Henning-Charette Family Papers – Van Stockum Collection, 1893-1950
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Henning-Charette Family
Title: Van Stockum Collection, Papers, 1893-1950
Creator: For information regarding the literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.
Size of Collection: 1.5 cubic feet
Locator Number: Mss./A/V217a
Biographical Note
Susanne Henning married Marquis Charles-Antoine de Charette in November 1909, against the will of her mother. She lived in France and was in Paris during the First World War. During that time she worked entertaining American troops while her husband served in the French Army in the tank corps. She gave birth to her daughter, Susanne in 1915. After the war she continued to live in France until the 1930’s when she moved to the United States and divorced her husband. During the Second World War she worked as an air raid and fire warden and a fund raiser for war bonds and civilian relief. She also had a great interest in art and co-authored a book on art with artist and art critic Michel Georges-Michel. Henning de Charette’s other great passion was fishing; she took many trips in New England and Canada in pursuit of this hobby.
Susan Thornton Henning was the mother of Susanne Henning de Charette. She owned Allen Dale Farm in Shelby County, Kentucky and was well known as a breeder of Jersey cattle. She opposed her daughter’s marriage and did not make peace with the Marquis de Charette until ten years after the marriage.
James Williamson Henning was the father of Susanne Henning de Charette. He was a businessman and stock broker in New York City who suffered a business failure in 1907. He was involved in the negotiation for the marriage contract of his daughter in 1909. He was also involved with Coleman du Pont in business deals.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of the papers of Susanne Henning de Charette and her parents, grandparents and other relatives. The records discuss her marriage to Marqis Charles-Antoine de Charette against the will of her mother, her life in France with Tony, their role in the First World War in France and her role in the Second World War in New York. Her father, James W. Henning also plays an important role in these papers with letters and other papers dealing with his business failure in 1907 and again in 1911. Other important correspondence includes that of Sue Henning, the Marquise’s mother and divorced wife of James Henning, Lulie Henning, Jame’s sister, and artist Herbert William Ross. For General Van Stockum’s inventory and notes on the collection, please click here.
Folder List
Folder 1: Correspondence about Susanne and Tony’s relationship, 1907-1908.
Folder 2: Correspondence about Susanne and Tony’s engagement, March to August 1909.
Folder 3: Correspondence about Susanne and Tony’s engagement, and wedding with invitations and marriage contracts, September 1909 to December 1909.
Folder 4: Correspondence dealing with married life and the War in France, 1911-1917.
Folder 5: Correspondence dealing with the War in France and coming to Kentucky 1918-1920.
Folder 6: Correspondence and newspaper clippings, Sue Hennings, 1921-1933.
Folder 7: Wedding invitation and telegrams in French to Susanne Jr.’s marriage and transcript of interview with Suzanne Jr. from 1941.
Folder 8: Genealogy of the Allen Family. Essay by Sue Henning on Jersey Cattle, and interview about breeding cattle.
Folder 9: Letter to Sue Henning, 1900, recipe for mint julep.
Folder 10: Legal Papers for Allen Dale Farm – 1924-1949.
Folder 11: Correspondence and other papers in French, dealing with Basse Motte, the Charrette estate in Brittany.
Folder 12: Correspondence in French from Tony de Charette to Suzanne, 1930-1947.
Folder 13: Astrology correspondence for Marquise de Charette, 1944-1950.
Folder 14: Automobile rental documents, 1944-1950.
Folder 15: Correspondence and snapshots about Marquise de Charette’s fishing, 1941-1950.
Folder 16: Correspondence, mostly in French, dealing with the Marquise de Charette.
Folder 17: Personal papers – medical bills, investments and insurance policy for Marquise de Charette.
Folder 18: Correspondence in English and French, Marquise de Charette, 1938-1950.
Folder 19: Correspondence in English and French, 1938-1939, with some business papers from Marquise de Charette.
Folder 20: Correspondence with members of the Henning Family, 1932-1949.
Folder 21: Correspondence between Marquise de Charette and her Aunt Lulie, 1936-1948.
Folder 22: Correspondence 1939-1940 to Marquise de Charette while in Norton Hospital with broken arm.
Folder 23: Correspondence 1939 to Marquise de Charette.
Folder 24: Correspondence 1935-1948 with artist Georges-Michel.
Folder 25: Manuscript captions for the art book by Marquise de Charette and Michel Georges-Michel.
Folder 26: Correspondence, Gabriel Prinque, 1939-1949, in French.
Folder 27: Correspondence, Herbert William Ross, 1931-1939.
Folder 28: Correspondence and bills in French from Dr. Pierre Stauffer, 1931-1933.
Folder 29: World War II correspondence and news clippings.
Folder 30: World War II correspondence in English and French, war relief aid information.
Folder 31: World War II Air Warden Papers and Armband.
Folder 32: World War II French War Efforts correspondence in English and French.
Folder 33: World War II war bond papers.
Folder 34: Register of Merit Certificates from American Jersey Cattle Club, 1910-1925.
Folder 35: Correspondence Sue T. Henning, 1905-1907, dealing with Jersey cattle breeding and horse breeding.
Folder 36: Miscellaneous papers from Sue T. Henning, 1914-1928.
Folder 37: James W. Henning’s papers dealing with the marriage of his daughter Susanne to Tony de Charette, including contracts of marriage.
Folder 38: James W Henning Insurance Policies.
Folder 39: Correspondence between James W. Henning and Colman du Pont, 1911-1915.
Folder 40: Correspondence about Sam Henning’s failing health due to mental illness.
Folder 41: Correspondence dealing with Susanne’s marriage to Tony de Charette to her father.
Folder 42: Correspondence from James. W. Henning’s first failure on Wall Street in 1907.
Folder 43: Correspondence and papers from 1907 dealing with expenses of J W Henning.
Subject Headings
Allen Dale Farm (Shelby County, Ky.)
Allen family
Art – Louisville
Artists
Arts Club (Louisville, Ky.)
Astrology
Basse Motte (France)
Bullitt, William Marshall, 1873-1957
Charette de la Contrie, Athanase-Charles-Marie de, 1832-1911
Charette, Antoinette Van Leer Polk de, 1847-1919
Charette, Charles-Antoine de, 1880-1947
Charette, Susanne Henning de, 1888-1964
Civil defense – United States
Communism – History
Communism and motion pictures
Depressions
Du Pont, T. Coleman (Thomas Coleman), 1863-1930
Farms – Kentucky – Shelbyville
Fishing
France – Economic conditions
G. Washington Coffee Refining Co
Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970
Georges-Michel, Michel, 1883-1985
Gilbert, Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1882-1939
Henning, Henrietta Hunt, 1893-1964
Henning, James Williamson, 1863-1925
Henning, Julia Duke, 1901-1996
Henning, Lulie Cowan, 1860-1965
Henning, Samuel Cowan, 1865-1913
Henning, Susan Thornton, 1865-1933
Henning-Charette family
Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945
Insurance
Ireland – Politics and government – 20th century
Italy – Description and travel
Jersey cattle – Kentucky
League of Nations
Lusitania (Steamship)
Marriage – Parental consent
Marriage customs and rites
Marriage law – France
Mint juleps
Pius X, Pope, 1835-1914
Polk, Frank L. (Frank Lyon), 1871-1943
Polk, Rebecca, b. 1858
Prinque, Gabriel-Louis
Private schools – Switzerland
Ross, Herbert William, 1895-1989
Savings bonds – United States
Tariff on silverwork – France
Van Stockum, Susanne Meriwether de Charette, 1915-2000
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1914-1918 – Evacuation of civilians
World War, 1914-1918 – France
World War, 1914-1918 – Tank warfare
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 – Civilian relief – France
World War, 1939-1945 – Civilian relief – Russia
World War, 1939-1945 – Economic aspects
World War, 1939-1945 – Finance – United States
World War, 1939-1945 – Motion pictures and the war
World War, 1939-1945 – Underground movements
World War, 1939-1945 – War work – New York
World War, 1939-1945 – Women – New York
