THE DOROTHY DAY - CATHOLIC WORKER COLLECTION:

THE DOROTHY DAY PAPERS

Scope and Content

Series D-1, Private Correspondence, 1929-1980 (16 cubic feet), contains personal letters received by DD and a small amount of letters sent as well (copies and, in some cases, originals donated by their recipients). Arrangement of the bulk of the correspondence is alphabetical within five "runs" (1929-1953, 1954-1959, 1960-1967, 1968-1974, 1975-1980). Extended correspondence is filed by writer in Subseries D-1.1; notable correspondents include Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Thomas C. Cornell, Catherine De Hueck Doherty (with photocopies of DD’s letters to her), Jack English, James H. Forest, Ammon Hennacy, Rev. John J. Hugo, Thomas Merton, and Gordon C. Zahn..

Series D-2, Family Correspondence, 1925-1980, n.d. (.9 cubic foot), contains considerable correspondence from Donald Day (brother), Della Spier (sister), and Tamar Hennessy (daughter). Original letters from DD to her sister and daughter, and to her common-law husband, Forster Batterham,  are included. The letters are filed alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically thereunder.

Series D-3, Manuscripts, ca. 1914-1983, n.d. (3.5 cubic feet), includes typescripts and holograph manuscripts of books and articles, related editorial correspondence, and book reviews. (Manuscripts of DD’s Catholic Worker  columns and articles are filed in Series W-3). Arrangement is by type of manuscript and chronological thereunder.

Series D-4, Appointment Calendars and Notebooks, Diaries and Journals, and Retreat Notes, 1934-1979 (3 cubic feet), contains records kept by DD for personal reference and reflection and as  source material for her CW columns, articles, and books. Arrangement is by type of record and chronological thereunder.

Series D-5, Public Activities, 1932-1982 (3.2 cubic feet), contains correspondence and printed matter pertaining to honors, speaking engagements, and other activities and concerns, such as her trip to Cuba (1962) and participation in the Farm Workers Strike (1973). The series is arranged by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Series D-6, Financial and Legal Records, 1897-1976 (.9 cubic foot), includes a photostatic copy of her birth certificate, contracts and royalty statements.

Series D-7, Publications by Dorothy Day (Excluding Books), 1916-1976 (.9 cubic foot), is arranged in chronological order.

Series D-8, Materials Pertaining to Dorothy Day and Her Family, 1897- (3 cubic feet), consists of newspaper clippings, articles and unpublished essays, and topical files, arranged chronologically within these categories. Articles and press clippings concerning honors, speaking engagements, and other specific activities of DD are filed in Series D-5.

Series D-9, Dorothy Day Memorabilia, 1936, n.d. (1.6 cubic feet), consists of typical clothing, the straw hat worn at the time of her last arrest in support of the striking farm workers in 1973, and a runner handloomed by DD.