narration of Many Memories, Several Detours, and a Few Thoughts" (see F45). Written in 1975, she recounts growing up in Newark, her family and acquaintances, and the experiences of her own career after the death of her husband. Though written with free-flowing associations, this is a valuable source for Newark historians interested in the last years of the nineteenth century. Mrs. Johnson provides colorful descriptions of everyday life as well as numerous anecdotes of local interest, and methodically recounts the names of numerous residents and the businesses located along Main Street.
Her memoirs also provide insight into the social and political life of Washington, D.C. during the 1930s and early 1940s, with a vague sense of growing racial tensions and crime in the city. Mrs. Johnson described in some detail the daily routines and business of Senator Townsend, providing an informative profile of his personality as well. She wrote about housing shortages during and after the war, noting that she rented part of her home in Washington to Dr. Richard C. Tolman, who she later discovered was an important figure in the development of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan in 1945.
Much of the material from the papers of Louise Johnson reflects her deep interest in family history, particularly that of her parents and husband. She wrote several narratives about each of her parents, describing the death of her father, his involvement with the Welsh Tract Church, and a long piece about her mother entitled "The Friend within our Gates," which she submitted to Yankee magazine for publication in 1972 (F26). She also transcribed an autobiography written by her father in 1884 (F37), as well as an 1835 indenture which documented the purchase of the family homestead by her paternal grandfather. Upon the death of Everett Johnson, newspapers from around the region ran articles commemorating him, and these were kept together with other items regarding his death. Mrs. Johnson wrote and submitted dozens of other writings, some of local interest such as a compilation of "Delaware Sayings," while others were simply poems, often only several lines in length.
The correspondence in both series shows the wide range of contacts that both Everett and Louise Johnson maintained throughout their lives, much of which was in the political sphere. Aside from John Townsend, Everett Johnson was friends with Judge Hugh M. Morris (after whom the University of Delaware library is named), Coleman du Pont, and William Tindall. Perhaps the most interesting letters in this collection are those by John Schultz (former linotype operator at Kells) to Marjorie Johnson (later Tilghman), written while he was on a tour of duty in France during 1919. These letters are very reflective in nature, and reveal the same type of free-thinking, passionate personality that must have attracted him to the Arts and Crafts Movement. They describe his experience in France in some detail, including a "pilgrimage" to the birthplace of Joan of Arc.
The collection also contains material from the Lincoln Club of Delaware, an organization founded in 1929 at a dinner-meeting at the Wilmington Country Club. Everett Johnson idolized Lincoln and was well known for his tributes to the president, particularly his annual Lincoln day addresses before the Delaware legislature. Even though Johnson had died in 1926, when the Club formed in 1929, he was honored as a charter member. The Lincoln Club celebrated the president's birthday every year with a formal dinner program in Wilmington, featuring addresses from prominent professors and political figures, or descendants of those who worked with and knew the president. Among other items, the collection contains several of the programs from these meetings, as well as an official history of the organization to 1969.
Series Outline
Series I. Everett C. Johnson, 1897-1988 Series II. Louise S. Johnson, 1835-1988 Series III. Press of Kells and Roycrofters, 1903-1990
Contents List
Series I. Everett C. Johnson, 1897-1988
Pictures and Photographs, c.1897-1925 (21 items)
Included are photographs of the Press of Kells building and employees, Everett
Johnson, and his family. Most of these are undated, and many were taken at
portrait studios in Wilmington and Philadelphia.
1 F1 [Cape Henlopen] Lighthouse, n.d. (1 item)
A 5 x 7" print in a green and gold wood frame. Signed on the back, "From
Everett C. Johnson to Frank W. Wilson, Park Pl. Newark Del." Trade sticker on
the back reads "Haderer Co./ Art & Gift Shop/ Picture Framing/ Artists Materials/
225 W. Ninth St./ Wilmington, Del." The Cape Henlopen Lighthouse washed out
to sea in 1926.
F2 Photographs, ca. 1880s - 1925 (11 items)
Isaac R. and Belinda A. Johnson, n.d.
Photograph by Hendrickson, 307 Market St., Wilmington, Del.
Isaac Johnson, n.d.
Father of Everett Johnson.
Johnson as a child, n.d.
J.C. Steinman, 504 S. Second St., Philadelphia
Johnson [aged 14?], n.d.
Swain A. Bridle, 526 S. Second St., Philadelphia
Johnson in uniform, n.d.
Officer at Delaware College
Officers of the Delaware College Cadet Corps (including Johnson), 1897
Johnson's study, 1899 (1 item)
904 N. Carey St., Baltimore
Johnson with W.B. Welch and J. Ryland Clark, n.d.
114 W. North Ave., Baltimore
Johnson and five women, n.d.
Baltimore
Series I. Everett C. Johnson (cont'd)
Pictures and Photographs (cont'd)
1
F2 Portrait of Johnson as a young man, seated with a book, n.d
Gilbert's Studio, 926 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA
Staff of Kells, 1925
Studio of A.N. Sanborn, 404 Market St., Wilmington; list of staff names provided
by Marjorie Tilghman; removed to oversize box
Portrait of Johnson, n.d.
photo-postcard; Modern Studios, 10 1/2 No. 9th St, 223 No. 8th St., 251 No. 8th
St., Philadelphia
Portrait of Johnson, n.d.
Ellis Photographs
F3 Study for a portrait of Everett Johnson, n.d. (2 items)
(gouache?) on artist drawing board with a newsclipping
By Delaware painter Stanley Arthurs for commissioned portrait which is hung in
Old College at the University of Delaware
F4 Lincoln Club, 1931-1970 (6 items)
Program, 1931 Feb 12
Wilmington, Delaware. Speakers: William Heald, Thomas Bayard, and George
McIntire. On the cover is a silhouette of Lincoln along with a quote, and on the
inside is a quote from Everett Johnson. On the back cover is a list of guests
attending the dinner.
Program, 1934 Feb 12
Wilmington. Speaker: Ray F. Nichols, Professor of History at the University of
Pennsylvania. On the cover is a silhouette of Lincoln along with a quote, and on
the inside is a quote from Everett Johnson.
Series I. Everett C. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F4 Lincoln Club (cont'd)
Program, 1937 Feb 12
Lincoln Dinner, Wilmington Country Club. Speaker: Robert Fortenbaugh,
Professor of History at Gettysburg College. Printed on the program is a menu,
quotes by Lincoln and Everett Johnson.
Newsclipping, n.d. (2 copies)
Regarding Senator George McIntire's Lincoln address to the Smyrna Rotary Club.
The Lincoln Memorial [detail], n.d.
"Jake McGuire" in the lower right corner; "This print reproduced exclusively for:
The Lincoln Institute, 1735 DeSales St., N.W., Washington D.C. 20070-0243."
Lincoln Club of Delaware: A History, 1970 (49 pp.)
By Albert O. H. Grier and Harold Brayman; published by the Lincoln Club of
Delaware.
F5 Correspondence, 1923-1988 (12 items)
Correspondence with notables such as Hugh M. Morris, John Townsend, and
Coleman du Pont. Everett Johnson wrote to John Townsend on February 19,
1926, the day before he died, and a copy of Johnson's letter was sent by Townsend
to Louise Johnson in 1963.
1923 Dec 5 TL (carbon) EJ to Samuel E. Shannahan
1924 Jan 2 TL (carbon) EJ to Miss Fannie Herrington
Jan 8 TL (carbon) EJ to Sec' y, Atlantic City Rotary Club, NJ
Oct 25 TL, Coleman du Pont to EJ
Oct 27 TL, Coleman du Pont to EJ
Oct 28 TLS, Thomas F. Bayard to EJ
Nov 5 TLS, Coleman du Pont to EJ
1925 Jan 20 TLS, Hugh M. Morris to EJ
Jan 28 TLS, Hugh M. Morris to EJ
Series I. Everett C. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F5 Correspondence (cont'd)
1925 Jan 29 TLS, Hugh M. Morris to EJ
1963 Apr 19 TLS, John G. Townsend, Jr. to Louise Johnson with enclosure:
1926 Feb 19 TLs (copy) EJ to John G. Townsend
1988 Oct 3 TLS, "Margaret" to Marjorie Tilghman with enclosure: 4 pp. of
information about the Deichmann College Preparatory School, Baltimore
F6 Memorial Hall Dedication, 1925 (7 items)
Built to house the University of Delaware library, Memorial Hall was dedicated
on May 23, 1925. The ceremony included the acceptance of a Book of Memory
for those Delawareans who died in the war. Johnson chaired the Memorial
Library Committee. Included is a program from the dedication (2 pp.); Everett
Johnson's speech (4 pp., 2 copies); Governor Robert P. Robinson's speech (1 p., 2
copies); and a transcript of that speech, as written in an article by Everett Johnson
for the Wilmington Every Evening.
Speeches, 1924-1927
Includes speeches either by or about Everett Johnson.
F7 Sons of the American Revolution, 1924 Apr 19 (2 items)
Speech given by Johnson at the Hotel DuPont, Wilmington
TS (carbon), 13 pp., TS (carbon), 7 pp., incomplete draft
F8 Memorial to Everett C. Johnson, 1927 Feb 19 (3 items)
Speech given by George Morgan at the University of Delaware Alumni Dinner.
Holograph and TS mss, 50 pp., George Morgan 408 S. 45th St., Phila. Pa.
Galley of speech (removed to oversize box)
ALS from Louise S. Johnson regarding loan of the mss, 4 pp.
F9 Hamlet lecture, n.d.
TS, 53 pp.; probably given between 1899 and 1902 by Johnson at Johns Hopkins
F10 Speech, n.d.
TS (carbon), 2 pp. (3 drafts); speech regarding Americanization and the "Service
Citizens of Delaware."
Series I. Everett C. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F11 Newspaper Clippings, 1910-1971 (18 items)
Miscellaneous articles, either written by Johnson or about him. There are several
copies of articles from Wilmington newspapers regarding the appointment of
Johnson to the post of secretary of state and the retirement of Gov. John
Townsend. Also included is a 1971 arcticle about the Cape Henlopen lighthouse
which was washed out with the tide in 1926; photocopies of several undated
articles; an article pasted in a folder entitled "A Clipping from the Delaware State
News," which is dated October 24, 1935; and a typed copy of quotes supplied by
Everett Johnson in his first issue of the Newark Post in 1910.
F12 Grolier Club, 1924 July 26 (1 item)
A receipt from the Grolier Club for a copy of the Declaration of Independence
which Johnson sent to them. There are two pages mounted on board, with the
script and lettering of the formal receipt found within a border of double blue
lines. On the upper right-hand sheet is the insignia of the Grolier Club, and the
letter is signed by the Librarian, Ruth S. Granniss.
F13 Newark Post, 1960, 1976
Four copies of the 50th anniversary edition of the Newark Post, dated January 28,
1960, in which is found a commemoration of Everett Johnson. Also included is a
copy of the Weekly Post "Time Capsule Edition," dated Jun 30 - July 6, 1976, in
which there is an article about Johnson.
F14 Certificates, 1867-1925 (4 items)
Belinda H. Williams, 1867 Mar 14
"Certificate for good behavior and rapid improvements at School in various
branches..." awarded to Belinda Williams, Johnson's mother. Signed by Joshua J.
Williams, framed by Haderer Co. Art & Gift Shop, 225 W. 9th St., Wilmington.
Certificate of Appointment, 1919 Sepr 29
For Dr. E.S. Dwight of Kent Co. to the Delaware State Tuberculosis Commission.
Signed by Everett Johnson, secretary of state, and Gov. John G. Townsend, Jr.;
includes the Delaware state seal.
Certificate of Merit, 1921 Jun 22
"For halftone printing on Certificate Bond," awarded to Kells by the
Crocken-McElwain Co. of Holyoke, Massachusetts; signed by C.A. Crocken.
Certificate of membership to the Grolier Club, 1925 Apr 15
Series I. Everett C. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F15 Publications
Easley, Joan R. "The Newark Post: a case study in small town journalism" in
University of Delaware News, March 1980 (vol. XLVI, no.2); pp. 10-20.
Taggart, Robert J. "Etta J. Wilson (1883-1971): a Delaware reformer" in
Delaware History, Spring-Summer 1990 (vol. XXIV, no. 1); pp. 38-39.
"Everett C. Johnson" in Delaware Past & Present, n.d., pp. 314-316.
F16 Ephemera, n.d. (5 items)
Bookplate with Emily Dickinson quote, "From the Library of Everett C.
Johnson"; a placecard for Everett Johnson; TS mss of a poem written by Mrs.
A.E. Watson for a farewell party given to the Johnsons when they left Dover;
printed portrait of Johnson pasted onto black paper; and brochure for "European
Tours .. organized and accompanied by W.A. Johnson," July - August 1901. Prof.
E.C. Johnson is listed with the party.
F17 Everett C. Johnson's Death, 1926
Newspaper Clippings, 1926 February 20 - April 3 (29 items)
Contains 11 loose clippings from various newspapers, including the front pages of
the Wilmington Evening Journal (February 20, 1926) and the Newark Post
(February 24, 1926); three photocopied pages of undated clippings; and 15 pages
with numerous clippings glued to each. The latter group contains articles from
various papers around Delaware and Maryland, and one article from the New York
Times. Clippings include memorials from the University of Delaware, the Rotary
Club, and other groups, as well as stories on his death and funeral, poems,
eulogies, and general reminiscences.
Quotes, n.d. (2 items)
One of these items is a note found at Johnson's bedside on the day he died, with a
quote from Emily Dickinson scrawled in pencil. The other item is a quote from
Lincoln, printed in black on a large sheet of handmade paper.
Eulogy, 1926 February 20 (1 item)
By the Alumni Association of Delaware College, printed on handmade paper.
Memorial resolutions, n.d. (2 pp.)
Drafted by the Orpheus Club of Wilmington in honor of Everett C. Johnson
Series II. Louise S. Johnson, 1835-1988
This series contains correspondence, photographs, narrative writings, speeches,
newspaper clippings, magazines, memoirs, a ledger book, and other items
pertaining to the life of Louise S. Johnson.
1 F18 Marjorie Tilghman Lists (3 items)
Lists compiled by Marjorie Tilghman regarding the life of her mother, Louise S.
Johnson: "Other writings by LSJ"; "LSJ's Careers," which lists the occupations of
her mother in chronological order; and "LSJ's Roomers -- Extended family,"
which lists renters over the years, including their occupations.
F19 LSJ Speeches (4 items)
"Everybody's Town," Newark New Century Club, 1935 Oct 7 (26 pp.)
Introduction of U.S. Rep. from Delaware, George Stewart, n.d. (3 pp.)
American Legion Reunion, Rehoboth, 1936 May 9 (2 pp.)
Tribute to Sara Slack, 1956 (3 pp.)
F20 School, c.1915 - 1942 (16 items)
Essay on Poe's short stories in Examination Book, Delaware College; LSJ,
English, Dr. Sypherd, ca. 1915
Certificates for credit in secretarial courses, Strayer College, Washington, D.C.,
1929-1930
Report for Spanish class, Western Night School, D.C., 1942
F21 Marriage Cerificate, 1880 (1 item)
Joseph L. Staton and Martha C. Rounds, October 24, 1880
F22 Invitations, 1929-1939 (3 items)
Inauguration Ceremonies Program, 1929 March 4
For the inauguration of President Herbert Hoover, with invitation and a picture of
Charles Curtis laid in.
Invitation, 1934 June 26
For unveiling of statues of Caesar Rodney and John Middleton Clayton in the
Capitol rotunda.
Ladies' Ticket, 1939 June 9
For the congressional welcome of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Series II. Louise S. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F23 Department of Commerce, 1942-1944 (20 items)
From the period of LSJ's employment as editor with the Division of International
Economics and Statistics. Included are correspondence and official forms
regarding her promotion in 1943, as well as a Notice of Effeciency Rating, dated
May 31, 1944.
F24 John Schultz Letters, 1919 (4 items)
Letters written by 2nd Lt. John R. Schultz to his friend, Marjorie Johnson, while
he was on a tour of duty in post-war France. Schultz had been employed at Kells,
and in 1919 was in active service with the American Expeditionary Force. All of
the letters are written in pencil on YMCA letterhead.
1919 Feb 17 from Maugiennes (16 pp.)
May 29 from Joncery (17 pp.)
Aug 23 from Brest (20 pp.)
Sep 30 from Soldiers Rest (11 pp.)
Magazines, 1935, 1972 (3 items)
Including articles written by Louise Johnson.
F25 Today, 1935 Apr 13
"Secretary (My Boss Works for You)," written anonymously by LSJ
F26 Yankee, 1972 May
"The Friend within our Gates" (about LSJ's mother, Martha Rounds Staton)
F27 Delaware Today, 1972 Nov
"Lifestyles 1880"
F28 Newsletters, 1952-1988 (12 items)
Three issues of the Delaware Folklore Bulletin and nine issues of the Newark
Historical Society Newsletter. The Delaware Folklore Bulletin (issues from
October 1952, 1956, and 1958) contains submissions by Johnson regarding
Delaware sayings gathered from various sources, and based on a much larger list
which can be found among her personal writings. The Newark Historical Society
Newsletter, dating from March 1984 to September 1988, contains an ongoing
series of Johnson's unpublished memoirs, which is also found in the collection.
Series II. Louise S. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F29 Indenture, 1835 January 15 (3 pp.)
Three copies of a typed transcript of an 1835 indenture between Jessa Fooks and
Warner Staton, LSJ's paternal grandfather, which marked the purchase of the
Staton family homestead.
F30 Correspondence with Magazines, 1909-1958 (10 items)
Responses from magazines to which LSJ submitted articles. Included are letters
from The Christian Science Monitor, The Rural New Yorker, The Star, The
Pennsylvania Farmer, The Saturday Evening Post, and The Ladies Home Journal.
F31 Personal Correspondence, 1925-1963 (21 items)
Correspondence with friends, as well as business-related correspondence.
1928 Feb 8 Walter T. Bradley to Mrs. Everett C. Johnson (1 p.)
Philadelphia company citing LSJ as editor of the Newark Post.
1929 Feb 28 Carlton Keefe to Mrs. Johnson (1 p.)
Mar 12 Prudential Ins. Co. of America to LSJ (1 p.)
1930 Jul 1 Ruth Bryan Owen to Louise S. Johnson (1 p.)
Owen was the daughter of William Jennings Bryan.
1931 Jun 9, Nov 29 William Tindall to LSJ Louise Johnson (2 items, 7 pp.)
Dec 15 Rice-Schmidt Baking Co. to LSJ (1 p.)
Regarding the award of first prize in an essay contest.
1934 Mar 20, 20, 22 W.C. Cox & Co. to LSJ (3 items, 3 pp.)
W.C. Cox & Co. was an International Probate Service, based in Chicago,
responding to inquiries about the heirs of John W. Staton, an early-nineteenth
century ancestor who lived in Accomac Co., Virginia.
1934 Apr 9, 13 G.Burton Pearson and LSJ (2 items, 2pp.)
Concerning the estate of Everett C. Johnson.
1937 Apr 19, 20, 26 Hugh Morris and LSJ (3 items, 3 pp.)
Concerning the estate of Everett C. Johnson.
Series II. Louise S. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F31 Personal Correspondence (cont'd)
1951 May 15, 21 Lee W. Warren to LSJ (2 items, 5 pp.)
From the husband of Louise's stepsister, Georgia. These letters contain
reminiscenses about Louise's stepfamily during the late nineteenth century, as
well as the birth of Mildred Staton Tilghman.
1963 Mar 5 John G. Townsend to LSJ (1 p.)
nd. Greeting card for Marjorie Tilghman from Jean (2 pp.)
n.d. G.C.H. to Mrs. Johnson (2 pp.)
n.d. W. Dent Smith to LSJ (1 p.)
A handwritten note regarding Everett Johnson's Hamlet lecture.
Photographs (22 items)
F32 Joseph L. Staton, n.d. (3 items)
Entrekin Fine Photography, 1700 N. Broad St., Philadelphia
A.P. Beecher, Photographer, 315 Market St., Wilmington, Del.
Photographed by A. McCormick, Oxford, Chester Co., Pa.
Welsh Tract Meeting House (photo-postcard), n.d.
Henry and Louise Staton as children, n.d.
A.P. Beecher, Photographer, 315 Market St., Wilmington, Del.
Martha Rounds Staton, n.d. (2 items)
A.P. Beecher, Photographer, 315 Market St., Wilmington, Del.
Cummings Photo, 307 Market St., Wilmington, Del
.
Louise Staton
color xerox of a photograph of LS as a young woman
Graduating class of Newark High School, 1897
Louise Staton seated in the front row with Professor Ellis
LS standing before window, note on back: "Married June 10, 1902"
LSJ standing in front of Capitol, Washington D.C., 1938 (2 items)
Series II. Louise S. Johnson (cont'd)
1 F32 Photographs (cont'd)
LSJ and Keeley (the cat), n.d.
LSJ standing in hat and gloves before brick wall, n.d.
LSJ and Pamela K. Peterson, 1946
LSJ and an unidentified woman, n.d.
LSJ in hat with corsage, n.d.
LSJ at the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr. & Mrs. Douglas H. MacArthur,
Takoma Park, MD., n.d.
LSJ seated in living room
LSJ with Virginia Allen and Marjorie Squire at Christmas, n.d.
LSJ in blue suit outdoors, n.d.
Color xerox of LSJ in blue suit outdoors, n.d.
F33 Photographs of John G. Townsend, Jr., n.d.
F34 Newark Post, 1927-1928 (5 items)
Included are several largely complete editions of the Newark Post from the period
of September 7, 1927 to June 13, 1928, when Louise Johnson was editor.
F35 Marjorie's Sayings, n.d. (3 items)
Included is an undated, bound journal in which Louise Johnson recorded the
sayings and comments of her daughter Marjorie, "age 3-4-5." It is 40 pages in
length, written in pencil, and is largely in a prose style. In addition, there are also
two typed transcripts of this journal (8 pp. each).
Narrative Writings, n.d. (246 pp.)
Various works written by LSJ throughout her life. Many were submitted to
newspapers and journals and were published, though some were not. Many of
these correspond to published material in magazines or newspaper clippings
which are found in the collection. Autograph manuscripts and typescripts, though
many are photocopies of the original material, as well as of works that are not in
the collection. Most pieces are undated (with the exception of the occasional date
supplied by Marjorie Tilghman), and frequently provide the address at which LSJ
was living at the time, as well as the number of words of the narrative. These
writings are subdivided into several categories: poetry, folklore, a series entitled
Times Have Changed, and various other narratives.
Series II. Louise S. Johnson (cont'd)
1 Narrative writings (cont'd)
F36 Folklore (6 pp.)
Anecdotes and "Delaware sayings" collected by Louise Johnson and submitted to
the Delaware Folklore Bulletin
F37 Reflections of the Late Elder Joseph L. Staton, 1884, 1888, 1889 (9 pp.)
TS (copy) of autobiography written by LSJ's father
F38 "Unfinished Business (from a Secretary's Personal Notes)" (17 pp.)
TS of two articles submitted to Today magazine in 1935
F39 Poetry (48 pp.)
F40 Family Narrative (66 pp.)
Reflections of LSJ's childhood, as well as memories of her family
F41 Miscellaneous Narrative (60 pp.)
Short stories and other writings, many of which were submitted for publication
F42 Times Have Changed (41 pp.)
Anecdotes about the way society, language, fashion, and prices have changed over
the years
F43 Ledger Book, c.1885 (1 item)
Bound in leather, there are 34 intermittent pages written in ink and purple pencil.
Farm accounts and calculations of Joseph Staton, father of LSJ
F44 Scrapbook, n.d. (18 pp.)
Newspaper and magazine clippings of articles written by LSJ. Source names are
written above the clippings, and include the Rural New Yorker, The Newark Post,
The Christian Science Monitor, The Journal Every Evening (Wilmington), The
Delaware Star, and The Washington Post. The scrapbook is bound in a hard
cover, and most of the pages are blank.
2 F45 "A Narration of Many Memories, Several Detours, and a Few Thoughts," June
1975 (161 pp., index, 2 copies)
Memoirs of Louise S. Johnson. Inlaid between the pages of one of the copies are
several notes, two by her daughter, Marjorie Tilghman, and several photocopies of
a letter to LSJ from "Betty," who commented on the book.
Series III. Press of Kells and Roycrofters, 1903-1990
Press of Kells, 1911-1926 (28 items)
2 F46 Johnson, Everett C. Abraham Lincoln: an appreciation. Newark, Del.: The
Craftsmen at the Shop of Kells, 1911. "Delivered before the General Assembly of
Delaware, on the twelfth day of February, nineteen hundred eleven."
F47 Lamb, Charles. The Tale of Twelfth Night, or What You Will by Charles and
Mary Lamb. Newark, Del: The Craftsmen at Kells, 1916. Printed on the 300th
anniversary of Shakespeare's death. Cataloged and tranferred to Delaware
Collection.
F48 The Shakspere Festival. Newark, Del.: Master Craftsmen at Kells, 1916. "A
community celebration of the occasion of the three hundreth anniversary of the
death of William Shakspere consisting of a pageant depicting some scenes from
the Life and times of the Dramatist; the performance of Twelfth Night; and an
address on the Universality of his works. Given at Newark, Delaware, on April
Twenty-eight & Twenty-nine, Nineteen Hundred & Sixteen, under the direction of
the English Department of Delaware College and the Women's College of
Delaware." Cataloged and tranferred to Delaware Collection.
F49 Vagabond printer. Kells: the story of the visit of a vagabond printer to the shop
where master craftsmen study and work at the art of printing. Newark, Del.:
Kells, 191?.
F50 My Truth [broadside]. [Newark, Del.: Kells, n.d.] (2 copies)
Divinity [broadside]. [Newark, Del.: Kells, n.d.] (2 copies)
My Symphony [broadside]. [Newark, Del.: Kells, n.d.]
F51 The Gospel according to Saint John as found in the King James version, 1918
5 pp. photocopy from the work which was printed at Kells.
F52 Vallandigham, Edward Noble. Fifty years of Delaware college, 1870-1920.
Newark, Del. : Kells , 1920?
F53 The English Bible : being a book of selections from the King James version /
edited, with introduction and explanatory notes, by Wilbur Owen Sypherd.
Newark, Del.: The Craftsmen of Kells, 1921.
Series III. Press of Kells and Roycrofters (cont'd)
Press of Kells (cont'd)
2 F54 Morris, Hugh Martin. America's safeguard of liberty: being an address delivered
by the Honorable Hugh M. Morris, United States District Judge for the district of
Delaware, before the students of the University of Delaware at Wolf Hall on May
15, 1923. Newark, Del.: Courtesy of Kells, 1923?.
F55 United States. Declaration of independence; Constitution of the United States of
America. Newark, Del., The Craftsmen of Kells, 1923. "Americanization Bureau
/ 835 Market Street / Wilmington, Delaware" on title page. Cataloged and
tranferred to Delaware Collection.
United States. Declaration of independence; Constitution of the United States of
America. Newark, Del., The Craftsmen of Kells, 1924. "N. Snellenburg and
Company / Wilmington, Delaware" on title page. Cataloged and tranferred to
Delaware Collection.
United States. Declaration of independence; Constitution of the United States of
America. Newark, Del., Printed by the Craftsmen of Kells, 1926 "The Sesqui-
centennial Philadelphia, 1776-1926" on cover. Cataloged and tranferred to
Delaware Collection.
"U.S. Constitution as a best seller" TS (carbon), 4 pp.
Three newsclippings regarding sale of the volume, n.d.
F56 Ephemera from the Press of Kells (All items cataloged and tranferred to
Delaware Collection.)
"Merry Christmas to the Old Man" [1925]
Poetry broadside from "The Kids" (employees of Kells) to "The Old Man"
(Everett C. Johnson).
"The Log in the Dam," n.d.
Pamphlet by "The Old Man in the Newark Post at the Shop of Kells, Newark,
Delaware" (Everett Johnson)
Kells, n.d.
Booklet describing the Kells workshop, as well as the background of its name.
Includes a quote from Hamlet, and opposite the first page of text is a small color
print of Kells.
Series III. Press of Kells and Roycrofters (cont'd)
Press of Kells (cont'd)
2 F56 Kells ephemera (cont'd)
Kells, [1922]
Prospectus with same text as booklet, with Fall Announcement for forthcoming
Poems to Ianthe by Walter Savage Landor, Story of the Unknown Church by
William Morris, and The Gospel of St. John according to the King James version.
University of Delaware. Alma Mater, n.d. (1 pp.)
Broadside with a small picture of Old College opposite the song.
Roycroft Books
F57 Hubbard, Elbert. Little Journeys to the homes of eminent orators: Luther. East
Aurora, N.Y.: Roycrofters, 1903. Inscribed Everett C. Johnson. Cataloged and
transferred to Delaware Collection.
F58 Hubbard, Elbert. Little Journeys to the homes of Good Men and Great. East
Aurora, N.Y.: the Roycrofters; New York: Wm. H. Wise & Co., 1916. "This
copy of the Memorial Edition in fourteen volumes ... has been specially prepared
... for Marjorie L. Johnson known as Boots."
Miscellaney Kells (22 items)
F59 Perspective, 1983 (2 items)
Photocopy of a sketch in ink of the Kells / YWCA building, drawn by the
architectural firm of Victorine & Samuel Homsey, Inc., and to be used for a
proposed montage. Also included is a letter from Richard L. Dayton, who worked
for the firm, to Marjorie Tilghman, dated July 20, 1983.
Beckman, Thomas. "Arts & Crafts Printing in Delaware: Everett C. Johnson and
his Press of Kells" in Collections. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Library
Associates. Vol. V, 1990. (2 copies)
F60 "Kells!," n.d. (1 p.)
Holograph manuscript of poem entitled "Kells," author unknown.
F61 "A Brief Account of the Press of Kells," n.d. (6 pp., 2 copies)
TS (and copy) by Marjorie J. and Cornelius A. Tilghman
Series III. Press of Kells and Roycrofters (cont'd)
Miscellaney (cont'd)
2 F62 "The Old Printer," n.d.
Copy prints of a photograph "taken for Red Cross by Louis Hine, NY, during
World War I." Printed at Kells, (13 copies)
Kells envelope with logo and seal in return address. "Where Master Craftsmen
Study & Work at the Art of Printing."
Bicentennial Grant Write-up, n.d. (5 pp.)
TS unfinished draft, with holograph corrections; with picture of the building.
F63 Kells logo (1 item)
Wood logo of Press of Kells [K in a triangle, each side of which is an "H"]
F64 Photographs, n.d.
Four black & white images of the Kells building; photocopy of two photographs,
one of which is an interior; miscellaneous note regarding the building
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