Ethel Marie Armes papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS-0087

Scope and Contents

The collection contains personal letters written by Ethel Armes from the late 1800s through the 1940s. The bulk of the letters are to Alice Wiggin of Franklin, Massachusetts, longtime friend and confidant. There are also photocopies of newspaper articles about the death of Ethel's younger brother, Edmund C. Armes of Birmingham, Alabama, as well as those about her death in 1945, and a variety of articles about her books. There is also one unidentified photo.

Dates

between 1890 and 2002

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Biographical / Historical

Ethel Marie Armes, second daughter of George Augustus and Lucy Hamilton Kerr Armes, was born on 1 December 1876 in Washington, D.C. She was a journalist and author who wrote for the Chicago Chronicle, Washington Post, and the Birmingham Post-Herald. She also wrote several books, including The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama and Stratford Hall: The Great House of the Lees.

Although she never married, in 1925 she adopted Catherine Claiborne, a ten year old girl for whom she'd been a foster parent. According to Ethel's letters, Catherine was a beautiful and talented girl, much courted by beaus and Hollywood. In the early 1930s, Ethel signed a contract with Paramount Studios (Mrs. Cecil B. de Mille was her chaperone!). Catherine went to Hollywood in 1933. By May of 1945, Catherine had married Richard W. Millar and had two sons, Richard Jr. and Roger.

Ethel Armes died on 28 September 1945 in Peterborough, New Hampshire.