Nancy Luce papers, 1725-1964

(bulk 1833-1889)

John Hay Library, Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	Nancy Luce papers
Date range:	1725-1964, (bulk 1833-1889)
Creator:	Luce, Nancy, 1814-1890
Extent:	1 linear foot (over 300 items)
Abstract:	The Nancy Luce papers comprise manuscripts poems, accounts, journals, photographs, family papers and clippings that cover the period from 1725 to 1964.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms.Luce

Scope & content

The Nancy Luce papers include a manuscript journal, homemade manuscript booklets of verse (some done in artistic penmanship), account books, bills, receipts, prescriptions, letters and graphic images (photographs, cutouts and a wood-block engraving of Luce holding two pet hens) created by Nancy Luce. The collection also includes various family papers dating from 1725, as well as additional materials (newspaper clippings, notes, correspondence and articles) that were later added to the collection by Benjamin C. Clough, Professor of English and Classics at Brown, who donated the collection to the University in 1964.

Nancy Luce died impoverished and was buried at the expense of the town of West Tisbury. To recover their costs, the town's Overseers of the Poor sold off Luce's personal belongings, including the old trunk in which she kept her papers and writings. The latter was purchased by Goodspeed's Bookshop in Boston, where it remained until Prof. Clough, himself a native of the Vineyard, purchased them in 1941. Clough did some research on Luce, culminating in an article he wrote for The Colophon and several public talks, including one for the Friends of the Library at Brown in April 1950.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Clough, Ben C. (Benjamin Crocker), 1888-1975
• Luce, Nancy, 1814-1890

Geographical Names

• Martha's Vineyard (Mass.)
• West Tisbury (Mass.)

Subject Topics

• Chickens--Poetry
• Death--Poetry
• Domestic animals--Poetry
• Poetry--Women authors
• Poets, American
• Poultry--Diseases

Occupations

• Poets

Document Types

• Account books
• Diaries
• genealogies
• Letters (Correspondence)
• Photographs
• Poems

Subject Topics

• Language and Literature

Arrangement

The collection is divided into 6 series:

• Series 1. Nancy Luce papers and writings
• Subseries A. Incoming Correspondence
• Subseries B. Outgoing Correspondence
• Subseries C. Journals
• Subseries D. Loose Writings
• Subseries E. Accounts
• Subseries F. Bills and receipts
• Series 2. Luce family papers
• Series 3. Other papers
• Series 4. Printed materials
• Series 5. Graphics
• Series 6. Museum objects

Items within the Nancy Luce papers and writings are ordered alphabetically by author of the letter for correspondence and ordered chronologically for her writings and other papers. The Luce family papers and Other papers are ordered chronologically. The Printed materials, Graphics, and Museum objects are in no defined order.

Biographical note

Nancy Luce, daughter of Philip Luce, was born on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century, although the exact date of her birth is disputed. Her family was of modest means and fought to make ends meet in the face of chronic illness. Philip Luce, it seems, was soon forced to sell off portions of the family farm to pay his debts. By the time she was a teenager, Nancy herself was embedded in this cycle of decline, struggling desperately to keep the farm going while caring for her ailing parents. Her life soon spiraled into an ordeal of loneliness and suffering after her parents died, as her own chronic health problems emerged. Thus deterred from pursuing opportunities to advance herself, she instead became a noted local eccentric. Through her "hen-elegies," the free verse she wrote about the female chickens she kept as household pets, Luce achieved a certain notoriety. As Martha's Vineyard became a summer resort in the late 19th century, her reputation spread off-island. She herself became an attraction for curious visitors, to whom she sold eggs, along with pictures of herself and copies of her poems. She published her first book of verse, entitled Poor Little Hearts between 1860 and 1866. Complete editions of her poems were published in 1871, 1875 and 1888. Luce died on April 9, 1890, and remains a unique symbol of life on the Vineyard. Her grave site (ornamented with plastic chickens) is a local tourist attraction.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Nancy Luce papers, Ms. Luce, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Luce papers were a gift of Professor Benjamin C. Clough and Mr. Henry Beetle Hough in 1964.
Processing information:	At one time the library had a microfilm reel of this collection, but it is missing.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Jennifer Long
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-03-12

Additional Information

Related material:	Additional information on Nancy Luce may be found by consulting Walter M. Teller, Consider Poor I: The Life and Works of Nancy Luce (Edgartown, Massachusetts: Dukes County Historical Society, 1984).Some additional manuscripts of Nancy Luce are held by the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Other information:	Brown University Library catalog record for this collection: Nancy Luce papers

Inventory

---