Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Davis Dunbar McElroy Papers, 1950-1969
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- McElroy, Davis Dunbar
- Title
- Davis Dunbar McElroy Papers
- Dates
- 1950-1969 (inclusive)19501969
- Quantity
- 2 containers., (2 linear feet of shelf space.), (3850 items.)
- Collection Number
- Cage 451
- Summary
- Research notes, typescript drafts and other papers relating to Scotland's literary clubs, published in part as Scotland's Age of Improvement, a Survey of Eighteenth Century Literary Clubs and Societies (1970).
- Repository
-
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open for research use.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Davis Dunbar McElroy was born in San Francisco, California on August 1, 1917. He served in the United States Navy from 1942-1946. After the war, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley in 1949, and received his doctoral degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1952. From 1960 to 1962 McElroy was an Assistant Professor at Oregon State University. He served on Washington State University's English Department faculty from 1962 to 1970. Since 1970 McElroy has been Chairman of Humanities at Centralia College. His book Scotland's Age of Improvement, a Survey of Eighteenth Century Literary Clubs and Societies, based on his dissertation, was completed in 1969 and published by the Washington State University Press the following year.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
[Item Description]. Cage 451, Davis Dunbar McElroy Papers. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in three series: Typescripts, Rough Notes, and Reference Materials. The first series, Typescripts, consists of two sub-series: McElroy's typescript of his book, A Century of Scottish Clubs, 1700-1800, along with an extensive index to that typescript; and earlier typewritten drafts of the chapters (arranged alphabetically by title) which later became chapters of the book. The second series, Rough Notes, consists of research notes, both handwritten and typewritten, which were compiled by the author during the course of his work on the book. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject, and contains references to persons, places, and clubs which appear throughout McElroy's work. The types of materials found in this series include accounts of the various clubs taken from journals and newspapers of the day, club information taken from biographies and writings of famous members, and observations and opinions about the various societies found in the minutes of club meetings. The third series, Reference Materials, is comprised of other published works including Harry A. Cockburn's An Account of the Friday Club, Written by Lord Cockburn, Together with Notes on Certain Other Social Clubs in Edinburgh (1911), and a reel of microfilm containing extracts of biographical sketches and memoirs of the Alexander Monros: Primus, Secondus, Tertius.
The clubs McElroy described were not solely concerned with literature, social improvement, or debate. Many were convivial fraternities which emphasized camaraderie. According to the author, many of these societies were founded for the purpose of teaching Scots men of letters to write and speak proper English. Other clubs promoted improvement in agriculture, fisheries, industries, and conduct.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series 1: TypescriptsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | |
|---|---|---|
A Century of Scottish Clubs,
1700-1800 |
||
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 1 | Volume One (Text) 1
item.
|
| 1 | 2 | Volume Two (Index) 1
item.
|
Earlier Drafts |
||
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 3 | Academies of Art 1
item.
|
| 1 | 4 |
Achievement
1
item.
|
| 1 | 5 |
The Age of Improvement
1
item.
|
| 1 | 6 |
Bibliography
1
item.
|
| 1 | 7 | Conclusion 1
item.
|
| 1 | 8 |
Fictitious Clubs and Societies
1
item.
|
| 1 | 9 | Membership of the Literary
Society of Glasgow 1
item.
|
| 1 | 10 |
Non-Literary Clubs and Societies of Literary
Interest
1
item.
|
| 1 | 11 |
Period of Recognition
1
item.
|
| 1 | 12 |
Preparation
1
item.
|
| 1 | 13 |
Student Clubs and Societies
1
item.
|
| 1 | 14 |
Table of Contents and Introduction
1
item.
|
Series 2: Rough NotesReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 15 | Aberdeen and St. Andrew's Student
Societies 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 16 | Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical
Society 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 17 | Academies of Art,
notes 10
items.
|
|
| 1 | 18 | Academies and Arts
Clubs 200
items.
|
|
| 1 | 19 | Agricultural Economic
Background 15
items.
|
|
| 1 | 20 | Agricultural
Societies 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 21 | American Physical
Society 11
items.
|
1794-1797 |
| 1 | 22 | Appendices of Thesis 8
items.
|
|
| 1 | 23 | Appendix Materials on Carnival
Clubs 100
items.
|
|
| 1 | 24 | Beggar's Bennison, Hell Fire
Club 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 25 | Belles Lettres
Society 40
items.
|
|
| 1 | 26 | Belles Lettres Society
Members 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 27 | Bibliography 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 28 | Black (Joseph) and James
Watt 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 29 | Books and Pamphlets in Scot's
Magazine 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 30 | Boswell, James 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 31 | Burns, Robert 75
items.
|
|
| 1 | 32 | Caledonian Unit 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 33 | Carnival Club 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 34 | Carnival Clubs 300
items.
|
|
| 1 | 35 | Chapter Three,
Materials 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 36 | Chapter Two,
Materials 75
items.
|
|
| 1 | 37 | Chemical Societies of
Edinburgh 100
items.
|
|
| 1 | 38 | Chirigo-Physical
Society 5
items.
|
1789-1791 |
| 1 | 39 | Cochrane's Political Economy
Club 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 40 | Democratic Offshoots 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 41 | Discards, not useful 200
items.
|
|
| 1 | 42 | Duncan, Andrew 15
items.
|
|
| 1 | 43 | Early Improving
Societies 100
items.
|
|
| 1 | 44 | Edinburgh Clubs 3
items.
|
|
| 1 | 45 | Edinburgh Improving
Societies 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 46 | Edinburgh Review 10
items.
|
1755 |
| 1 | 47 | Easy Club 100
items.
|
|
| 1 | 48 | Fair Intellectual
Club 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 49 | Ferguson (Robert) and the Cape
Club 150
items.
|
|
| 1 | 50 | Fictitious Clubs 80
items.
|
|
| 1 | 51 | Foreign Societies and Scottish
Clubs 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 52 | French Notes 10
items.
|
|
| 1 | 53 | General Literary
Background 10
items.
|
|
| 1 | 54 | Glasgow Clubs 15
items.
|
|
| 1 | 55 | Glasgow Societies 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 56 | Glasgow University Student
Societies 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 57 | Griskin Club 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 58 | Grotesque Club 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 59 | Guilds 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 60 | Harveian Society 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 61 | Hibernia Medical
Society 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 62 | Highland Society of
Edinburgh 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 63 | Highland Societies of London and
Glasgow 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 64 | Hodge Podge Club of
Glasgow 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 65 | Hume, David 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 66 | Improving Clubs and
Societies 55
items.
|
|
| 1 | 67 | Introduction 10
items.
|
|
| 1 | 68 | Journal of The Easy
Club 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 69 | Legal Societies 15
items.
|
|
| 1 | 70 | Libraries and Mechanical
Institutes 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 71 | Literary Societies of
Glasgow 10
items.
|
|
| 1 | 72 | Literary Society of
Glasgow 15
items.
|
|
| 1 | 73 | Loose Notes 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 74 | Manuscript Notes, National
Library of Scotland 3
items.
|
|
| 1 | 75 | Masons 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 76 | Materials for Appendix
A 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 77 | Material for supplement number
one 45
items.
|
|
| 1 | 78 | Members of the St. Andrew
Society 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 79 | The Mirror 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 80 | Mirror Club 3
items.
|
|
| 1 | 81 | Monro, Doctors 5
items.
|
|
| 1 | 82 | National History
Society 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 83 | Notes 2
items.
|
|
| 1 | 84 | Oyster Club 10
items.
|
|
| 1 | 85 | Pantheon Society 1
item.
|
|
| 1 | 86 | Period of Recognition,
notes 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 87 | Philalethic Society 2
items.
|
|
| 1 | 88 | Philosophic Society of
Aberdeen 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 89 | Philosophical Society 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 90 | Physical Society of
Edinburgh 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 91 | Poker Club 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 92 | Poker Club-Minutes and
Members 100
items.
|
|
| 1 | 93 | Political Club 50
items.
|
|
| 1 | 94 | Professional
Societies 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 95 | Ramsay (Allen Jr.) and the Select
Society 10
items.
|
|
| 1 | 96 | Rankenian Club 75
items.
|
|
| 1 | 97 | Religious Societies 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 98 | Right and Wrong Club 35
items.
|
|
| 1 | 99 | Royal Medical Society of
Edinburgh 25
items.
|
|
| 1 | 100 | Royal and Philosophical
Societies 45
items.
|
|
| 2 | 101 | Ruddiman's Club 45
items.
|
|
| 2 | 102 | Rush (Benjamin) and other
Yanks 5
items.
|
|
| 2 | 103 | Select Society 85
items.
|
|
| 2 | 104 | Select Society to Teach English
Speech 50
items.
|
|
| 2 | 105 | Scott, Sir Walter 25
items.
|
|
| 2 | 106 | Sinclair, Sir John 25
items.
|
|
| 2 | 107 | Smith, Adam 45
items.
|
|
| 2 | 108 | Societies of
Antiquaries 75
items.
|
|
| 2 | 109 | Society for the Reformation of
Manner 50
items.
|
|
| 2 | 110 | Source Materials on Scottish
Clubs 75
items.
|
|
| 2 | 111 | Speculative Society 50
items.
|
|
| 2 | 112 | Sports Clubs 25
items.
|
|
| 2 | 113 | Student Societies 100
items.
|
|
| 2 | 114 | Useful Extracts 25
items.
|
|
| 2 | 115 | Watt (James) and his
Condensor 75
items.
|
|
| 2 | 116 | Women's Clubs and Foreign
Clubs 75
items.
|
Series 3: Additional Published MaterialsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | |
| 2 | 117 | Old Edinburgh Clubs
(book) 1
item.
|
| 2 | 118 | Primus, Secundus, Tertius
(microfilm) 1
item.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Scottish literature--18th century
- Scottish literature--Societies, etc.
Personal Names
- McElroy, Davis Dunbar, 1917- --Archives (creator)
Titles within the Collection
- Scotland's age of improvement
Finding aid prepared by Andrew J.
Gregg
2012
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
