The Elsa S. McGinn papers consist of materials pertaining to her activity as a public figure in San Mateo County, as well as her personal life. The collection is divided into four series: Business Papers, Civic and Municipal Papers, Correspondence, and Personal Papers.

Elsa McGinn was born Elsa Waller Searing on May 4, 1880 in Sherwood, New York. Her father, Edward Whelan Searing, was an attorney who served on the New York State Assembly and her mother, Laura Redden Searing, was an accomplished journalist and poet who wrote under the name Howard Glyndon.

2 cartons, 5 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder 4 linear feet

Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .

Collection is open for research.