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Frank de Caro and Rosan A. Jordan papers, circa 1910s-2014, bulk 1980-2008

A Guide to the Collection at the Indiana University Archives

Finding aid prepared by Walker Byer

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
De Caro, F. A., 1943-.
Jordan, R. A. (Rosan A.)

Title
Frank de Caro and Rosan A. Jordan papers, circa 1910s-2014,  bulk 1980-2008

Collection No.
C684

Extent
10.2 cubic feet (12 boxes)

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
Frank de Caro and Rosan Jordan are both folklorists who worked at Louisiana State University. They co-authored several books together. This collection includes drafts and correspondence pertaining to published works, de Caro’s family history, as well as some of Jordan’s teaching materials and research on Day of the Dead. Included in the collection are an extensive amount of postcards that were collected from various travels.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Biographical Note

Indiana University alumnus Frank de Caro is a folklorist and Professor Emeritus of English and Anthropology at Louisiana State University, where he taught from 1970-2001. He grew up in New York, earned his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, taught English in India from 1966-1967, and studied folklore at IU, where he earned his Ph.D. De Caro has received a number of awards throughout his career, including those from the American Folklore Society, the Louisiana Folklore Society, and the Louisiana State University Outstanding Faculty award. Outside of his time at Louisiana State University, de Caro’s professional career includes time as President of the Louisiana Folklore Society and editor of the Louisiana Folklore Miscellany. Having focused on folklore and literature, as well as folklore in the Louisiana region, de Caro also published several books of Louisiana folklore including Folklife in Louisiana Photography: Images of Tradition , and The Folktale Cat.

De Caro is married to IU alumna and folklorist Rosan Augusta Jordan. Jordan received her undergraduate degree from North Texas University, and earned her Ph.D. in Folklore from Indiana University. Jordan was also an English professor at Louisiana State University until she retired in the early 2000s. The pair collaborated on several publications and this collection contains both their individual and combined folkloric studies.

Arrangement

arrangement note

Scope and Content Note

The Frank de Caro and Rosan A. Jordan Papers are organized into six series: Biographical, Rosan A. Jordan files, Publications, Professional Activities, Correspondence, and Visual Materials. The organization of this collection retains the original organization as the records were received by the donors.

The Biographical series (1939-1995) is arranged chronologically and contains papers specifically relating to de Caro and Jordan’s life (diplomas, undergraduate notes, etc.) and papers about relatives such as genealogical research. This series contains several military documents about de Caro’s father, who died during World War II. These documents include a certificate (signed by President Truman) showing that de Caro’s father was awarded the Purple Heart.

The Rosan A. Jordan series (1958-2000) is arranged into two series. The Education and Reearch subseries (1958-1989) includes syllabi and notes for courses in folklore theory and organizations that Jordan took, as well as correspondence, photographs, transcriptions, and other research materials relating to her dissertation. The Rosan A. Jordan Teaching files series (1973-2000) is ordered chronologically. In addition to handwritten notes, this series contains printouts, as well as magazine and newspaper clippings on a variety of folklore-related topics taught by Jordan during her time at Louisiana State University. Some of the subjects contained within these files include: gender studies; festivals and holidays such as Easter and Days of the Dead; witches and vampires; and excerpts from Isaac Asimov and Alice Walker.

The Publications and Research series (1984-2014) is further divided into seven subseries: Stories of our Lives (1984-2013), Resituating Folklore (1998-2005), Anthology of American Folktales and Legends (2002-2008), Folklore MUSE (2005-2012), and Folklore Recycled (2008-2014). Each of these subseries are arranged by date to show the development of the published works. A subseries titled Frank de Caro Research (1959-1996, undated) is also present. This subseries is ordered chronologically and includes lecture notes taken by de Caro, and research on American murder ballads. A General Research subseries (1988-1994) is also present. This subseries contains reading lists and bibliographies, as well as matireals for other works such as Folk Life in Louisiana, Southern Folklore , and The Folktale Cat.

The Professional Activities Series (1976-1998) is ordered chronologically and contains material pertaining to conferences and events attended by de Caro and Jordan such as the 1990 Cultural Conservation Conference and annual meeting of the American Folklore Society from 1996-1998. Also included in this series are the ephemera from other folklorists.

The Correspondence series (1949-2005) contains four subseries: Frank de Caro Family Correspondence (1949-1985) which includes all manner of correspondence sent and received by Frank de Caro’s relatives. The Selected Professional Correspondence (1969-1979) contains copies of de Caro and Jordan’s business correspondence. The subseries Selected Letters of Frank de Caro and Rosan Augusta Jordan (1976-1997) contains the correspondence exchanged between de Caro and Jordan. The final subseries, Correspondence to/from Folklorists (1979-1997) contains all the correspondence between de Caro, Jordan, and fellow folklorists. This subseries is arranged chronologically and subsequently alphabetized by the last name of the correspondent.

The Visual Materials series (1943-1974, undated) is further organized into three subseries: Photographs, Postcards, and Slides. The Photograph subseries contains images that relate to folklore topics studied by de Caro and Jordan such as Jordan’s research on the Days of the Dead. This collection also contains personal photographs of family members and life events. This series also contains a large collection of postcards from their various travels. Some postcards are merely souvenirs, while it is clear that others were actually used for communication. These postcards come from a several states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and various areas of the southwestern United States. The images on these postcards display not only photographs of the related areas, but also paintings, folklore of native animals such as the mythical jackalope – a creature of myth that looks like a jackrabbit with antelope horns. There are also postcards with jokes and comedic images on them. This subseries may be of interest for regional folklore studies. This series retains the order that it was in at the time of acquisition.

Separated Material

A number of photographs and slides have been removed and are stored with the Indiana University Archives Photograph Collection. Photographs removed from individual folders are noted throughout the folder list and have been substituted with photocopies. Please contact Archives staff for access to the original photographs.

Related Material

Additional publications and research materials may be accessed in IUScholarworks.

Related photographs may be available in the Indiana University Archives Photograph Collection .

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Accessions: 2007/065, 2007/066, 2017/116, 2009/040, 2012/92, 2016/057, 2017/010, 2017/030
Usage Restrictions
The donor(s) of this collection have transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

Preferred Citation
[Item], Frank de Caro and Rosan A. Jordan papers, Collection C684, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
Transferred to the Indiana University Archives in parts by Frank de Caro and Rosan Jordan between 2009 and 2017.
Processing Information
Processed by Walker Byer.

Completed in 2017

Container List


Series: Biographical, 1930-1995

Box 1 Biographical (family), 1930-1999

(1 photograph removed)


Bee Mulvhill de Caro/Frank E. de Caro’s wedding, 1938

Rites of Passage (F de Caro, Mulvehill de Caro) Poem for Wedding of Frank & Bee by Francis, 1938-1997

Rosan Jordan biographical and family, 1939-1994

(2 photographs removed)


Correspondence and papers relating to the military service of Frank E. de Caro, 1942-1944

Rosan Augusta Jordan – misc. office decorative material, 1943-1985

Material relating to the death of Frank E. de Caro (father of Frank de Caro), 1944-1948

(6 photographs removed)


Relating to the Death of Frank E. de Caro (father of Frank de Caro), 1944-1948

Letters about Frank E. de Caro (posthumous), 1944-1948

School records, 1954-1960

Graduation autograph book, 1956

School diplomas, 1956-1960

High school publications,

1957-1958

1959-1960

College Publications, 1962-1964

Frank de Caro Biographical,

1963-1969

1988-1992

(1 photograph removed)


Notebooks, 1964-1969

Road map of India, 1967

Life History (Folklore F810) materials,

Completed life history, 1968

Transcripts, udnated

Rosan Jordan service award, 1993

St. Francis College alumni directory, 1995

Biographical information submitted to Louisiana center for the Book (LSL), 1999

Undergraduate notebooks, undated

Frank de Caro, family (mother’s ‘side’) genealogy undated

Series: Rosan A. Jordan files, 1958-2000

Subseries: Educational and Research files, 1958-1989

Box 2 Notes for Folklore Theory and Techniques Course, 1958-1963

Notes on European folklorists and organizations, 1959

Course Writings, F831 notes by Richard Dorson, 1961

Course materials on Epic, 1963

Notes on Folklore and other disciplines, 1964

Notes and exam review, American Folklore Course, 1965

Rosan Jordan Collectanea,

Jokes, S. American IU Students, 1965

Gestures from IU S. American Grad Students, 1965

Rosan August Jordan Dissertation Materials – Research on Mary Flores-Sepulveda and Family,

Printed material from community, notes, 1965-1966

Field Notes, 1965-1967

Interview with Lucia Gandarila (mary’s mother) and other notes, 1966

Mexican Americans, statistical information, Ft. Worth, TX, SW, USA, 1966

Photographs, 1966

Related News Clippings (Mexican Americans, Ft. Worth TX, etc.), 1966

Notes and transcriptions-Lupa (mary’s sister), girls in community, La Lorna, 1966-1967

Ramirez family transcriptions and notes, 1967

Mary’s Children, 1967

Notes on Flores Family, 1967

Transcripts, notes, and conversations,

with Mary F.S., 1967-1973

George Sepulveda (Mary’s husband), 1967

with Betty (Mary’s sister), 1967

with Janie (Mary’s sister), 1967-1968

Mexican Americans, clippings and publications, 1967-1970 

Margarita Flores Correspondence, 1968

Field Notebooks, 1972

Correspondence, 1972-1975

Documents’ relating to Mary, 1985-1989 

Syllabi, Course Outlines, related teaching material,

1966-1972

1970-1977

Folklore students’ (controversial) evaluation of faculty, 1968

Research notes, ‘Deck of Cards’, 1969

Notes and related materials, S406 (Spanish and Spanish-Am Folklore, Prof. Manuel Simmons, undated

Course notes, The Folktale, undated 

Subseries: Box 2 Teaching files, 1973-2000

Kalcik- “rap” groups, Ann’s gynecologist, 1973-1974

Native American, 1975-1999

Healing, magic ritual, 1976-2000

Women and Folklore (Green, Magnolias Grow in Dirt), 1977-1995

Jokes, 1978

Female sexuality/bodies (Malinowski), 1978

Maxine Hong Kingston, “The Woman Warrior”, 1981

Halloween, 1981-1982

Leslie Sillco, “Ceremony”, 1981-2000

Asimov’s ‘Jokester’, 1982

Language guides (Laadan), 1983

Festival, 1983-1997

The Color Purple, 1985

Days of the Dead/Halloween, 1985-1986

(5 photographs removed)


Days of the Dead newspapers, 1985-1986

Folklore and historic-geographic method, 1986-1990

Jokes, 1986-2000

Days of the Dead/All Saints/Halloween, 1987-1990

Box 3 Legend (Urban), 1987-1998

Gender Differences (Yocum, Baldwin, Mitchell), 1988

Folktales and Gender, 1988

Tannen – Different Worlds, 1988

Vaginal Serpent, 1989

Vampire bibliography, 1989

Hurston, Dorst, Wall, 1989-1992

Easter, 1988-1989

Robber Bridegroom, 1990

“The Rules”, 1990

Alice Walker’s ‘For Everyday Use’, 1990

Witches, monsters, healers, goddesses, 1990-1993

Ethnicity, 1990-1995

Days of the Dead, 1990-1996

(1 photograph removed)


Festival and Ritual, 1990-1998

Belize [Sastun], 1994-1996

Quilts, 1994-1999

Song of Solomon, 1995

Storytellers – Power, Susan Gordon; Kay Stone (Curious Girl), 1995

Cock and Mouse, 1996

Afro-American, 1997

Paper on food traditions, 1998

Paper Assignments, 1998 -2000

Final Examinations, 1998-2000 

Introduction to Folklore, including introductory material, 1999-2000

Other Teaching materials, 2000 

E.C. Parsons undated

Malinowski, magic, myth, undated undated

“So Far From God” undated

 Family historyundated

Bosom Serpent undated

Function (relevant to Wilson article) undated

Folklore class readings collection,

Folklore and Literature packet, 1987

Bound Packet #1,1988

Xerox 2, 1993

Series: Publications and Research, 1959-2014

Subseries: Box 3 Stories of our Lives, 1984-2013

Correspondence and permissions, 1984-2013

Stories of…, 2004-2012

Revisions (includes reader’s reports), 2012-2013

Public relations and reviews,2013

Drafts and notes, undated

Subseries: Box 3 Re-Situating Folklore, 1998-2005

Materials relating to Clarence John Laughlin, 1998

Text of Lucy Maycock’s ‘Gumbo Ya-Ya’ adaptation (resituating Folklore chp. 3), 1999

Papers related to Clarence John Laughlin- Chapter materials and a few notes relating to sections on Latinolz art, 2001

Materials relating to sense of place chapter (inc. LA), 2000-2001

Illustrations - contains photos, slides, and negatives, undated

Correspondence with publisher, 2001-2003

Other correspondence, 1998-2002

Correspondence, etc. relating to Mexican permissions, 2002

Reviews and related materials, 2004-2005

Permissions, correspondence, etc., 2002-2004 

Subseries: Box 3 Anthology of American Folktales and Legends, 2002-2010

Bibliographic, 2002

Correspondence,

With (illegible), 2005

Other correspondence, 2006-2008

Other permissions and correspondence, 2007

With publisher, M.E. Sharpe with permissions, 2007

Box 4 With publisher, M.E. Sharpe Inc.,2007-2008

With publisher, M.E. Sharpe Inc., with proofs, 2008

With publishers (not Sharpe),undated

Promotional material, 2008-2010

Original/revised table of contents, undated

Sources with permissions, undated

Notes, etc. on types and motifs, undated

Organizational notes, undated

Intros, undated

Handwritten texts etc., undated

Subseries: Box 4 Folklore Muse, 2005-2012

Correspondence, general, 2005-2006

Correspondence with contributors,

Bergen, Burrison, Cantu, Everret, Grobman, 2006-2007

Goska, 2006-2007

Hurtz, Hirsch, Horton, Jordan-Smith, Lawless, Lund, 2006-2007

Magoulick, McCarthy, Mulcahy, Narayan, Olson, 2006

Prosterman, Radner, Stewart, Thomas, Titon, Tucker, 2006-2007

Yocom, 2006-2008

Zeithlin, 2006-2008

Correspondence with potential contributors not included in final book, 2006-2008

Correspondence regarding Matt Clark story, 2006-2008

Joint emails (to contributors), 2007

Correspondence with Utah State U Press, 2007

Additional correspondence with contributors, 2008-2010

Original mss,2005-2006

(2 folders)


Original mss from contributors (including secondary versions?),2006

(2 folders)


Ask Staff "Not a happy camper," John Burrison, May 25, 2006

3.5 in. floppy disk, 1.44 MB, UAC2017060056

Electronic materials require additional processing before they can be accessed. Please contact the Archives staff for further information.


Biographical information, 2006-2008, 1 floppy disc removed2006-2008

Teacher’s guide, 2006-2008

Reader’s reports, 2007

Miscellaneous, 2007

Permissions, 2008

Page proofs (corrected by contributors), 2008

Copyediting, 2008

Addresses, 2008

Relating to sections, 2008

USU Press, 2008

Promotion/ Publicity, 2008

Revisions,

Zeitlir, Graham, others, 2008

Box 5 Yocom, Prosterman, Parayan, 2008

The Folklore Muse, 20122012

Introductory material read by Rosan, circa 2006-2008

Subseries: Box 5 Folklore Recycled, 2008-2014

H- Folk ‘recycles’, 2008-2012

Publicity and correspondence, 2012-2013

(4 photographs removed)


Publicity and reviews, 2014

Subseries: Box 5 Research, 1959-1996

American folktale lecture notes, 1959-2000, undated

Introduction, 1959-1973

Ethnic and Regional, 1983-2000

Quilting, 1985-1995

Festival and Ritual, 1992-1996

Games, proverbs and riddles, song, occupational lore, 1994-1995

Ballad and folksong (incl. country-western), 1996-1997

Colonial Period (incl. N.E. gravestones and other, later gravestones), undated

African-American, undated

Prose narrative (incl. myth and legend), undated

Function (incl. psychological), belief and related, undated

Folk groups, transmission, definition, function, undated

Research notes related to ‘Omie Wise’ and American murder ballads, undated

Material collected in India (illegible),undated 

Subseries: Box 5 General, 1967-1994

Folklore in Print,

Cemeteries, 1961-1991

Graffiti, 1962-1976

Material culture, 1964-1974

Country music, 1966-1973

Jokes and joke books, 1967-1975

Custom, 1968-1981

Folk speech, minor genres, 1968-1993

Folk medicine, belief, 1969

New Mexico Folk Culture, 1969

Sex education legends, 1969

Tale, legend, rumor, and related, 1971-1990

Folk music, 1971-1980

Folklore reading list and bibliographies,

1967-1969 

1972-1980

Women’s Folklore, Women’s Culture - Correspondence, 1976-1982  (2 folders)

Publication and exhibition of photographs, 1984-1986

Folklife in Louisiana Photography - Correspondence with publishers, 1988-1991

Correspondence and Reports as Reader for Publications, 1980-1987

Box 6 Southern Folklore, Correspondence, 1986-1991  (3 folders)

The Folktale Cat,

Permissions, 1992-1994

Correspondence, 1992-1994

Series: Box 6 Professional Activities, 1974-1998 

Correspondence relating to professional activities, 1974-1992

Information relating to professional activities, 1976-1977

Correspondence on Paredes festschrift, 1978-1980

Halloween P.R. stories, 1988

1990 Cultural Conservation Conference, American Folklife Center, LoC, 1990

AFS Annual Meeting (programs and abstracts), 1996-1998

AFS Annual Report, 1997 

Third Congress of the Americas Program, 1998

Printed Materials, Folklorists,

1972-1986

1974-1990

Folklorists, personal and other ephemera, incl. photographs, 1970-1971

Folklorists, papers by Barbara K-G U. of Texas students, 1971 

Series: Correspondence, 1949-2005

Subseries: Box 6 Family correspondence, 1949-1985

Beatrice Mulvehill de Caro correspondence, 1949-1991

(2 folders)

(4 photographs removed)


Frank de Caro Family correspondence, 1974-1979

(2 folders)


Regarding genealogy, 1981-1985

Subseries: Box 6 Selected professional correspondence, 1969-1979

Correspondence on Writings, 1957-1985  (2 folders)

A-H, 1972-1979

I-O, 1972-1979

O-Z, 1969-1979

Reuss, Richard to Rosan Jordan, 1966-1969

Subseries: Box 6 Selected letters, Frank de Caro and Rosan Augusta Jordan, 1976-1997

1966-1968

1968-1971

Box 7 1971-1975

1975-1979

1979-1986

1986-1993

1993-1997

Subseries: Box 7 Correspondence with folklorists, 1979-1997

A-G, 1979-1986

H-M, 1979-1986

M-Z, 1979-1986

A-F, 1986-1993

G-J, 1986-1993

K-M, 1986-1993

N-S, 1986-1993

T-Z, 1986-1993 

A-O, 1993-1997

P-Z, 1993-1997

MELUS, folklore historian,2003-2005

Series: Visual materials, circa 1910s-1974 and undated

Subseries: Box 8 Photographs, 1943-1974

Photos (de Caro and folklorists), some in envelopes with descriptions, 1973-1974

Frank de Caro personal photographs, 1943

Subseries: Box 9 Slides, undated

Box contains multiple slide collections labelled “Days of Dead”, “Folk Art”, and “Disney”


Subseries: Postcards, circa 1910s and undated

Box 10 British India postcards, undated

Folklore postcards, undated

Box 11 Folklore postcards, undated

Box 12 Advertising,

Folklore, undated

Dialects and Oddities, undated

Britain Scenery, circa 1910s and undated

Includes postcards circa 1910s addressed to Miss Frances de Caro


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