Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Colony, Horatio, 1900-1977
Title:	Horatio Colony Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1917-1976
Quantity:	21.50 linear ft.
Abstract:	Correspondence, memorabilia, and writings of the American poet and novelist
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Horatio Colony (1900-1977) was an American poet and novelist.

Colony was born in Keene, New Hampshire. His family were mill-owners, and his grandfather was the first mayor of Keene. Colony attended Philips Exeter Academy and Harvard College. He wrote his first play, William Penn's Peace Treaty with the Indians, in seventh grade. Primarily a poet, he wrote and published his first and only novel, Free Forester, in 1935. His first published poetry volumes, A Brook of Leaves and Birth and Burial, were collections of lyrics, whereas his next three are in the style which might best be described as lyrical narrative. Over his career he published eleven volumes of verse as well as a two-volume set of collected writings. He also kept a diary for most of his life, beginning about 1913.

His house in the town of Keene is today a historical site, the Horatio Colony Museum, and the nearby Horatio Colony Nature Preserve is a direct result of Colony's desire to preserve family land as a wildlife sanctuary.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Horatio Colony Papers consists of correspondenc, memorabilia, and writings.

Correspondence is primarily with artists, authors, publishers, and poets. There is significant correspondence with poets Witter Bynner, Gene Griener, Edmund Pennant, Jean Starr Untermeyer, and James E. Warren Jr. There is also correspondence with author Rebecca West, literary critic G. Wilson Knight, and author Norman Holmes Pearson.

Memorabilia includes inscribed books gifted to Colony, exhibition material, mailing lists, postcards, and a recording of Colony reading his poetry.

Colony's Writings form the bulk of the collection, consisting of diaries, essays, novels, plays, poetry, and unidentified pages of manuscript. Diaries are both handwritten and typed and document his life from 1917 through 1973. His diaries provide insight into his daily life and routines. There are drafts for one essay, titled "Sojourn in Yugoslavia." There are drafts for several unpublished novels, as well as his only published novel Free Forester. Drafts of his plays are also included in the series, including The Amazon's Hero and The Emperor and the Bee Boy. There are also drafts for several collections of Colony's poetry. Finally, a sizable amount of unidentified handwritten material conclude the series.

Drafts were originally in envelopes with titles written on the front. These titles have been retained in the inventory below, although the contents did not always match the title on the envelope. Notes in the inventory below indicate items where folder titles and contents do not match. Letters assigned to drafts (e.g "[Draft A]") were randomly assigned during processing to distinguish between different drafts, and do not imply any particular order of creation.

The collection as received also contained a large quantity of handwritten material, not identified and without any page numbers. Some was tied into bundles but much was simply loose. This material has been foldered in its original order, with no sorting attempted.

Note: Please note that this collection contains material that some researchers may find objectionable due to racist and anti-Semitic language. This material is preserved and retained with the collection for its historic and research value.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by last name of correspondent. Memorabilia is arranged alphabetically by title or type. Writings are subdivided by format (diaries, essays, plays, etc.); diaries are arranged in two chronological sequences (Original and Typed), while other formats are arranged alphabetically by title. Letters assigned to drafts (e.g "[Draft A]") were randomly assigned during processing to distinguish between different drafts, and do not imply any particular order of creation.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Access to recordings requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Horatio Colony Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Finding Aid Information

Created by: --
Date: Apr 1967
Revision history: 9 Apr 2008 - converted to EAD (MRC); 13 Jan 2023 - collection processed (DTF, MJS)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		Ackerson, John 1958, 1962-1972, 1975
Box 1		Aiken, Conrad 1959-1964, 1967-1969, 1971, undated
Box 1		Alexander, Eve 1972, 1974-1975, undated
Box 1		Allen, M 1970-1972, 1976, undated (2 folders)
Box 1		Altrocchi, Julia Cooley 1958, 1961-1971, undated
Box 1		Anderson, Forrest 1970-1976 (2 folders)
Box 1		Avrett, Robert 1958, 1962-1967, 1969, 1971
Box 1		A, miscellaneous
Box 1		Baldwin, Philip 1972, 1975-1976, undated
Box 1		Barry, Lucy Manning 1972-1973, 1975, undated
Box 1		Batchelder, Peter Hayward 1965-1966, 1972
Box 1		Benet, Rosemary undated
Box 1		Birley, Agnes 1973, undated
Box 1		Blackstock, Walter 1964-1966
Box 1		Branden Press 1971-1975
Box 1		Brandt and Brandt 1935-1936
Box 1		Brewer, Wilmon 1958, 1962-1971, 1973, 1975-1976
Box 2		Brown, Alice undated
Box 2		Brown, Huntington 1965-1966, 1969-1975, undated
Box 2		Brown, Truesdell S. 1972, undated
Box 2		Burbank, Ellen 1970-1973, 1976
Box 2		Burden, W. Douglas 1963
Box 2		Bynner, Witter 1935-1940, 1945-1952, 1956-1964 (3 folders)
Box 2		B, miscellaneous (2 folders)
Box 2		Carlson, Jehanne Bietry-Salinger 1972
Box 2		Carver, Mable Macdonald 1958
Box 2		Church, Richard 1963-1964, 1966, 1971
Box 2		Clifton, C. Sterling 1966-1967
Box 2		Coatsworth, Elizabeth 1952, 1962-1970
Box 2		Curtis, Edith Roelker 1963-1969, 1972-1973, undated
Box 2		C, miscellaneous
Box 2		Daniels, Jonathan 1935-1942, undated
Box 2		Day, Cyrus 1964-1966, 1968
Box 2		De Longchamps, Joanne 1959, 1962-1964, 1975, undated
Box 2		Dillon, George 1958, 1961, 1963-1967, undated
Box 3		D-E, miscellaneous (2 folders)
Box 3		Faulkner, Barry undated
Box 3		Flagg, Mildred 1965-1967, 1969-1971, undated
Box 3		Fleming, Berry 1969, 1971
Box 3		Fogel, Ruby 1966-1972
Box 3		Frankenberg, Lloyd 1939-1941
Box 3		F, miscellaneous
Box 3		Grandin, Isabella 1971-1972, 1974-1975, undated
Box 3		Griener, Gene 1965-1966, undated (5 folders)
Box 3		Gurney, Lawrence 1968-1969, 1972, 1975, undated
Box 3		G, miscellaneous
Box 4		Haas, Rosamond 1958-1962, undated
Box 4		Hall, Norman Alexander 1963-1964, 1967, 1971
Box 4		Hay, Sara Henderson 1939, 1966, 1969, 1971
Box 4		Hillyer, Robert 1936, 1956
Box 4		Housman, Lawrence 1935, 1939, 1952
Box 4		Hutton, Edward 1952, 1956, 1958, 1962
Box 4		H-I, miscellaneous
Box 4		Johnson, Geoffrey 1958-1959, 1962-1966
Box 4		J, miscellaneous
Box 4		Keeler, Martha 1963-1864, undated
Box 4		Kent, Rockwell 1962-1971, undated
Box 4		Knight, G. Wilson 1963, 1966, 1968-1969, undated (2 folders)
Box 4		Komroff, Manuel 1952, 1956, 1962, 1965-1966
Box 4		The Literary Review 1959-1960
Box 4		Little, Brown and Company 1935-1936
Box 4		L, miscellaneous
Box 4		Masefield, John 1935, 1962-1964, undated
Box 4		Mason, Madeline 1966-1972, 1975, undated
Box 4		Mavrogordato, John 1953, 1956, 1958
Box 4		McKinney, Robert 1964-1965 - includes letter from Witter Bynner to McKinney
Box 4		Moore, Marianne 1939, 1955, 1958, 1962-1966, undated
Box 4		Moore, Merrill 1952, 1956
Box 4		Mowrer, Paul Scott 1963-1966, undated
Box 4		M-O, miscellaneous (2 folders)
Box 5		Pearson, Norman Holmes 1937, 1939, 1952, 1965, 1969-1972, 1975
Box 5		Pennant, Edmund 1962-1965, 1969, 1973, 1975
Box 5		Perkins, Robert 1974-1976
Box 5		The Poetry Review 1935
Box 5		P, miscellaneous
Box 5		Quicksilver: a quarterly magazine of poetry undated
Box 5		Roche, Paul 1964, 1967, 1990
Box 5		Russell, Sydney King 1964, 1975, undated
Box 5		R, miscellaneous
Box 5		Sagendorph, Trix [Beatrix] 1972-1976
Box 5		Santayana, George 1952
Box 5		Spears, Woodbridge 1964, 1966, 1970-1971, 1975
Box 5		Staples, Hazel 1970-1972, 1974, 1976, undated
Box 5		Sweeney, John [Lincoln] 1962-1966
Box 5		Syracuse University 1968-1970 (2 folders)
Box 5		S, miscellaneous
Box 5		Tusiani, Joseph 1958, 1962-1971, 1975, undated
Box 5		T, miscellaneous
Box 5		Van Doren, Carl 1929-1930
Box 5		Van Doren, Mark 1952, 1956
Box 5		Van Vechten, Carl 1935-1936, 1939, 1952, 1958
Box 5		V, miscellaneous
Box 5		Untermeyer, Jean Starr 1962-1970
Box 6		Warren, Hamiliton 1966, 1969-1975
Box 6		Warren, James E. Jr 1964-1966, undated (2 folders)
Box 6		West, Rebecca 1962-1966, 1970, undated
Box 6		Wheelock, John Hall 1958, 1962, 1966, 1969-1971
Box 6		Wilkins, Georgie 1972, 1975-1976, undated
Box 6		Wilkinson, Julia 1972, undated
Box 6		Wright. Mrs. John P. 1970-1975
Box 6		W, miscellaneous
Box 6		Young, Stanley 1935, 1955, 1962
Box 6		Y, miscellaneous
Box 6		Zwigard, Fritzi 1970
Box 6		Miscellaneous
Box 6		First name only, 'Bee' 1972-1973, 1975, undated
Box 6		First name only, others
Box 6		Illegible

	Memorabilia
Box 6		Exhibition material - for "The Odd God Art Works Opening" sent by Robert Perkins, with note
Box 6		The Galley Sail Review - nos. 21 and 22, sent by Forrest Anderson, who contributed to each issue
		Horatio Colony reading from his poetry 11 May 1962 (Grooved analog disc) (ID#: colony_h_001)
Box 6		"A Kind of Fighting" by James E. Warren 1974 - inscribed by the author to Colony
Box 6		"Madame Bidet and Other Fixtures" by Lawrence P. Spingarn 1968 - inscribed by the author to Colony; includes letter
Box 6		Mailing lists
Box 6		Postcards, Deerfield Village, Massachusetts (6 items)
Box 6		"The Three Hinckley Roses" - from Elizabeth Reynard's book The Narrow Land: Folk Chronicle of Old Cape Cod, a Puritan ballad retyped by Colony

	Writings
		Diaries
			Colony apparently retyped many of his handwritten diaries at some point. Original diaries are listed first below, followed by the retyped sequence.
Box 7			Original 1917-1933 (7 volumes)
Box 8			Original 1933-1948 (4 volumes)
Box 9			Original 1948-1951, 1953-1955 (4 volumes)
Box 10			Original 1956-1959 (4 volumes )
Box 11			Original 1960-1963 (4 volumes )
Box 12			Original 1963-1964, 1967-1969 (4 volumes)
Box 13			Original 1969-1973 (4 volumes)
Box 14			Original 1973
Box 14			Typed pages 1917-1923, 1925, 1928-1931 (10 folders)
Box 15			Typed pages 1932-1938, 1947-1951 (14 folders)
Box 16			Typed pages 1953-1960 (15 folders)
Box 17			Typed pages 1960-1965 (14 folders)
Box 18			Typed pages 1965, 1968-1969 (6 folders)
		Essays
Box 18			Sojourn in Yugoslavia - multiple typescript drafts, some with corrections, some incomplete (3 folders)
		Novels
			Carolina Soldier
Box 18				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 19				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
			The Cherry Search
Box 19				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 19				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 19				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
			The Dance of Olive
Box 20				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 20				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (4 folders)
Box 20				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 21				[Draft D] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
			Danno the Outlaw
Box 21				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 21				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 21				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 22				[Draft D] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 22				[Draft E] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
			The End of Afterward
Box 22				[Draft A] typescript and handwritten pages, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 22				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 22				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 22				[Draft D] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
			Free Forester
Box 23				[Draft A] handwritten draft pages - possibly incomplete (13 folders)
Box 24				[Draft A] handwritten draft pages - possibly incomplete (12 folders)
				[Draft B] typescript - incomplete pages, mostly contains chapters 31 and 49
			I Follow Westward
Box 25				[Draft A] typescript and handwritten pages, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 25				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 25				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 25				[Draft D] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
			The Indian Show
Box 25				[Draft A] typescript pages, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 26				[Draft B] typescript pages, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 26				[Draft C] typescript pages, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 26				[Draft D] typescript pages, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 26				[Draftt E] typescrpt, with corrections (2 folders)
			The Paper Bachelor
Box 26				[Draft A] mix of typescript and handwritten pages, with corrections (2 folders)
			The Romance of a Child
Box 26				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections
			Three Lovers, Four Pearls
Box 27				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 27				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 27				Miscellaneous draft pages - contains only certain chapters
			The Tree and the Branches
Box 27				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 27				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 28				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 28			Miscellaneous novel pages
		Plays
			Admirable Crichton
				This is unrelated to the J.M. Barrie play of the same name.
Box 28				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 28				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 28				Miscellaneous pages, typescript, 1 handwritten page - envelope was titled "Admirable Crichton" but contains largely poetry, mainly pages from "The Heavenly Twins" (2 folders)
			The Amazon's Hero - a two-act play in verse
Box 28				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections
Box 28				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
			The Antique Thorn
Box 28				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections
Box 29				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
Box 29				"The Faun's Girl" typescript drafts with corrections; incomplete
					See also Young Wildman and the Black Girl, below.
Box 29				"The Girl from the Spring" typescript drafts with corrections
			The Emperor and the Bee Boy - a play in four acts
Box 29				[Draft A] typescript and handwritten pages, with corrections
Box 29				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
Box 29				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections
			The Heavenly Twins
Box 29				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections - "Persons of the Scene" written on envelope, which is the second page of the other drafts (2 folders)
Box 29				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 29				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections
			The Women of Lemnos
Box 29				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
		Poetry
			Bacchus and Krishna
Box 30				[Draft A] handwritten pages
Box 30				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
Box 30				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections
Box 30				[Draft D] miscellaneous typescript and handwritten pages, with corrections
			A Brook of Leaves
Box 30				Draft - handwritten
			Dark Forest
Box 30				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			Flower Myth
Box 30				Draft, typescript, with corrections and letter from the publisher
			The Flying Ones - contains three narrative poems: "The Flight and Fall of Icaros," "The Princesses and the Porters of the Land of Shuh," and "The Holy House of Loretto"
Box 30				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (incomplete)
Box 30				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
Box 43				Galley proofs - some with corrections
			The Gatherers of the Frankincense
Box 30				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			Gold Animal
Box 30				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections
Box 30				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
			Green Hidden Fort
Box 30				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			Jacques in/of the Woods
Box 31				[Draft A] handwritten, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 31				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections - appears to be either multiple copies or various editions (2 folders)
			Knight Under Enchantment/The Rich Merchant's Son - both titles on envelope
Box 31				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			Lief's House in Wineland
Box 31				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			The Love Master
				See also The Secret Heart , below.
Box 31				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (2 copies)
Box 31				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
			The Lover's Tide: Three poems of the sea
Box 31				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			The Magic Child
Box 31				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 31				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
			The Magic Smith's Revenge
				See also Young Wildman and the Black Girl, below.
Box 31				Drafts, typescript, with corrections (3 drafts)
			Man-child's Pillow Book
Box 31				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			The March of the Virgins
Box 31				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			Martha Hilton
Box 31				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			Noah Lovering's Ark - narrative poem
				See also The Secret Heart , below.
Box 31				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections - also includes 12 other poems
Box 32				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections
			The Pirate's Girl
Box 32				Drafts, typescript, with corrections
			Sailor on Circe's Island [alt titles: Circe's Island, Circe's Sailor]
Box 32				[Draft A] handwritten
Box 32				Drafts, typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
			The Secret Heart - envelope titled "The Secret Heart," contents appear to be other things as listed below
Box 32				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections - narrative poems "The Love Master," "Noah Lovering's Ark," and "Yankee Idyll"
Box 32				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections - narrative poems "The Love Master," "Noah Lovering's Ark"
Box 32				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections - narrative poems "The Love Master," "Noah Lovering's Ark," and "Yankee Idyll"
			Some Phoenix Blood
Box 32				[Draft A] mostly typescript, with corrections
Box 32				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections (3 folders)
Box 32				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections
			The Spring of Youth
Box 33				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			The Thieves
Box 33				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections
Box 33				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections - has subtitle "comprising The Ballet of the Miraculous Mandarin The Thieves"
			Three Loves the Same - 3 narrative poems
Box 33				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			The Valley of Cain
Box 33				[Draft A] handwritten, with corrections
Box 33				[Draft B] (2 copies) typescript, with corrections
Box 33				[Draft C] typescript, with corrections
			A Yankee Idyll
				See also The Secret Heart , above.
Box 33				Drafts, typescript, with corrections - various poems, many duplicates (4 folders)
			The Young Crusade - poem as a play
Box 33				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections (2 folders)
Box 34				[Draft B] typescript, with corrections
			Young Malatesta
Box 34				Draft, typescript, with corrections
			Young Wildman and the Black Girl
Box 34				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections - written on envelope "Passion of two colors, comprising Young wildman and the black girl, The Magic Smith's Revenge"
Box 34				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections
Box 34				[Draft A] typescript, with corrections
Box 34				[Draft D] typescript, with corrections - includes a draft of "The Faun's Girl"
			Miscellaneous
Box 34				Typescripts (10 folders)
Box 35				Typescripts (6 folders)
		Unidentified
			The collection as received contained a very large quantity of handwritten material, not identified and without any page numbers. Some was tied into bundles but much was simply loose. This material has been foldered in its original order, with no sorting attempted.
Box 35			Handwritten pages (9 folders)
Box 36			Handwritten pages (13 folders)
Box 37			Handwritten pages (14 folders)
Box 38			Handwritten pages (15 folders)
Box 39			Handwritten pages (14 folders)
Box 40			Handwritten pages (13 folders)
Box 40			Typed pages, "The Native Heart" - title written on envelope was "The Native Heart," but contents are a mixture of pages of all kinds of material
Box 41			Typed pages, "The Native Heart" - title written on envelope was "The Native Heart," but contents are a mixture of pages of all kinds of material (3 folders)
Box 41			Typed pages (12 folders)
Box 42			Typed pages (2 folders)
Box 42			Mixed

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