The collection contains information on several generations of Folletts and on members
of the related Caulkins, Chapel, Crapsey, and Secrest families along with many other
individuals related by marriage to these families. In the absence of any extensive
manuscript or published biographical or genealogical materials family relationships
have been deduced through the correspondence and from more general published
sources. Box 1 contains three folders of family-related information copied from
various sources.
The collection consists largely of the correspondence and related files of Margaret
Fern Follett Baker (1915-) and her sister Jean Francis Follett (1917-), the
daughters of Sherman and Helen (Nellie) (Crapsey) Follett. The family lived on St.
Paul's East Side, and Jean and Margaret attended Cleveland Junior High, Johnson
Senior High School and the University of Minnesota. Margaret worked in a number of
occupations, including the Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Company, St. Paul
(1937-1942), the War Production Board, Washington, D.C. (1942), and, following World
War II, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, St. Paul. From 1943 to 1945 she served in
the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAC), first in the Des Moines, Iowa training
center, then in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and later in England, France, and Germany.
In 1942, while in Washington, D.C., she married Wesley Gorder Baker, United States
Navy. Their son, William, was born in 1946 and his parents divorced shortly
thereafter.
Jean Follett, an artist, was also in the WAC and, like her sister, was stationed at
the Des Moines training center (1943-1946). Following her military service she began
her art career in earnest. From 1946 through the late 1960s she lived alternately in
New York City and St. Paul. While in New York she was associated with the Hansa
Group, an art cooperative, and also spent 1950-1951 studying in Paris. Her paintings
and sculptures were highly praised and she participated in many art shows in New
York. Ill health and family responsibilities forced her to return to St. Paul, where
she had a studio. She made frequent trips to New York for art openings and shows.
Jean married Alan Shirey of Minneapolis in 1946; the marriage ended in divorce in
the early 1950s.
Helen (Nellie) Follett (1891-1979) was a school teacher before her marriage (1913) to
Sherman Follett (1986-1963), who was in the United States Navy (1911-1913). After
their marriage the couple lived in fairmont, Minnesota, later moving to St. Paul,
where they lived for the remainder of their lives and where Sherman worked as a mail
carrier. The family were members of St. Paul's Unity Unitarian Church and were
Democrats.
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The earliest dated materials (1862) relate to the Chapel and Crapsey families. There
is one letter from Angelo Crapsey, from Camp Pierpont. No other information could be
found on Angelo; he may not have been in a Minnesota Regiment. Enlistment documents,
discharge papers, and muster rolls relate to Charles E. Chapel's service in Company
"C," Fifth Minnesota Regiment, 1862-1865. Included in that folder are a document
from the Minnesota Adjutant General concerning the Reverend John Crapsey's financial
losses in the grasshopper plague (1875), William M. Crapsey's appointment as
postmaster in Boone, Iowa (1883), and Charles Chapel's obituary (1930).
Folders identified as Crapsey-Follett and Follett family contain correspondence
(1906-1944) and relate to the many branches of the family, particularly the Caulkins
family in Georgia, the Secrests in Dundee, Minnesota, and the Crapseys in Colorado,
with detailed information on life in their communities and on family matters.
Courtship letters (1911-1913) between Sherman Follett, stationed in Bremerton,
Washington, and Nellie Follett, a school teacher in Minnesota, illustrate a long
and, at times uncertain relationship. Sherman and Nellie were married in 1913.
The rest of the collection (1940-1986) pertains almost exclusively to Nellie and
Sherman Follett and their two daughters, although correspondence from other
relatives is found throughout. There is detailed information on Margaret's work in
the War Production Board and her marriage to Wesley Baker; the birth of William, and
their subsequent divorce; her service in the WAC, including overseas duty; and her
return to civilian life and her work in the Internal Revenue Service. Correspondence
concerning Jean documents her career in the WAC, her long courtship, her marriage to
and divorce from Alan Shirey, and her art career in New York.
The WAC correspondence contains details on army life, food, social activities, and
routine matters. Margaret's letters from Europe contain information on wartime life
and the problems of reconstruction after the war. Jean remained at Des Moines
throughout the war and her letters are similar in content to Margaret's. Also
included are letters from Alan Shirey, who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in
1941 and served in Canada and in England. Those letters contain information on life
in wartime Canada and England.
Following her discharge from the army, Jean moved to New York City where she joined
the Hansa Group, an art cooperative begun by the painter Has Hofmann, and headed by
sculptor Richard Stankiewicz, with whom she had a long and close relationship. She
became acquainted with a number of prominent artists including Helen Blumenstiel,
Jean Dubuffet, Fernand Leger, Rae Perlin, and Ossip Zadkine, and the author-critic,
Delmore Schwarts. She participated in many art shows, including a number of her own
single artist shows, and was highly regarded by the art community and critics alike.
While in New York she worked in private companies, mainly doing drafting work to
supplement her income.
The correspondence between Nellie Follett and her daughters (there are no letters to
or from Sherman) contain a wealth of information on family matters: intra-family
relationships, divorce, alcoholism, problems caused by a verbally abusive father,
and, at the core, an intelligent and educated mother. The letters reflect Nellie
Follett's ambivalent attitude toward her daughter Jean. Although proud and
supportive of her daughter's career, she still was anxious to have Jean return to
St. Paul permanently. Although finances and illness forced Jean to come to St. Paul
periodically, she always returned to New York until the late 1960s.
Inter-generational conflicts were also evident when Margaret and her son William
lived in the family home. The grandparents, particularly Nellie, cared for William
while his mother was employed. Sherman Follett's abusive attitudes extended to his
grandson, causing emotional problems.
Other correspondence of particular interest include letters between Jean and two of
her artist friends: Helen Blumenstiel of Salem, Oregon and Rae Perlin of
Newfoundland, Canada. Blumenstiel operated a small sheep ranch and orchard near
Salem, was head of the art department of Linfield College, McMinnville (1951-1965),
and was a highly regarded regional artist. Her letters contain much information on
the ranch and its routines, her teaching career, her progress in art, her
philosophy, and opinions on current events. Rae Perlin lived for a while in New York
City and, in later years, devoted much of her time to art criticism. Like those of
Blumenstiel, her letters deal with art matters, her life philosophy, and current
affairs. In the later years (1960s-1970s) most of the letters in the collection are
from these two women.
Also of interest is the extensive correspondence between Jena and Alan Shirey,
beginning in 1941. There is also a folder of undated correspondence form Shirey. As
with the courtship correspondence between her parents, the letters detail a long
courtship, marriage being postponed because of the Second World War and, in Jean,
reveal a conflict between her desire to be independent and pursue her artistic
career and her need for the security, financial and otherwise, that might be
provided by a marriage. Her marriage, as well as that of Margaret, reveal the
prevailing mores of the time concerning women, marriage, and career. As was true of
many wartime marriages, both ended in divorce.
The rest of the collection, miscellaneous in character, contains the following items
of interest: Nellie Crapsey's essays, artwork, and school papers (1901-1904);
Nellie's fairly complete household accounts (1927-1946); report cards and University
of Minnesota grade transcripts for Margaret and Jean (1921-1936); official papers
and newsletters (1943-1946) collected by Margaret and Jean while in service,
including the newsletter Hi Soldier, published by the Minnesota Mutual Life
Insurance Company, St. Paul; Jean Follett's childhood drawings and greeting cards
(1920s); membership cards (1939-1979); Margaret Baker's Internal Revenue Service
record (1951-1962); a folder of detailed house plans executed by Margaret (undated,
but during the 1930s); essays (1977) by Margaret; and a class paper (1940) by Jean:
"How our family meets maintenance problems."
Yet other items include newspaper clippings (1939-1989) with information on art shows
in St. Paul and articles written by Rae Perlin; seven folders of photographs
(1906-1960) of members of the Follette-Caulkins family, fairly well identified; and,
filed at the end of the collection, the following volumes: a combination diary
(1912) and account book (1912-1920) kept by William Crapsey of Arriba, Colorado, and
two diaries kept by Margaret (1931-1935) and Jean (approximately 1933-1937), which
are especially revealing concerning the thoughts and attitudes of the two young
women.
A genealogical chart (oversize) of the Follett-Caulkins family, 1814-1963 (no
compiler given) is filed as +203. It contains birth, death, and marriage dates of
members of the Nathan and Louisa (Barlow) Caulkins family and the Ammi and Cordelia
(Wilson) Follett family. A typed copy is filed in Box 1 (Family Information).
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