Contents and Arrangement
Online

Subseries 2: Hildegarde B. Forbes, 1927-1991

13 boxes
SOME ONLINE CONTENT
Restrictions may apply. See Access Note.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Series 3: Personal Files, Subseries 2: Hildegarde B. Forbes (1927-1991) consists chiefly of correspondence and printed matter from the files of Hildegarde Boughton Forbes (1894-1991). Raised in affluent surroundings, she gamely faced the hardships of a nurse's aide at Fort MacPherson, Georgia during and after the First World War. In 1922 she married Henry Forbes, whose papers are located in Series 3, Subseries 1, and it was at his urging that she formed her connection with the AAIA. Elected to its Board of Directors in 1961, she soon became an influential presence. While she served the Association in a variety of capacities, including as co-chairman of its Ways and Means Committee, and contributed generously to its coffers, it was as its secretary that she left her most indelible mark. Her primary duty in this position, which she occupied from 1964 until failing eyesight compelled her to resign in 1980, was the taking of minutes, both at meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. Her handiwork can be found in Series 1, Subseries 1 (Administration).

The material contained in Forbes' files covers a wide array of matters and constitutes a sort of microcosm of other subseries in the collection during her time of active involvement in the Association. There is a thinness to her files which limit their usefulness, however, though not as an ancillary source of information. The most interesting portion of Forbes' papers is her personal correspondence, documenting, as it does, the AAIA's evolving character and interests and her reactions to these changes. An avid letter writer, she kept in touch with the AAIA's key players from her home in Massachusetts, be it General Counsel Arthur Lazarus, Jr., President Oliver La Farge, or Executive Director William Byler. Forbes' forceful personality emerges clearly in her writing. Self-described as "hard-boiled," she harbored strong opinions and was not afraid to voice them. Her peppery manner could be off-putting, but no one could doubt her dedication to the AAIA. Her underlying warmth of spirit was also palpable when she wrote to President Roger Ernst in 1972, "I was really glad to hear that you are going to a so-called head shrinker. I feel sure that he will -- rather than shrinking -- give you confidence in your own ability, which is great. For several years I was in psychotherapy and wouldn't have missed the experience for anything on earth. Among other things that it did for me was to give me courage to needle 3 Presidents of the AAIA when I saw things going wrong. Now maybe you'll find the courage to hit me over the head when I step out of line."

Arrangement

The materials in this subseries are arranged alphabetically by subject or last name of correspondent. Formerly restricted material, audio material, and photographs are included at the end of the subseries.

Collection History

Appraisal

No information about appraisal is available for this collection prior to the 2007 addition. Materials related to particular scholarships were separated from the August 2007 addition [ML.2007.027] and returned to the donor as requested.

No materials were separated from subsequent additions in 2008-2015. The exception is the 2014 addition [ML.2014.007]; AAIA newsletters that had already been catalogued by Princeton's Firestone Library were removed.

Approximately 1.5 linear feet consisting of routine financial information, personnel records, and other out-of-scope materials were removed from the October 2016 addition [ML.2016.034].

Sponsorship:

These records were processed with the generous support of The National Endowment for the Humanities and The John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.

Processing Information

These Records were initially arranged and described between December 1995 - June 1997 by John S. Weeren, with the able assistance of many hands and, in particular, Tom Rosko, Mitra Martin, Christina Aragon, and Shawneequa Callier. Additions received from 2005 to 2008 were processed in 2008 by Lynn Durgin. An inventory, the MARC record and the finding aid were updated at this time. Materials from subsequent additions from 2009-2016 were added to the collection as separate series. Box and folder lists for these additionss were created and the MARC record and finding aid were updated. Some materials in the May 2011, September 2012, and 2014 additions were re-housed in archival boxes or folders during accessioning. Digital materials in Series 8 were processed by Elena Colon-Marrero in July 2015.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

All records in Series 3 are open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection contains materials acquired from an Apple iMac desktop computer and other unknown desktop computers. Researchers are responsible for meeting the technical requirements needed to access these materials, including any and all hardware and software.

Credit this material:

Subseries 2: Hildegarde B. Forbes; Association on American Indian Affairs Records, MC147, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (mudd): Box 388-400