The papers of Julia Finney Monroe are modest in volume and varied in terms of composition. The content of the material largely focuses on very specific aspects of Julia's life, such as her charity work and her travels to Europe and the Middle East. There are very few documents detailing Julia Finney Monroe's personal or family life, her relationship with James Monroe, or her life outside of the years 1885-1901. The travel notebooks that Julia Finney Monroe wrote in 1893 and 1900-01, and personal notebooks written between 1895 and 1911, are by far the exception. These notebooks contain Mrs. Monroe's writings on religion and her views regarding the various countries that she visited. Additionally, two letters from her brother, Frederick Norton Finney, are present, including one letter in which Mr. Finney discusses the construction of Finney Chapel.
The papers are dominated by original printed matter. The materials document her role in the Oberlin Associated Charities covering the years 1880- 1897. Included is information on the work of a multitude of sister organizations in such cities and Boston, Brooklyn, and Baltimore. Included are annual reports, correspondence, and many publications in the form of small books or pamphlets. Generally, the printed matter report on the goals and strategies of the various organizations and, in some cases, focus on the moral issues related to poverty. Although these files provide little direct insight into Julia Finney Monroe, it does provide readers with a fascinating glimpse at the organizations that she supported in her later years. Additionally, copies exist of various administrative forms, including those that were used in evaluating how best to assist people and the paperwork required to pay visits to tenants in charity-run boarding houses. A limited amount of personal correspondence regarding the charities, both written to and by Finney Monroe, is also present.
In addition to the OAC-related material, several folders of financial and legal records exist that provides genealogical data about the Finney and Monroe families. Among these records are the wills of Charles Finney, (1872) James Monroe, (1893) and Julia Finney Monroe (1907,1912), and a number of land and trust deeds to Charles Finney and to Oberlin College. This material is augmented by a number of routine records, including bank and personal ledgers, canceled checks, bills, receipts, work estimates, and income tax returns from 1917 and 1921. Of these records, the shares of stock in the Citizens National Bank and the correspondence regarding its failure in 1904 are the most noteworthy.
A late addition to the papers is the pamphlet "John Frederic Oberlin" by Florence M. Fitch. This was Julia Finney Monroe's copy and contains handwritten notes.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Biographical File, 1930 (0.1 linear feet)
Consists of a copy of a description written by Julia Finney Monroe's stepdaughter upon her death and copies of the obituary which ran in the March, 1930 issue of the Oberlin College Alumni Magazine.
Series II. Journals/Notebooks, 1895-1911 (0.1 linear feet)
This series contains four notebooks written by Julia Finney Monroe. Two of the notebooks are personal journals, written between 1895 and 191 1. The other notebooks are travel journals describing her activities in Europe and the Middle East in 1893 and 1900-01.
Series Ill. Personal Correspondence, 1880-1920 (0.1 linear feet)
Original letters comprise this series, written both by and to Finney Monroe, including two from her brother, Frederick Norton Finney. The content of these letters range from personal issues to discussions of various charity organizations.
Series IV. Financial Records, 1838-1912 (0.2 linear feet)
A wide variety of personal financial records from both the Finney and Monroe families comprise the bulk of this series. Includes ledgers of family expenses, canceled checks, receipts, and bills.
Series V. Legal Records, 1838-1912 (0.2 linear feet)
This series contains various legal records of the Finney and Monroe families. Specifically, these records include wills, land deeds, and property appraisals.
Series VI. Oberlin Associated Charities, 1880-1910 (0.4 linear feet)
Primarily material pertaining to the OAC and many sister organizations located throughout the state of Ohio and the eastern seaboard of the United States. Files are divided into three subseries: "Correspondence," "Administrative/Financial Records," and "Publications/Printed Matter." The correspondence mainly consists of original letters written by, and sent to, Julia Finney Monroe regarding her charity work. No key correspondents are present in this series. Documents in two other folders pertain to the administration of the OAC. The publications were issued by affiliated charity organizations and deal with various aspects of charity work.
Series VII. Printed Material, n.d. (1 folder)
(added as a late accretion, January 2002)
This series contains one item, the pamphlet "John Frederic Oberlin" by Florence M. Fitch. This copy contains Julia Finney Monroe's handwritten notes.
Accruals:
Accessions: 73, 1978/43, 2002/4.
Access Restrictions:
Unrestricted.
Acquisition Method:
The Papers of Julia Finney Monroe were received under two separate accessions in 1966 and 1978. The archives took possession of a trunk marked "James Monroe" found in Bosworth Hall in 1966 which contained several publications pertaining to various charity organizations that belonged to his wife. In 1978 one carton containing various personal effects belonging to Julia Finney Monroe was located by the Oberlin College library staff in the Carnegie building and turned over to the archives at that time. Julia Finney Monroe's copy of "John Frederic Oberlin" by Florence M. Fitch was received from the Oberlin College Library's Department of Special Collections in 2002.
Related Materials:
Other information present in the college archives pertaining to Julia Finney Monroe includes Julia Finney Monroe's student file (from the Oberlin Academy) and James Monroe's staff and student files (28). Correspondence (letters to) are in the Monroe Papers (30/22), Fairchild Papers (2/3/1), King Papers (2/6/1), and in the Papers of the Oberlin Industrial School (31/6/16). The March, 1930 issue, Vol. 26, No. 6, of the Oberlin College Alumni Magazine contains an obituary on Julia Finney Monroe.
Finding Aid Revision History:
Processed by Richard Baxstrom, 1992. Revised by Eric D. Miller, July 1996; Melissa Gottwald, January 2002.
Other URL:
http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/archon_pdfs/Monroe_Julia_Inventory.pdf
