Jean Bradley Anderson papers
Scope and Contents
The Jean Bradley Anderson Papers are composed of research materials, writings, correspondence, and other professional papers created during a career as a genealogist, historian, teacher, author and preservationist. The material ranges in date from 1934-2012 with a majority dating between 1964 and 2012.The collection documents the scope and depth of Anderson’s intellectual interest in and dedication to local history through research, writing, and historic preservation. Most of the materials present relate to the research and publication of both editions of Durham County: A History of Durham County North Carolina, Piedmont Plantation: The Bennehan-Cameron Family and Lands in North Carolina (1985), The Kirklands of Ayr Mount (1991), and Carolinian on the Hudson: The Life of Robert Donaldson (1996). Source materials relating to the historic foundation, establishment, growth, and development of Durham city and county are present throughout the collection.
Dates
- 1934-2012, undated
- Majority of material found within 1964 - 2012
Creator
- Anderson, Jean Bradley (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
There are no restrictions on the use of this material except where previously copyrighted material is concerned. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all permissions.
Biographical / Historical
Jean Bradley Anderson is a historian, teacher, professional genealogist, and pioneer Durham and Durham County preservationist. A Philadelphia native, Anderson graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, received an MA in English from the same institution, and has taught the subject at Duke University and North Carolina Central University. Anderson moved to Durham in 1955 with her husband Carl, who was hired to teach English at Duke University. In the mid-1960s they moved to the country to a house on the Eno River. An old graveyard on the land piqued her interest in who had lived there, and she began to look into the histories of the people named on the tombstones. At the time the Andersons moved to the Eno, the City of Durham was making plans to dam it for a reservoir. Hoping to convince the city to preserve a valuable historical site, Anderson says, "I began to do research in the [Duke Library] manuscripts room looking for anything that pertained to the original families that lived along the river. This was the beginning of my discovery of the treasures in the manuscript room, and I was hooked" (Indy Week, June 15, 2011). Anderson was a founding member of the Historic Preservation Society of Durham, now known as Preservation Durham. She has been active in numerous other local preservation efforts including the Eno River Association, Historic Stagville, and Hill House. She is the author of numerous books on local history including Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina, commissioned by the Historic Preservation Society of Durham, now in its second edition; Piedmont Plantation: The Bennehan-Cameron Family and Lands in North Carolina commissioned by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History in 1948; The Kirklands of Ayr Mount, originally comissioned by the then-owner of Ayr Mount, Richard Jenrette, in 1985; Carolinian on the Hudson: The Life of Robert Donaldson; and Campus Club, Duke University: A History.
Extent
18 Linear Feet (32 boxes: 28 document boxes, 2 flat boxes, 2 archival boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Jean Bradley Anderson Papers span the years 1934-2012, with most of the material dating between 1964 and 2012. The collection consists of correspondence, research notes, copies of original manuscript material and secondary sources, photographs, clippings, print material, oral histories, and ephemera. The bulk of the collection is made up of extensive material related to the research, writing, and publication of various published works, including both editions of Durham County. The collection also contains material relating to courses Anderson taught on genealogical research methodology, her work as a private researcher with the North Carolina Department of Archives and History, as well as her numerous endeavors on behalf of local historic preservation.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into the following series: 1. Alphabetical Files, 1934-2012, undated 2. Monograph Files, 1970-2010, undated 3. General Research Files, 1972-1982, undated 4. Print Materials, 1973-2009 5. Unpublished Writings, undated 6. Photographic Materials, undated 7. Oversize Materials, 1951-2002, undated
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jean Bradley Anderson
- Durham County (N.C.) -- History Subject Source: Local sources
- North Carolina -- Genealogy Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Orange County (N.C.) -- History Subject Source: Local sources
Source
- Anderson, Jean Bradley (Person)
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Jean Bradley Anderson Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Joshua Larkin Rowley
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2020-05: Stephanie Barnwell
- Gift Agreement
Repository Details
Part of the North Carolina Collection Archives Repository