Newcomb, Mary (1895-1949?) Collection, 1901-1935

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Mary Newcomb, 1895-1949?

Title: Collection, 1901-1935 (bulk 1930-1935)

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, see the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection: 1 cubic foot

Location Number: Mss./A/N538

Scope and Content Note

Papers of folk song collector Mary Newcomb. Correspondence consists of personal letters as well as others related to her trying to publish “Songs My Mother Sang,” her trying to find a job in the Civil Service, and her finances. Lyrics to a large number of the songs she collected and her genealogy are also included. Collection contains her notes from classes at Nazareth College and St. Helena’s Commercial College, numerous drawings, and printed material, including published articles by Newcomb, songbooks and sheet music, and newspaper clippings.

Her pitch-pipe was transferred to The Filson Museum.

Biographical Note

Mary Newcomb was born in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1895. As an adult, Newcomb collected folk songs, and in the late 1920s and early 1930s, she attempted to publish a collection of them called, “Songs My Mother Sang.” Her manuscript appears to never have been published, and a copy of it is available at The Filson as the Mary Newcomb Miscellaneous Papers (Mss./C/N). Newcomb held several positions in the United States Civil Service, and in the early 1930s attended Nazareth College and St. Helena’s Commercial College. It is believed that she died around 1949.

Folder List

Folder 1: Personal Correspondence, 1927-1931

Folder 2: Personal Correspondence, 1932-1935, no date

Folder 3: Music Correspondence, 1928-1931

Folder 4: Music Correspondence, 1932-1933

Folder 5: Employment Correspondence, 1918-1926

Folder 6: Employment Correspondence, 1929-1933

Folder 7: Financial Correspondence

Folder 8: Kentucky Folk Songs, Book I

Folder 9: Kentucky Folk Songs, Book II

Folder 10: Folk Song Lyrics, A-H

Folder 11: Folk Song Lyrics, I-R

Folder 12: Folk Song Lyrics, S-Z, untitled

Folder 13: Folk Songs and Stories

Folder 14: Genealogy of the Abell, Craven, Masterson, Miller, Newcomb, Pierceall Families

Folder 15: Abell Genealogy

Folder 16: Genealogy

Folder 17: Play – “The Red Bear”

Folder 18: Music Notes – Nazareth College

Folder 19: English Literature Notes – Nazareth College

Folder 20: English Literature Notes – St. Helena’s Commercial College

Folder 21: Miscellaneous Writings

Folder 22: Drawings

Folder 23: Miscellaneous

Folder 24: Bank passbooks

Folder 25: The Pelican (Vol. 5, No. 1)

Folder 26: St. Teresa Herald (February 1935)

Folder 27: Bradley Kincaid Songbooks

Folder 28: Folk Songbooks

Folder 29: Songbooks

Folder 30: Sheet Music

Folder 31: Practical Method for the Pianoforte , Vol. 1

Folder 32: Newspaper clippings

Subject Headings

Abell family – Genealogy

Allison, Young Ewing, 1853-1932

Birth control – Attitudes

Civil service – United States – Employees

Emmett, Daniel Decatur, 1815-1904. Dixie

Folk songs – United States

Hays, Will. S. (William Shakespeare), 1837-1907

Kincaid, Bradley

La Bree, Ben (Benjamin)

Nativism

Newcomb family – Genealogy

Newcomb, Mary, 1895-1949?