THE DOROTHY DAY - CATHOLIC WORKER COLLECTION
THE DOROTHY DAY PAPERS
Scope and Content
Series D-1 Private Correspondence, 1923-1980 (9.2 cubic feet), contains personal letters received by DD as well as a small amount of letters sent by DD (copies and, in some cases, originals donated by their recipients). Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and chronologically thereunder. 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, undated (1 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. 1914-1975, undated (1.9 cubic feet), includes typescript and handwritten drafts of books and articles and related editorial correspondence. Included are drafts of an early unpublished novel, "The Dispossessed," and fragments of her manuscript on the Retreat Movement ("All Is Grace") and three other unfinished books. Arrangement is by type of manuscript and chronological thereunder.
Series D-4 Appointment Calendars and Notebooks, Diaries and Journals, and Retreat Notes, 1934-1980 (2.6 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 (1.2 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, 1897-1980 (.4 cubic foot), includes baptismal records, a photostatic copy of her birth certificate, and book contracts.
Series D-7 Publications by Dorothy Day (Excluding Books), 1910-1976 (.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. (Many of the more recent articles are available online; consult databases such as the ATLA Religion Database and the Proquest Religion Database.) 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, 1973, 1980, undated (1.6 cubic feet), consists of typical clothing, a straw hat, her prison smock autographed by inmates and Joan Baez after her last arrest in support of the striking farm workers in 1973, her last typewriter, hair clippings removed from her brush several months before her death, and a runner hand loomed by DD. Restricted: These items are only brought out for public events such as visits by classes and groups. They are not available for viewing/handling by individual researchers.
