Clara Bradley Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler, 1880-1923

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Summary

Creators:
Burdette, Clara Bradley, 1855-1954
Abstract:
A collection of letters from Clara Bradley Burdette to her son Roy B. Wheeler; Clara Bradley Burdette was a Southern California writer, and social, business, and philanthropic leader.
Extent:
3.08 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Clara Bradley Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of letters, telegrams, postcards, printed material, and clippings. The main part of the collection consists of letters from Clara Bradley Burdette to her son Roy B. Wheeler from the time he went away to boarding school in 1895 until his early death in 1923. After Roy's marriage in 1911, many of the letters are addressed to "Dear Children" and those that are addressed to him are often business-related as he oversaw much of Clara's business affairs while she traveled. The collection also contains letters from Robert Jones Burdette to Roy from 1898 until Burdette's death in 1914; and a small number of letters from friends and business associates addressed to Clara B. Burdette as well as Roy B. Wheeler. There is one manuscript, notes for a talk given by Clara B. Burdette, "Missions -- Cui Bono?" (1880). Clara traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico for business and pleasure and many of the letters are written during these travels; the letters describe her work, the meetings she attended, and the people she met, as well as describing the locations she visited. In 1910, she traveled with her husband to the Territory of Hawaii, Japan, and China; the journey lasted four months and she wrote long, detailed letters of her impressions of the places they visited.

Biographical / historical:

Clara Bradley Burdette (1855-1954) was born in East Bloomfield, New York, the daughter of Albert H. Bradley and Laura Colville Bradley; she attended Syracuse University, where she was one of the founding members of Alpha Phi Sorority and graduated in 1876. She first married Nathaniel Millman Wheeler, a professor of Greek literature in 1878, and they had one son, Roy Bradley Wheeler (1882-1923); they moved to California for Professor Wheeler's health, where he died in 1886. Burdette remained in Southern California and in 1890 married Colonel Presley C. Baker; he died in 1893. She married Robert Jones Burdette (1844-1914) in 1899, who was a humorist, writer, and lecturer; soon after their marriage, he was ordained as a Baptist minister, and they were founding members of Trinity Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Clara Burdette became a leader of women's societies and was founder and first president of the California Federation of Women's Clubs in 1900. She was active in Republican politics, and a strong supporter of Herbert Hoover. Burdette was a trustee of Syracuse University, Mills College, and a major backer of the Pasadena Maternity Hospital, and the Southwest Museum. She was also a supporter of women's suffrage and was an organizer of the National League of Women Voters. Clara Burdette's son, Roy Bradley Wheeler, attended Belmont School in California, and Harvard University; he married Helen A. Wheeler (1888-1970) in 1911 and they had several children before his death in 1923. Clara Burdette died in Los Angeles, aged 98, on January 6, 1954.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mark and Cathy Weber, October 2015.
Custodial history:

Cathy Weber acquired this material when she volunteered at a charity thrift shop in Pasadena, California. An unknown individual donated the material to the thrift shop, which later planned to discard it. Cathy Weber took possession of the material and kept it in South Pasadena until October 2015, when she and Mark Weber sold their house at which point, they donated it to The Huntington Library.

Processing information:

Processed by Gayle M. Richardson in May 2023. Some letters, telegrams, and clippings are very brittle and damaged and have been placed in mylar. The letters written between 1899 and 1914 often contain sections written by both Clara Burdette and Robert J. Burdette; this was not noted on the folders. Many of the letters include postmarked envelopes which helped to date the large number of undated letters. The Burdette family was in the habit of including clippings, brochures, church bulletins, and other printed material in their letters, this printed material has been retained with the original letter when possible.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Clara Bradley Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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