Manuscripts
IX. Audio materials
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VI. Genealogical Material
Manuscripts
In the early 1940s, Wallace Stevens began an extensive correspondence to trace his family ancestry. Elsie Stevens also took an active interest in tracing her roots. Over 2,000 pieces of genealogical material resulted, in the form of letters, documents and typescripts. The material dates primarily from the 1940s. Why Stevens took such pains to trace his ancestry is open to speculation, but two possible reasons could be 1) the death of most of his family (i.e. brothers and sisters) in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and 2) Holly Stevens' decision to leave Vassar College without a degree in 1942. Stevens' attempt to define and describe his family could well have been to reassure both himself and his daughter of their heritage.
mssWAS 1-4262