2018-03-29 Guide to the Thurber Family Papers, 1861-1977 SPEC.RARE.0214 Finding aid prepared by Mackenzie Sommers Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2018 March This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2019-03-12T17:45-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Thurber Family Papers SPEC.RARE.0214 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 6.25 Cubic feet 1861-1977 James Thurber was a writer and cartoonist from Columbus, Ohio. He grew up in a household with his parents, Charles and Mary Agnes, and two brothers, William and Robert. His grandparents and aunts were a regular fixture in his life. His family was the inspiration for many short stories and cartoons, including "My Life and Hard Times," "The Middle-Aged Man on the Flying Trapeze," and "Thurber Family Carnival." The Thurber Family Papers contains the family papers of multiple generations of writer and cartoonist James Thurber's family. The collection materials include photographs, audiorecordings, memorabilia, correspondence, and scrapbooks documenting the lives of James Thurber's great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, siblings, his wives, and his daughter. Collection materials date from 1861-1977. (6) 5" letter document boxes; (4) flat boxes; (2) oversize flat boxes English Thurber Family Arrangement of Materials

Materials are arranged by generations of the Thurber family with the genealogical materials collected by a distant relation first followed by: James Thurber's great-grandparents' generation (Jacob Fisher, Sarah Ann Hull, Stacey Taylor) James Thurber's grandparents' generation (William Fisher) James Thurber's parents' generation (Charles Thurber, Mary Agnes Fisher Thurber) James Thurbers' generation (Robert Thurber, William Thurber, Althea Adams Thurber, Helen Wismer Thurber) James Thurber's daughter's generation (Rosemary Thurber)

Materials are arranged chronologically within the generation and then alphabetically if they share the same year.

 Acquisitions Information

Donated by: Robert Thurber, date unknown; Donated by: Helen Thurber, date unknown. Some accessions are unknown.

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Thurber Family Papers, SPEC.RARE.0214, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains magnetic tape reels and an audiocassette.

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only. Audio/visual materials and computer media may need a use copy produced before access is allowed.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Mackenzie Sommers, 2018 March; Finding Aid written by: Mackenzie Sommers, 2018 March.

 Biographical Note

Writer and cartoonist James Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1894 to Charles Thurber and Mary Agnes Thurber (née Fisher). Charles Thurber (1867-1939) was a politician and clerk. His father was Leander Thurber (1832-1867) and his mother was Sarah Hull (1842-1906). Mary Agnes (1867-1955) was a notorious prankster among her friends and family, and the daughter of Columbus businessman Charles Fisher (1840-1918) and Katherine Fisher (1845-1925). Charles Fisher was the son of Jacob Fisher (1808-1885).

James Thurber had an older brother, William, and a younger brother, Robert. As children, William accidentally shot James in the eye with an arrow during a game of William Tell. This led to Thurber's lifetime of visual impairments and eventual blindness. The family lived in the Columbus, Ohio area for most of their lives with one small move to Church Falls, Virginia when Charles took a job in Washington, D.C. The family moved back to Columbus very shortly afterward and moved in with Mary Agnes' family, due to financial problems. James Thurber and his brothers all attended the Ohio State University.

In 1922, James Thurber married fellow Ohio State University student, Althea Adams. Their marriage had been described as a largely unhappy one, and after giving birth to their daughter, Rosemary, in 1931, Althea and James divorced in 1935. He remarried Helen Wismer that same year, whom he would refer to as his "seeing eye wife" as she began to help him more with his writing, editing, and managing his affairs as his eyesight deteriorated to near blindness. After his death in 1961, Helen, his brothers, and his daughter Rosemary continued to advocate for his literary estate. Thurber's family provided inspiration for many of the writings and cartoons he did, including "My Life and Hard Times," " The Middle-Aged Man on the Flying Trapeze," and "Thurber Family Album."

 Scope and Contents

The Thurber Family Papers contains the family papers of multiple generations of writer and cartoonist James Thurber's family. The collection materials include photographs, audiorecordings, memoriabilia, correspondence, and scrapbooks documenting the lives of James Thurber's great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, siblings, wives, and his daughter. Collection materials date from 1861-1977.

 Related Materials Lewis C. Branscomb Papers Saul Rosenzweig Papers on Collaboration with James Thurber Collection on James Thurber James Thurber Papers Thurber Family Thurber, Althea Adams Thurber, Charles Thurber, Helen Wismer Thurber, James, 1894-1961 Thurber, Mary Agnes Thurber, Robert Thurber, Rosemary A. Thurber, William Cartoonists--Ohio--Columbus--20th century--Family relationships Families--Ohio--Columbus--History--20th century Families-Ohio--Columbus--History--19th century Humorists, American--20th century--Family relationships Memorabilia Photographs Scrapbooks Thurber geneaology notes collected by Charles H. Thurber 1 1 1951-1973 Family photograph duplicate albums 13 14 circa 1861-1977 Scope and Contents

This album contains duplicate images in a 5" by 7" format of almost all the photographs found within the Thurber Family Papers collection, the James Thurber Paper, and the Collection on James Thurber.

 Hull (Sarah Ann) photographs 1 2 circa 1890 Taylor (Stacey) photographs 1 3 before 1900 Bagley (Mrs.) photographs 1 4 before 1900 Fisher (Jacob) obituary 1 5 circa 1808-1885 Fisher (William) and wife photographs 1 6 1861-circa 1924 Unidentified people photographs 1 7 circa 1870s Fisher (William M.) portrait and biography 1 8 1909 Fisher (William), grandfather photographs 1 9 1912 "Aunt Lou", Mary Agnes Thurber's sister photographs 2 6 circa 1867-1955 "Mrs. Charles Thurber" by Emerson Burkhart painting circa 1867-1955 Location Note

This item is on permanent loan to the Thurber House.

 Thurber (Charles) and Mary Agnes Thurber wedding photographs 2 7 circa 1867-1955 Thurber (Charles) cartoon by Larry Keys 2 8 circa 1867-1939 Thurber (Mary Agnes) and James Thurber photographs 2 10 circa 1867-1955 Thurber (Charles) greeting cards to Mary Agnes Fisher (Maime) 1 10 1875-1880 Frioleras photographs 1 11 circa 1883 Thurber Family photograph in large white frame 15 1 circa 1890s Thurber (Charles) photographs 10 1 1885-1937 Thurber (Charles L.) career memorabilia 1 12 1888-1924 Thurber (Mary Agnes Fisher) photographs 1 13 1888-1952 Fisher (Grant) photographs 1 14 circa 1889 Friolera club souvenirs 1 15 1889-1894 Family photographs 1 16 circa 1890s-circa 1930s 4-Leaf Clover club photographs 1 17 1890 Thurber (Mary Agnes) memorabilia 1 18 1890-1955 Thurber (Charles) and Mary Agnes Thurber wedding account 1 19 1892 July 12 Thurber (Charles) correspondence 1 20 1895-1931 Bashneld (Asa) photographs 1 21 circa 1896-1900 Thurber family photographs 10 2 1902-1933 Curry (Alvie), friend of Charles Thurber photographs 1 22 1907 Thurber (Charles) elementary school photograph, Robert Thurber's baseball team photograph, Ohio Society of New York photograph 1 23 1913-1967 Albright (Margery) photographs 10 3 1914 Thurber (Charles) and Mary Agnes Thurber photographs 1 24 1920 Thurber (Mary Agnes) correspondence 2 1 1923-1952 Thurber family newspaper clippings 10 4 1925-1971 Thurber (Charles) and Mary Agnes photographs 2 2 1928 Wismer (first name unknown), Helen's father photographs 2 3 1938 Mattheny (Stacey), cousin of Mrs. Charles L. Thurber photographs 2 4 1947 Thurber (Mary Agnes) photographs 1 circa 1950s Thurber family and Mrs. Millicent Easter photographs 10 5 1950 Tillstrom (Burr) yearbook given to Mary Agnes (Maime) 2 5 1951 Thurber family coat of arms 2 9 undated Thurber brothers with "Aunt Margery" Albright 2 11 circa 1890s Thurber (William) and James Thurber 2 12 circa 1897 Thurber (Robert) photographs 2 13 1897-1963 Thurber (William) and James Thurber sketchbook 2 14 circa 1901 Houses photographs 2 15 1902-1946 Souvenir postcards of Columbus and the Ohio State University 2 16 1906-1923 Thurber family and friends 2 17 1908 Thurber (William) photographs 2 18 1908-1972 Dogs photographs 2 19 1913-1919 Belle Island, Detriot photographs 2 20 1914 Cars photographs 2 21 1915-1931 Extended Thurber family photographs 2 22 1917 Family correspondence 2 23 1919-1939 Fritts (Minnette) photographs 5 6 circa 1920s Bermuda photographs 5 5 circa 1920-1961 Thurber (Althea Adams) photographs 2 24 1921 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook volume 1 3 1 1923-1929 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook volume 2 7 1 1929 December-1942 April Thurber (Helen) photographs 3 2 circa 1930s-1940s Thurber family photograph negatives 12 1 circa 1930s, undated Thurber (Rosemary) photographs 5 10 circa 1931-2017 Taylor (Althea) photographs 3 3 circa 1932-1934 Thurber (Althea) and Rosemary Thurber photographs 3 4 circa 1932-1934 Florida photographs 3 5 1932 Thurber (James) and Rosemary Thurber photographs 3 6 1932-1946, undated Thurber (Helen), James Thurber, and others photographs 5 7 circa 1935-1961 Family correspondence 3 7 1940-1949 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook volume 3 9 2 1942 March-1950 November Thurber (Robert) correspondence 3 8 1945-1970 Miller (Dorothy Reid) "Little Half Man" 3 9 1949 Family correspondence 3 10 1950 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook volume 4 7 2 1950 November-1957 June Family correspondence 3 11 1951 Family correspondence 4 1 1952 Family correspondence 4 2 1953 Family correspondence 4 3 1954-1955 Family correspondence 4 4 1956-1957 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook volume 5 6 1 1957 June-1960 June Family correspondence 4 5 1958-1959 Family correspondence 4 6 1960-1961 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook volume 6 9 1 1960 June-1963 Family correspondence 4 7 1962 Family correspondence 4 8 1963-1964 Thurber (Helen) correspondence 12 2 1963-1964 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook 8 2 1964-1969 Family correspondence 4 9 1965-1966 Austin (Paul) correspondence 4 10 1966 Thurber (Helen) correspondence 4 11 1966-1967 Holmes (Charles) correspondence 4 12 1966-1968 Family correspondence 5 1 1967-1969 Thurber (Helen) clippings 12 3 1968-1975 Thurber (Robert) scrapbook 8 1 1969 October-1972 Family correspondence 5 2 1970-1972 Family correspondence 5 3 1973-1974 Family correspondence 5 4 1975-1977 Thurber (Rosemary) photographs 10 6 1933-1971 Thurber (Rosemary) memorabilia 5 8 1949 Thurber (Rosemary) wedding photographs 5 9 1953 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" audiotape 12 5 1973 May Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Audiotape; approximate run time: unknown.

 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) lecture "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" audiocassette 12 7 1973 May Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Audiocassette; approximate run time: unknown.

 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" lecture side 1A audio recording (2 copies) 11 1-2 1973 May 1 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Magnetic tape; sound; approximate run time: 35 minutes.

 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" lecture side 1B audio recording (2 copies) 11 3-4 1973 May 1 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Magnetic tape; sound; approximate run time: 11.5 minutes.

 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" lecture side 2 audio recording (2 copies) 11 5-6 1973 May 1 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Magnetic tape; sound; approximate run time: 9.5 minutes.

 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" lecture sides 1 and 2 audio recording 11 7 1973 May 1 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Magnetic tape; sound; approximate run time: 56 minutes.

 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" lecture audiocassette (2 copies) 11 8 1973 May 1 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Audiocassette; approximate run time: 35 minutes.

 Sauers (Rosemary Thurber) "A Thurber Looks at Thurber" transcript 12 6 1973 May