GRATIA A. COUNTRYMAN: Finding Aids : MNHS.ORG


	Creator:	Countryman, Gratia A. (Gratia Alta), 1866-1953, creator.
	Title:	Gratia A. Countryman and family papers.
	Dates:	1861-1953.
	Abstract:	Correspondence, speeches, diaries, newspaper clippings, diplomas and appointments, and other papers of Gratia Countryman, head librarian (1904-1936) of the Minneapolis Public Library. Includes some materials relating to her parents, Levi and Alta Countryman, her brother Theophilus, and other family members.
	Quantity:	2.6 cubic feet (2 boxes, 1 partial box, and 1 oversize folder containing 11 items).
	Location:	See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

Gratia A. Countryman was born in Hastings, Minnesota, November 29, 1866, the daughter of Levi N. and Alta Chamberlain Countryman. She graduated from Hastings High School in 1882 and from the University of Minnesota in 1889. Shortly after graduating from the University she joined the staff of the Minneapolis Public Library. In 1890 she was head cataloger, and in Novmber 1903 she was elected by the board as head librarian, and succeeded James K. Hosmer in February 1904. In 1918, Gratia Countryman adopted a son, Wellington. Aside from her work as a librarian, Gratia Countryman was active in many civic and social organizations, including the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. In 1932 she received an honorary M.A. degree from the University of Minnesota. She was president of the American Library Association in 1934. She retired from the Minneapolis Public Library in 1936 and died in Duluth, Minnesota, in August 1953.

Return to top

The papers provide information on Gratia Countryman's school years at Hastings High School and the University of Minnesota, her career at the Minneapolis Public Library, her efforts to establish a State Library Commission (1899), and her service as council member and president (1934) of the American Library Association which she then represented at a meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations in Madrid, Spain (1935). There is information on her travels, her farm at Lake Mille Lacs, her participation in Minneapolis community affairs and events, and issues including adult education, school libraries, women's suffrage, and world peace. Correspondents include Herbert Putnam, J. Paul Goode, Lotus D. Coffman, James K. Hosmer, and Cyrus Northrop.

Also includes some correspondence between her parents Levi and Alta Countryman and memoirs and biographical materials relating to her brother Theophilus R. Countryman, a civil and mining engineer.

Return to top

These documents are organized into the following sections:


		Correspondence and Other Papers
		Speeches and Articles
		Miscellaneous Materials
		Diaries
		Certificates, Diplomas, and Appointments
		Theophilus R. Countryman Papers

Return to top

Access Restrictions:

Originals are closed. Access and use requires the curator’s permission.

Some of these files are located off site in Remote Storage. Advance arrangements are required in order to view the files.

Please consult reference staff for more information.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Gratia A. Countryman and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 10,039; 10,160; 16,011

Processing Information:

Digitized by: Minnesota Historical Society, March 2019

Processed by: Anne Levin, December 2004

Catalog ID number: 990017181330104294

Return to top

The early correspondence and papers (1871-1900) include letters written by her parents to one another and to other family members, graduation programs from Hastings High School and the University of Minnesota, school report cards, and letters from University friends and from scholars such as Herbert Putnam and J. Paul Goode who was a University classmate of Gratia Countryman and later a prominent geographer.

The correspondence and papers from 1900 to 1953 are varied. There are letters relating to activities of the American Library Association, congratulatory letters to Countryman written at various times in her career, invitations to address library and other civic groups throughout the United States, letters written to her on the occasion of her retirement in 1936, and letters written on her death in 1953.

Countryman's correspondence from Europe (1926 and 1935) is fairly detailed. The 1926 letters were written to her sister Lana. The 1935 letters were written to "her family" and contain much information on her visit to France, Spain, and England, and include some photographs. At the time, Countryman was a representative of the American Library Association at the International Federation of Library Associations, which met in Madrid, Spain.

Letter writers of interest in the 1900 to 1935 period include: James K. Hosmer, J. Paul Goode, Cyrus Northrop, and Lotus D. Coffman.


Location	Box
304.G.11.6F	1	Undated and 1871-1929.
			Undated
			1871-1885
			1886-1889
			1890-1899
			January-November 10, 1903
			November 11-December 30, 1903
			1904-1908
			1909-1919
			1920-1925
			1926-1929
			February 8, 1924