SWOPE AND DE LAND FAMILIES

NORTHN

»SCRAPBOOKRECORDS/RECORDS?PAPERS, 1876-1998

5 linear inches11

ACQUISITION:	The papers (donor no. 561) were donated by Barbara DeLand Kearney in 1998 and 1999.
ACCESS:	The papers are open for research.
COPYRIGHT:	»Copyright for original poetry has been retained by the donor. Copyright for other materials has been transferred to the University of Iowa.
PROCESSED BY:	Doris Malkmus, 2000. [Swope-DeLand.doc]

»Biography

Sarah Jane Beall married the Methodist minister John H. Swope, in 1864, in Maryland before coming to Des Moines, in 1872. When he died in 1876, his wife and five children supported themselves by delivering milk within the community. One son, Howard Swope, married his orphaned neighbor Jessie West and together they became small town merchants in Storm Lake and real estate developers in Minneapolis during the Depression. They sent their daughter, Mary Lurene Swope (1896 –1978), to Western Female College in Oxford, Ohio. She subsequently worked in Washington, D.C. at the Office of Procurement during World War One. In 1921, Mary Lurene Swope married her Storm Lake neighbor James Lael DeLand (1894-1986), called Lael.

The father of James Lael DeLand was James DeLand, a state district judge in Storm Lake, and his mother, Ida Sherman, was the daughter of a local dentist. DeLand and Sherman had married in 1882 and afterwards were active in the growth of Storm Lake, socializing with other prosperous families and engaging in various benevolent activities.

The marriage of Mary Lurene and James Lael DeLand ended in divorce in 1938. Afterward, Mary Lurene Swope DeLand worked in the Buena Vista County Treasurer’s Office for fifty dollars a month and raised her two daughters Barbara Jean and Janet DeLand. She became increasingly incapacitated with Muscular Dystrophy.

Barbara DeLand spent her first year of college at the University of South Dakota. She also attended Buena Vista College and the University of Minnesota, where she graduated in 1945 in Social Work. She married Dick Kearney, her childhood friend, and they lived in Storm Lake where they raised two daughters and two sons. Barbara Kearney was active as a photographer and writer. She became a peace activist during the 1980s.

Begin text here:»

Scope and Content Note

The Swope and DeLand Families papers date from 1882 to 1997 and measure five linear inches. The papers are arranged in four series corresponding to four women in the families: Sarah Jane Buell Swope, Ida Sherman DeLand, Mary Lurene Swope DeLand, and Barbara DeLand Kearney.

The Sarah Jane Buell Swope (1841-1918) series consists of undated reminiscences about her marriage and years as a widow.

The Ida Sherman DeLand series includes an 1882 autograph album, a diary written between 1905 and 1934, a photocopy of this diary, and a fiftieth wedding anniversary album. The diary recounts daily activities of this civic leader, wife, mother, and grandmother. The anniversary album includes newspaper clippings about the DeLands, photocopies of photographs of the DeLands, and a list of over 450 guests.

The Mary Lurene Swope DeLand series includes a wedding album dating from 1921, and reminiscences written by Mary Lurene Swope in 1978, the year before she died. They describe her mother, Jessie West Swope and recount her father’s rise in business and real estate. They also relate her childhood experiences, her college days at Western Female College in Oxford, Ohio, and the maids she had during her life. They do not mention the muscular dystrophy that precipitated her death.

The Barbara DeLand Kearney series includes subject files of four writers (including the donor) and peace activities in the Storm Lake area. The files include biographical information and newspaper articles about Kearney. There are also newspaper articles, publisher’s briefs, interviews, and correspondence, dating from 1983-1997, of author Marjorie Holmes. A subject file for local poet Catherine Bonham includes her poetry and newspaper articles about her dating from 1986-1998. The file of Danute Hutchins, a Russian-born translator, artist, and writer contains a poem, photographs, notes, and newspaper articles about her from 1979-1989. Other subject files contain papers relating to the Buena Vista Peace Network, a Peace Lantern Exchange in 1986, the opening of the Iowa Peace Institute in Grinnell, the Storm Lake Peace Choir, and other publicized events mainly in the 1980s.

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Box no. Description

Sarah Jane Buell Swope

Reminiscences, 1876 and undated

Ida Sherman DeLand

Autograph album, 1882

Diary, 1905-1934

Diary (photocopy), 1905-1934

Fiftieth wedding anniversary album, 1932

Mary Lurene Swope DeLand

Wedding book, 1921

Reminiscences (photocopies), 1978

Barbara Kearney

Creative enterprises, 1994-1997 and undated

Subject files

Holmes, Marjorie, 1983-1993 and undated

Bonham, Catherine, 1991-1998 and undated

Hutchins, Danuta, 1980-1989 and undated

Buena Vista Peace Network, 1981-1987 and undated

Peace publicity, 1983-1985 and undated

Peace Lantern Exchange, 1986

Peace chorus, 1986

Iowa Peace Institute (Grinnell), 1986-1987