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A Guide to the Papers at the Indiana University Archives

Electronic finding aid encoded by Donald C. Force

Summary Information

Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives

Creator
Burke, Avis Tarrant, 1886-1984.

Collection No.
C96

Extent
2 cubic feet
(2 boxes)

Language
Materials are in English.

Abstract
Avis Tarrant Burke was the wife of Indiana University fine arts professor Robert E. Burke. Avis was active with the IU Extension Division and wrote several articles for its bulletin. Together she and Robert traveled extensively, which served as the subject of articles she wrote for the Bloomington newspaper from 1932-1953. After her husband's death, Avis developed a reputation for her philanthropic work, including her donation of nineteenth-century clothing and eighteenth and nineteenth-century fans to Indiana University, which now comprises a core part of the Elizabeth Sage Costume Collection at IU. The collection consists of correspondence, files on groups and organizations with which Burke was involved, essays, articles, general and travel diaries, as well as a small amount of records from the Tarrant family, including 19th century love letters written to Avis's mother, Avis Booth Tarrant.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Advance notice is required.

Biographical Note

Avis Adalaide Tarrant Burke was born on April 18, 1886, in Winsted, Connecticut. She attended schools in Winsted and graduated from the New Britain Normal School of New Britain, Connecticut, in 1906. From 1906-1916 she taught in several schools in South Manchester, Connecticut, including the Practice School, Cooper Hill, the Open Air School, and the Evening School. In August 1916 she married Robert Elisha Burke, an old friend and an Indiana University assistant professor in the subject of fine arts. In the same year she moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to be with her husband. While in Bloomington, she taught at the McCalla School from September 1920 to January 1921. She also devoted her energies to work in Bloomington at the University Extension Division at Indiana University. She traveled extensively with her husband and continued to travel after his death in 1957. She published several articles in the Bloomington Herald Telephone about her travels from 1932 to 1953.

After her husband’s death, Mrs. Burke established a reputation for her philanthropic interests. She provided funds for the Class of 1906 Memorial Scholarship at Central Connecticut State College. She also donated an extensive collection of nineteenth-century women's clothing and eighteenth and nineteenth-century fans to Indiana University. These pieces now comprise a core part of the Elizabeth Sage Costume Collection at Indiana University. Upon her husband’s death, Avis Burke endowed the department of the History of Art to bring distinguished scholars to Bloomington, which later culminated into the Robert and Avis Burke Lecture Series. This lecture series continues to be held on the IU-Bloomington campus.

Mrs. Burke was actively involved in the Annual Honors and Scholarship Awards Program, the Four Seasons Retirement Home, the Indiana Federation of Art Clubs, the Indiana Federation of Clubs, and the Monroe County Weavers Guild. She was also noted as a member of Trinity Church in Lime Rock, Connecticut, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Columbus, Indiana.

Avis T. Burke passed away on February 19, 1984, at the Four Seasons Retirement Home in Columbus, Indiana. She was 97 years old.

Arrangement

The collection has been organized into five series: Correspondence; Affiliations; Personal and biographical materials; Writings; and Family records.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence spans the period from 1901 to 1980, and has been organized into two sub-series: General correspondence and Holiday cards and postcards. The general correspondence of Avis T. Burke is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Correspondents with two or more pieces of correspondence in the collection have been assigned individual folders, and the materials within those folders have been arranged chronologically. Correspondents include friends, family members, and affiliations, including IU President Herman B Wells and Elvis Stahr.

The second series, Affiliations, spans the period from 1890-1975, and it is arranged alphabetically by organization. The Affiliations series includes materials relating to some of the major organizations and programs in which Avis T. Burke participated over the course of her life. Among the organizations included are the Annual Honors and Scholarship Awards Program, the Indiana Federation of Clubs, and the Monroe County Weavers Guild. She was also noted as a member of the Trinity Church in Lime Rock, Connecticut and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Columbus, Indiana.

Personal and biographical materials spans the period from 1892 to 1976, and consists of records related to Avis Burke’s personal life and interests. This series includes awards and honors given to A.T. Burke, newspaper articles about Burke, personal art work, writings collected by Burke, and her Last Will and Testament. This series is arranged alphabetically.

The fourth series, Writings, spans the period from 1861-1974, and has been organized into three sub-series: Essays and articles, Personal diaries, and Travel diaries. Photographs and loose materials within the dairies, both personal and travel, have been left in context. Materials that Ms. Burke stored at the back of each diary have been removed and placed in folders labeled according to the diary from which they came. The Essays and articles sub-series contains various writings composed by Avis T. Burke, including poetry, newspaper articles, and drafts of her autobiography. The Personal diaries sub-series contains sixteen annual diaries recording Burke’s daily activities as well as important dates during her time in Bloomington. The personal dairies are arranged in chronological order. The Travel diaries sub-series contains diaries that record Avis Burke’s travels between 1932 and 1971 to Europe, Florida, Hawaii, New England, and the Pacific Northwest.

The fifth series, Family records, spans the period from 1858-1984, and contains records relating to the history of Avis Tarrant Burke’s family. It is organized into two sub-series: Correspondence and Genealogy. The Correspondence sub-series consists primarily of letters written to Avis Booth Tarrant, Avis Burke’s mother. Noteworthy correspondents in this sub-series are Andres Moynelo and Henry Tarrant. In 1858 Andres Moynelo wrote sorrowful and elegant letters to Avis Booth, who later married Henry Tarrant. In his letters Moynelo spoke of his unreturned love for Avis Booth. From 1884-1898 Henry Tarrant wrote letters to Avis Booth expressing his affection for her. Finally, the Genealogy sub-series includes genealogical records on Avis T. Burke’s family, including family history records, an 1881 diary written by her mother , and newspaper articles about family members. This series has been arranged alphabetically.

• Indexing Terms

• The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the catalog using these terms.

• • Names
  • Burke, Avis Tarrant, 1886-1984 --Archives.
  • Burke, Avis Tarrant, 1886-1984 --Correspondence.
  • Burke, Avis Tarrant, 1886-1984 --Diaries.
  • Tarrant, Avis Booth, 1842 or 3-1930 --Archives.
  • Tarrant, Avis Booth, 1842 or 3-1930 --Correspondence.
  • Tarrant, Avis Booth, 1842 or 3-1930 --Diaries.
• • Topics
  • College teachers' spouses --Indiana --Bloomington.
  • Love letters --History --Sources.
  • American diaries --History --Sources.
• • Places
  • Europe --Description and travel.
  • United States --Description and travel.

Separated Material

Also removed were wood cuts, a sewing book, a recipe book, and a comic strip album.

Items created by Robert E. Burke, including Christmas cards designed by Burke, and letters to Burke from Avis T. Burke, were moved to the Robert E. Burke papers, Collection C94.

Related Material

See Robert E. Burke papers, 1904-1957, Collection C94; and the Burke, A.T. mss., 1955-1958, at the Lilly Library on the Indiana University, Bloomington campus.

Administrative Information

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Series: Family records, 1858-1984 

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Subseries: Correspondence, 1858-1916 

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Box 2 A-Z, 1877-1916 

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Moynelo, Andres, to Avis Booth Tarrant, 1858  View item(s)

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Booth, Nathan B. to Avis Booth Tarrant, 1883-1889 

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Booth, Sophia to Avis Booth Tarrant, 1873-1893  View item(s)

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Tarrant, Henry to Avis Booth Tarrant, 1884-1898  View item(s)

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Subseries: Genealogy, 1862-1984 

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Box 2 "Booth Stratford – the Family of Richard Booth," 1862 

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Diary of Avis Booth, Jan. – Dec. 1881 

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Family history records, undated 

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Fiftieth wedding anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan B. Booth, 1891 

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Newspaper articles about family members, 1895-1918 

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Obituaries of family members, 1881-1984 

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Winsted, Conn., flood, 1955