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Vincent Godfrey Burns Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Burns, Vincent Godfrey, 1893-1979
Title: Vincent Godfrey Burns Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1939-1969
Quantity: 1.5 linear ft.
Abstract: Writings by and printed materials about the American Congregationalist minister and Poet Laureate of Maryland
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

Vincent Godfrey Burns (1893-1979) was a minister and Poet Laureate of Maryland.

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1893, Burns graduated from Pennsylvania State College (1916), Harvard University (1917), Union Theological Seminary (1922), and Columbia University (1925) with a post-graduate study degree. He wrote a sequel to his older brother Robert Elliot Burns important book I Am a Fugitive From a Georgia Chain Gang, which details the elder Burns experiences as a convict in the Georgia penal system and his escape. In 1962 he was appointed Poet Laureate of Maryland, a post he held until his death.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Vincent Godfrey Burns Papers consists of printed materials and writings.

Printed materials consist of flyers and programs for poetry readings and town halls featuring Burns as speaker.

Writings contains newspaper articles, a galley, a teleplay, and a hand-written draft for an unpublished book about new information on the Lindbergh kidnapping.

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Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arrangement alphabetically.

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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.

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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Related Material

Books donated as part of the collection have been transferred to Rare Books for cataloguing. Please refer to the Classic Catalog to locate these items.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Burns, Vincent Godfrey, 1893-1979.

Subjects

Poets laureate -- Maryland.
Poets, American.

Genres and Forms

Drafts (documents)
Fliers (printed matter)
Galley proofs.
Manuscripts for publication.
Programs (documents)

Occupations

Poets.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Vincent Godfrey Burns Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 1969.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 9 Apr 2010
Revision history: 25 Jul 2023 - processed (RMH)

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Inventory

Printed material
Box 1 Flyers and programs 1939-1941, 1946-1947, 1960-1961, 1964, 1969, undated
Oversize 1 Flyers and programs undated
Box 1 The Rainbow: a magazine of poetry 1964-1968 - Burns was president of Maryland poetry society, publisher of magazine
Writings
Books
Oversize 1 The Man who Broke a Thousand Chains circa 1968 - galley print
Box 1 New Light on the Lindbergh Kidnapping Mystery circa 1968 - hand written draft (4 folders)
Box 1 Newspaper columns circa 1965 - drafts
Box 1 Poems undated
Teleplay
Box 1 World on Fire 1961

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