Barbara Newhall Follett papers, 1919-1966, bulk 1919-1939

Barbara Newhall Follett papers, 1919-1966, bulk 1919-1939

Summary Information

Abstract

Barbara Newhall Follett's papers consist primarily of personal letters, manuscripts of published and unpublished books, short stories, essays, and poems, book reviews, newspaper clippings, photographs, and notes written by her mother, Helen Follett.

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#0439
Bib ID:
4078771 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Follett, Barbara Newhall, 1914-1939
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
2.73 linear feet (6.5 document boxes)
Language(s):
English .
Access:
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located on-site.

This collection has no restrictions.

Description

Summary

Barbara Follett's papers primarily consist of personal letters, manuscripts of published and unpublished works, photographs, newspaper clippings, and research materials relating to her autobiography that was published in 1965.

The correspondence was originally processed by year and the current arrangement reflects this order. Select letters were also catalogued and arranged by special friends of Ms. Follett.

Arrangement

Selected materials cataloged.

This collection is arranged in five series.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located on-site.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Barbara Newhall Follett papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Selected Related Material-- at Columbia

Helen Thomas Follett Papers, Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Accrual

No additions are expected

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Follett, Helen Thomas. Method of acquisition--Bequest; Date of acquisition--1970. Accession number--M-70.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 06/--/89.

Papers processed by Marilyn Chin (Queens College, 2011). Folder level control.

Finding aid written by Marilyn Chin (Queens College, 2011) May 2011.

Revision Description

2011-06-01 File created.

2011-06-01 XML document instance created by Catherine C. Ricciardi

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Biographical / Historical

Barbara Newhall Follett was born on March 4, 1914. Her parents were Wilson Follett, an English professor and a writer, and Helen Thomas Follett, also a writer. Barbara was homeschooled by her mother, who believed that children should learn at their own pace. At the age of five, Barbara started to use the typewriter and learned how to make new words and form sentences. She also began to write letters to relatives and friends.

During her childhood years, she wrote numerous short stories, essays, and poems about nature. Barbara had a vivid imagination and created a make-believe world called Farksolia, in which she also developed its language and vocabulary.

Her first book, House Without Windows, was published in 1927, when she was thirteen years old. It was critically acclaimed and she wrote another book, The Voyage of the Norman D, that was published the following year, She was hailed as a "child genius" and "a child prodigy author" by newspapers around the country. She made the headlines again when she and her mother went on a long sailing voyage to the Caribbean and the South Seas Islands during the late 1920s. They co-authored a book about their trip together and it was published in 1932 as Magic Portholes.

After her father left the family in 1928, Ms. Follett and her mother had to find a way of bringing in steady income between their writing assignments. Starting at sixteen years of age, she worked as a typist in New York City while living with her mother. From her late teens to her early twenties, she traveled extensively in the U.S. and Europe with her boyfriend and then husband, Nickerson Rogers.

On December 7, 1939, after an argument with her husband, Barbara Follett left their apartment with only a few dollars. She was never seen or heard from again. She was twenty-five years old.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Name
Follett, Barbara Newhall, 1914-1939
Follett, Helen
Follett, Wilson, 1887-1963

Series I: Correspondence, 1919-1952

This series consists primarily of personal letters from Barbara Follett to Mr. Oberg; Alice Dyer Russell, a very close friend; and to her mother, Helen Follett.


Box 1 Folder 1 to 11

Letters from Barbara Follett to Relatives and Friends, 1919-1939, (11 Folders)


Box 2 Folder 12

Letters to Barbara Follett, 1918-1935


Box 2 Folder 13

Letters from Mr. Oberg to Barbara Follett, 1919-1932


Box 2 Folder 14

Letters from George Bryan to Barbara Follett, 1926-1928


Box 2 Folder 15

Letters from de la Mare, Walter, 1925-1927


January 6, 1925


January 6, 1926


March 21, 1927


Box 2 Folder 16

Letters from Farjeon, Harry, 1927


May 9, 1927


July, 31, 1927


Box 2 Folder 17

Letter from Hall, Norman, 1928


August 27, 1928


Box 2 Folder 18

Letters from Knopf, Blanche (Mrs. Alfred), 1926


April 14, 1926


November 18, 1927


Box 2 Folder 19

Letter from Mencken, Henry Louis, undated


Box 2 Folder 20

Letter from Perkins, Frances, June 20, 1934


Box 2 Folder 21

Letters regarding Barbara's Disappearance, 1949-1952


Box 2 Folder 22

Letters from Barbara Follett, undated

Series II: Published Materials, 1927-1933

In this series, the papers are published manuscripts in various versions. The titles are: House Without Windows; I n Defense of Butterflies; and The Voyage of the Norman D.


House Without Windows, 1927


Box 3 Folder 1

Manuscript with Corrections, 1927


Box 3 Folder 2

Galley Proofs, 1927


Box 3 Folder 3

Book Reviews, 1927-1968


Box 3 Folder 4

"I've Got to Go to Sea Again" Article, Young Wings Magazine,, June 1932


In Defense of Butterflies, 1933


Box 3 Folder 5

Manuscript, undated


Box 3 Folder 6

Printed article in The Horn Book Magazine, February 1933


Box 3 Folder 7

Sail of Gold Book Review, 1927


The Voyage of Norman D., 1927-1928


Box 3 Folder 8

Original Manuscript, 1927


Box 3 Folder 9

Manuscript with edits, undated


Box 3 Folder 10 to 11

Author's Proofs, 1928 (2 Folders), 1928


Box 3 Folder 12

Book Reviews, 1928

Series III: Unpublished Materials, 1919-1934

This series contains unpublished manuscripts of books, short stories, essays, and poems.


Box 4

Lost Island, 1932-1934


Box 4 Folder 1 to 2

Manuscript, Chapters I - XVIII, 1934 (2 Folders), 1934


Box 4 Folder 3

Manuscript Carbon Copy, Chapters I - XVI, 1932


Box 4 Folder 4

Short Draft of Manuscript, 103 pages, 1932


Box 4 Folder 5

Travel Without a Donkey Manuscript, undated


Mapcase 15-L-1

Travel Without a Donkey - map , 1929


Box 4 Folder 6

Short Stories and Essays, 1919-1920s


Box 5 Folder 1

Short Stories (Early Years), 1921-1923


Box 5 Folder 2 to 4

Short Stories, undated, (3 Folders)


Box 5 Folder 5

Poems and Prose, 1919-1927


Box 5 Folder 6

Christmas Poem and Song, 1924-1925


Box 5 Folder 7

Photocopies of Barbara's Writings, undated


Box 5 Folder 8

Descriptions of European Trip, undated

Series IV: Childhood Materials, 1922-1925

These files contain materials related to Barbara's education at home, notes and history of Farksoo, a make-believe land; butterfly drawings; and numerous notes about Barbara's interest in nature from her mother.


Box 6 Folder 1

History of Farksolia, undated


Box 6 Folder 2

Notes about Farksolia, undated


Box 6 Folder 3

Farksoo Language and Vocabulary,undated


Box 6 Folder 4

Home Schooling including Diary, 1920-1924


Box 6 Folder 5

Notes about Barbara's Love for Nature, circa, 1920s


Box 6 Folder 6

Wilson Follett Articles On a Child Author, 1919


Box 6 Folder 7

Arts & Crafts, circa, 1919-1920s


Box 6 Folder 8

Butterfly Illustrations by Mr. Oberg Specified by Barbara, undated

Series V: Barbara's Autobiography, 1919-1966

In this series, there is correspondence between Helen Follett and the writer, Mr. McCurdy, a professor of psychology; research materials about Barbara's life; photographs, and copies of her writings.


Box 7 Folder 1

Correspondence between Helen Follett and Mr. McCurdy, 1960-1966


Box 7 Folder 2

Autobiography Manuscript, 1961-1965


Box 7 Folder 3

Timeline and Notes of Barbara's Letters and Writings, 1919-1939


Box 7 Folder 4

Legal Records (House Without Windows Contract and Legal Divorce Papers),, 1926-1944


Box 7 Folder 5

Photographs, 1920-1929


Box 7 Folder 6

A Copy of the Book, Barbara: The Unconscious Autobiography of a Child Genius,, 1966


Box 7 Folder 7

Book Reviews, 1966


Box 7 Folder 8

Nickerson Rogers Papers, 1949-1958


Box 7 Folder 9

Copies of Newspaper Clippings, 1966