Mary Elizabeth WalshAn inventory of Mary Elizabeth Walsh Papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University ArchivesContact Information:
Biographical NoteMary Elizabeth Walsh was born on September 16, 1905 in Savannah, Georgia, a daughter of Thomas F. Walsh and Mary Iaeger. Her father was a lawyer and member of the Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia. She also had an uncle who was a bishop. She received a bachelor's degree from the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1927. She pursued graduate studies in Washington, D.C. at the National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS), 1927-1929, which was at time administered by the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW), but also affiliated with The Catholic University of America (CUA). She served as a juvenile caseworker for the Catholic Charities of Toledo, Ohio, from 1929 to 1932. She then returned to CUA to work on a doctorate in Sociology. She served as Paul Hanly Furfey's research assistant in 1933, became an instructor in 1936, and earned her Ph.D. in 1937. Her dissertation 'Saints and Social Work' focused on methods used by recent saints in dealing with the poor. She continued working at CUA and focusing her research and field work on social problems of the poor as well as minorities. She worked with Gladys Sellew and Father Furfey on the Il Poverello settlement house in Washington, 1937-1940, and then was in charge of her own settlement house from 1940 to 1958. She wrote American Social Problems in 1942 and was co-author with Furfey of Social Problems and Social Action published in 1958. She was appointed assistant professor at CUA in 1943, associate professor in 1947, and ordinary professor with tenure in 1962. She also lectured in nursing education 1947-1948. She retired in 1971 and died on February 18, 1987. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and ContentsThe Mary Elizabeth Walsh papers contain correspondence, both personal and professional, as well as reference and research material, calendars and address books, student notes and papers, memorabilia, financial records, and printed material. Her papers reflect the decades of educational, religious, and social activist efforts of Dr. Walsh and her mentor, Msgr. Paul Hanly Furfey. Because of their close cooperation, including the sharing of office space, the material that came to the archives was loose and unorganized, often without folders, with much work needed to attempt to separate that of Walsh from Furfey. When there was doubt as to authorship, material was retained in the Furfey papers consisting of ten series numbering some 135 record center boxes while the Walsh papers reflect a similar format with seven series and some 37 record center boxes. Series 1 is Correspondence, 1930-1980, in boxes 1-5, and divided into two subseries. The first subseries is Personal, 1930-1980, in boxes 1-2. This is a mix of material to and from friends and former students in box 1 and family in box 2. The second subseries is Professional, 1937-1978, in boxes 3-5. This has correspondence filed alphabetically with persons like her colleagues Paul Hanly Furfey and Gladys Sellew as well as institutions and organizations such as the American Catholic Sociological Association and the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore to which she was connected. The focus for this correspondence is beyond CUA, with her CUA correspondence included in Series 2, though there is some inevitable overlap. Series 2 is the Catholic University Sociology Department/Bureau of Social Research (BSR) Records, 1930-1972, in boxes 5-28, and divided into three subseries. The first is General Administration Files, 1937-1980, in boxes 5-14. This includes her Sociology departmental files on classes, dissertations, committees, etc. as well as correspondence and related material regarding fellow faculty such as C. Joseph Nuesse and Raymond Potvin. The second subseries is Bureau of Social Research (BSR) Reference and Research Material, 1930-1972, in boxes 15-24. The BSR was created by Msgr. Furfey and fellow Sociology professor Thomas J. Harte as a facility for contract and grant research. It was intended to be an ongoing experiment with an important academic role in the training of students by providing them with dissertation topics and Sociological data. The files here are a mix of alphabetical, numerical, and miscellaneous materials. The third subseries is BSR Studies, Workshops, and Grant Project Files, 1934-1972, in boxes 25-28. This has a mix of general files as well as specific ones studying the deaf, vocational rehabilitation, and infant education. Series 3 is Calendars and Address Books, ca. 1945-1980, in boxes 28-29. The calendars are mostly small desk ones with notes written in both pen and ink. The address books are very small with handwritten notations. Series 4 is Education Records, 1931-1934, 1937, in box 30. This includes class notes for 1931-1934 and a roll up copy of her 1937 doctoral degree, in Latin. Series 5 is Memorabilia, ca. 1940-1980, in boxes 31-32. This is a miscellaneous assemblage of medals, coins, mass and prayer cards, Christmas and Easter cards, travel literature, and postcards. Series 6 is Financial Records, 1932-1985, in boxes 33-36. This includes banking, retirement, automobile, housing, medical, taxes, and miscellaneous records. Series 7 is Publications and Publicity Material, 1931-1980, in box 37. This has biographical material, articles, books, book reviews, speeches, and addresses. Return to the Table of Contents ArrangementThe Mary Elizabeth Walsh Papers consists of seven series: Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsRestrictions on AccessNone Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationAcquisition InformationThe initial deposit of papers received jointly with those of her mentor, colleague, and friend, Msgr. Paul Hanly Furfey, on September 26, 1983. These entailed correspondence, financial records, and printed material. Dr. Walsh and Msgr. Furfey signed deed of gift forms on September 26, 1984 that were witnessed by Library Director Eric L. Ormsby and CUA Archivist Anthony Zito. A second joint accession of papers was received on September 16, 1984 and a third on April 13, 1987. Due to her lifelong professional and personal collaboration with Msgr. Furfey, their records were largely intertwined and difficult to separate. The decision was made initially to treat Furfey and Walsh material as two parts of a joint collection, dividing wherever possible. This is reflected in the 1996 series level inventory that described a collection of parallel organization with much cross-referencing. When there was a doubt as to authorship, material was placed in the Furfey section consisting of 11 series numbering some 136 record center boxes. In 2011, the Walsh material was finally separated and set up as an independent collection, reflecting a similar structure to the Furfey papers but with only seven series and some 37 record center boxes. Processing Information
Initial processing in 1996 with revisions in 2011 by William John Shepherd. EAD markup completed in April 2011 by William John Shepherd. Return to the Table of Contents Related MaterialPaul Hanly Furfey Papers C. Joseph Nuesse Papers Return to the Table of Contents Index TermsThis record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms. Persons:Furfey, Paul Hanly
Liang, Agnes
Nuesse, C. Joseph
Potvin, Raymond
Sellew, Gladys
Organizations:American Catholic Sociological Society
Catholic University of America
College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, Maryland
National Catholic School of Social Service
Places:Baltimore, Maryland
Savannah, Georgia
Toledo, Ohio
Washington, D.C.
Subjects:Feminism
Pacifism
Psychology
Race Relations
Social Activism
Social Work
Sociology
BibliographyParis, Jenell Williams. 'Fides Means Faith, A Catholic Neighborhood House in Lower Northwest Washington, DC,' Washington History. (11: 2), Fall/Winter 1999-2000, pp. 24-45, 92-94.Rademacher, Nicholas K. 'Apostle of Social Justice: Paul Hanly Furfey and the Construction of a Catholic Culture,' Ph.D. dissertation, The Catholic University of America, 2006. Walsh, Mary Elizabeth. American Social Problems. New York: The Catholic University of America Press, 1942. Walsh, Mary Elizabeth. The Saints and Social Work: A Study of the Treatment of Poverty as Illustrated by the Lives of the Saints and Beati of the Last 100 Years. Ph.D. Dissertation, Catholic University of America, 1936.
Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description of the Collection
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TABLE OF CONTENTSDetailed Description of the Collection Series 1: Correspondence, 1930-1980 Series 3: Calendars and Address Books, ca. 1945-1980 Series 4: Education Records, 1931-1934, 1937 Series 5: Memorabilia, ca. 1940-1980 |
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