An Inventory of the May Virginia Bassett Little Album Collection, 1955-1994
General International Standard for Archival Description
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.
Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Friends Historical Library, April 2011
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
May Virginia Bassett Little Album Collection
Creation of May Virginia Bassett Little Album Collection
Time of Creation of May Virginia Bassett Little Album Collection
May Virginia Bassett Little
Biographical History for: May Virginia Bassett Little Album Collection
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE May Virginia Bassett Little was born March 10, 1913, and died Sept. 4, 1994. She was the daughter of Dr. Arthur E. Bassett (1886-1951), a dentist and prominent Swarthmore, Pa., resident, and Vernon Rose (Waddell) Bassett (1887-1955). Arthur E. Bassett was the son of Franklin Lippincott Bassett (1855-1929) and Anna Elgar (Hallowell) Bassett, Philadelphia Quakers. Franklin Bassett graduated from Swarthmore College in 1876 and practiced dentistry in Philadelphia. The family transferred their membership from Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (Hicksite) to Swarthmore Monthly Meeting in 1895 and lived on 513 Walnut Lane. In 1914, the family removed to Salem Monthly Meeting. Anna returned to Swarthmore Monthly Meeting in 1949 and died in the Hickman Home in West Chester. Vernon Rose Waddell (1889-1955) was the daughter of James A. Waddell and May Virginia Rose. Her mother died in childbirth in 1895, and Vernon first lived with her mother's parents and sister at 422 Harvard Avenue, Swarthmore, and subsequently with her mother's other sister, Vernon (Rose) Geddes who lived across the street at 417 Harvard. Vernon and her husband, Frank H. Geddes raised her namesake as their own daughter. Their son, F. Bramwell Geddes, married Vernon Waddell Bassett's cousin, Alice Worth. Vernon Waddell attended Swarthmore College in the Class of 1912, and married Arthur Bassett in 1910. Alice Worth Geddess graduated in the Class of 1908, and her husband, F. Bramwell Geddess, was in the Class of 1905. While Arthur Bassett remained a member of the Society of Friends until his death in 1951, Vernon, who had been raised a Baptist, became a member of the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church. Vernon and Arthur Bassett moved to 307 N. Chester Road in 1916, where they lived the remainder of their lives. The extended Swarthmore family also included Vernon's uncle, Herbert T. Bassett, and his wife Mary Ramsay Bassett (Swarthmore Class of 1912) who lived in the Ramsay family home on North Chester Road. Virginia's sister, Barbara, married David West Cochrane. He was the long-time clerk of the Swarthmore Camera Shop. Virginia Bassett married Ralph V. Little, Jr. (1909-2001) in 1937. An electrical engineer, he was the son of Ralph V. Little and Helen Druary Little who also lived in Swarthmore and were members of the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church. Ralph graduated from Penn State University in 1933 and worked for RCA in Camden. Virginia and Ralph lived in Swarthmore for fifteen years. They moved to Ohio in 1957. In 1974, they moved to Central Pennsylvania, and in 1985, to a retirement home in Blue Bell, Pa.
SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS: In the 1980s, May Virginia Bassett Little (1913-1994) created a series of family scrapbooks accompanied by short memoirs and excerpts from her diaries. Her father was a birthright Quaker, and the family had deep roots in Swarthmore College and the Borough of Swarthmore. Her husband, Ralph V. Little, Jr., (1909-2001), an electrical engineer, also was raised in Swarthmore. The collection provides insight into growing up and living in Swarthmore, Pa., in the first half of the 20th century.
Civic improvement
Women -- Societies and clubs -- Pennsylvania
Women in public life
Little, May Virginia Bassett, 1913-1994
Woman's Club of Swarthmore
series
Ser. 1. Memoirs and Miscellaneous
Autobiography of May Virginia Bassett
Creation of Autobiography of May Virginia Bassett
Time of Creation of Autobiography of May Virginia Bassett
Virginia's memoirs, from childhood to engagement, 1913-1936, with additions exerpted from her diaries
Extracts from Virginia's diary
Creation of Extracts from Virginia's diary
Time of Creation of Extracts from Virginia's diary
Compiled for her grandson, Derek Little. Life in Swarthmore, then trip to Germany in 1929.
Fine Arts, Temple University
Creation of Fine Arts, Temple University
Time of Creation of Fine Arts, Temple University
Camp Counselor
Typed copies of letters, 1933-1936, she wrote to her parents
Wedding
Creation of Wedding
Time of Creation of Wedding
Swarthmore Presbyterian Church
"Living with your parents"
Creation of "Living with your parents"
Time of Creation of "Living with your parents"
In the early 1990s, Virginia excerpted her diaries1938-1940, to give her children her memories and perspectives of their childhood. Donald was born in Swarthmore. After a series of temporary moves, the family settled on Haverford Place in Swarthmore
Raising family in Swarthmore
Creation of Raising family in Swarthmore
Time of Creation of Raising family in Swarthmore
Covering the period from 1943-44
Covering the period from 1945-47. Becomes more involved with puppetry
"Life with Your Parents"
Creation of "Life with Your Parents"
Time of Creation of "Life with Your Parents"
Summary of family activities for year 1951 and excerpts from diaries. Virginia began her puppet shows
Diary entries of home life in Swarthmore
Creation of Diary entries of home life in Swarthmore
Time of Creation of Diary entries of home life in Swarthmore
Activities in Swarthmore, 1952
Activities in Swarthmore, 1953. Final diary excerpted in July 1994.
Family letter
Creation of Family letter
Time of Creation of Family letter
Mimeographed letter to family with details of their life in Shaker Heights in 1958
Autobiography and update
In a brief autobiography, Virginia relates that she has compiled a scrapbook with photographs of her grandparents and made albums for each of her children
Correspondence with parents
Typed copies of letters 1946-1955 from Virginia to her parents and a letter from her mother
Letters to son Donald
Typed copies of letters, 1955-1956
Puppetry
Creation of Puppetry
Time of Creation of Puppetry
In 1955, Virginia took a puppetry course in Folktale Puppet Studio Vermont. Virginia became interested in puppets when her children were small
Shaker Heights Church activities
Creation of Shaker Heights Church activities
Time of Creation of Shaker Heights Church activities
Stories, from Locust Lane Pa.
Original Doll Artists Council of America, letter to members
Creation of Original Doll Artists Council of America, letter to members
Time of Creation of Original Doll Artists Council of America, letter to members
Virginia became president of the organization in 1982. Mimeographed copy.
"A Happy Week-end with Polly and Don Little"
Creation of "A Happy Week-end with Polly and Don Little"
Time of Creation of "A Happy Week-end with Polly and Don Little"
Account of a pleasant weekend spent with family and a thank-you note. A second copy included, with cover letter from sister-in-law Margy (2001)
Virginia Little obituary
Creation of Virginia Little obituary
Time of Creation of Virginia Little obituary
Also Christmas letter from her sister-in-law that mentions the death
Waddell plantation, Florida
Creation of Waddell plantation, Florida
Time of Creation of Waddell plantation, Florida
Clippings, etc., on land developed by members of the Waddell family. Vernon Bassett inherited a share in 1934
Miscellaneous loose correspondence
Creation of Miscellaneous loose correspondence
Time of Creation of Miscellaneous loose correspondence
Donald T. Little
Ser.2 Scrapbooks
All photocopies
Family album, Part I
Creation of Family album, Part I
Time of Creation of Family album, Part I
"Dedicated to my Family." Genealogical information and photographs of family members, beginning with her grandparents to 1941
Family album, Part II
Creation of Family album, Part II
Time of Creation of Family album, Part II
"Dedicated to my Family." Photo album with labels covers the years 1942-1968
Photograph album covering life of son Donald, 1939-1949
Vernon Rose Waddell
Includes photographs collected by Virginia's mother, Vernon. Includes Swarthmore homes and Swarthmore College. Donald T. Little compiled additional biographical material which is included in Vol. 2.
Virginia's childhood-engagement
Creation of Virginia's childhood-engagement
Time of Creation of Virginia's childhood-engagement
Album to accompany the Autobiography of May Virginia Bassett (Series 1)
Move from Shaker Heights, OH, to Locust Lane Farm
Creation of Move from Shaker Heights, OH, to Locust Lane Farm
Time of Creation of Move from Shaker Heights, OH, to Locust Lane Farm
Little family album
Little, Geddes family and homes in Swarthmore
Vernon Rose Waddell album
Creation of Vernon Rose Waddell album
Time of Creation of Vernon Rose Waddell album
Early memories, diary of a trip to Canada in 1904
Life of Dr. Arthur Edward Bassett
Virginia's father. Donald T. Little compiled additional biographical material which is included in Vol. 2. Arthur was a descendent of Benjamin Hallowell, and his father was a graduate of Swarthmore College. In 1893 the family moved to Swarthmore, first to a house on N. Chester Rd and 1893 to a new house at 513 Walnut Lane.
Frank Rose album
Note from Donor that he removed the pages in 2005 from a bound album. Photographs mounted on black paper. Frank Rose was a sister of May Vernon Rose Waddell (Virginia's mother).
Ralph Vinton Little album
Creation of Ralph Vinton Little album
Time of Creation of Ralph Vinton Little album
Contains a brief autobiorgraphy of Ralph Little who grew up at 133 Park Avenue. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he worked for RCA and was in early days of television and Theater Television.
Oregon trip scrapbooks and diaries
Creation of Oregon trip scrapbooks and diaries
Time of Creation of Oregon trip scrapbooks and diaries
Trip from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, to Wonder, Oregon, and return, taken by Vernon W. Bassett and her grandson, Donald Little, 1951. Includes two scrapbooks, two diaries of Vernon Bassett and one diary of Donald Little.