Manuscripts Collection
James Taylor Dunn was born in St. Paul in 1912, the third and youngest son of Alice Monfort and John Warner Grigg Dunn. He attended Saint Paul Academy from 1921 to 1930 and graduated from the Milford School (Milford, Conn.) in 1932. He pursued his college education at Hamilton College (Clinton, N.Y., 1932-1936).
In 1936, Dunn and his two brothers started
After the demise of
Dunn's library career was temporarily interrupted by World War II. In 1942, Dunn was inducted into the U.S. Army and served as second and first lieutenant with an antiaircraft battalion in the United States. He went overseas in February 1944 and saw action in England, France, and Germany before returning to the United States in December 1945.
During his military service in Europe, Dunn met Marie-Catherine Bach, a native of Luxembourg. The couple were married in 1946 and settled in Cooperstown, where Dunn resumed his work as head librarian of Olean Public Library and later moved on to the New York State Historical Association. Dunn moved back to Minnesota in 1955, when he became chief librarian at the Minnesota Historical Society, where he worked until his retirement in 1972.
Throughout his life Dunn sustained a deep love for the St. Croix River Valley,
inspired, perhaps, by the many happy days spent at the family summer home in
Marine on St. Croix (donated to the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1999) during
his youth. Like his father, he became dedicated to the protection and
preservation of the St. Croix River area, and he served on a number of
committees devoted to that purpose. In 1965 he published
Dunn was an avid genealogist and conducted thorough research on his family
history. He took a particular interest in his great aunt, Elizabeth Taylor, an
artist and writer who traveled extensively, living for ten years in the remote
Faroe Islands. Dunn collected and edited her writings, which he compiled in a
volume he titled "Elizabeth and the Far Islands: Ten Years on the Faroes." After
a 17-year search for a publisher, the book, now titled
John Grigg, born in Cornwall, England, joined the Benjamin Johnson Book Sellers firm in 1816, eight years after its founding by Johnson and Benjamin Warner. When Warner died in 1823, Grigg expanded the firm to include publication of medical texts and it became one of the largest publishing firms in Philadelphia. In 1850 Grigg sold the firm to J. B. Lippincott.
Nathaniel Pitt Langford was born in New York state (1832) and came to St. Paul in 1854, entering the banking field. He lived in Montana (1864-1868), and was on the expedition that discovered the Yellowstone Park area (1870). Langford authored two books on the Yellowstone and died in St. Paul in 1911.
Chloe Sweeting Langford was born in New York state (1794); married George Langford (1814), another member of the Langford family; and died in St. Paul (1888). Their daughter Chloe (b. 1821) married James Wickes Taylor.
James Wickes Taylor was born in New York state (1918); graduated from Hamilton College (Clinton, N.Y.); and was a lawyer by profession. He came to St. Paul in 1856 and was appointed U.S. Consul at Winnipeg, Canada (1870), remaining in that position until his death in 1893.
Elizabeth Taylor, daughter of James Wickes Taylor, was born in 1853. She never
married, but traveled extensively in Canada and Europe. In the 1880s and the
1890s she made two journeys on the Nipigon and MacKenzie rivers in Canada and
visited a number of European countries, residing for a while in England. She
also visited Iceland and lived for more than ten years on the Faroe Islands,
where she was interned during World War I, finally returning to the U.S. in the
1920s. From that time until her death in 1932, Taylor lived at "Wake Robin," a
cabin she had built near Rochester, Vermont. She was an artist and writer, and a
number of her descriptive writings were published in outdoor and nature
magazines as well as in
Charles Junius Monfort was born in 1841 in New York state and came to Minnesota in the early 1860s. After serving as clerk to the paymaster, Department of Dakota, during the Civil War, he operated a grocery business (1867 to the 1880s) and later became the proprietor of the Windsor Hotel in St. Paul. He married Alice Taylor (daughter of James Wickes Taylor and sister of Elizabeth Taylor) in 1871.
Alice Monfort, daughter of Charles and Alice Monfort, was born in St. Paul in 1872. She married John Warner Grigg Dunn in 1902 and the couple had three sons. Alice Monfort died in 1954.
John Warner Grigg Dunn was born in Pennsylvania (1869) and came to Minnesota in the early 1890s. He was a sportsman and authored numerous articles on outdoor life. He was also interested in horticulture and maintained extensive gardens in his homes in St. Paul and Marine on St. Croix. His interest in the St. Croix River Valley prompted him to build a home in Marine. "Pine Needles" became the family summer home and was maintained by family members until 1998, when the property was donated to the Science Museum of Minnesota. Dunn married Alice Monfort in 1902 and had three sons: John Warner Grigg, Jr., Montfort (baptized Monfort), and James Taylor. Dunn died in St. Paul in 1941.
John Warner Grigg Dunn, Jr. ("Jack") was born in St. Paul (1903). He graduated
from Stanford University (1929), where he studied journalism, and for three
years served in the Merchant Marines. From 1931 to 1933 he traveled extensively
in Europe, visiting almost every country. In 1937 he and his two brothers
started at travel magazine,
Montfort Dunn was born in St. Paul in 1907 and graduated from Yale University in
1930. After studying art in Paris under Amédée-Julien Ozenfant and Louis
Marcoussi during the early 1930s, he returned to St. Paul to become art director
of
An extensive collection of family papers consisting of correspondence, genealogical data and family histories, diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and related materials documenting the activities of James Taylor Dunn, his family, and collateral families, including the Langford, Sweeting, Grigg, Taylor, Monfort, and Dunn families. The papers detail the activities of nineteenth and twentieth century upper middle class families, well educated and traveled, and aware of their various family origins. Correspondence and diaries contain detailed information on family life, their many travels in the United States and abroad, and the lives and careers of earlier generations in Philadelphia and New York state.
Of particular interest are the papers of Elizabeth Taylor, daughter of U.S. Consul (Winnipeg) James Wickes Taylor. Taylor, who traveled extensively in the northern parts of Canada and Europe, as well as the Faroe Islands, and left many detailed letters and diaries and art work describing her life in those countries.
The papers of John Warner Grigg Dunn, his wife Alice Monfort Dunn, and their three
sons, John, Jr. ("Jack"), Montfort, and James Taylor ("Jim"), constitute the major
component of the collection. There are diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and
correspondence detailing the family's European travels; hunting, fishing, and
outdoor life in Pennsylvania and Minnesota; Jack's and Jim's World War II service;
and the family's lifelong interest in the preservation of the St. Croix River Valley
(Minn. and Wis.) area. Also included are literary manuscripts, correspondence,
artwork, and other papers relating to
In addition to documenting the lives of the respective families and individuals, the materials reflect the genealogical research activities of James Taylor Dunn, who collected and donated the materials. Throughout the collection are notations by Dunn that further identify individuals and events.
These documents are organized into the following sections:
Related materials separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society collection include the following:
Numerous books, pamphlets, and articles by James Taylor Dunn, including
Bowsfield, Hartfield.
James W. Taylor Papers Research Note Cards. (Cataloged in the manuscript collection under the heading: Taylor, James W.)
Kadrmas, Constance J.
Langford, Nathaniel Pitt and Family Papers, 1707-1942. (Cataloged in the manuscript collections under the heading: Langford, Nathaniel Pitt.)
Taylor, Elizabeth.
Taylor, James W. Papers, 1834-1957. (Cataloged in the manuscript collections under the heading: Taylor, James W.)
J. W. G. Dunn Photograph Album Collection (1893-1936) and the J. W. G. Dunn Photonegative Collection (1903-1938). (Cataloged in the sound and visual collections under the heading: J. W. G. D.) Additional photographs by J. W. G. Dunn can be found in the photograph collection.
Additional family photos, including several daguerreotypes, of the Dunn family, Alice Taylor Monfort, George and Chloe (Sweeting) Langford, and James Wickes Taylor are cataloged in the photograph collection.
Accession numbers: 7926; 9076; 12,538; 12,580; 13,421; 14,003; 14,621; 14,658; 14,912; 15,053; 15,105; 15,291; 15,318; 15,415; 15,610; 15,650; 15,781; 16,703
Processed by: Kathryn Johnson, 1994; Lara Friedman~Shedlov, December 1996 and January 2002.
Catalog ID number: 1733635
Dunn's papers document his career as a librarian (1940-1972); his service as a second and first lieutenant in an antiaircraft battalion, European Theater of Operations (1942-1945); and his lifelong interest in the St. Croix River and valley, as well as several other areas of historical research.
Dunn kept diaries for much of his life, particularly when he travelled. In addition to entries describing his thoughts and activities, the volumes frequently include annotated photographs and clippings, and occasionally maps and drawings.
Dunn's early diaries (1925-1939) contain much information on his many activities as a youth in Marine on St. Croix (Minn.) and his student days at Milford Academy (Milford, Conn.), and Hamilton College (N.Y.), with assessments of friends, books read, plays and concerts attended, and quotations from books and poetry, all reflecting his interests and philosophy as a young man.
The bulk of the volumes (1961-1992) focuses primarily on foreign travel, detailing the many trips made by Dunn and his wife Maria. The couple's frequent travels to Luxembourg (where Maria was born) are documented in long narrative entries containing information on the Bach family life in Luxembourg and descriptions of areas visited, as well as photographs, newspaper clippings, and printed items. Other trips described in the diaries include journeys to London, Portugal, Madeira, Senegal, the Faroe Islands, and Cornwall.
The latest volumes (1993-1999) are more reflective, containing primarily musings on current events and annotated clippings and photographs, as well as material documenting the Dunns' philanthropic and research activities.
Includes newsletters, song sheets, and other memorabilia.
Details Dunn's trip to Europe in 1932 to visit his brother Montfort in Paris and his tours of Cornwall, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Photographs and other memorabilia accompany the text. The rest of the volume contains photographs and information on his trip to Colorado (1933), as well as documenting his life in Marine and at Hamilton College.
Includes correspondence, certificates, and newspaper clippings documenting Dunn's career as a librarian in Chemung County, Olean, and Cooperstown, New York.
Documents Dunn's career as a librarian in Olean and Cooperstown, New York and at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Includes detailed information on the Dunns' trip to the von Brandenstein-Zeppelin estate in Biberach/Riss, Germany to study the family papers relating to Zeppelin's visit to Minnesota in 1863. Interesting observations of the estate and the Zeppelin family are included, as well as a visit to Daniel Greysolon Sieur Du Lhut's birthplace in St. Germain-Laval entitled, "On the Trail of Daniel Greysolon."
The first part of this volume concerns the visit made by Dunn to the Faroe Islands (1978) to learn more about Elizabeth Taylor's life there. The narrative contains information and photographs of families visited, scenes in the islands, and related information. (See also photo album.)
Illustrates Dunn's trip with information on the Dunn ancestral home and family cemeteries.
This volume mainly documents the publication, after over 20 years of
effort, of
Pocket diaries containing brief entries on daily activities, appointments, weather, expenses, etc.
Items appear to have been clipped from a scrapbook.
Extensive correspondence files contain information on Dunn's travels, family matters, work, research, and philanthropic activities. Major correspondents include college friends, John Gagwood Linn of American University in Beirut, Lebanon (1939-1941); members of his wife's family, the Bachs of Luxembourg (after 1946); Minnesota Historical Society staff, his brother Montfort Dunn, Walter Mondale, and others on a variety of subjects including the preservation of the St. Croix River region, family matters, and visits to Luxembourg by Dunn and his wife Mária. Other topics include life as a student at Hamilton College (1932-1936); his visit to a ranch in Wyoming (1938); and his gifts of Ezra Pound volumes and financial support to Hamilton College.
While the bulk of the correspondence is arranged chronologically, there are several series of correspondence with particular individuals or on particular subjects, most notably his long effort to collect and publish the letters, articles, drawings, and other work of his great aunt, Elizabeth Taylor, and his many donations of art works and money to museums and galleries around the country.
Correspondence primarily between James Taylor Dunn and his brothers, Montfort and John ("Jack"). Includes 15 photographs.
Includes deeds and correspondence.
Concerning the Certificate of Commendation for dedication to state and local history awarded to Dunn by the association in 1990 for his work relating to the history of the St. Croix Valley.
Includes a transcription of diary entries from Dunn's year (1931-1932) at Milford Academy (known then as Milford School) in Milford, Connecticut as well as correspondence concerning efforts to locate fellow alumni.
Correspondence, service records, diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, artwork, and printed material document Dunn's military career during World War II. Long narrative letters written to his mother describe Dunn's army training activities in the midwestern and southern United States, and after February 1944, his army life in England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany. Artwork includes watercolor sketches by René Gailland and by German school children.
Includes 1 volume, "My Service Record," as well as special orders, certificates of service, and other records.
See also the John Warner Grigg Dunn, Jr. papers for additional
Note cards indexing
In the 1990s Dunn collaborated with Cameron McWhirter in an an effort
to publish a book about Ezra Pound based on his articles for and
correspondence with
See also the series of research files for additional material written by Dunn.
A youthful journalistic endeavor by Dunn and other summer residents of Marine on St. Croix. The 38 hand prepared issues contain essays, poems, pictures cut from magazines, advertisements, and similar materials.
Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles by Dunn, mainly on historical topics.
The largest portion of the James Taylor Dunn papers consist of his research files, especially the extensive files documenting his interest in the St. Croix River and Valley. Other research interests documented in the series include the Struwwelpeter ("Slovenly Peter") stories and the travels and work of his great aunt, Elizabeth Taylor, whose papers he edited and published in 1998.
Also included are a group of research files relating to St. Paul. Of particular interest are Dunn's notes and drafts of his history of the St. Paul Schubert Club. There are also files of material compiled by Dunn on hotels (particularly the Windsor), homes, Irvine Park, yacht clubs, the Ordway Music Theater, Rice Park, and Summit Avenue.
Research materials for a book published in 1983.
The Struwwelpeter ("Slovenly Peter") stories, written by Heinrich Hoffman for his three-year-old son in 1844, were a personal interest of Dunn, who began collecting them after taking a class on children's literature while a student of librarianship. The files document his research on the stories and their translations; his collecting efforts; the donation of the collection to the Kerlan Research Collection of Children's Literature at the University of Minnesota in 1992; and the planning of an international symposium at the Kerlan on the stories and the many parodies and political satires based on them. Also included is an English edition of the stories, published and inscribed to Dunn by the translator, Seanair, in 1995.
See also the correspondence series for correspondence relating efforts to publish the Elizabeth Taylor papers. See also the diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs series for journals documenting Dunn's 1978 trip to the Faroe islands to conduct additional research. See also the Elizabeth Taylor papers for additional writings of Elizabeth Taylor.
A revised version of this volume was published as
Includes one printed copy and typewritten transcripts.
These files include historical materials on Marine on St. Croix,
other towns, and individual families; correspondence, drafts,
sketches, reprint information, and similar material relating to
Dunn's book,
Dunn collected papers and records for a number of St. Croix valley area families and businesses as part of his research.
Contains information on his wife and children with their ages and ambitions and on economic conditions in St. Paul, mainly real estate.
Photocopies of selected diary entries dealing with events in Marine, weather, trips to Taylors Falls and Stillwater, and social events.
Diaries of an early Minnesota daguerreotypist and his wife with
brief entries concerning life and activities in St. Anthony
Falls, Stillwater, and Cottage Grove. Includes correspondence
and notes. The diary was edited by James Taylor Dunn and
published in
Book of invoices received by Lindquist from saddlers, hardware, leather goods, and similar items for horses. The following firms are represented: E.J. Barthel, Sheffer and Rossum, Schmidt and Miller of St. Paul, and Harrison and Knight and John D. Kaestner of Minneapolis.
Correspondence and business papers and two day books kept by Gaskill, a physician who settled in Marine in 1855 and was a representative in the first Minnesota Legislature (1855) and also in 1872-1873. The daybooks list medical and other services rendered by him. The folder of materials contain information on his death in Danvill, Illinois in 1894.
Volume contains minutes, treasurer's reports, and attendance records. Also included are a folder of treasurer's reports and miscellaneous bills and receipts.
Volume contains a few brief entries, information on dairy plants and work, poetry, and similar material.
An autograph album and a letter written by John Wickman, Merced California, to Pauline, describing the California earthquake.
Correspondence, genealogical data, diaries, photographs, and other papers of the Dunn and related families, collected by James Taylor Dunn and organized by family group or individual.
Genealogical and historical notes and charts containing details on the Langford and allied families were compiled by George Langford and James Taylor Dunn. There is considerable information on Nathaniel Pitt Langford and the Yellowstone expedition and the first ascent of the Grand Teton Mountains. There are also studio portraits of Nathaniel P. Langford, Jr., George Langford, and a snapshot of the Langford monument in Utica, New York.
These papers include James Taylor Dunn's correspondence and miscellaneous papers concerning the family's origins in Cornwall, England and its immigration to Philadelphia; wills; correspondence relating to family portraits; and a packet of cards: "John Grigg Imprints, 1824-1949," compiled by James Taylor Dunn.
Includes portraits, cartes de visite, copies of portraits of John Grigg and his children, and snapshots of the Grigg home and monument in Philadelphia.
Contains details on funds lent by Grigg to his relatives.
Correspondence from English relatives, diaries, wills, and other papers relating to the family of Charles Bullen Dunn. There are correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to Dunn's grandson, George Garrett Dunn, an air force colonel who participated in both world wars and another grandson, Robert Rowe Dunn, Jr., who was a childhood friend of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Other notable items include a copy of the booklet (1952) by James Taylor Dunn: "Robert Dunn (1806-1877) and Mary Ann Rowe (1806-1885): Their Antecedents and Descendents Through Eight Generations;" five fine watercolor caricature sketches by Charles Bullen Dunn (1854); and a photograph of Charles Bullen Dunn and his uncle, Roger Rowe (1913).
Includes informal snapshots of F. Scott Fitzgerald and St. Paul friends, newspaper clippings, printed materials, and a photocopy of a letter written by Fitzgerald to Dunn shortly before his death (original in the Minnesota Historical Society Reserve Collections).
The 1860 volume is entitled "Wedding Journal."
Correspondence, articles, speeches, photographs, and diary extracts relating to the family of James Wickes Taylor. There is information on Taylor's parents, his career as a teacher, librarian, newspaper editor, and lawyer in New York state, Ohio, and Minnesota, and as a U.S. Consul in Winnipeg.
Extensive correspondence files contain many letters written by Taylor to
her friends and family, as well as letters to her. The letters were sent
from Quebec (1888), the Nipigon and MacKenzie River areas (Canada),
England, Scotland, France, Iceland Norway, Denmark, Italy, and
Montenegro. This files also include her many pencil and pen sketches of
places and people. The letters contain a wealth of information on people
and places, historic sites, her art studies, and the publication of her
articles. The letters written from the Faroe Islands, where she was
interned (1914-1919) during World War I, describe British and German
naval actions in the area and hardships endured by the Faroese during
the war. Forty volumes of diaries, notes, and sketches cover the same
subject matter found in the letters. There are also copies of some of
her articles and publications; photographs, including interesting views
of scenes along the Canadian Pacific Railroad; and reprints of her
articles for the
Correspondence and other materials concerning James Taylor Dunn's research on Taylor and efforts to collect and publish her writings may be found in the James Taylor Dunn files in this collection (see the following series: correspondence; diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs; and research files).
Includes original manuscripts and typed copy.
Includes portraits of Elizabeth Taylor alone and with others as well as photographs taken or collected by Taylor of Manitoba and the Canadian Pacific Railroad; Rochester, Vermont; and the Faroe Islands.
Claire Monfort Giorgi, granddaughter of Delos A. Monfort (a brother of Charles J. Monfort), who married an Italian citizen, Ottavio Giorgi. She wrote one letter to Alice Monfort Dunn and two to Montfort Dunn describing her life in Italy during that period, with brief references to World War II. Biographical information on Claire Monfort's family, prepared by the cataloger, is also in the folder.
Information on family matters, friends, and a trip made to Europe by Monfort in 1880.
Includes information on Monfort's various inventions, including furnace improvements, coat and umbrella racks, and commercial roll warmers.
Describes Charles J. Monfort's trip down the Mississippi River and contains detailed descriptions of towns and plantations as well as pencil sketches, diagrams, and maps of regions observed.
Diary of an 1880 trip to Europe by Charles J. Monfort.
Contains family information and obituaries of Charles J. Monfort.
The papers of the daughter of Charles J. Monfort include correspondence, literary works, wills and other estate documents, and photographs.
Contains much information on her many trips to Europe and Mexico. There are descriptions of historic sites, travel arrangements, food, weather, and meetings with friends and relatives. Other letters are related to family matters.
Album kept while she was a student at Hardy School (Eau Claire, Wis.).
Includes photographs of her and her apartment in Marlborough, St. Paul.
Reminiscences written by Alice Monfort Dunn between 1936 and 1950 and edited by James Taylor Dunn in 1970. They contain information on early St. Paul families, including the Taylors, Monforts, and especially Henry L. and Amanda H. Moss, as well as accounts of streets, shops, the Windsor Hotel, Christ Episcopal Church, musical societies (including the Schubert Club), theatrical groups, Hardy School, Delwood, White Bear Lake, and the Garrard family of Frontenac.
A small collection of correspondence and photographs contain information on Dunn's scholastic career at Germantown Academy (1884-1888) and the University of Pennsylvania (1889-1892), the publication of his articles in sporting journals (1890s), his marriage to Alice Monfort, the birth of her children, and the family property at Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. Diaries, account books, and real estate volumes give information on Dunn's many hunting and fishing trips in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the construction of the family home in Marine on St. Croix, and a brief trip to Europe in 1900.
Includes printed materials, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and catalogs.
Correspondence files, diaries, scrapbooks, and other papers document Dunn's career as a traveler, author, and editor; his naval service in World War II; and his life and activities in Mexico from the 1950s until his death in 1975.
From 1931 to 1933 Dunn traveled extensively in Europe and North Africa, including the Mediterranean islands, Palestine, and Turkey. In long, narrative letters to his parents, Dunn comments on many facets of life including travel arrangements, food, clothing, customs, historic sites, ethnic characteristics, and, in the case of North Africa, colonial control of the region, as well as on economic, social, and political aspects of the countries visited. Complementing the correspondence files are nine volumes of diaries kept while he attended Stanford University (1926) and while in service (1943). Dunn's literary and travel interests are also reflected in a series of manuscripts and articles arranged by country and including Latin America, the United States, and Canada.
Official memoranda, vouchers, and similar items detail Dunn's career as a lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve, 1942-1944, though there are no personal letters relating to the war.
Dunn's papers also include a large group of materials relating to
Pen-and-ink drawing by John Warner Grigg, Jr., published in his guidebook of the same name.
Includes studio portraits and miscellaneous snapshots.
Scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, photographs, printed
materials, and similar items, some of which may have been used for
Drafts of articles, photographs, hand-drawn maps, and related
materials arranged by country. Also included are materials for
Dunn's servicemen's guide books (1944),
Correspondence and literary manuscripts submitted by many notable writers of the 1930s, including Ludwig Bemelmans, Stephen Leacock, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, Henry Miller, William Saroyan, and Upton Sinclair. Other records include manuscripts used in publication and those not used, a subscription list, calling cards of authors, editors, and publishers, a scrapbook, artist sketches, and ledger sheets.
See also the
See also oversize materials.
Photocopies of originals in the Hamilton College Library, Clinton, N.Y.
Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, diaries, and a scrapbook contain information on Dunn's artistic career, including his studies in Paris under French artists Amédée-Julien Ozenfant (1932) and Louis Marcoussi, and his career as director of the St. Paul Gallery (1940-1947) and the University Gallery. Letters to his parents describe in detail his art studies in Paris, containing floor plans of his apartment, sketches of its furnishings, and references to current events and life in Paris at the time. Other correspondence is devoted to family matters and his life and activities in Mexico and Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota.
Also of interest are essays written by Dunn and his introduction to
Includes edited manuscript and published edition.
Diaries kept by Dunn detailing his ocean voyage to Paris and a tour of Tunis and the surrounding North African area. These diaries are illustrated by Dunn with sketches of persons and scenes of areas visited and also contain newspaper clippings, programs, tickets, and similar memorabilia.