BRENDA UELAND:

Brenda Ueland was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 24, 1891), the daughter of Andreas Ueland (1853-1933), a prominent lawyer who served as judge of probate and general counsel for both Midland National and the Federal Reserve banks of Minneapolis, and Clara (Hampson) Ueland (1860-1927), an activist in the women's suffrage movement who served as the first president of the Minnesota League of Women Voters (1919-1920) and as chair of the League's legislative council (1920-1927).

Brenda's siblings included Anne (1886-1960), Elsa (1888-1980), Sigurd (1893-1975), Arnulf (1895-1978), Rolf (1899-1973), and Torvald (1902-1978). Another sister, Dorothy, was born between Elsa and Brenda but died as an infant.

Brenda attended Wells and Barnard colleges, receiving her baccalaureate degree from Barnard in 1913. After a brief newspaper career as the first woman reporter on the Minneapolis Tribune and a stint on the St. Paul Daily News, Ueland moved to New York City. She worked for the Crowell Publishing Company (1915-1917) and lived in Greenwich Village, where she associated with journalist-socialists such as John Reed, Louise Bryant, and Emma Goldman. She married William Benedict (1916), had a daughter, Gabrielle (1921), and was divorced (1926). She supported herself and Gabrielle as a staff writer for Liberty Magazine (1922-1925) and as a free-lance writer for publications such as the Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal.

In 1930 Ueland returned to Minneapolis, where she continued to write. She published two books: If You Want to Write (1938) and an autobiography entitled Me (1939). From 1941-1948 she wrote a column for the Minneapolis Times and was awarded the Knights of St. Olaf medal by the Norwegian government while on assignment covering the Quisling trial (1946). She later wrote columns for the Askov American and the Minneapolis Posten.

Ueland was married and divorced two more times. Her second husband was Manus McFadden, editor of the Minneapolis Times, and the third, Norwegian artist Sverre Hanssen. Brenda Ueland died on March 5, 1985.

Biographical data was taken from the collection.

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Brenda Ueland's papers include diaries and logs (1910-1983), correspondence (1898-1985), genealogical/biographical material, published and unpublished newspaper columns (1943-1980) and magazine articles (1917-1951), radio scripts, newspaper clippings, notes, manuscripts, and bibliographies. Most of the diaries and logs are available for use on microfilm.

Topics include Ueland's life in and around New York City while working as a freelance writer (1926-1930); her family; her love affairs and marital relationships; activities related to her interest in health and character development; her intellectual pursuits in history, literature, religion, and philosophy; her feminist views; her writings, which include books, newspaper columns, and magazine articles; and her work with animal welfare.

Most of the Ueland family papers are separately arranged and described and include correspondence, diaries, miscellaneous writings, and genealogical/biographical data. Some of the genealogical and biographical material is in Norwegian. Additional family material may be found among Brenda's papers.

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These papers are divided into the following series:

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Access Restrictions:

Access to and use of correspondence shelved in Reserve 101 requires the curator's permission.

Due to explicit sexual content, access to Fridtjof Nansen's letters is limited to persons age 18 and older. Consult the reference staff for more information.

Original diaries and logs that have been microfilmed (3.0 cubic feet) are closed to general use.

Microfilm Production:

St. Paul, Minn. : Minnesota Historical Society, 1994. 4 reels ; 35 mm.

Microfilmed diaries and logs are available for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Brenda Ueland and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 14,933; 15,150; 15,192; 16,197; 16,432; 16,837

Processing Information:

Processed by: Frank P. Hennessy, August 1993

Additions by: Shelby Edwards, Julia Weisgram and Christopher G. Welter, March 2010; David B. Peterson, January 2014

Catalog ID number: 990017301030104294

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Includes correspondence, diaries, journals, photographs, scrapbooks, miscellaneous writings, and some genealogical material.

Correspondence is primarily between and among Andreas and Clara and their seven children. Additional family correspondence may be found in Brenda Ueland's correspondence series.

Also included within the family papers are a set of papers created or kept by Katharine ("Kate") Tucker, a nurse and nursing educator, who was Elsa Ueland's long-time companion.

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Correspondence

Arranged alphabetically by surname with miscellaneous and general correspondence following that. Includes letters to and from friends, other authors, and family members (including those found among the Ueland Family Papers). Topics include reactions to Ueland's books and columns, religion, and politics.

A sizable set pertains to Brenda's daughter, Gabrielle "Gaby," who married four times: Bill Gray, Bill Whelan, Bill Oriol, and James McIver. This correspondence is principally between Gaby and Brenda and includes some photographs. Topics include Brenda's advice to Gaby regarding marriage, including an analysis of her own marriages (April 22, 1965); Gaby's move to California and marriage to Jim McIver; and sympathy notes to Gaby after Brenda's death (1985).

Location

Box

143.E.5.2F

5

Balch, Earl H., 1935-1936.

Burry, H. Horace, 1984-1985.

Francesca, undated and 1938-1939.

Gogarty, Oliver St. John, undated and 1950-1955.

Irish novelist, poet, and physician Oliver St. John Gogarty discusses his writings and his work with editors and publishers, his visits with Ueland, and Ueland's review of his book of collected poems. Includes two of his articles and a manuscript copy of his poem, "The Phoenix and the Unicorn."

Gray, Bill, 1944.

[Grendon?], Felix, undated and 1949-1957.

Hanssen, Sverre, undated and 1957-1963.

Hodson, Gertrude, undated and 1935, 1937.

Johnson, Lorraine, 1970.

A female professional wrestler.

Leighton, Jean "Jeannie" (Ueland), undated and 1939, 1957-1984. 2 folders.

Brenda's niece.

Lofstrom, Edward, 1984-1985.

McCoy, Alexandra "Alex," 1958-1965.

McCoy, Sandra, undated and 1956-1963, 1967-1982. 2 folders.

McIver, Gabrielle "Gaby" (Ueland), undated and 1930-1944. 7 folders.

Location

Box

143.E.5.3B

6

McIver, Gabrielle "Gaby" (Ueland), 1940-1978, 1991-1993. 11 folders.

Location

Box

141.F.17.9B

7

McNally, William, Sandra, 1933, 1936

Merriam, Frank E., 1933, 1936

Moffett, Anne E., 1956-1977. 4 folders.

A collection of letters from Anne E. Moffett of St. Augustine, Florida (1965-1977), who discusses her writing and admiration for Ueland's writings; her attachment to her dogs; her estrangement from her family; and her interest in Rosicrucianism, mysticism, and Jungian psychology.

Location

Reserve 26

Nansen, Fridtjof, 1928-1938.

Access Restricted. Due to explicit sexual content, access to Nansen's letters is limited to persons age 18 and older.

Includes a set of 30 letters (December 20, 1928-March 7, 1930) from Norwegian arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen, which has been removed from the main body of the Brenda Ueland papers.

During a trip to the U.S., Nansen stayed with the Ueland family in Minneapolis, and Brenda met with him later in New York (1928-1929). Nansen returned to Norway (April 1929) and the couple corresponded on a weekly basis until Nansen's death (May 13, 1930). These letters, and associated photographs, contain information on Ueland and Nansen's personal relationship, as well as literary matters. One letter from Nansen is addressed to Brenda's father (December 20, 1928). A letter to Brenda from Nansen's daughter Kari (June 2, 1938) is also included.

Location

Box

143.E.5.3B

6

Oberholtzer, Ernest C., undated and 1960-1970.

Parker, Robert A., undated and 1924-1970.

Riddle, Theodate Pope, 1936-1937.

Rusten, Laurits, undated and 1942-1946.

Includes letters, editorials, poems, and essays written by Laurits Rusten, of Minneapolis, dealing primarily with religious and philosophical topics. He sent the material to Ueland to critique and she used some of his writings in her columns.

Sheehan, George and Walt Stack, undated and 1971-1985.

Ueland's enthusiasm for running and walking led to her friendship and correspondence with Walt Stack, a marathon runner from San Francisco. Stack, who was in his sixties, writes about various marathons, diet, women runners, feminism, Brenda's columns, and aging. There are also a number of letters from Dr. George Sheehan of Red Bank, New Jersey, an avid runner who wrote books and columns on health and fitness.

Ueland, Clara Margaret and Pat Miller, undated and 1963-1984.

Ueland, Julie (Mrs. Sigurd), 1920, 1921, 1926.

Brenda's sister-in-law.

Ueland, Mark and Elizabeth (Pritchard), 1958, 1961-1979.

Brenda's nephew.

Whelan, Bill, 1953.

Wood, Kate, undated and 1952-1974.

Location

Box

141.F.17.9B

7

Miscellaneous unsorted, undated and 1906-1985. 3 folders.

Mainly addressed to Brenda. Known correspondents: Adriaan Barnouw, Helen Baxter, H. D. Faxon, Patricia Hampl, Carl Hansen, Frances Manford, Helen Shearer, Josephine Sampson, Fanny Struck, and Carlotta Taylor.

Letters to Brenda from parents, siblings, and others, undated and 1898-1981. 12 folders.

Recurrent topics include health and illness; marital relationships; feminism; reactions to Brenda's columns and other writings; news of family friends; and religion, politics, and literature.

Significant topics include the illness and deaths of Brenda's sisters, Anne (July 1960) and Elsa (1979), and her brother Sigurd (1974-1975); the financial support the family gave Brenda; Elsa's role in getting Brenda's biography of their mother printed; and a fire that destroyed Torvald Ueland's home in Red Bank, New Jersey (1972).

Many supplied dates are from Brenda while researching the biography Clara Ueland of Minnesota (1967).

General correspondence, undated and 1906-1951. 6 folders.

Includes correspondence between and among Brenda's parents and siblings. Several high-profile correspondents' letters have been replaced with photocopies while the originals are held in reserve.

Location

Box

141.F.17.10F

8

General correspondence, undated and 1931-1985. 5 folders.

Location

Reserve 101

General correspondence, 1890, 1942, 1952-1954. 9 items in 1 folder.

Access Restricted.

Correspondents include Langston Hughes, Henrik Ibsen, Sinclair Lewis, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Carl Sandburg.

Digital version of Langston Hughes' correspondence

Digital version of Henrik Ibsen's autograph

Digital version of Sinclair Lewis's correspondence

Digital version of Eleanor Roosevelt's correspondence

Digital version of Carl Sandburg's correspondence

Diaries and Logs

Newspaper Columns, Articles, and Miscellaneous Writings

Bibliographies, Notes, and Quotations

Vivisection and Vegetarianism

Closed Originals

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Animal welfare -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.

Authorship.

Feminists -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.

Health attitudes.

Marriage.

Music -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.

Newspapers -- Sections, columns, etc.

Norwegian Americans -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.

Physical education and training.

Radio programs -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.

Sex -- History -- 20th century.

Spiritualism.

Women and religion.

Persons:

Garibaldi, Giuseppe, 1807-1882.

Gogarty, Oliver St. John, 1878-1957, author.

Hampl, Patricia, 1946- , author.

Hanssen, Sverre, author.

Lewis, Sinclair, 1885-1951, author.

Lofstrom, Edward V., author.

McFadden, Manus.

McIver, Gabrielle, 1921-2007, author.

Moffett, Anne E., 1900-1989, author.

Nansen, Fridtjof, 1861-1930, author.

Oberholtzer, Ernest C. (Ernest Carl), 1884-1977, author.

Riddle, Theodate Pope, 1867-1946, author.

Rusten, Laurits, author.

Taylor, Anne Ueland, 1886-1960, author.

Ueland, Andreas, 1853-1933, author.

Ueland, Arnulf, 1895-1978, author.

Ueland, Clara, 1860-1927, author.

Ueland, Elsa, 1888-1980, author.

Ueland, Ole Gabriel, 1799-1870.

Ueland, Rolf, 1899-1973, author.

Ueland, Sigurd, 1893-1975, author.

Ueland, Torvold, 1902-1978, author.

Ueland family.

Organizations:

Minneapolis Posten.

Pet Haven, Inc.

Places:

Minneapolis (Minn.)

Document Types:

Diaries.

Microforms.

Photographs.

Occupations:

Authors, American

Women authors, American

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