HELEN SPINK HENTON:
An Inventory of Her Papers
Access to or use of this collection is
currently restricted.
For Details, see the
Restriction Statement
| | |
|
|
| Creator: | Henton, Helen Spink,
1901-1986. |
| Title: | Helen Spink and Robert Beach Henton
papers. |
| Date: | [ca. 1880]-1986. |
| Abstract: | Personal papers, including biographical and
genealogical information, related to Helen Spink Henton and her husband, Robert
Beach Henton, both lawyers and long-term residents of Olivia,
Minnesota. |
| Quantity: | 10.5 cu. ft. (10 boxes and 1 unboxed
folder). |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for box
locations. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Helen Spink Henton
Helen Brenner Spink was born July 12, 1901 in Slayton, Minnesota, the
eldest of two children born to John Henry Spink (1874-1947) and Lillian E.
(Brenner) Spink (1877-1968). John Henry Spink was a merchant and the family
moved to small towns in Minnesota and Iowa until he owned his own general store
in Spring Valley, Minnesota in 1915.
Helen Spink graduated from the high school in Spring Valley in 1919
and then entered Hamline University in St. Paul. After two years at Hamline,
she transferred to the University of Minnesota and graduated from the law
school in 1925. She passed the state bar exam in September 1925 and began a
nominal partnership with John A. Dalzell in Franklin, Minnesota. She continued
this practice for almost two years before moving to St. Paul to head the Legal
Aid Society. She claimed that in 1927 she was the only woman in St. Paul
actively employed in law practice.
She married Robert Beach Henton, a fellow law student, in a private
ceremony on September 30, 1929. A public ceremony was held on June 25, 1930 in
Morton, Minnesota. At the time of her public marriage Helen Spink Henton gave
up her law career and moved to Olivia, Renville's county seat, where Robert
Beach Henton was officiating as probate judge. During her marriage Henton was
active in the League of Women Voters and in the women's guild of the Episcopal
Church.
Following the death of Robert Beach Henton in 1961, Helen Spink Henton
took an active role in managing her estate and finances with particular regard
for the farm and apartment properties in which her husband had invested. At
this time she also expanded her interest in the creative arts. In 1963 she
became a charter member of the Renville County Art Center and began to study
oil painting. She was a member of the Minnesota Rural Artists Association and
placed in many local and statewide shows.
In the 1970s as she began planning bequests from her estate, Henton
involved herself with fund raising for the University of Minnesota and the
Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota. She was also a member of the Minnesota
Historical Society's State Council. Helen Spink Henton died April 13, 1986 in
Olivia at the age of 85.
Biographical information was taken from the collection.
Robert Beach Henton
Robert Beach Henton was born August 14, 1899 in Morton, Minnesota, the
only child of Robert Bennit Henton (1869-1947) and Maude Beach Henton
(1870-1938). The Henton family was an early and influential Minnesota pioneer
family. Robert Beach Henton's grandfather, Robert Bennit Henton (1834-1989),
originally resided in Brown County but moved to Morton in Renville County
sometime after the Civil War to serve as a Dakota Indian Agent.
Robert Beach Henton graduated from the Morton high school in 1917.
Following two years at the University of Minnesota and World War I military
service, Henton managed the bank in Franklin, which his father had helped
found, then returned to the University of Minnesota and graduated with the law
school's class of 1925 where he met Helen Spink. After graduation, he returned
to Morton to practice law with John A. Dalzell. Henton campaigned for the
office of Renville County probate judge in 1928, a seat he subsequently held
until he retired in 1948.
Robert Beach Henton died August 16, 1961, two days after his 62nd
birthday from lung complications following heart surgery at St. Mary's Hospital
in Rochester, Minnesota.
Biographical information was taken from the collection.
Return to the Table of Contents
The collection contains personal papers of Helen Spink Henton and her
husband, Robert Beach Henton, both of whom were lawyers and long-term residents
of Olivia in Renville County, Minnesota. The majority of the papers are those
kept by Helen Spink Henton. These include her correspondence, diaries,
reminiscences, and travel materials which characterize her childhood in
Manchester, Iowa, her college years in the Twin Cities, and her adult life in
Olivia. A small portion of the papers regard her brief career as a lawyer
during the latter portion of the 1920s.
Papers specifically kept by Robert Beach Henton include subject files
concerning the Renville County Birch Cooley Memorial Association and the Birch
Coulee battlegrounds, a ledger from Henton's early law practice, World War II
memorabilia, and a beekeeping record book.
Photographs and genealogical information pertaining to both the Spink
and Henton families are also included.
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
|
| An interview with Helen Spink Henton, recorded on Nov. 21 and Dec.
1-2, 1978, is available in the Minnesota Historical Society oral history
collections. |
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
|
| This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings. |
| Topics: |
| | Alfalfa--Therapeutic use. |
| | Autobiographies--Iowa--Manchester. |
| | Birch Coulee, Battle of, 1862. |
| | Book collecting. |
| | Dakota Indians--Wars, 1862-1865. |
| | Housekeeping--Minnesota--Olivia. |
| | Rural children--Iowa--Manchester--Social life and
customs. |
| | Students--Social life and customs. |
| | Tuberculosis--Patients. |
| | Voyages and travels. |
| | Women benefactors--Minnesota. |
| | World War, 1939-1945--Minnesota--Olivia. |
| Places: |
| | Birch Coulee State Park (Minn.). |
| | Manchester (Iowa)--Biography. |
| | Olivia (Minn.)--Social life and customs. |
| Persons: |
| | Boyd, Robert Knowles, 1845-1932. |
| | Brenner family. |
| | Egan, J. J. (James Joseph), 1842-1911. |
| | Henton family. |
| | Henton, Robert Beach, 1899-1961. |
| | Meier, Peg, 1946- |
| | Parker, Ben S. |
| | Spink family. |
| Organizations: |
| | Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota. |
| | Northern Drying Company. |
| | Renville County Birch Cooley Memorial Association
(Minn.). |
| | University of Minnesota. Law School. |
| Types of Documentation: |
| | Diaries. |
| | Photographs. |
| | Reminiscences. |
| Occupations: |
| | Women law students--Minnesota. |
| | Women lawyers--Minnesota. |
| Titles: |
| | Battle of Birch Coulee. |
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
|
| Restrictions: |
| | Until 2036, access to the Jones file will not be permitted. Consult
the reference staff for more information. |
| Preferred Citation: |
| | [Indicate the cited item and/or series
here]. Helen Spink and Robert Beach Henton Papers. Minnesota Historical
Society. |
| | See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples. |
| Accession Information: |
| | Accession number: 13,803 |
| Processing Information: |
| | Processed by: Bonnie Palmquist, June 1987 and Monica Manny Ralston,
June 1998 |
| | PALS ID number: 09-00320379 |
Return to the Table of Contents
Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the
location and box numbers shown below.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Biographical Information, undated and
1882-1980
|
| Includes information pertaining to the genealogy of the Spink and
Henton families, as well as materials pertaining specifically to Helen Spink
Henton, Robert Beach Henton, and Robert Beach Henton's mother. The Henton
family were early, influential settlers in Minnesota and this series also
includes appointment certificates pertaining to Robert Beach Henton's father
and grandfather. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.9B | 1 |
Genealogical and Biographical Information, 1909-1984.
2 folders
|
| | | Includes genealogical information on the families of Henry and
Esther (Spicer) Thomas, Andrew Michael and Amelia (Koethe) Brenner, Henry
Herman and Katherine M. (Kruempel) Klaus, and Robert Bennit and Margaret
(Thomas) Henton, as well as information about these families compiled by Helen
Spink Henton. Also includes some information specifically about Helen Spink
Henton and Robert Beach Henton. |
| |
Henton, Helen Spink (1901-1986):
|
| | |
School Papers and Records, undated and 1913-1925.
1 folder and 1 volume.
|
| | | | Includes elementary and secondary school report cards, a high
school graduation announcement and commencement program, an appointment book
kept while Henton was a freshman at Hamline University, her petition for
admission to the University of Minnesota Law School, and other miscellaneous
materials including a congratulatory booklet with photographs of Sanford Hall
at the University of Minnesota, its staff, and graduating women residents of
1925. Compositions Henton wrote while in college are included with the series
of Writings and Reminiscences. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.D.7.6F | 10 | |
Marriage Certificate, September 30, 1929.
|
| | |
Diploma: Bachelor of Laws, University of Minnesota Law
School, 1925.
|
| | |
Certificate: Admittance to Minnesota Supreme Court,
1925.
|
| | |
Certificate: Notary Public, 1927.
|
| | |
Certificate: Admittance to U.S. District Court,
1929.
|
| |
Henton, Robert Bennit (1834-1898):
|
| | |
Certificate: Reappointment as Special Agent,
Medawakanton Band of Sioux Indians in Minnesota, 1895.
|
| |
Henton, Robert Bennit (1869-1947):
|
| | |
Certificate: Appointment as Postmaster, Morton,
Minnesota, 1912.
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.9B | 1 |
Henton, Maud Beach (ne_ Cora Maude Beach,
1870-1938):
|
| | |
Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers,
1882-1910.
|
| | | | Papers pertaining to Robert Beach Henton's mother. Included
are a reference letter attesting to Maud Beach's employment as a cashier and
bookkeeper, courtship letters from Robert Bennit Henton (1869-1947), and
congratulatory correspondence following the birth of Robert Beach Henton. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.D.7.6F | 10 |
Henton, Robert Beach (1899-1961):
|
| | |
Diploma: Bachelor of Laws, University of Minnesota Law
School, 1925.
|
| | |
Campaign Poster: Robert Beach Henton for Judge of
Renville County Probate Court, 1928.
|
| | |
Certificate: Admittance to U.S. District Court,
1932.
|
| | |
Certificates of Election: Judge of Probate Court,
Renville County, 1936, 1944.
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Correspondence, 1907-1986
|
| Arranged chronologically, the correspondence is primarily that of
Helen Spink Henton although items addressed to Robert Beach Henton are also
included. Both original incoming letters and carbon copies of Helen Spink
Henton's outgoing letters are extensive. Portions of the correspondence are
grouped as a chronological series. Other portions are arranged according to
correspondent. A set of postcards includes items addressed to Helen Spink
Henton's mother and younger brother. |
| Helen Spink Henton's outgoing correspondence was typically
lengthy, newsy, and quite candid covering a wide range of topics often
accompanied by humorous anecdotes and quips. She expressed her observations and
opinions not only about the activities in which she was involved, such as her
church guild or the League of Women Voters, but also about the Hentons'
business matters, about the places she visited and the people she encountered,
about family, friends, neighbors, and the events in their lives and in Olivia,
and about national and state politics. |
| Early correspondence is from her years at Hamline University in
St. Paul (1919-1921) and at the University of Minnesota (1921-1923). This early
correspondence includes letters exchanged between Helen Spink and Robert Beach
Henton both before and after they were married. |
| Letters beginning in 1945 from Helen Spink Henton's sister-in-law
Marian Spink concern her experiences in an Oklahoma City tuberculosis
sanatorium. Letters from her nephew John Spink (Jack) in the 1950s concern his
experiences in a sanatorium in Clinton, Oklahoma and at the state sanatorium in
Arkansas. |
| Other correspondence from the 1950s regards the Hentons' interest
in producing, researching, marketing, and distributing an alfalfa product
called GreenLeaf for therapeutic use by persons with arthritis and rheumatism.
Additional correspondence and information regarding GreenLeaf, as well as the
Northern Drying Company, a dehydration plant started by Robert Beach Henton,
may be found in Helen Spink Henton's diaries. |
| Correspondence immediately following Robert Beach Henton's death
in 1961 concerns Helen Spink Henton's settlement of her husband's estate and
the management of their farm and apartment properties. Later correspondence
covers Henton's extensive travels, the writing of her reminiscences, her
painting studies, art shows sponsored by the Minnesota Rural Artists
Association, and her experiences with the University of Minnesota, the
Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the
Minnesota Historical Society in planning bequests from her estate. |
| Regular correspondents include both Henton and Spink family
members, Ben S. Parker of the Commercial Appeal in
Memphis, Tennessee, and Peg Meier of the Minneapolis
Tribune. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.9B | 1 |
Postcards, [ca. 1907]-1914.
|
| | | Picture and seasonal postcards addressed to Helen Spink, her
brother Russell, and her mother by her father and other relatives. Seasonal
postcards include Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Valentine's greetings.
Predominantly pictured on the postcards are views of Chicago and Platteville,
Wisconsin (boyhood home of John Henry Spink). Views of Chicago include street
scenes, buildings, and a view of the Eastland on
the Chicago River. |
| |
Chronological:
|
| | |
1915-1938, 1940-1949.
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.10F | 2 | |
1950-1962.
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.11B | 3 | |
1963-1974.
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.12F | 4 | |
1975-1981.
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.13B | 5 | |
1981-1986.
|
| |
De Forest Book Shops (New Orleans, La.),
1941-1948.
|
| | | Concerning the purchase of maps, fashion prints, wildlife and
botanical prints, and other bibliophilistic items for the Hentons' personal
collections. |
| |
Southern Book Mart (New Orleans, La.), 1952-1976.
3 folders
|
| | | Primarily concerning the sale of the Hentons' collection of
maps, prints, and fore-edge paintings after the death of Robert Beach
Henton. |
| |
"Pogo" Sketches and Correspondence:
|
| | |
Correspondence, 1954.
|
| | | | Correspondence from Ben S. Parker, amusements editor of
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee) with
caricatures (photocopies) from Walt Kelly's Pogo
comic strip. |
| Location | Box |
| Res. 56 | | |
Sketches, [ca. 1953].
|
| | | | Contains two original cartoon caricatures drawn in pencil on
newsprint signed "Best Wishes from Pogo & Walt Kelly" and "Best Wishes from
Albert & Walt Kelly." These caricatures were enclosed in a July 17, 1954
letter from Ben Parker at The Commercial Appeal in
Memphis, Tennessee. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.13B | 5 |
Kerns, Chloe Jane, 1954, 1972-1984.
|
| | | Correspondence and poems written by the daughter of a family
friend. |
| |
The Handicraft Mission, St. John's Episcopal Guild,
1954-1956. 1 folder and 1 bundle.
|
| | | Regarding sales of the guild's copper handicraft items, a
project developed by Helen Spink Henton and discussed further in her
correspondence and diaries. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.13B | 5 |
The Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, 1965-1966,
1977-1985. 3 folders
|
| | | Correspondence between Helen Spink Henton, Bishop Philip F.
McNairy, Bishop Robert M. Anderson, and Reverend David C. Parachini (Executive
Director of the Minnesota Episcopal Foundation) regarding fund raising,
Henton's gifts to the Diocese, and other denominational matters. |
| |
The Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota: Women in the Church,
1974.
|
| | | Regarding the ordination of women as priests. |
| |
University of Minnesota, 1967-1970, 1976-1985.
3 folders
|
| | | Correspondence between Helen Spink Henton, the University's
Foundation, the College of Agriculture, and the College of Biological Sciences
regarding Robert Beach Henton's estate, the establishment of a scholarship
fund, and Helen Spink Henton's participation in a conference where she spoke
about her experiences with the University in estate planning. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.14F | 6 |
University of Minnesota Law School, 1967,
1978-1986.
|
| | | Regarding Helen Spink Henton's gift of legal documents, books,
and objects used in the law practice of Robert Beach Henton to the school's
library. Also includes correspondence with Robert Stein, Dean of the School,
concerning his work on a history of the law school and Helen Spink Henton's
experiences in the school and the legal profession. |
| |
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1968-1969.
|
| | | Correspondence between the Institute's curator and Helen Spink
Henton regarding her gift of furniture believed to have been used by Empress
Eug_nie while in exile at Farnsworth Castle. |
| |
Minnesota Historical Society, 1975-1986. 2 folders
|
| | | Regarding Helen Spink Henton's membership on the Society's
Council and her gifts to the Society. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.14F | 6 |
Minneapolis Tribune article, 1974-1975,
1978.
|
| | | Correspondence in response to an Oct. 13, 1974 article by Peg
Meier on senior citizens, which featured Helen Spink Henton. Also includes a
copy of a 1978 article also written by Peg Meier on the subject of aging and
which mentions Henton. |
| |
Hickox, G. H. (Harold) and Doris, 1981-1986.
|
| | | Correspondence generated by Helen Spink Henton's reminiscences
about Manchester, Iowa. Harold Hickox, two years younger than Henton, was a
next-door neighbor when the Spink family lived in Manchester. The
correspondence is primarily concerned with the reminiscences but also covers
personal matters and interests. Additional, earlier correspondence between
Henton and Hickox is filed with the Letters About Manchester in the series of
Writings and Reminiscences. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Subject Files, 1921-[1967]
|
| The subject files include materials on specific topics kept by
both Helen Spink Henton and Robert Beach Henton. Included are items from their
respective law practices, papers from Robert Beach Henton's participation in an
association to memorialize the Birch Coulee battlegrounds of the 1862 Dakota
Indian war, a record book containing brief entries regarding the Hentons'
apiary, ephemeral items from the World War II era, landscape and planting plans
for the Henton residence in Olivia, a campaign poster for John A. Dalzell's
senatorial campaign, and papers compiled by Helen Spink Henton related to her
husband's estate. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.14F | 6 |
Attorney's Papers:
|
| | |
Ledgers, 1925-1926. 2 volumes.
|
| | | | Includes two ledgers, one kept by Helen Spink Henton and one
kept by Robert Beach Henton at the start of their respective law practices.
Though not particularly detailed, entries list office expenses as well as
actions, receipts, and expenditures pertaining to individual clients or
cases. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.14F | 6 | |
Letterhead samples, undated and
[1925-1927].
|
| | | | Includes samples of the letterhead used by Helen Spink while
in practice at Franklin, Minnesota (1925-1927), as well as an envelope
attesting to her partnership with John A. Dalzell. Also includes a sample of an
envelope from Robert Beach Henton's practice in Morton. |
| |
Renville County Birch Cooley Memorial
Association:
|
| | |
Correspondence and related papers, 1923, 1926-1927,
1930, 1957.
|
| | | | Concerning the staging of celebratory plans for the 64th
anniversary of the battle as well as information concerning legislative efforts
in 1927 to turn the battle site into a state memorial park and later efforts to
establish a national cemetery at the battle site. Included are a 1922 survey
prepared by the commissioner of highways and correspondence with Robert K. Boyd
regarding the grading and seeding of the grounds. Robert Beach Henton was chair
of the committee that organized a Memorial Day pageant in 1926 and was also
secretary of the Association. |
| | |
Minute book, 1926.
|
| | | | Also includes a brief history of the Association. |
| | |
Narratives, photographs, and pageant programs, 1921,
1926-1927.
|
| | | | Includes the manuscript Battle of Birch
Coulee: Some Sidelights on Written History by Robert K. Boyd, written in
February 1926, and an account of the battle written by J. J. Egan and published
by the Memorial Association in February 1927. Also includes programs from
memorial pageants of 1921 and 1926. |
| |
Beekeeping record book, 1930-1932.
|
| | | Kept by Robert Beach Henton. Includes a letter of explanation
written by Helen Spink Henton on March 25, 1984 detailing the nature of the
Hentons' honey production. |
| |
World War II memorabilia, 1942-1946.
|
| | | Includes Robert Beach Henton's Selective Service registration
certificate and classification notices, U.S. and Canadian gasoline ration
stamps, and certificates noting Helen Spink Henton's blood donations and her
participation in the War Emergency Board's fur vest project. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.D.7.6F | 10 |
Plans for Robert B. Henton Home, Kelley and Kelley
Landscape Architects, 1935.
|
| |
Plat Map: Lots A, B, C, and D of Henton's Rearrangement,
Village of Olivia, 1935.
|
| |
Campaign poster: John A. Dalzell for State Senator,
undated.
|
| |
Jones file, [ca. 1960-1967].
|
| | | Access to this file is restricted until the
year 2036. |
| | | This file pertains to the settlement of Robert Beach Henton's
estate, his interest in the Northern Drying Company, and claims against his
estate by W. K. Jones (Ken), manager of the dehydration plant. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Writings and Reminiscences, 1919-1983
|
| The writings and reminiscences include college essays, short
stories, a one-scene dramatic piece, a law school reminiscence, and manuscripts
for two book projects, all written by Helen Spink Henton. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.3.14F | 6 |
Essays from college, undated and 1919-1923.
|
| |
Short stories and anecdotes, undated and
1957.
|
| |
Apple-sauce (dramatic), [ca. 1930].
|
| |
The Border Country:
|
| | | Probably written during the 1940s and 1950s, these files contain
the drafts and notes that Helen Spink Henton intended to compile as a book
about her impressions of Minnesota and Canada's boundary wilderness and the
Lake Superior shoreline. |
| | |
Notes.
|
| | |
Miscellany. 2 folders
|
| | |
Cabin Cooking.
|
| | |
Canoe and Camp Cookery.
|
| | |
Lumberjack Cooking and Life.
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.4.1B | 7 |
1910:
|
| | | 1910 was a proposed autobiographical book about life in
Manchester, Iowa, in 1910 when Helen Spink was nine years old and when Halley's
Comet made its first twentieth century appearance. The files contain
handwritten and typed chapter drafts, notes, correspondence, and newspaper and
magazine clippings. Originally intended as a book for her goddaughter (Cynthia
Gray of Olivia), the book consists of a foreword and 30 numbered chapters. The
drafts appear to have been written in the 1970s and 1980s, |
| | | and although some of the typescripts are noted as final drafts,
no complete, final manuscript of the book is evident. |
| | | Additional, unnumbered sections, which were omitted from
Henton's proposed table of contents but which contain drafts, research notes,
clippings, and correspondence, are also included. These sections cover the
topics of advertisements, butter, cards, church, clothes and clothing, earning
money, family stories, food, Halloween, the outhouse, honey, sorghum, bees,
popcorn, horse drawn vehicles, porches, postcards, rhubarb, soup, and
superstitions. |
| | | Also included are excerpts published in The Minneapolis Tribune (1978-1980), as well as
correspondence between Henton, the newspaper's editors, and readers pertaining
to the newspaper publications. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.4.1B | 7 | |
Letters About Manchester, 1979-1981.
|
| | |
Table of Contents.
|
| | |
Foreword.
|
| | |
1. Introduction.
|
| | |
2. Halley's Comet.
|
| | |
3. Family and Friends.
|
| | |
4. Manchester.
|
| | |
5. Houses.
|
| | |
6. Housekeeping.
|
| | |
7. Church and Revival.
|
| | |
8. Rockford.
|
| | |
9. Spring.
|
| | |
10. Summer.
|
| | |
11. Fall.
|
| | |
12. Winter.
|
| | |
13. Supper.
|
| | |
14. School
|
| | |
15. Special Days.
|
| | |
16. July 4th and Decoration Day.
|
| | |
17. Music Store and the Arts.
|
| | |
18. Chautauqua and the Circus.
|
| | |
19. Ice Cream.
|
| | |
20. Christmas.
|
| | |
21. Candy.
|
| | |
22. Library.
|
| | |
23. Sex.
|
| | |
24. Automobiles.
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.4.1B | 7 | |
25. Doctors and Health.
|
| | |
26. Animals.
|
| | |
27. Gardens, etc.
|
| | |
28. Cooking.
|
| | |
29. Games.
|
| | |
30. Putting By for Winter.
|
| | |
Unnumbered Sections.
|
| | |
Church Other Than Sunday.
|
| | |
Miscellany.
|
| | |
Tribune
Excerpts:
|
| | | |
Correspondence, 1977-1981.
|
| | | |
Virginia, 1978.
|
| | | |
Band Concert, 1979
|
| | | |
July 4th, 1979.
|
| | | |
Baked Bean Supper, 1980.
|
| | | |
Circus, 1980.
|
| |
University of Minnesota Law School, [1975].
|
| | | Given as a speech at the 50th reunion of the class of 1925, the
reminiscence details Helen Spink Henton's experiences as the only female
student in the Law School. The speech also recalls her beginning practice in
Franklin, Minnesota, and her work heading legal aid services for United
Charities of St. Paul. Brief anecdotes regarding Everett Fraser and others of
the Law School's faculty are included. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Diaries, 1919-1962 (scattered)
|
| Helen Spink Henton kept a diary on a fairly regular basis for most
of her life. Included in the collection are two volumes covering the first
three years of her college education, one volume dating from her law practice,
and 20 volumes which chronicle the last twenty years of her married life. Glued
or loose within the diaries are photographs, postcards, letters, newspaper and
magazine clippings, party favors, ticket stubs, concert and recital programs,
and other ephemera which are typically referenced within her entries. |
| The two diaries from Henton's college years were not kept on any
regular basis, indeed many entries were written as recollections of an entire
season. The entries begin with her final few months of high school in Spring
Valley and end just before she transfers to the University of Minnesota. These
entries are fairly detailed and describe her commencement, working in her
father's store, various family gatherings, and her summer vacation which
included a tour of a lead and zinc mine in Iowa. Entries from college begin
with her experiences of moving into a girls' rooming house at Hamline
University and characterize her adjustment to a roommate, new friends, classes
and exams, sorority rushing activities, rooming house parties, and a clerk's
job at Bannon's department store in St. Paul. |
| The one volume dating from her years as a lawyer begins in
September of 1925 when she opened an office in Franklin under the name of
Dalzell and Spink. Her partner, John A. Dalzell, also partnered with Robert
Beach Henton in opening an office in Morton at the same time. Entries in this
diary are very brief and simply provide a record of her case work and court
hearings, of meetings with Dalzell and Robert Beach Henton who appear to have
consulted on many of her cases, and of a few personal details such as hunting
trips and other outings with Robert Beach Henton. Attorney's ledgers kept by
both Helen Spink and Robert Beach Henton from this same period are filed with
the Subject Files. |
| Diaries dating 1940-1962 cover the last twenty years of Henton's
married life as well as her first year as a widow. Like her correspondence,
some of these entries are quite lengthy and candid. Many contain comments about
neighbors and acquaintances, particularly about the Gray and Lauerman families,
or remarks on the social and business life of Olivia. Many also contain brief
observations regarding election politics, war news, and other issues or events
current to the time such as her remarks after first viewing television in 1951.
Lengthiest entries are those describing annual trips that she and Robert Beach
Henton took through the southern and western United States in the winter and
summer trips to Crane Lake in northern Minnesota and Lac Croix and Loon Lake
just across the Canadian border. Other entries are more a record of
housekeeping activities or brief entries noting the progress of a sewing,
craft, or decorating project. |
| All together, the diaries provide great detail about the Hentons'
lives and activities. They describe Helen Spink Henton's participation in bond
drives and volunteering at the local ration board during the war years, the
projects and activities of her church guild, her activities with the League of
Women Voters, her problems with the couple's aging parents, events in the lives
of her brother's family, her shopping excursions in the Twin Cities, and Robert
Beach Henton's business prospects, particularly developments with his Northern
Drying Company and GreenLeaf, a therapeutic alfalfa product. The diaries
conclude shortly after the death of Robert Beach Henton in August of 1961 and
describe how Helen Spink Henton managed his estate and came to terms with her
widowhood. |
| Additional diaries specifically documenting Henton's travels after
her husband's death are filed with the series of Travel Materials. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.4.2F | 8 |
Diaries, 1919-1922, 1925, 1940-1956, 1958-1959,
1961-1962. 23 volumes.
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Travel Material, 1965-1982
|
| Includes trip itineraries, correspondence with tour sponsors,
diaries, and personal correspondence detailing Helen Spink Henton's travel
experiences. Trips to the Orient in 1965 and to South America in 1971 were
taken in connection with Henton's interest in farm management. Trips to
Jamaica, Spain, and Portugal in 1968 and 1969 were to study painting under John
Pike. Other travels were primarily excursionary in nature. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.4.3B | 9 |
Orient (Minnesota Agricultural Leaders Goodwill
People-to-People Mission), 1965.
|
| |
Europe, 1967.
|
| |
Jamaica (Painting Holidays), 1968.
|
| |
Spain and Portugal (Painting Holidays),
1969.
|
| |
Jamaica, Spain, and Portugal: Travel diary,
1968-1969.
|
| |
Spain and Portugal: Sketchbook, 1969. 1
volume.
|
| |
South America (Minnesota Agricultural Leaders Goodwill
People-to-People Mission), 1971.
|
| |
Spain, Portugal, and Greece (Ripon College-Lawrence
University Alumni Cruise), 1972.
|
| |
New York (University of Minnesota University Gallery and
Friends of the Art Library), 1973.
|
| |
Canary Islands (Wisconsin Hospital Association),
1975.
|
| |
London and Moscow (Minnesota Historical Society),
1976.
|
| |
China (Minnesota Historical Society), 1982.
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Photographs, [ca. 1880]-1974
|
| Primarily black and white photoprints, the photographs include
portraits of Helen Spink Henton, of Robert Beach Henton from infancy through
adulthood, of Maud Beach Henton, and of Robert Bennit Henton (1834-1898). Also
included are group and individual portraits of the Andrew M. Brenner family,
portraits of Spink family members, a group portrait of the women residents of
either Goheen Hall at Hamline University (1920-1921) or of Sanford Hall at the
University of Minnesota (1921-1925), and a group portrait of the University of
Minnesota law school's graduating class of 1925. |
| The series also contains photographs, including an architectural
rendering, of the Henton residence at 802 East Walnut in Olivia, interiors and
exteriors of the Brenner and Spink family stores in Alta Vista, Iowa, and in
Slayton and Spring Valley, Minnesota, and two interiors of a bank, possibly the
Citizens State Bank at Franklin which Robert Bennit Henton (1869-1947) helped
found. |
| Two photo albums containing unidentified black and white snapshots
kept by Robert Beach Henton are also included. These albums include pictures of
relatives and friends; fishing trips; Henton's uncle, J. Little, and the Little
farm in Livingston County, Michigan; World War I servicemen in field training
exercises; a Minneapolis parade; and the stone arch bridge and Minneapolis
skyline from the Mississippi River. The albums also include postcard views of
Green Lake near Spicer in Kandiyohi County and a car ferry crossing the
Minnesota River at Morton, Minnesota. |
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.4.3B | 9 |
Henton, Helen Spink, [ca. 1910]-1974.
|
| |
Henton, Robert Beach, [1900-1959].
|
| |
Henton, Maude Beach and Robert Beach, [ca.
1880-1905].
|
| |
Henton, Robert Bennit (1834-1898), [ca.
1880-1890].
|
| Location | Box |
| 152.K.4.3B | 9 |
Brenner Family, [ca. 1890]-1915.
|
| |
Spink Family, [ca. 1870]-1971.
|
| |
Henton Residence, [ca. 1935-1940].
|
| |
Spink and Brenner Stores, [1900-1920].
|
| |
[Citizens State Bank, Franklin, Minnesota,
1920?].
|
| |
[Women Residents, 1920-1925?].
|
| |
Class of 1925, University of Minnesota, College of Law,
1925.
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.D.7.6F | 10 |
Photo Albums, [ca. 1920-1930]. 2 volumes.
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
|
