IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
VERNA MOULTON SPENCER
(1887-1982)
PAPERS, 1899-1994
(bulk 1972)
2 linear inches
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 212) were donated
by Verna Moulton Spencer's daughter,
Dorothy Spencer Anneberg, in 1994. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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»COPYRIGHT: |
»Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In box 1. |
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PROCESSED
BY: |
Your name, year»Randel W. Lackore, 1994. |
Biography
Verna
Moulton Spencer was born on her family's farm near Maquoketa, Iowa, on August
27, 1887. She was the youngest of six
children born to Thomas Jefferson Moulton and Lovina Coleman Moulton. Four of the six siblings including Spencer
eventually attended and graduated from college. Spencer graduated from the College of Liberal Arts at the State
University of Iowa in 1910.
Spencer spent the first nine years of her life on her
family's farm. When her father stopped
farming to devote more time to his farm insurance business, he moved the family
to Maquoketa. Spencer began her
elementary education in a country school and completed her elementary and secondary
education in the Maquoketa school system.
After high school she received a teaching certificate from Jackson
County and taught country school for one year before attending college.
Spencer spent four happy years at the State University of
Iowa (now the University of Iowa).
Three of those years she lived in the Shaffer House at 328 South Dubuque
Street with nine other women who were all part of the same literary
society. The society was named
"Hesperia," and the women were referred to as "Heps." She was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Spencer met her future husband, LeRoy W. Spencer, while
at the university. They were married in
her family's home in Maquoketa on July 3, 1912. The couple owned and operated Spencer's Harmony Hall in Iowa
City, Iowa from 1912 to 1962--over
fifty years. In 1963 the couple moved
to Winter Haven, Florida, where they lived until LeRoy Spencer's death in
1969. Spencer moved back to Iowa City
and lived there until her own death on November 20, 1982.
Scope and Content Note
The
Verna Moulton Spencer papers
date from 1972 to 1994 and
measure 2 linear inches. The bulk of the material is Spencer's
recollection of her childhood written in her "Reminiscences."
Biographical information (1980-1982) contains family history
data sheets compiled by Dorothy Spencer Anneberg. The data sheets are of Spencer's family and her parents and
grandparents. Each family sheet lists
the dates of birth, marriage, and death of a couple and information about their
offspring.
Recollections contains two documents,
"Reminiscences" (1972) written by Verna Moulton Spencer and
"Notes and explanations" (1994) written by Dorothy Spencer
Anneberg. "Reminiscences" is Spencer's
recollections of her earlier life from childhood through her years at the State
University of Iowa. She wrote it at the
request of her grandson who was a student at the University of Iowa in 1972.
The story chronicles her childhood activities and her memories of home life and
extended family in Maquoketa. The
"Notes and explanations" were written by Anneberg, added to clarify
the identity and relationship of certain individuals mentioned by Spencer in
her "Reminiscences."
Memorabilia (1899-1912) includes a hand written letter
(1899) by Verna Moulton Spencer to her brother, Mark Moulton, while he was
attending the State University of Iowa.
A leatherbound commencement week invitation from the College of Liberal
Arts (1910) includes Spencer's calling card.
A hardbound scrapbook contains a marriage certificate and a quest
register from the wedding.
Photographs (1910-1912) consists of
three individual photographs and Spencer's wedding album.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Biographical information,
1980-1982
Recollections, 1972, 1994
Memorabilia, 1899-1912
Photographs, 1910-1912 and
undated