Elizabeth Leroy Papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 281-Mss 1596.6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The papers of Elizabeth Constance Brown Leroy document her daily life and experiences. The primary material in the collection is the daily diaries and the financial diaries that document almost every year of Leroy’s life from the time she was a teenager until only a couple of weeks prior to her death. The other significant series in this collection is the large number of short stories and essays that were written by Leroy throughout her life. The papers have been organized into seven series: Personal papers, Daily diaries, Financial and household diaries, Short stories and essays, Correspondence, Alice Keller Brown papers, and Subject files. There are also a number of photographs of Leroy and her family that have been separated from the collection and processed as Photograph Collection 481. The Personal Papers Series includes a variety of material documenting Elizabeth Leroy's personal life. There are school records from about 1917 to 1932. The school records include Leroy's report cards and diplomas from elementary school, high school, and college. The series also includes marriage, baptism, and confirmation certificates. One of the files contains correspondence and legal papers regarding the divorce between Elizabeth and Walter Leroy in 1946. There is also a set of baby "diaries" that Leroy wrote for each of her four daughters. These diaries were written from the perspective of what each daughter would have written herself about her childhood and youth until each girl was in her 20s. The Daily Diaries Series includes both bound and loose leaf records of Elizabeth Leroy's daily life from the fall of 1925 when she was fourteen until just a couple of weeks before her death in 2003. The diaries are arranged chronologically. The daily diaries end in 1930, but begin again in 1971 and continue into June 2003. These diaries document various details in Leroy's life and have varying degrees of subject matter. Some entries are limited to weather conditions and health matters, while other entries were essays and opinions about events and issues of the times. The Financial and Household Diaries Series include a variety of information about the management of the Leroy household and are arranged chronologically. Some of the diaries do have traditional diary entries that detail events and activities, but most of the information in these diaries focuses on financial matters and the information regarding the management of a household. These diaries begin in 1945 and continue until 2003. The Short Stories and Essays Series contains the various stories and essays written by Leroy over a period of many years (ca. 1927-1997). These stories have been arranged alphabetically and any additional information has been included in the finding aid when possible. The additional information includes dates that different works were written when known, and if there were any notes or correspondence concerning a particular work. Leroy used a variety of pen names and when a name was included on a work it has also been noted in the finding aid. Leroy did attempt to publish some of her work and some of the correspondence included with various stories documents contact with publishers. The essay "Dreams Come True" appeared in the January issue of Fate magazine in 1970 and is the only work that appears to actually have been published. Each essay or story has been processed individually, except for those that have been written on the back of a previous essay and therefore cannot be separated. Some of the essays are brief, consisting of only one or two pages, while other stories are lengthier and have even been divided into chapters. The subject matter of these stories vary to a large degree and include, for example: moral essays, mysteries, family and community history, comedy, and drama. The Correspondence Series includes letters from friends and family sent to Leroy from about 1920 to 2003. These letters have been organized chronologically and come from a variety of friends and family. The letters from Leroy's mother, Alice Keller Brown, had been filed separately in the original order and that separation has been maintained. These letters come at the end of the correspondence series and have also been arranged chronologically when possible. They date from about 1940, when Leroy moved away from home with her husband, until Alice Keller Brown's death in 1976. The Alice Keller Brown Series consists of the papers of Leroy's mother circa 1887 to 1911. These records include correspondence from friends and family from 1897 to 1907 as well as school papers from 1895 to 1904; memory book from her wedding in 1908; an article about the M.W. Savage Company, where Brown worked prior to marriage; and a variety of calling cards. The Subject Files Series contains a variety of material such as genealogical information from the different families that Leroy and her children could trace their ancestry. There are also materials documenting Leroy’s various work experiences such as employment in a number of bakeries in Fargo. Leroy worked in bakeries for about twenty of the years she lived in the area. Other information in this series includes articles on the 1957 tornado that impacted the Golden Ridge neighborhood of Fargo, and was disastrous for Leroy and her children as the family lived in this neighborhood. Some of Leroy’s property was damaged and at least one of her children lost their home in the tornado. Other material in this series includes papers regarding the Killdeer High School Reunion in 1964; newspaper articles; a war ration book from the 1940s; papers from the trip Leroy took to see the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, New York; and papers documenting Leroy’s involvement in the North Dakota Peace Coalition including a protest sign that has been separated from the other materials due to its size and filed as Mss 1596.6.

Dates

1885-2003

Creator

Leroy, Elizabeth, 1911-2003. (Person)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

The Institute owns the copyrights.

Biography

Elizabeth Constance Brown Leroy was born August 18, 1911, near Oakdale, Dunn County, North Dakota to Alice Keller Brown and Lewis Edward Brown. After graduating from Killdeer High School in 1928, she received teacher's training from the Normal College in Dickinson, North Dakota. Leroy taught in a country school for about three years before marrying Walter E. Leroy in 1933. Walter and Elizabeth Leroy had four daughters: Bette Leroy Dalbol, Lois (Trish) Leroy Philon, Sharon Leroy Simonson, and Beverly Leroy Krein. The couple farmed for a few years near Killdeer, North Dakota. In 1942 the family moved to the Red River Valley because of Walter Leroy's employment as a truck driver for a Killdeer farmer. Elizabeth Leroy taught school near Horace, North Dakota during this time. By 1946 Walter and Elizabeth were divorced and Leroy and her daughters remained in Fargo while Walter returned to the Killdeer area and remarried. During World War II, Leroy worked as a seamstress for the military, which was followed by employment with Sweetheart and Holsum Bakeries. After retiring from Holsum Bakery, Leroy worked at for St. Luke's Hospitals and at the Black Building in downtown Fargo as well as a variety of other jobs. Elizabeth Leroy was a prolific writer, and although she had only limited experience being published, she left a wealth of documentary material of her life and times. She was also active in both her church and the North Dakota Peaceworkers. Only a few months before her death, she participated in a peaceful protest against war with Iraq. Leroy continued to write in her diaries until only a couple of weeks before her death on June 19, 2003.

Extent

4 Linear Feet (4 linear feet)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Elizabeth Leroy, long-time Fargo, N.D. resident, kept personal diaries beginning in 1925 to her death, documenting her daily life and experiences. There are also financial diaries for many years. The other significant series in this collection is the large number of short stories and essays that were written by Leroy throughout her life.