Florence Gray Beall papers

Finding Aid

Prepared by Jeffery Scaggs and James K. Stimpert, December 1, 1980; Prepared for the Web by Barbara Bass, December 30, 1996; updated July 2011; Additions and Updates: April 2022

Inclusive Dates: 1815-1980
Extent: 2 cubic feet (2 record storage boxes)
Physical Location: 11th floor

Biographical Note: Florence Gray Beall was born in Newark, Ohio, on June 5, 1894. She received the A.B. degree from Columbia University in 1925. In 1926, she became a faculty member at the University of Michigan where she remained until 1933 when she received her Ph.D. in English. In the fall of 1933, Dr. Beall joined Kent State University as Assistant Professor in English. Beall continued teaching at Kent State until her resignation in 1957. She then accepted a position at Ohio State University's branch in Newark.

Beall Hall, a student dormitory on Kent State University's main campus, was constructed and dedicated in honor of Florence Gray Beall in 1966. View the Kent State University Buildings and Grounds Subject Files for information on Beall Hall.

Scope and Content: The Florence Gray Beall papers contain correspondence, photographs, and official documents, including many deeds from the 19th century. The collection also holds selected journal articles as well as subject files relating to teaching English at Kent State University.

Box 1
Folder--Contents

1. Correspondence: 1846-1859
2. Correspondence: 1863-1869
3. Correspondence: 1870-1873
4. Correspondence: 1884
5. Correspondence: 1904-1921
6. Correspondence: 1932-1939
7. Correspondence: 1940-1944
8. Correspondence: 1945-1948
9. Correspondence: 1953-1959
10. Correspondence: 1961-1969
11. Correspondence: 1970-1976
12. Correspondence: 1977
13. Correspondence: January-June 1978
14. Correspondence: July-December 1978
15. Correspondence: January-June 1979
16. Correspondence: July-December 1979
17. Correspondence: January-May 1980
18. Correspondence: undated
19. Correspondence: undated
20. Correspondence: undated
21. Practical Geometry notebook handwritten by Baruch Gray, 1823
22. Notebook of mathematical problems and calculations handwritten by Joshua Wells: [1850?]
23. Account ledger: 1895-1925
24. Notebook of Joshua Wells, undated
25. Account ledger of George W. Beall: 1912-1942
26. Documents, mortgage deeds: 1849-1877
27. Documents, sheriff's sale deeds: 1870-1895
28. Documents, land deeds: 1815-1849
29. Documents, land deeds: 1855-1889
30. Documents, miscellaneous: 1848; March 7, 1911-1954
31. Documents, administration of the will of Mary Dodd, 1854; military leave of absence for Corporal Cokenbarger, 1864; notice of appointment for Florence Gray Beall, 1947-1948
32. Miscellaneous papers: undated
33. Cards and postcards
34. Miscellaneous greeting cards
35. Miscellaneous cards
36. Commemorative postmark, "Entry of Third Fleet U. S. Navy Tokyo Bay Japan": [1945?]
37. Miscellaneous receipts
38. Miscellaneous drawings
39. Poems, "Black Lamb" by Reva Montgomery; poem by English Professor E. Packard celebrating arrival of Florence Gray Beall at Kent State University

Box 2
Folder--Content

1. Printed material, The Shakespeare Newsletter: 1957-1960
2. Printed material, miscellaneous magazine articles and newsletters: 1959-1964
3. Printed material, articles from the journal Publications of the Modern Language Association (PMLA): 1938-1942
4. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
5. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
6. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
7. Printed material, articles from the journal PMLA: undated
8. Printed material, brochure on dedication of Tri-Towers; the President's Report 64/65; Map of Kent State University [1967?]; brochure on dedication of Satterfield Hall; and miscellaneous material
9. Printed material, brochure on dedication of Beall-McDowell Halls; last Christmas message of R. E. Manchester 1884-1974; a signed copy of "The Biography of an Educator George A. Bowman," Fifth Annual Scholarship Day at Kent State University, 1937; biographical material
10. Newspaper clippings
11. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English 364: undated
12. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English 384: undated
13. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on the Renaissance: undated
14. Subject file miscellaneous notes for English class on Shakespeare comedies: undated
15. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Historical plays: undated
16. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Middle Ages: undated
17. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Scandinavia: undated
18. Subject file, miscellaneous notes for English class on Far East literature: undated
19. Subject file, miscellaneous notes and drawings: undated
20. Subject file, miscellaneous notes on teaching: undated
21. Subject file, miscellaneous materials from Summer English Conference: 1956
22. Subject file, miscellaneous notes, undated
23. Photographs of young woman, possibly Florence Gray Beall, undated
24. Photograph of Florence Gray Beall, undated
    Scope and Content: This photograph appears in the 1939 Chestnut Burr on page 78.
25. Photograph of George W. Beall, undated
26. Photograph of George W. Beall, undated
27. Photograph of Ray A. Beall, undated
28. Photograph of Jane Hirst, undated
29. Photograph of Zoe Lillian Hirst, undated
30. Photograph of Ed Gray, undated
31. Photograph of unidentified man, undated
32. Photograph of Jacob Yasse with woman and child, undated
33. Photographs of Miss Edna Kilby and her fiance, removed from letter dated March 5, 1944
34. Photographs of popular sites in London from Lt. Jack E. Gray, removed from letter dated September 23, 1945
35. Photograph of Walt Seifert. [See letter dated May 9, 1975]
36. Photograph of Florence Gray Beall and President White outside Beall Hall, undated
37. Photograph of Florence Gray Beall and President White and three unidentified men standing around a picture of Beall Hall, undated
38. Photograph of Florence Gray Beall and two unidentified men standing around a picture of Beall Hall, undated
39. Photography of Emeritus Dean Raymond E. Manchester in a small boat, undated
40. Photograph of unidentified woman, 1940, "at Bausin on the Baltic". [Possibly the woman is Dr. Ann Schafheitlin, who lived in Germany and corresponded with Beall]
41. Photographs, veterans and Florence Gray Beall in classroom; George Urban; Marian Van Campen, Lester Munzenmayer, George J. Altman, John McSweeney, undated
42. Photographs, unidentified man; unidentified woman; Mary Pearl Hirst Beall; and Josephine Mansfield: 1870
43. Photograph of unidentified girl: 1889
44. Photograph of unidentified woman: [1870?]
45. Photograph of unidentified girl: [1870?]
46. Photograph of unidentified girl: undated
47. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
48. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
49. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
50. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
51. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
52. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
53. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
54. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
55. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
56. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
57. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
58. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
59. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
60. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
61. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
62. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
63. Photograph of unidentified woman: undated
64. Photograph of unidentified woman, dageurreotype: undated
65. Photograph of two unidentified women: undated
66. Photograph of two unidentified women: undated
67. Photograph of two unidentified women: undated
68. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
69. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
70. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
71. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
72. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
73. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
74. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
75. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
76. Photograph of unidentified man, woman, and child: undated
77. Negative of unidentified group, two adults, four children: undated
78. Photograph of unidentified group: undated
79. Photograph of unidentified group playing musical instruments: undated
80. Photograph of painting showing Abraham Lincoln and George Washington embracing: 1865
81. Photograph of a train tunnel through rock: undated
82. Photograph of a cliff and beach: undated
83. Photograph of cows grazing on a hillside: undated
84. Photographs from Cambodia, addressed "English Department From the Coronation": undated
85. Photograph of palm tree and ocean, with a caption on the back reading, "Mrs. J. M. Klasovsky, Box 31, Gatun, Canal Zone": undated
86. Photograph of the Columbus Grandmothers Club #270: 1967 [in legal folder]
87. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
88. Photograph of unidentified man: undated
89. Photograph of two unidentified men: undated