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Series 5. Ellsworth family papers, 1872-1911. Box 67.

A graduate of Rush Medical College, Chicago, Major Prosper Harvey Ellsworth was a surgeon in the 106th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, before moving to Hot Springs 1866. He was an organizer and the first Secretary of Hot Springs Medical Society. In January 1873, he married Sarah Elizabeth Van Patten, daughter of Dr. Charles Harper Van Patten. Sarah was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Baltimore. They had four children, including Bessie Graham (born 1873), Frank Van Patten (born 1875), Elmer Harvey (born 1878), and Ernest (no date of birth). The Ellsworth home, "Wildwood," was built in the 1880s, with Sarah's brother, Phillip Van Patten, as architect. Sarah Ellsworth was active in state community organizations, including the Hot Springs Needlework Guild, the Lotus Club (a Hot Springs women's club), the Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs, and the Women's Christian National Library Association. She participated in efforts to save the Old State House, the selection of the apple blossom as the Arkansas state flower, and the selection of a design for a state flag. Prosper Ellsworth died in September 1907; Sarah survived until August 1927.

This series consists mainly of letters to and from Sarah and Prosper Ellsworth, mostly 1872-1876. Some are stitched together in groups; there are comments and identifications added to some of them, probably by daughter Bessie.

NOTE: See also the Ellsworth Family Papers (finding aid available online).

Box 67
  1. Letters, Sarah Van Patten to P. H. Ellsworth, Jan 30, 1872 - Sept 6, 1872.
  2. Letters, Sarah Van Patten to P. H. Ellsworth, Sept 15, 1872 - [Sept] 1872.
  3. Letters, Sarah Van Patten to P. H. Ellsworth, Oct 1, 1872 - Dec 26, 1872; letter [to Sarah from her mother, 1872].
  4. Letters, Sarah Ellsworth to P. H. Ellsworth, Mar 30, 1873 - Sept 30, 1874, 1876, n.d.
  5. Transcriptions [by Mary Hudgins] of writings by Sarah Ellsworth in a bound account book. Entitled by Hudgins "Talks to my Children" or "Ellsworth Diary." Dated Dec 31, 1873 - Jan 15, 1892.
  6. Letters, P. H. Ellsworth to Sarah Van Patten, Jan 22, 1872 - Aug 18, 1872.
  7. Letters, P. H. Ellsworth to Sarah Van Patten, Aug 23, 1872 - Nov 28 1872. (Order of folders 7 and 8 is not chronological because of the grouping of letters stitched together.)
  8. Letters, P. H. Ellsworth to Sarah Van Patten, Oct 6, 1872 - Dec 6, 1872.
  9. Letters and telegram, P. H. Ellsworth, mostly to Sarah Ellsworth, Dec 30, 1873 - [Sept] 1874.
  10. Letters, P. H. Ellsworth to Sarah Ellsworth, May 31, 1876 - Sept 22, 1876, n.d.
  11. Letter and papers concerning P. H. Ellsworth's cotton buying in Pine Bluff, 1866.
  12. Letters and papers concerning burning of Ellsworth house in 1878 Hot Springs fire.
  13. Patents, U.S. and Canadian, for an improvement in amalgamators for the treatment of gold and silver ores, 1893- 1894.
  14. Letters, bills, and other papers, 1874-1911, mostly pertaining to business, including statements of filing of P. H. Ellsworth's State Medical Certificate and clipping and certificates pertaining to Sarah Ellsworth's participation in state and world's fairs. See also Hudgins Oversize Box 7.
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Series 6. Kuder-Busch family papers, 1800-1885. Box 68.

Jacob Anthony Busch was born in the Palatinate (Bavaria) in 1832. He came to America in 1838 or 1839, living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. He married Mary Pauline Kuder in Lewisburg, Kentucky, in 1855. A carpenter and contractor, Busch worked in Mattoon, Illinois, and Hot Springs, Arkansas. Mary Pauline Kuder was born in 1833 in Germany and came to America with her father in 1847, settling in Missouri, later in Covington, Kentucky. She died in 1905 in Hot Springs.

The collection was explained on March 21, 1991, by Adolf E. Schroeder, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri. See audio cassette recording of Schroeder's explanations and translations (tape incomplete; both sides end well before end of tape). Material was left in folders in the same order as described by Schroeder.

Box 68
  1. Biographical sketches of Jacob Anthony Busch, Gottlieb Henry Kuder, and his daughter Mary Pauline Kuder (later married to Busch); notes (in English) on material in collection.
  2. Letters, mostly from Kuder relatives in Germany and Missouri, 1847-1853, all in German.
  3. Documents, mostly in German, pertaining to the Kuder family, 1800-1864.
  4. Documents pertaining to Jacob A. Busch, all in English, 1832- 1855.
  5. Receipts, accounts, autograph album, funeral notice, and other papers, 1794-1885. (Note: the last item in the folder was not described by Schroeder.)
  6. Five notebooks, described on cassette recording and notes in Folder 1.
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    Series 7. Railroads, ca. 1875-1900. Box 69, Folders 1-4.

    A selection of receipts, authorizations, bills of lading, releases, cards, and other papers pertaining to a number of railroads, mostly in and around Hot Springs, Arkansas, ca. 1875- 1900.
    Box 69
  1. Material pertaining to the Hot Springs Railroad Company, including two letterpress copies of way-bills in Hudgins Oversize Box 7.
  2. Material pertaining to the Memphis & Little Rock Railway Company.
  3. Material pertaining to the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway.
  4. Material pertaining to other railroads.
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    Series 8. David Bryne letterpress book, 1882-1891. Box 69, Folder 5.

    Letterpress book containing copies of primarily business letters written by David Bryne, apparently a nineteenth century New York merchant doing business in the Caribbean and Central America.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  5. Bryne letterpress book.
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    Series 9. George G. Lea papers, 1843- 1878. Box 69, Folders 6-8.

    Letters and legal documents pertaining to George G. Lea, a Princeton, Arkansas planter during the mid-nineteenth century. The letters in folder 6 are primarily business notes written to Lea from associates in North Carolina, Memphis, Little Rock, and Pine Bluff. Legal documents in folder 7 concern a business enterprise founded by Lea in Pine Bluff. Folder 8 contains a letter and auction notice concerning the estate sale of George Lea's descendant, Wilhelmina, in 1981 Hot Springs.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  6. Lea letters.
  7. Lea legal documents.
  8. Lea auction notice.
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    Series 10. Woolman family papers, 1854-1889. Box 69, Folder 9.

    Press passes, stock certificates, and miscellaneous papers pertaining to Ellis Woolman, editor of the Hot Springs Sentinel newspaper during the 1880s, and Enoch Woolman, the owner of the Hot Springs Mountain Observatory.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  9. Woolman papers.
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    Series 11. Henry M. Rector papers, 1865-1890. Box 69, Folder 10.

    Letter, legal and financial documents pertaining to Henry M. Rector, the sixth governor of Arkansas. Included is an amnesty oath administered by the federal government dated November 23, 1865 and signed by Rector, along with a letter from Robert W. Johnson, dated August 20, 1875. Johnson was apparently acting as Rector's attorney in Washington, D.C.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  10. Rector papers.
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    Series 12. John F. Manier papers, 1907-1911. Box 69, Folder 11.

    Family letters, invitations, and miscellaneous papers written or received by John F. Manier, a prominent bath house operator in Hot Springs. Manier came to Hot Springs in 1898 and worked first at the Maurice Bath House. He later became manager of the Palace, Fordyce, and Lamar bath houses. Most of the letters are personal notes from Manier to his wife, the former Mary Pollard Hale, during her visits to her parents in Osceola, Arkansas.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  11. Manier papers.
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    Series 13. Thomas W. Newton papers, 1850-1869. Box 69, Folder 12.

    Legal documents pertaining to the settlement of the estate of Thomas W. Newton, a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, who died intestate on September 22, 1853. John W. Newton was appointed administrator by the court to settle all claims, including one from St. John's College.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  12. Newton papers.
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    Series 14. Missouri Territory records, 1811-1817. Box 69, Folder 13.

    sitive photocopies of auditor's reports for Arkansas County, Missouri Territory, collected by David W. Bizzell from the originals at the State Historical Society Manuscripts, University of Missouri Library, Columbia, Missouri.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  13. Missouri Territory.
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    Series 15. Catherine MacCrea diary, 1926-1927. Box 69, Folder 14.

    Diary kept by Hot Springs resident Catherine MacCrea inside a book by Annie Fellows Johnston, The Little Colonel's Good Times Book (Boston: L.C. Page, 1924). The book contains mostly blank pages specifically for diary entries along with an introduction by Johnston describing the author's philosophy of diary keeping. MacCrea began her diary entries while at a summer camp in Bristol, Virginia and continued through her graduation from high school in Hot Springs.
    Box 69 (cont.)
  14. MacCrea diary.
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Series 16. Army & Navy General Hospital, 1922-1978. Boxes 70-75.

The Army & Navy General Hospital in Hot Springs National Park was established by Act of Congress in 1882 and opened in 1887. A new hospital was built in 1833, and during World War II, the hospital expanded into the Eastman Hotel. A Reconditioning Service was established in 1943 to speed patients' recovery through mental and physical exertion; its activities were later consolidated into a Department of Physical Medicine. From 1945 to 1946 the hospital leased a lodge at Lake Catherine for recreation and reconditioning.

See also Army & Navy General Hospital photographs in Group IV, Pictures.

Box 70
  1. Maps, building and picture inventories, organizational chart, and personal lists, 1953-1959. See also Hudgins Oversize Box 1.
  2. Booklets about Army & Navy General Hospital, guides for newly arrived personnel and patients, ca. 1941-1947.
  3. Executive Order, 1922, and notes on establishment of hospital; Professional Standing Orders, n.d.
  4. Hospital Regulations, Dec 1952.
  5. Special Orders, Jan 2 - Apr 11, 1952.
  6. Special Orders, Apr 12 - June 30, 1952.
  7. Special Orders, July 1 - Oct 17, 1952.
  8. Special Orders, Oct 18 - Dec 31, 1952.
Box 71
  1. Professional Proceedings, July & Aug 1951.
  2. Professional Proceedings, Sept, Oct, & Nov 1951.
  3. Professional Proceedings, Apr & May 1952.
  4. General Orders, 1955 & 1956.
  5. Annual Reports, 1948 and 1951.
  6. Annual Report, 1952; Annual Report of Medical Service Activities, 1956.
  7. Material having to do with the post library and library associations and conferences.
  8. Clippings of library news in The Army & Navy Bugle, hospital newspaper, usually entitled "Book Bug" or "Library Line- Up." [NOTE: See also Group II, Series 1, Printed Articles by Hudgins.]
  9. "Daily Journal," 1953-1959 (dates of arrivals, departures, inspections, promotions, receptions, etc.).
Box 72
  1. Bulletins and administrative memoranda, 1952-1959.
  2. The Army & Navy Bugle, newspaper of the Army & Navy General Hospital, 1941-1948 (incomplete).
  3. Papers pertaining to the history of the Army & Navy General Hospital. [NOTE: See also Group II, Series 8, General Research Files.
  4. Telephone reports, letters, schedule, memoranda, and report pertaining to the closure, reactivation, and reclosure of the Army & Navy General Hospital, 1955-1959.
  5. Newsletters of the Army & Navy Polio Veteran Association, 1965-1968.
  6. Newsletters of the Army & Navy Polio Veteran Association, 1969-1978.
  7. Menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at Army & Navy General Hospital, 1931-1958 (incomplete).
  8. Programs, invitations, greeting cards, 1951-1959.
  9. Telephone directories of the Army & Navy General Hospital, 1946-1953.
Box 73
  1. Telephone directories of the Army & Navy General Hospital, 1954-1959.
  2. Press releases, Jan - May 1951. NOTE: There are photographs in this and the following folders of press releases. The photographs were not removed to Group IV, Pictures, but have been numbered in sequence as though they had been removed. Photographs 3462-3474.
  3. Press releases, June - Dec 1951. Photographs 3475-3494.
  4. Press releases, Jan - Apr 1952. Photographs 3495-3501.
  5. Press releases, May - June 1952. Photographs 3502-3516.
  6. Press releases, July - Dec 1952. Photographs 3517-3532.
  7. Press release, 1956; "Informational Services Administrative File," 1956 (releases and schedules).
  8. "Informational Services Administrative File," 1957. Photographs 3533-3547.
  9. "Informational Services Publications Files" (clippings), 1956.
Box 74. Clippings pertaining to Army & Navy General Hospital.
  1. From "Informational Services Publications Files," 1957.
  2. From "Informational Services Publications Files," 1958.
  3. 1882-1942.
  4. 1943-1947.
  5. 1948-1957.
  6. 1953 (pertaining to threatened closing of hospital).
Box 75. Clippings pertaining to Army & Navy General Hospital.
  1. 1954-1955 (pertaining to threatened closing of hospital).
  2. 1955-1960, n.d.
  3. 1957-1959 (pertaining to final closing of hospital).
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Series 17. Francis J. Scully collection, ca. 1920s-1960s. Boxes 76-87.

Primarily mounted newspaper clippings and some typed research notes collected and created by Dr. Francis J. Scully, a Hot Springs physician and historian. Scully, a North Dakota native, moved to Hot Springs in 1920 and became a prolific writer and collector of Hot Springs memorabilia. His articles ranged over such diverse topics as Masonry, medical research, and history, and he was best known for his book Hot Springs and Hot Springs National Park (Little Rock: Pioneer Press, 1966). The materials in this series were compiled by Scully but acquired by Mary Hudgins after his death. She freely removed materials to insert into her own research files (Group II, Series 8) and left the remaining materials under Scully's original file headings, but in considerable disarray. This arrangment is alphabetical based on those same file headings. The last box in this series contains a bound volume of typed legal document transcripts dealing with Albert Pike.
Box 76
  1. Biography A-E.
  2. Biography A-E.
  3. Biography F-J.
  4. Boxing, Baseball.
  5. Boy Scouts.
  6. Boy Scouts.
  7. Celebrations.
  8. Celebrations.
Box 77
  1. Celebrities.
  2. Charities.
  3. Charities.
  4. Chamber of Commerce, 1897-1942.
  5. Chamber of Commerce, 1940-1959.
  6. Junior Chamber of Commerce.
  7. Churches--Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian.
  8. Churches--Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian.
Box 78
  1. Churches--Catholic.
  2. Churches--Colored.
  3. Churches--Colored.
  4. Churches--General.
  5. Churches--General.
  6. Churches--Jewish, Lutheran, Greek.
  7. Churches--Jewish, Lutheran, Greek.
  8. Churches--Methodist.
  9. Churches--Methodist.
  10. Churches--Nazarine, Church of God.
  11. Churches--Unitarian, Jehovah's Witness, Bahai, Mormon, 7th Day Adventist, Unity.
  12. Churches--Unitarian, Jehovah's Witness, Bahai, Mormon, 7th Day Adventist, Unity.
Box 79
  1. Elks.
  2. Fine Arts.
  3. Garden Club.
  4. Garden Club.
  5. Garland County.
  6. Garland County.
  7. Garland County.
  8. Hospitals.
Box 80
  1. Holidays and celebrations.
  2. Holidays and celebrations.
  3. Holidays and celebrations.
  4. Hot Springs history.
  5. Hot Springs history.
  6. Hot Springs history.
  7. Hot Springs history.
Box 81
  1. Hotels.
  2. Hotels.
  3. Hotels.
  4. Hotels.
  5. Lakes and dams.
  6. Lakes and dams.
  7. Lakes and dams.
  8. Motels.
  9. Motels.
Box 82
  1. Municipal council.
  2. Municipal council.
  3. Municipal council.
  4. Municipal council.
  5. Municipal council.
  6. Municipal council.
  7. Municipal council.
  8. Music.
  9. Music.
Box 83
  1. Nightclubs.
  2. Nightclubs.
  3. Nightclubs.
  4. Nightclubs.
  5. Organizations.
  6. Organizations.
  7. Organizations--Fraternal.
  8. Organizations--Fraternal.
Box 84
  1. Organizations--Historical.
  2. Organizations--Kiwanis.
  3. Patriotic clubs.
  4. Racing.
  5. Racing.
  6. Racing.
  7. Racing.
  8. Racing.
Box 85
  1. Railroads.
  2. Railroads.
  3. Recreation.
  4. Recreation.
  5. Recreation.
  6. Recreation.
  7. Recreation.
  8. Rehabilitation center.
  9. Rehabilitation center.
  10. Rehabilitation center.
Box 86
  1. Restaurants.
  2. Service clubs.
  3. Service clubs.
  4. Service clubs.
  5. Veterans.
  6. Veterans.
  7. Veterans.
  8. Women's clubs.
Box 87
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    Series 18. Hot Springs I.O.O.F. records, 1903-1926. Box 88, Folders 1-2.

    Minutes, letters, and miscellaneous documents created by Lodge Number 67 of the International Order of Odd Fellows at Hot Springs and other lodges in Arkansas. The minutes cover meetings from 1903-1905. The other documents include undated letters dealing with the I.O.O.F. Widows' and Orphans' home at Hot Springs.
    Box 88
  1. I.O.O.F. minute book.
  2. I.O.O.F. documents.
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    Series 19. United Daughters of the Confederacy records, 1922. Box 88, Folder 3.

    Originally filed under the title "Gaither Controversy" by Mary Hudgins, these papers deal with an argument between Zella H. Gaither and officers of the Arkansas United Daughters of the Confederacy over her publication of a history of the Confederate Home that UDC members found offensive.
    Box 88 (cont.)
  3. U.D.C. records.
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    Series 20. Garland County Association Arkansas Pioneers records, 1951-1955. Box 88, Folder 4.

    Roster of members kept by Edna Bailey Huff listing their date of admission and ancestor's name.
    Box 88 (cont.)
  4. Arkansas Pioneers roster.
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Series 21. Roy Whipple scrapbook, 1945-1957. Hudgins Oversize Box 8.

Mounted and loose memorabilia collected by Roy Whipple, a Chicago travel film maker who retired in Hot Springs.
Hudgins Oversize Box 8
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Series 22. Octavia Huff scrapbook, 1892-1954. Hudgins Oversize Box 8.

Mounted and loose memorabilia collected by Octavia Huff, wife of C. Floyd Huff (1870-1933), a prominent lawyer, judge, and sportsman of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Hudgins Oversize Box 8
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Series 23. Miscellaneous manuscript materials, 1841-1957. Box 89.

Letters, financial papers, legal documents, certificates, diary, and scrapbooks created by a diverse array of identified and unidentified people which were collected by Mary Hudgins in her capacity of a writer and operator of the "Off Beat Shoppe," an antique store in Hot Springs. The materials have been grouped into subseries based on document type.

    Subseries 1. Letters, 1841-1926.

    Typed transcriptions, typed photocopies, and original letters from various individuals pertaining to Arkansas history. Writers include William Kendall, Bias Wells, Elsie Lake, and Alta Smith. Places from which the letters were written include Hot Springs and Phillips County, Arkansas.
    Box 89
  1. Letters.

    Subseries 2. Legal documents, 1862-1921.

    Photocopied and orginal tax reciepts, oaths, deeds, estate lists, patents, and a 1922 proclamation by Arkansas Governor Thomas C. McRae. People mentioned include: John Williams, William and Susan McClendon, R.E. Sesson, James R. Box, Hugh Calhoun, Aaron M Beam, John L. Donnelly, Emma Murphy, and Robert A. Jamison. Places mentioned include Hot Springs, Little Rock, and Bear, Arkansas.
    Box 89 (cont.)
  2. Legal documents.

    Subseries 3. Financial and business papers, 1875-1918.

    Promissory notes, receipts, stock certificates, check stubs, and an unidentified hotel register book. Most of the materials pertain to Hot Springs citizens and business enterprises.
    Box 89 (cont.)
  3. Financial papers.
  4. Check stubs, 1909-1910.
  5. Hotel register, 1909-1910.

    Subseries 4. Diary, 1881.

    An anonomous travel diary partially documenting a trip from Europe to the United States by the writer on board the S.S. Germanic in June, 1881.
    Box 89 (cont.)
  6. Diary.

    Subseries 5. Scrapbooks and scrapbook material, 1891- 1943.

    Scrapbooks, World War ration coupon books, and miscellaneous memorabilia. The scrapbook in folder 8 was apparently begun by Minnie Millard, a Hot Springs student of the Monticello Seminary of Godfrey, Illinois, in 1891, but additional materials and indexes probably created by Mary Hudgins are also included. Two additional scrapbooks of uncertain provenance have been removed to Hudgins Oversize Box 9.
    Box 89 (cont.)
  7. Ration coupons and miscellaneous.
  8. Millard scrapbook.
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