Clara Bradley Burdette Letters to Roy B. Wheeler: Finding Aid
mssCBB
Gayle M. Richardson
The Huntington Library
May 2023
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Clara Bradley Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
Creator:
Burdette, Clara Bradley, 1855-1954
Identifier/Call Number: mssCBB
Physical Description:
3.08 Linear Feet
(7 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1880-1923
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.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
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.
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.
Scope and Contents
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.
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.
Related Materials
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Women -- Societies and clubs -- California -- Los Angeles
Women civic leaders -- California -- Los Angeles
World War, 1914-1918
China -- Description and travel
Hawaii -- Description and travel
Japan -- Description and travel
Mexico -- Description and
travel
Pasadena (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Business papers
Ephemera
Letters (correspondence)
Telegrams
Burdette, Robert J. (Robert Jones), 1844-1914
Hoover, Herbert,
1874-1964
Wheeler, Roy Bradley, 1882-1923
Box 1, Folder 1
Clara B. Burdette "Missions -- Cui Bono?" notes for a talk
1880 September 26
Box 1, Folder 2
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1895 January-May
Box 1, Folder 3
Clara B. Burdette letters and postcard to Roy B. Wheeler
1895 August-December
Box 1, Folder 4
Norman Bridge letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1895-1897
Box 1, Folder 5
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1896 January-April
Box 1, Folder 6
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1896 September-December
Box 1, Folder 7
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1897 January-April
Box 1, Folder 8
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1897 May-November
Box 1, Folder 9
Robert J. Burdette, 1844-1914, letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1897-1899 December-May
Box 1, Folder 10
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1898 January-September
Box 1, Folder 11
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1899 January-September
Scope and Contents
Includes letters from Robert J. Burdette written on the verso of Clara's letters.
Box 2, Folder 1
Robert J. Burdette, 1844-1914, letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1900-1901
Box 2, Folder 2
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1900
Box 2, Folder 3
William Thomas Reid, Belmont School, letter to Clara B. Burdette
1901 September 19
Box 2, Folder 4
Clara B. Burdette letters and clippings to Roy B. Wheeler
1901 September-November
Box 2, Folder 5
Robert J. Burdette, 1877-1952, letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1901-1911
Box 2, Folder 6
Clara B. Burdette letters and clippings to Roy B. Wheeler
1902 January-November
Box 2, Folder 7
Robert J. Burdette, 1844-1914, letters and printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1902-1903
Box 2, Folder 8
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1903 January-December
Box 2, Folder 9
J. H. Stewart letter to Clara B. Burdette
1903 May 22
Box 2, Folder 10
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1904 January-April
Box 2, Folder 11
Robert J. Burdette, 1844-1914, letters, clippings, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1904 February-December
Box 2, Folder 12
Clara B. Burdette letters, clipping and bill to Roy B. Wheeler
1904 June-November
Box 3, Folder 1
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1905 January-June
Box 3, Folder 2
Robert J. Burdette, 1844-1914, letter to Clara B. Burdette
1905 April 29
Box 3, Folder 3
James Horseburgh, Southern Pacific Company, letter to Clara B.
Burdette
1906 June 20
Box 3, Folder 4
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1906
Box 3, Folder 5
Robert J. Burdette, 1844-1914, letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1906-1911
Box 3, Folder 6
Lucy M. Clark letters and postcard to Roy B. Wheeler
1908-1911
Box 3, Folder 7
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1909 April
Box 3, Folder 8
Leola Maye Harvey-Elder letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1909 June 15
Box 3, Folder 9
Grace Tower Warren letter to Clara B. Burdette and Robert J. Burdette,
1844-1914
1909 December 9
Box 3, Folder 10
Robert D. Skelley letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1909-1910
Box 3, Folder 11
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 January-March 1
Scope and Contents
Letters written during her 1910 trip to Hawaii, Japan, and China.
Box 3, Folder 12
Clara B. Burdette letter to Edward B. Towne
1910 February 3
Box 3, Folder 13
Lucy Sherman Clark letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 February 10
Box 3, Folder 14
Lilla M. Woodward letter to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1910 February 20
Box 3, Folder 15
T. Nagafuchi letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 February-March
Box 3, Folder 16
Clara B. Burdette letters and postcards to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 March 2-April 11
Box 3, Folder 17
Churchill Harvey-Elder letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 March 15
Box 3, Folder 18
Louise S. Macneil letter and card to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1910 March 28
Box 3, Folder 19
Edward B. Towne letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 March-July
Box 3, Folder 20
Grace H. Martin letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 April 11
Box 3, Folder 21
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 April 14-June
Box 3, Folder 22
Martha Wilson letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 April-May
Box 3, Folder 23
Sue S. Cherington letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 May 1
Box 3, Folder 24
Anna E. de Clercq letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1910 June 22
Box 3, Folder 25
Lillian Adams letter to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1910 December 28
Box 3, Folder 26
Mary Clark letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1910
Box 3, Folder 27
Katherine Clark letter to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1910
Box 4, Folder 1
Clara B. Burdette letters and postcard to Roy B. Wheeler
1911 April-July
Box 4, Folder 2
Felicia J. Burdette letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1911 September 10
Box 4, Folder 3
Hazeltine Sherman letters and cards to Roy B. Wheeler
1911
Box 4, Folder 4
Clara B. Burdette letters and printed material to Helen A. Wheeler
1911-1920
Box 4, Folder 5
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1912
Box 4, Folder 6
Robert J. Burdette, 1844-1914, letter to unidentified recipient
approximately 1912
Scope and Contents
Letter addressed to his grandmother.
Box 4, Folder 7
Clara B. Burdette letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1913 November 24
Box 4, Folder 8
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1914 January-September
Box 4, Folder 9
Clara B. Burdette letters and clippings to Roy B. Wheeler
1915
Box 4, Folder 10
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1916 January-December
Box 4, Folder 11
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
1917 January-November
Box 4, Folder 12
Jim [-----] letter to Clara B. Burdette
1917 April 19
Box 4, Folder 13
Emil W. Kohn, Jeweler, letter to Clara B. Burdette
1917 September 4
Box 4, Folder 14
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1917
Box 5, Folder 1
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams and clippings to Roy B.
Wheeler
1918 January-May
Box 5, Folder 2
H. Douglas letter to Clara B. Burdette
1918 March 9
Box 5, Folder 3
Leadora W. Dalzell, Glendora foot-hills School, letter to Clara B. Burdette;
also letter from A. W. Morrill and printed material
1918 April 20
Box 5, Folder 4
David Parker Bryon letter to Clara B. Burdette
1918 April 23
Box 5, Folder 5
John Doyle letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1918 April 30
Box 5, Folder 6
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, and clippings to Roy B.
Wheeler
1918 June-December
Box 5, Folder 7
Clara B. Burdette telegram to Anna Larson
1918 October 15
Box 5, Folder 8
Helen A. Wheeler letter, telegram, and clippings to Roy B. Wheeler
1918-1922
Box 5, Folder 9
Clara B. Burdette letters, postcard, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1919 April-May
Box 5, Folder 10
Minnie E. Peate letter to Clara B. Burdette
1919 May 31
Box 5, Folder 11
Clara B. Burdette letters, card, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1919 June-November
Box 5, Folder 12
Eda S. Dessau, Southwest Museum, letter to Clara B. Burdette
1919 July 25
Box 5, Folder 13
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1920 January-March
Box 5, Folder 14
William Durbin, Navy Young Men's Christian Association, Shanghai, letter to
Clara B. Burdette
1920 March 2
Scope and Contents
With Summary of Activities.
Box 5, Folder 15
Robin Burdette letter to Clara B. Burdette
1920 March 12
Box 6, Folder 1
Clara B. Burdette letters and printed material to Roy B. Wheeler
1920 April-May
Box 6, Folder 2
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, postcards, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1920 June-July
Box 6, Folder 3
Wright-Callender-Andrews Co., letter to Clara B. Burdette
1920 July 7
Scope and Contents
Signature illegible.
Box 6, Folder 4
Margaret [-----] letter to Clara B. Burdette
1920 July 20
Box 6, Folder 5
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, postcards, and printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1920 August
Box 6, Folder 6
Egerton Shore, "Wallace-for-Senator," letter to Clara B. Burdette
1920 August 12
Box 6, Folder 7
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1920 September
Box 6, Folder 8
Mr. Nutting telegram to Roy B. Wheeler
1920 September 23
Box 6, Folder 9
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1920 October-November
Box 6, Folder 10
Clara B. Burdette letters to Roy B. Wheeler
approximately 1920
Box 6, Folder 11
Clara B. Burdette letters, postcards, telegrams to Roy B. Wheeler
1921 January-April
Box 6, Folder 12
Ada [-----] letter to Roy B. Wheeler
1921 January 13
Box 6, Folder 13
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, postcards, clippings to Roy B.
Wheeler
1921 May-June
Box 7, Folder 1
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1921 July-August
Box 7, Folder 2
W. Dwight Hammond, Auctioneer, letter to Clara B. Burdette
1921 August 10
Box 7, Folder 3
J. G. Warren, Auditorium Company, letter to Clara B. Burdette
1921 August 15
Box 7, Folder 4
Sue S. Cherington letter to Clara B. Burdette
1921 August
Box 7, Folder 5
Clara B. Burdette letters and telegrams to Roy B. Wheeler
1921 September-October
Box 7, Folder 6
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, clippings to Roy B. Wheeler
1921 November-December
Box 7, Folder 7
T. Y. B. card to Clara B. Burdette
1921 November 10
Box 7, Folder 8
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1922 January-May
Box 7, Folder 9
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, clippings to Roy B. Wheeler
1922 June-July
Box 7, Folder 10
Roy B. Wheeler telegrams to Clara B. Burdette
1922 June-October
Box 7, Folder 11
Clara B. Burdette letters and telegrams to Roy B. Wheeler
1922 September
Box 7, Folder 12
Clara B. Burdette letters, telegrams, printed material to Roy B.
Wheeler
1922 October-November
Box 7, Folder 13
Clara B. Burdette letters and telegrams to Roy B. Wheeler
1923 January-June
Box 7, Folder 14
Unidentified author letter to Roy B. Wheeler
undated
Scope and Contents
Letter signed: "Grandma."
Box 7, Folder 15
Marion McGilray Salisbury letter and card to Roy B. Wheeler
undated
Box 7, Folder 16
Marion Macneil Smith letters to Roy B. Wheeler
undated
Box 7, Folder 17
Eva [-----] letter to Roy B. Wheeler
undated
Box 7, Folder 18
Hank [-----] letter to Roy B. Wheeler
undated
Box 7, Folder 19
Ephemera: empty, postmarked envelopes; printed material; business
papers
1901-1921
