IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
MARY SEARS MCHENRY
(1834-1912)
PAPERS, 1865-1998
1 linear inch
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 615) were
donated by Opal Baker in
1999. The original typescript is held
by the Denison Historical Society. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been retained by the owner. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Doris Malkmus, 1999. [WORD 7
McHenryMaryS.doc] |
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Biography
Mary
Sears was born in Massachusetts, December 30, 1834, and moved to northern
Illinois with her family. She graduated
from Rockford Female Seminary before marrying William A. McHenry in 1864. After their marriage, he returned to his
regiment then fighting in the Civil War and she joined his brother in a journey
to Denison, Iowa, where the brothers had contracts to operate the new telegraph
company. In Denison, Mary Sears McHenry
became the deputy county treasurer and recorder. When her husband was discharged, she met him in Rockford and
together they returned to Denison. The
McHenrys became prominent in banking, livestock breeding, and community
affairs. In 1890, Mary McHenry served
as president of the Women’s Relief Corps, then the largest fraternal association
in America; she was also active in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. She died July 26, 1912 at their lake home in
Okoboji, Iowa.
Scope and
Content Note
The
Mary Sears McHenry papers consist of a typescript of an 1865 diary and account
book and measures one linear inch. The
diary and account book cover a trip from Denison, Iowa to Rockford, Illinois
where Mary met her husband, then on leave from the Union Army. The account book includes expenditures and
accounts received for 1865.
Box no.
**PRESS <control n> to indent each level.**
SCVF