DACS

urn:taro:smu.00007 Alvah Milton Kerr family papers A Guide to the Collection Finding aid prepared by Amanda Coleman, 2005 DeGolyer Library

P. O. Box 750396 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275-0396

Finding aid encoded by Lara Corazalla 2005 Finding aid written inEnglish. Description based on DACS Overview DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University Kerr, Alvah Milton, 1858-1924 Alvah Milton Kerr family papers 1864-1964 9 boxes (4.5 linear feet) Alvah Milton Kerr was an author of popular adventure stories in the late 1890s and early 1900s. His pulp writings were published in newspapers and magazines, and some were eventually bought for screenplays. Alvah Milton Kerr and his family were extremely involved in the theosophy movement in the United States. The Alvah Milton Kerr family papers consist of Alvah Milton Kerr, Hallie Kerr and Walter Sinclair’s stories, Alvah Milton Kerr and Hallie Kerr’s notes, and business and personal correspondence covering the years between 1900 and 1962. This collection illustrates the career of a popular writer and his family, many of whom were also writers, during the early to mid 1900s. It also shows the progress and inner workings of the theosophy movement both in America and abroad, as Hallie Kerr, Enid Sinclair, and Lois Schedler all corresponded with prominent figures in the movement who traveled to spread their beliefs. A2004.0003 Material is in English Biographical Note

Alvah Milton Kerr was an author of adventure stories in the 1890s and early 1900s. His works were published in magazines throughout the early 1900s and were quite popular. A few of Alvah Milton Kerr’s most famous stories were, A Mormon Wife, Ban Ootah’s Way, and Disarming at Broad Gap. His novel An Honest Lawyer also brought him fame in the 1890s. Shortly before his death in 1924 he wrote the Truth is Greater than Fiction series, a group of stories based on fact that was published in various newspapers throughout the United States. Additionally, Kerr and his family were very involved in the theosophy movement in the United States. Their influence continued into the 1960s.

Alvah Milton Kerr was best known by Milton. He was married twice, and had a daughter named Enid Kerr with his first wife, Florence. Enid married Ernest Ohrenstein and shortened the name to Orren for herself. She and Ernest had a child named Ernest Milton Ohrenstein, who they called Milton after his grandfather Kerr. Enid divorced Ohrenstein and later married Walter Sinclair, with whom she had two children, Elaine and Lois Sinclair. In the meantime, Alvah Milton married Harriet Sinclair, nicknamed Hallie, who was Walter’s older sister. Alvah Milton Kerr died in 1924. Elaine Sinclair married Myron Firth and eventually adopted Donald and Lois Ann, named for her sister. Lois Sinclair married Clayton Schedler and had a son named Clayton, or Clay, who died before he reached adulthood.

Hallie Sinclair Kerr and Enid Orren Sinclair helped to found theosophy lodges throughout California, the Midwest, and the Northeast. The family maintained correspondence with missionaries of theosophy who went to India, France, and England to spread their faith. Many of the family’s letters and notes show how they applied their faith as theosophists to their everyday life. The application of faith is especially evident in Lois’s letters, as she uses theosophy to console herself after the death of her young son Clay.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The papers of Alvah Milton Kerr consist of several of Alvah Milton Kerr, Hallie Kerr and Walter Sinclair’s stories, Alvah Milton Kerr and Hallie Kerr’s notes, and business and personal correspondence covering the years between 1900 and 1962. It includes notes Alvah Milton and his wife Harriet took over fictional, historical, and theosophical literature.

The short stories include edited drafts, publications, and a few business letters and notes that illustrate the changes movies brought to the business of entertainment literature. The notes are excerpts from books Alvah Milton and Hallie found inspirational or helpful and personal thoughts and musings.

Much of the personal correspondence is between Alvah Milton Kerr’s daughter Enid and Walter Sinclair, who wrote love letters to each other almost daily between September 1904 and August 1905, when they were married. Additionally, a large amount of the correspondence is between Lois Schedler and her parents Walter and Enid, to whom she wrote at least once a week for nearly forty years (1920-1960). These letters show the progress of the theosophy movement, as well as the roles of this family and their friends in the movement. As many of these years were marked by loss and struggle, the application of the theosophic faith is particularly evident.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is organized into four series:

Series I: Short Stories Series II: Notes Series III: Business Correspondence Series IV: Personal Correspondence, 1900-1964 Access to Collection:

Collection is open for research use.

Publication Rights:

Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the DeGolyer Library.

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following terms in the Southern Methodist University Libraries' online catalog. Researchers desiring related materials may search the catalog using these terms.

Kerr, Hallie Sinclair. Sinclair, Walter. Sinclair, Enid Orren. Schedler, Lois Sinclair. Theosophists--United States--Correspondence. Authors, American--20th century--Correspondence. Adventure stories, American. Theosophy. Preferred Citation

Alvah Milton Kerr family papers, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Acquisition Information

Gift.

Processing Information

The Alvah Milton Kerr family papers were received in no discernable order. During their processing, the collection was divided into separate files for personal correspondence, business papers, notes, and stories. Folded documents were flattened, and the papers were arranged chronologically by topic, placed in acid-free folders, and stored in acid-free boxes.

Processed by

Amanda Coleman, 2005

Encoded by

Lara Corazalla, 2005

Detailed Description of the Collection Series I: Short Stories 3 boxes

This series contains both edited and published drafts of stories by Alvah Milton Kerr. It also contains one published story by Walter Sinclair, and several works by Hallie Sinclair, some of which were published. The stories by each author are arranged separately, as close to chronological publication order as possible. However, many of the stories by both Hallie and Alvah Milton do not have any apparent publication date, and are located in the back of each author’s works.

1Alvah M. Kerr’s stories published between 1900 and 1921 11Little Hallelujah’s Convert by Alvah Milton Kerr 12A Tramp’s Sacrifice by Alvah Milton Kerr 13Two Men of Might by Alvah Milton Kerr 14A Condemned Hero by Alvah Milton Kerr 15Dippy Hamilton’s Magic by Alvah Milton Kerr 16The Monarch’s Fall by Alvah Milton Kerr 17Hitting the Sky Grades by Alvah Milton Kerr 18Two Aspirants, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 19Two Aspirants, publication, by Alvah Milton Kerr 110The Branded Man’s Gift by Alvah Milton Kerr 111Nugget’s Stolen Church by Alvah Milton Kerr 112The Revolt of Nolan or Nolan’s Revolt, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 113The Revolt of Nolan, publication, by Alvah Milton Kerr 114The Debt by Alvah Milton Kerr 115The Recoil, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 116The Recoil, publication, by Alvah Milton Kerr 117The Holy Terror, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 118The Holy Terror, publication, by Alvah Milton Kerr 119Mouth-Organ Tim by Alvah Milton Kerr 2Alvah M. Kerr’s stories published between 1922 and 1929, Harriet S. Kerr’s poems and stories, Walter Sinclair’s story 21Disarming at Broad Gap, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 22Disarming at Broad Gap, publication, by Alvah Milton Kerr 23How I Killed a King by Alvah Milton Kerr 24Ban Ootah’s Way by Alvah Milton Kerr 25Truth Is Stranger than Fiction series by Alvah Milton Kerr 26The King’s Enemy by Alvah Milton Kerr 27A Voice in the Night by Harriet S. Kerr 28For His People by Alvah Milton Kerr 29The Crepe de China Torch by Alvah Milton Kerr 210The Song of India, 18 pages, by Harriet S. Kerr 211The Song of India, 19 pages, by Harriet S. Kerr 212The Song of India, 21 pages, by Harriet S. Kerr 213Declines to State by Harriet S. Kerr 214To My Little Winged Victory, poem, by Harriet S. Kerr 215The Great Laughter by Harriet S. Kerr 216The Prince and the Beautiful One by Harriet S. Kerr 217In Life’s First Springtime by Harriet S. Kerr 219Voices of the Past by Walter Sinclair 3Alvah M. Kerr’s stories of unknown publication date 31The Wrath of the Sea by Alvah Milton Kerr 32Whitelaw of the Arctic by Alvah Milton Kerr 33The Way of Wrath, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 34Under the Draw by Alvah Milton Kerr 35Squaring a Triangle by Alvah Milton Kerr 36The Second Mother by Alvah Milton Kerr 37The Raid Supreme by Alvah Milton Kerr 38A Mormon Wife by Alvah Milton Kerr 39The Luck of the Northern Mail by Alvah Milton Kerr 310Love and the Radio Supreme by Alvah Milton Kerr 311The Long Lake Stag by Alvah Milton Kerr 312In Front of the Stampede by Alvah Milton Kerr 313The Fool Stunt Man by Alvah Milton Kerr 314By Paths of Flame by Alvah Milton Kerr 315A Slain Woman’s Soul by Alvah Milton Kerr 316Red Buckle’s Grip, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 317The Avenger’s Strange Story by Alvah Milton Kerr 318By the Pearl Pools or The Base Pearls, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr 319Into the Open Draw, edited draft, by Alvah Milton Kerr Series II: Notes 2 boxes

This series contains one notebook used by Alvah Milton Kerr to make notes for his stories and make note of passages from literature he thought important. The majority of the series consists of Hallie Kerr’s notes. Hallie copied book excerpts extensively in notebooks and on loose leaf paper. She also kept notebooks of daily musings. Finally, there is one notebook in which Enid Sinclair kept notes of daily events in her life from 1936 to 1949. Arrangement is by author, as most of these documents are undated.

41Alvah Milton Kerr’s notebook 42Harriet S. Kerr (Hallie)’s notebooks of book excerpts 43Harriet S. Kerr’s notebooks of book excerpts 44Harriet S. Kerr’s journals 45Enid Sinclair’s personal day log 46Books, magazines, and programs belonging to the family 47Books, magazines, and programs belonging to the family 48Books, magazines, and programs belonging to the family 49Newspaper clippings related to the family 410Harriet Kerr’s sorority photo and poem 97Harriet Kerr’s notes on theosophy on loose leaf paper 98Astrological clippings and predictions 99Harriet S. Kerr’s book excerpts on loose leaf paper 910Harriet S. Kerr’s notebooks of book excerpts 911Harriet S. Kerr’s notebooks of book excerpts 912Harriet S. Kerr’s notebooks of book excerpts 913Harriet S. Kerr’s notebooks of book excerpts Series III: Business Correspondence 1 box

This series consists primarily of letters between Hallie Kerr and publishers regarding the publication of Alvah Milton’s work. It contains several story outlines, or briefs, for Alvah Milton’s stories, and two listings of the magazines in which his stories were published. Finally, there is a collection of letterhead published by the Boyce Newspaper Company that is decorated with Alvah Milton Kerr’s picture and a list of stories he wrote. This section also contains a theosophy lesson plan and a program sent to the family by their associates, with whom they were leading several theosophy lodges. Arrangement is chronological by topic.

411Theosophy lesson plans 412Harriet S. Kerr’s log of business transactions 413Alvah M. Kerr’s business letters and indexes 414Alvah M. Kerr’s letterhead 415Greeting Cards 416Calling card and other ephemera Series IV: Personal Correspondence 5 boxes

This series contains letters between a variety of people, including Alvah Milton and Hallie Kerr, Enid and Walter Sinclair, and Lois Schedler and Enid Sinclair. There is also a fairly large collection of letters to Lois, Enid, and Hallie from theosophists of varying degrees of importance. Many of these letters relate to the founding of lodges in the United States and abroad. The letters are organized based on sender and receiver and are in roughly chronological order. Within each folder letters are arranged chronologically.

51Letters from Alvah Milton and Harriet S. (Hallie) Kerr to family, 1900-1903 52Letters from Alvah Milton Kerr and Hallie to Enid and family, 1905-1910 53Letters from Alvah Milton and Hallie Kerr to Enid and family, 1911-1924 54Letters between Alvah Milton and Hallie Kerr, 1911 55Letters from Hallie Kerr to Enid and family, 1931-1962 56Letters from Enid Sinclair and family to Alvah Milton and Hallie Kerr, 1903-1925 57Letters from Enid Sinclair and family to her mother Florence and Aunt Ida 1905-1931 58Letters from Enid’s mother Florence to Enid, 1907-1912 59Correspondence between Enid and first husband Ernest Ohrenstein, 1903 510Letters from Enid’s children to Enid, 1906-1928 511Theosophy letters from B.P.W., Sophie Wadia and others, 1911-1933 512Theosophy letters from B.P.W., Sophie Wadia, Grace Clough, and others, 1947-1964 61Letters between Walter Sinclair and Enid K. Orren, later Enid Sinclair, September 1904 62Letters between Walter Sinclair and Enid, October 1904 63Letters between Walter and Enid, November 1904 64Letters between Walter and Enid, December 1904 65Letters between Walter and Enid, January through March 1905 66Letters between Walter and Enid, April 1905 71Letters between Walter Sinclair and Enid K. Orren, May 1-15, 1905 72Letters between Walter and Enid, May 16-31, 1905 73Letters between Walter and Enid, June 1-15, 1905 74Letters between Walter and Enid, June 16-31, 1905 75Letters between Walter and Enid, July 1-15, 1905 76Letters between Walter and Enid, July 16-31, 1905 77Letters between Walter Sinclair and Enid Orren-Sinclair, August 1905-1925 81Letters from Lois Schedler and family to Enid and Walter Sinclair, 1931-1935 82Letters from Lois and family to Enid and Walter, 1936-1940 83Letters from Lois and family to Enid and Walter, 1941-1944 84Letters from Lois and family to Enid and Walter, 1945-1950 85Letters from Lois and family to Enid and Walter, 1951-1962 86Letters from Walter and Enid to Lois and Clayton, largely regarding the death of their son Clay, 1951-1961 91Letters from Elaine S. Firth to Enid and Walter Sinclair, 1924-1927 92Letters from Elaine and family to Enid and Walter, 1928-1931 93Letters from Elaine and family to Enid and Walter, 1931-1933 94Letters from Milton and Julie Ohrenstein to Enid and Walter Sinclair, 1948 95Letters from other family and friends 1905-1945 96Letters from unidentified persons and undated letters