Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140
MS 172
Earl Jonathan Stout (1894-1977)
Papers, 1855-1977, n.d.
Descriptive summary
| creator: | Stout, Earl Jonathan (1894-1977) |
| title: | Papers |
| dates: | 1855-1977, n.d. |
| extent: | 6.3 linear ft. (9 document boxes, 6 index card boxes) |
| collection number: | MS 172 |
| repository: | Special Collections Department, Iowa State University. |
Administrative information
| access: | Open for research |
| publication rights: | Consult Head, Special Collections Department |
| preferred citation: | Earl Jonathan Stout Papers, MS 172, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library. |
Biographical note
Earl Jonathan Stout was born near Rodman, Iowa, on December 17, 1894. Soon after, the family moved to West Bend, Iowa. Stout started teaching school (1915) in Sioux City and without yet having gone to college, he became principal. During World War I, Stout enlisted and served in the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) for twenty-seven months (nineteen of which were in France). After his return from the war in 1919, he attended Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa), and also taught there. After Iowa State Teachers College, he served as superintendent of schools in the Iowa towns of McCallsburg, Dunkerton, and Mount Vernon. While superintendent at McCallsburg, Stout instituted one of the first motorized school bus services in the country. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Stout attended the University of Iowa as a graduate student where he studied the folklore, folk songs, and beliefs of the people of Iowa. Stout was inspired to study the folklore of Iowa by J. W. Ashton in the English Department. He did personal field work and also obtained the help of high school English teachers who had their students ask their parents and neighbors about the folklore, songs and stories they knew. Letters were sent to Iowa schools enlisting their help in collecting old songs, superstitions, proverbs, and other folklore which had been passed down through families. Letters were also sent to couples celebrating marriages of long standing, and Stout collected material from his family and acquaintances as well. The Great Depression ended this educational pursuit. According to his son, his eyesight failed before he could organize his thesis material to his satisfaction. However, he continued off and on his studies of Iowa folklore throughout most of his life. In 1933 Stout joined the American National Red Cross as an assistant field director. Over the next twenty-seven years, he served in various positions in the organization including Director of Service at military installations, and he was responsible for programs and activities of the organization all over the world. Stout was also a freelance writer and was the author of numerous poems and articles, both about education and Iowa folklore. He authored three books, including Folklore from Iowa (New York: American Folklore Society, 1936) and Daybreak of Peace: A Collection of Appropriate Verse for Use in the Observance of Armistice Day in Schools and Organizations (Dansville, NY: F. A. Owen, 1926). He also co-authored (with Hugh C. Moeller) the text Drill Exercises and Practice Forms for Letter Writing (Waterloo, Iowa: Matt Parrott & Sons, 1926) which became a standard text in many school systems.His articles include Folklore from Iowa for the American Folklore Society Yearbook (1936, volume XXIX). In his introduction to Folklore from Iowa, Stout states that he hopes to "dispel the somewhat prevalent idea that Iowa is merely a hog and corn state…the traditional songs and lore of these people, especially in the pioneer days, helped to make Iowa great, and it is in the spirit of appreciation of what they did that I am happy to aid in the preservation of many of the things they loved so much and believed in so sincerely." Stout married Fae Abigail Duea in 1919 and died May 27, 1977 in Ames, Iowa. |
Collection description
The collection (1855-1977, n.d.) contains biographical information on Stout, Stout's thesis material, research materials, folklore study and contributions, his writings and publications, other printed material, correspondence, and card files. The biographical material includes news clippings about Stout and notes regarding his family tree. Texts and publications in the collection include his college papers, articles by Stout, and articles on folklore by other authors. The writings section of this collection includes articles and other material written by Stout, while the printed material primarily contains publications on folklore by authors other than Stout. The writings are primarily stories and articles related to education. The printed material contains news clippings, journals, and journal articles. The Folklore Study and Contributions section of the collection contains Stout's graduate work with John W. Ashton of the University of Iowa English Department. The folklore contributions consist of the original contributions sent to Stout from his various sources in Iowa. The Folklore from Iowa and Notes section contains correspondence and news clippings regarding Stout's publication Folklore from Iowa as well as material used and a typed manuscript and table of sources. Notes on folklore are also included. A related section of the collection is the thesis material, which includes several drafts of his thesis (uncompleted), additions to his thesis, copies of songs used and folklore materials he did not use for his thesis. The thesis contains a discussion at the beginning, and then text and brief information on various ballads, songs, spirituals, folk beliefs and customs, superstitions, riddles and catches, and local and personal rhymes and proverbs. The card files contain sources and material used for Stout's folklore studies (both his thesis and publications), including indexes for Folklore from Iowa and titles of ballads and songs used in Stout's thesis material. Included are Stout's index cards for his "next book," as well as autographs, proverbs, and riddles. The collection also contains correspondence between Stout and his colleagues and correspondence regarding his publications, Stout's collected notes about folklore, and card files including sources, song titles, and indexes. |
Organization
Description of series
| Series 1 | Biographical and Personal Material |
1925-1961, n.d. |
| extent: | 0.1 linear ft. |
|
| description: | The series contains newsclippings about Stout, notes on Stout's family tree, a program from an annual American Folklore Society meeting, college papers written by Stout regarding superstitions and folklore, and personal correspondence between Stout and his colleagues as well as correspondence regarding Stout's publications. |
|
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
1 |
1 |
News clippings |
1925-1954, n.d. |
1 |
2 |
Notes on Stout's family tree and items in his possession |
1961, n.d. |
1 |
3 |
Programs: Burl Ives concert and 61st annual meeting of the American Folklore Society |
1948-1949 |
1 |
4 |
College papers: "Barbary Allen" and "The Little Mohee" |
n.d. |
1 |
5 |
College papers: "History of Some Superstitions" |
n.d. |
1 |
6 |
College papers: "Marriage Customs and Some Old Testament" |
1926 |
1 |
7 |
College papers: "Opportunities Available for Creative Self-Expression in Art" |
1927 |
1 |
8 |
College papers: "Origin of the Ballad" |
1931 |
1 |
9 |
Personal correspondence. Correspondents include George Herzog (Yale University) and George Korson, who, like Stout, worked for the Red Cross and shared his interest in folklore. A copy of Korson's book Coal Dust on the Fiddle, inscribed to Stout, may be found in the Special Collections book collection (call no. PS508.M5 K57) |
n.d. |
1 |
10 |
Correspondence regarding Stout's publications. Correspondents include various periodicals as well as the Buzza Company (greeting cards) |
1924-1932 |
Description of series
| Series 2 | Writings |
ca. 1925-1932, n.d. |
| extent: | 0.4 linear ft. |
|
| description: | The series contains stories and articles written by Stout. |
|
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
1 |
11 |
"Are We Supervising the Athletic Program in the Schools" |
1925 ca. |
1 |
12 |
"Are You Honest" |
n.d. |
1 |
13 |
"Brains with Hands" |
n.d. |
1 |
14 |
"The Business of Complaining" |
n.d. |
1 |
15 |
"Co-eds Earning Way Win Most Popular Honors" |
n.d. |
1 |
16 |
"A College Education" |
n.d. |
1 |
17 |
"Cut Down This Toll" |
n.d. |
1 |
18 |
"Embarrassing for Dad" |
n.d. |
1 |
19 |
"Instructions" (pamphlet for instruction of sixth-graders on proper letter-writing form) |
n.d. |
1 |
20 |
"Iowa Ex-Star Shakes Alias to Get Award" |
1926-1927 ca. |
1 |
21 |
"Joys of Baching" |
n.d. |
1 |
22 |
"Letter Writing and the National Pocketbook" |
n.d. |
1 |
23 |
"A Mechanical Heart" |
n.d. |
1 |
24 |
"Perfectly Safe - For Father" and other humorous anecdotes |
n.d. |
1 |
25 |
"Poems that Children Wrote" |
n.d. |
1 |
26 |
"Principles of Practice for School Superintendents" |
1925 ca. |
1 |
27 |
"Rigors of Shaving" |
n.d. |
1 |
28 |
"Scoring a Consolidated School" |
n.d. |
1 |
29 |
"Select Remedies" |
n.d. |
1 |
30 |
"A Snake Captures a Robber" |
n.d. |
1 |
31 |
"Students Vote Worship of God Most Essential" |
n.d. |
1 |
32 |
"A Terrible Blizzard" |
n.d. |
1 |
33 |
"Those Good Old Days" |
n.d. |
1 |
34 |
"True Stories: A Boy's Life as Told by Himself" and outline for story |
n.d. |
1 |
35 |
"Warts" (found in envelope dated 28 March 1932) |
1932 ca. |
Description of series
| Series 3 | Folklore Study and Contributions |
1855-1932, n.d. |
| extent: | 1.3 linear ft. |
|
| description: | The series contains news clippings, correspondence, and general information regarding Stout's folklore study. It also contains folklore contributions to Stout from various groups, high schools and people throughout the Midwest. |
|
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
1 |
36 |
News clippings. Includes obituary of S. B. Humbert of Cedar Falls who had been a contributor to the folklore study |
1931, n.d. |
1 |
37 |
John W. Ashton correspondence: includes form letters to schools and to couples celebrating anniversaries of many years of marriage, as well as responses from schools |
1931-1932 |
1 |
38 |
Tally sheets on materials received, listing of towns to which requests for help in gathering folklore were sent, and notes for further correspondence with contributors |
1931 |
1 |
40 |
Folklore contributions: Received from Belmond, Iowa, 6th graders. Includes a mixture of autographs, proverbs and riddles |
1932 |
1 |
41 |
Folklore contributions: Project on Cherokee, Iowa, history, received from 12th grade English IV class, Wilson High School, Cherokee (6 photographs) |
n.d. |
2 |
1-2 |
Folklore contributions: Songs composed by Frank C. Feist of Cedar Falls, who wrote under the name of "Roaming Charlie" |
n.d. |
2 |
3-4 |
Folklore contributions: Contributions from Mrs. Halpin of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Mrs. Robers of Spencer, Iowa |
n.d. |
2 |
5-6 |
Folklore contributions: Contributions from Mrs. Harris of Nevada, Iowa. Many of these items are dated 1855 (originals are fragile - please use the copies in folder 2/6) |
1855, n.d. |
2 |
7 |
Folklore contributions: Correspondence from Mrs. Harold Johnson of Downers Grove, Illinois. The letters contain Paul Bunyan stories learned by her husband when he worked as a logger |
1931 |
2 |
8 |
Folklore contributions: Manning (Iowa) High School contributions. All of these materials are in German, Swedish, or Danish |
n.d. |
2 |
9 |
Folklore contributions: Autographs (verses for albums) |
n.d. |
2 |
10 |
Folklore contributions: Games |
n.d. |
3 |
1 |
Folklore contributions: Local Expressions |
1931, n.d. |
3 |
2 |
Folklore contributions: Poetry |
1931, n.d. |
3 |
3 |
Folklore contributions: Riddles |
1931, n.d. |
3 |
4 |
Folklore contributions: Music. Tunes for old songs provided by Doris Simmons; also includes letter to Stout from Simmons |
1931 |
3 |
5 |
Folklore contributions: Music. Tunes for old songs provided by Bernice Stout |
n.d. |
3 |
16 |
Folklore contributions: Songs |
1931, n.d. |
4 |
4 |
Folklore contributions: Superstitions |
n.d. |
4 |
5-10 |
Folklore contributions: Mixture of superstitions, proverbs, autographs, and riddles |
1931, n.d. |
4 |
11 |
Folklore contributions: Typed contributions, Songs A-C. Some of these materials appear in Stout's book Folklore from Iowa. Occasionally notations are included referring to the item's location in other folklore anthologies; a listing of these sources can be found in Appendix A |
n.d. |
5 |
1-4 |
Folklore contributions: Typed contributions, Songs D-Z. Some of these materials appear in Stout's book Folklore from Iowa. Occasionally notations are included referring to the item's location in other folklore anthologies; a listing of these sources can be found in Appendix A |
n.d. |
5 |
5-6 |
Folklore contributions: Songs, "No Local Title." |
n.d. |
5 |
7 |
Folklore contributions: Songs, with notation by Stout, "These are in collection sent to Journal of American Folklore (JAFL), May 16, 1933" |
1933 |
5 |
8 |
Folklore contributions: Superstitions |
n.d. |
Description of series
| Series 4 | Thesis Material |
1931-1967 |
| extent: | 0.2 linear ft. |
|
| description: | The series contains Stout's thesis material, including an original copy, as well as songs used and additions to the thesis. |
|
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
6 |
1-3 |
Copy of thesis in original format |
1932 |
6 |
4 |
Songs used in thesis material |
1931 |
6 |
5 |
Thesis material with additions, reworked by Stout |
1965-1966 |
7 |
1-2 |
Thesis material with additions, reworked by Stout |
1965-1966 |
7 |
3-4 |
Material intended to be consolidated with unpublished portion of thesis material |
1965-1967 |
7 |
5-6 |
"This material constitutes the first carbon copy of the thesis material" (from note with the copy) |
1932-1967 |
Description of series
| Series 5 | Folklore from Iowa and Notes |
1933-1973, n.d. |
| extent: | 0.42 linear ft. |
|
| description: | The series contains correspondence and newsclippings regarding Stout's publication Folklore from Iowa as well as material used and a typed manuscript and table of sources. Notes on folklore are also included. |
|
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
7 |
7 |
Correspondence with American Folk-Lore Society, primarily with Ruth Benedict (editor of JAFL). Includes efforts to find funding for publication of Folklore from Iowa and letter from J. N. "Ding" Darling to Ruth Benedict |
1933-1937 |
7 |
8 |
Newsclippings regarding Mr. and Mrs. Henry Pfeiffer (Cedar Falls) who provided funding to the American Folk-Lore Society for the publication of Folklore from Iowa |
1933, n.d. |
7 |
9-10 |
Superstitions used in Folklore from Iowa |
n.d. |
8 |
1-4 |
Typed manuscript for Folklore from Iowa |
1936 |
8 |
5 |
Table of sources for Part II of Folklore from Iowa |
1936 |
8 |
6 |
Notebook: includes listing of books on folklore |
n.d. |
8 |
7 |
Notes on folklore |
1965-1973, n.d. |
Description of series
| Series 6 | Printed Material |
1865-1977, n.d. |
| extent: | 0.42 linear ft. |
|
| description: | The series contains various newspaper clippings regarding folklore, as well as journals and journal articles regarding Midwestern folklore. |
|
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
9 |
1-2 |
Newsclippings regarding folklore |
1926-1977 |
9 |
3 |
Billy Morris' Songs (G.D. Russell and Company, Boston) |
1865 |
9 |
4 |
Davidson, Levette. "Folk Elements in Midwestern Literature," Western Humanities Review (July) |
1949 |
9 |
5 |
Dillmore, Richard C. "A Soldier of Old Japan," Chicago Sunday American Music Supplement (February 5) |
1905 |
9 |
6 |
Eastman, John. The Iowa Story – text and records (Marion, IA): States History Incorporated |
1963 |
9 |
7 |
Journal of American Folklore, v. 45, no. 175 (January-March) |
1932 |
9 |
8 |
Korson, George. "What is Folklore?" American Junior Red Cross News (February) – p. 10-11. Entire issue devoted to folklore, with American folklore map on cover |
1948 |
9 |
9 |
Musical World, v. 16, no. 183 (March) and v. 16, no. 191 (November) |
1879 |
9 |
10 |
Old Favorite Songs |
n.d. |
9 |
11 |
Some Information, State Historical Society (Iowa City, IA) |
1925 |
9 |
12 |
Southern Folklore Quarterly, v. 1, no. 1 (March) and v. 1, no. 2 (June) |
1937 |
9 |
13 |
Telephone Pioneers of America, Hawkeye Chapter, Sing a Long |
n.d. |
9 |
14 |
Trifet's Monthly Gallery of Music, no. 6 (June), no. 85-87 (January-March), no. 96 (December) |
1887-1894 |
Description of series
| Series 7 | Card Files |
1931-1969, n.d. |
| extent: | 6 index card boxes |
|
| description: | The series contains sources and material used for Stout's folklore studies (both his thesis and publications), including indexes for Folklore from Iowa and titles of ballads and songs used in Stout's thesis material. The series also houses Stout's index cards for his "next book," as well as autographs, proverbs, and riddles. |
|
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
10 |
|
Schools in Iowa contacted for folklore study and Sources for Folklore: books, periodicals, people |
1931, n.d. |
11 |
|
"Iowa Folklore index cards prepared in 1968-1969 for use in my next book" (Earl J. Stout, April 19, 1971), autographs |
1968-1969 |
12 |
|
Autographs, Proverbs, Riddles |
n.d. |
13 |
|
Titles of ballads and songs in thesis material |
n.d. |
14 |
|
Index to Folklore from Iowa |
n.d. |
15 |
|
Song titles with sources |
n.d. |