George Henry Nettleton papers

The George Henry Nettleton Papers contain correspondence, subject files, diaries, speeches and writings, and memorabilia chiefly relating to Nettleton's career as professor of English at Yale and his activities with the Yale Bureau and the American University Union. The papers were the gift of the estate of George H. Nettleton (1959) and of Mary Treat Nettleton Haight (1987). The fourteen linear feet of papers are arranged in five series: I. Correspondence, 1884-1955; II. Subject Files, 1917-1945; III. Diaries, 1899-1956; IV. Speeches and Writings, 1915-1951; V. Memorabilia, 1893-1945.

Series I, CORRESPONDENCE, contains two subseries: Personal Correspondence and Professional Correspondence. The bulk of the personal correspondence is dated 1884-1902 and consists of letters written between George Henry Nettleton, his mother Mary Ellen Tucker Nettleton, and his sister Annie Tucker Nettleton. The letters relate to George Nettleton's undergraduate and graduate studies as well as extracurricular activities at Yale, and his subsequent Yale instructorship; Annie Tucker Nettleton's senior year at the Abbot Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and her elementary school and kindergarden teaching career in North Rochester and Boston, Massachusetts; and his mother's home life in Boston and Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Personal correspondence dating from 1902-1950 is dominated by correspondence between Nettleton and his wife Mary Clark Treat Nettleton, written during Professor Nettleton's travels to England and Europe. The bulk of the letters from this period date from 1917 to 1919 and document Nettleton's experiences as director of the Yale Bureau in Paris and the American University Union, and Mrs. Nettleton's experiences during World War I in the New Haven, Connecticut, area. Correspondence between the Nettletons and their friends William Lyon and Annabel Phelps is also contained in this subseries.

The bulk of the professional correspondence relates to Nettleton's work with the Yale Bureau in Paris and the American University Union. Correspondents include Robert Woods Bliss, John William Cunliffe, Paul van Dyke, H.S. Krans, Van Rensselaer Lansingh, Anson Phelps Stokes, and Henry B. Thompson. Letters pertaining to Nettleton's scholarly research and writing, and his activities as contributing editor of Book of the Yale Pageant and editor of Yale in the World War are also contained in the subseries.

Professional correspondence relating to Nettleton's teaching and administrative career includes letters regarding war time military courses at Yale (1917), and the Committee on the General Needs of the College (1923-1924, 1934).

The bulk of Series II, SUBJECT FILES, dates from 1917-1937 and relates to the Yale Bureau in Paris and the Amerian University Union. Minutes of meetings, financial records, and reports are contained in these files. In addition, files dating from 1919-1939 that relate to Nettleton's activities on Yale University committees, as dean of Yale College, and as professor of English are included in the series.

The diaries within Series III contain brief notations of Nettleton's business, social, and leisure activities. Included in this series is a diary in which Nettleton described a European tour in 1899.

Series IV, SPEECHES AND WRITINGS, contains manuscripts and typescripts of books, articles, and speeches by George Nettleton. The bulk of the material relates to an unpublished work on the history of Yale and the publications, Yale in the World War and The Yale Pageant. In addition, there is one folder containing miscellaneous poems, articles, and notes dated 1939-1940, and undated by other writers.

Series V, MEMORABILIA, contains photographs, postcards, and printed material chiefly relating to the American University Union and World War I. An account book from Nettleton's sophomore year at Yale (1893-1894) is also included in this series.