George Matthew Adams papers
Biographical/Historical note
George Matthew Adams was born in in 1878 in Saline, Michigan. He was the son of George Matthew Adams, a Baptist minister, and Lydia (Havens) Adams. Adams was educated at Ottawa University where he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1901 and where he received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1940. He married Harriet Isabel Breese in 1905 and they had twin sons, George M. and Leland Bo Adams. Harriet Adams died in 1931 and in 1933, Adams remarried Mrs. Robert Scott Harner, a noted Philadelphia artist. Adams began his career as an elevator operator, afterwards he became a department manager for Mahin Advertising Company, and then an advertising writer for Swift and Company. In 1907, Adams created the George Matthew Adams News Service. This syndicate served over one hundred newspapers all over the world. Adams' own creation, "Today's Talk" was featured daily in newspapers throughout the United States and Canada. His books were collections of small essays, some taken from "Today's Talk." The titles include Up, Take It, Just Among Friends, and You Can. Adams was also a rare books collector. He gave a collection of Ambrose Bierce books to Dartmouth University and one of George Gissing to Yale. He was given the Freedom's Foundation award for "Outstanding achievement in bringing about better understanding between peoples." George Matthew Adams died in 1962.
Scope and Contents note
The collection consists of correspondence, printed material, photographs, memorabilia, writings about George Matthew Adams, and two books. The chief correspondents are Ray Stannnard Baker, Paul Jordan-Smith, Ben Hur Lampman, Rebecca McCann and Fred S. Mathias. The Baker-Adams correspondence is mainly about the two authors' mutual interest in books and an offer from Adams to Baker to do a daily column. Baker also wrote often to thank Adams for mentioning one of Baker's books in "Today's Talk." The Jordan-Smith correspondence to Adams concerns their sending each other books and mentioning each other in their respective columns. Adams offered a daily column to Lampman as well as Baker and wrote about Lampman's books in "Today's Talk." Their correspondence concerned mainly these two topics. Rebecca McCann had written her book the Cheerf'ul Cherub and was looking to Adams for legal advice in drawing up a contract for the publication of the book. The Mathias-Adams letters concern a mutual friend of theirs, Robert Hobart Davis.
Other correspondents include Bruce Barton, Henry Beston, Gelett Burgess, Edna Ferber, Hamlin Garland, George Ade, Kenneth Grahame, Edgar Guest, Haniel Long, Christopher Morley, Herbert Hoover and both Theodore and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Creator
- Adams, George Matthew, 1878-1962 (Person)
Dates
- Creation: 1899-1959
Language of Materials
English
Extent
1 box(es)
Access
The George Matthew Adams Papers are open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.
Use
In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
The papers were the gift of Michael Papantonio, Seven Gables Bookshop, December, 1971.
Preferred Citation
[Item title, item date], George Matthew Adams Papers, D.47, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Arrangement note
The George Matthew Adams Papers maintain their original arrangement as compiled by the author.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Rare Books and Special Collections staff. Finding aid written by Rare Books and Special Collections staff and rekeyed in 2013.
Subject
- Adams, George Matthew, 1878-1962 (Person)
- Title
- George Matthew Adams papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Library Details
Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library
