Collection number: MC 240
Size: 17 boxes
(5.66 cu.ft.)
About Eleanor Wells Nudd (1918-1997)
Writer Eleanor Dawson Wells was born on April 25, 1918 in Des Moines, Iowa to Dr. Clifford and Helen Wells. When she was two years old, her father accepted a position with the Rockefeller foundation and the family moved to East Orange, NJ. They moved again in 1929, when her father was sent to Baltimore for a year to study at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and again the following year when Dr. Wells was sent to Jamaica to conduct surveys of TB patients.
In 1934, Eleanor returned to the States to attend Abbot Academy in Andover MA. She then attended Wheaton College in Norton, MA where she majored in drama and received an A.B. in 1940. After a couple of years of unsteady employment (including one in Jamaica where she worked for the American Canteen and the U.S.O.) she found a job in New York working as a research assistant to Freling Foster who, for many years, wrote a column for Collier’s called "Keep Up With the World".
In 1947, she left that job and moved to New Hampshire where her parents had purchased a country home. She taught for a year at Colby Junior College in New London, NH before marrying Raymond G. Nudd of Tilton in June 1948. The Nudds had four children: Margaret, George, Jean and Walter.
When Walther started first grade, Eleanor went back to school, both as a student and a teacher. She took graduate courses in education at Plymouth State College and the University of New Hampshire. She taught for several years in the Sanbornton and New Hampton elementary schools until a position in the English Department at Franklin High School in Franklin, NH became available.
After 12 years at the high school, she retired and spent her remaining years writing and traveling. She died on May 23, 1997.
About the Eleanor Wells Nudd Papers
Throughout her life, Eleanor wrote poetry, prose and non-fiction articles that she submitted for publication. Although she claimed that "most were never published"; her writings can be found in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, among other magazines. This collection contains correspondence, manuscripts for published and unpublished works and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings relating to genealogical and World War II items.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], [Folder], [Box], Eleanor Wells Nudd, MC 240, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Donated: Jean Nudd Elliot (Accession number: 2011.18)
Collection Contents
Series 1: Correspondence, 1848-1964
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | A
| |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | From The Atlantic Monthly, 1941-1991 (28 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | From Avon Books, 1982-1991 (3 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | From Louise Boas, 1941-1960 (17 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | B-C
| |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | From Tom D. Durrance, 1941-1942 (10 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | From Tom D. Durrance, 1943-1944 (7 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | E
| |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | From William W. Gibson, 1943 (6 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | From William W. Gibson, 1944 (9 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | From William W. Gibson, 1945-1946 (10 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 12 | From William W. Gibson, 1947-1981 (8 pages) | |
| Box 1, Folder 13 | G-H
| |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | J-M
| |
| Box 1, Folder 15 | From Nancy Mairs, Sept. 28, 1981-Christmas 1996 (11 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 16 | M-N
| |
| Box 1, Folder 17 | N
| |
| Box 1, Folder 18 | From The New Yorker, Nov. 27, 1942-Nov. 8, 1991 (36 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 19 | From Nancy W. Over, Dec. 18,1987-Sept.17, 1991 (12 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 20 | From Nancy W. Over, undated (7 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 21 | From The Partisan Review, Sept. 27, 1946-Dec. 7, 1989 (3 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 22 | To Jean Pedrick, March, 1947-June 28, 1948 (11 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 23 | To Jean Pedrick, July 5, 1948-June 14, 1949 (18 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 24 | To Jean Pedrick, Sept. 22, 1949-Nov. 11, 1955 (19 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 25 | To Jean Pedrick, May 25, 1948-Feb. 13, 1960 (11 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 26 | To Jean Pedrick, Oct. 23, 1979-Nov. 22, 1985 (17 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 27 | From Jean Pedrick (1 from Frank Kefferstan), July 16, 1986-Dec. 1989 (21 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 28 | From Jean Pedrick, Jan. 11, 1990-Dec. 18, 1992 (15 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 29 | From Jean Pedrick, Nov. 4, 1995-June 21, 1997 (8 letters) | |
| Box 1, Folder 30 | From Jean Pedrick, undated (10 letters) | |
| Box 2 | ||
| Box 2, Folder 1 | S
| |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | Misc.
| |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Miscellaneous correspondence,undated | |
| Box 2, Folder 4 | From Persea - Swallow | |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | From Tilton - Yankee | |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | Greeting cards | |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | Will, property assessment, and legal papers | |
Series 2: Manuscripts, 1848-1964
| Box 2, Folder 8 | Early works | |
| Box 2, Folder 9 | English literature; early classes | |
| Box 2, Folder 10 | Works submitted for publication, 1957-1959 | |
| Box 2, Folder 11-14 | English Literature for teachers | |
| Box 2, Folder 15 | Across the Gap, v. 1-4 | |
| Box 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 3, Folder 1 | Almanac of New Hampshire Seasons/Books A-Z | |
| Box 3, Folder 2 | Ashland School notebooks | |
| Box 3, Folder 3-6 | Atlas and Almanac, vols. 1-7 | |
| Box 3, Folder 7 | Basic Designs/ Day in the Classroom, v. 1-2 | |
| Box 3, Folder 8 | Basic Designs/ Week in the Classroom, v. 1-3 | |
| Box 4 | ||
| Box 4, Folder 1 | Basic Designs / NDEA Institute papers | |
| Box 4, Folder 2 | Basic Designs/ Part One | |
| Box 4, Folder 3-9 | Basic Designs vols. 1-2, part V | |
| Box 5 | ||
| Box 5, Folder 1-3 | Basic Designs vols. 2-3 | |
| Box 5, Folder 4-9 | College papers1935-1940 | |
| Box 6 | ||
| Box 6, Folder 1 | Franklin High School - papers | |
| Box 6, Folder 2 | The Granite Roots, vols. 1-2 | |
| Box 6, Folder 3 | "Green Island" | |
| Box 6, Folder 4 | "Imaginary Characters" | |
| Box 6, Folder 5-9 | Drafts: Isle of
Springs
These folders contain handwritten and typed drafts of stories for her unpublished book. Stories include, "A Green Island," "Land of Comic Opera," and "Lomas Land" | |
| Box 7 | ||
| Box 7, Folder 1-9 | Drafts: Isle of Springs | |
| Box 8 | ||
| Box 8, Folder 1-6 | Drafts: Isle of Springs | |
| Box 8, Folder 7 | Jamaica: correspondence, maps and notes | |
| Box 8, Folder 8 | Jamaica: publications | |
| Box 8, Folder 9 | "Lady Nugents's Other Journal" | |
| Box 10 | ||
| Box 10, Folder 1-9 | Manuscripts: miscellaneous | |
| Box 9 | ||
| Box 9, Folder 1 | Manuscripts: The Laundromat Affair | |
| Box 9, Folder 2 | "Letters: A Sonnet Sequence," vols. 1-4 | |
| Box 9, Folder 3 | "Letters: A Sonnet Sequence," vols. 5-6 | |
| Box 9, Folder 4 | miscellaneous papers | |
| Box 9, Folder 5 | New England Association of Teachers of English Contest | |
| Box 9, Folder 6 | Notebook: early works | |
| Box 9, Folder 7 | Notebook: notes for Imaginary Life | |
| Box 9, Folder 8 | Play script: Impromptu | |
| Box 9, Folder 9 | Notebook: notes for Lady Nugents Other Journal | |
| Box 9, Folder 10 | Notebook: miscellaneous jottings | |
| Box 9, Folder 11 | Notebook: Reflections in glass | |
| Box 9, Folder 12 | Reporting on outside reading (for Philosophy of Education, 1961) | |
| Box 10 | ||
| Box 10, Folder 1-3 | Manuscripts: One Woman's Eye View, vols. 1-3 | |
| Box 10, Folder 4 | "Other Doll's House," vols. 1-3 | |
| Box 10, Folder 5 | Notebook: Other People's House | |
| Box 10, Folder 6-11 | "Out of Destruction's Reach" | |
| Box 11 | ||
| Box 11, Folder 1 | Palm Sunday pageant, 1954-1968 | |
| Box 11, Folder 2 | "The Abbot Courant," 1935-1937 and 50th reunion | |
| Box 11, Folder 3-6 | "Photographic Memory: Selected Poems," 1941-1991 | |
| Box 11, Folder 7 | "The Picnic Days" | |
| Box 11, Folder 8-10 | Poetry by Nudd | |
| Box 12 | ||
| Box 12, Folder 1-2 | Poetry by Nudd | |
| Box 12, Folder 3 | published articles | |
| Box 12, Folder 4-5 | Prose by Wells | |
| Box 12, Folder 6-9 | Prose by Nudd | |
| Box 13 | ||
| Box 13, Folder 1-7 | "Then and Now: Selected Poems" | |
| Box 13, Folder 8 | "Way Things Used to Be" | |
| Box 13, Folder 9 | Poetry by Nudd/England | |
| Box 13, Folder 10 | Poems in process | |
| Box 13, Folder 11-14 | Prose by Nudd | |
| Box 14 | ||
| Box 14, Folder 1 | Prose by Nudd | |
| Box 14, Folder 2 | "Read Graph and Write" | |
| Box 14, Folder 3 | Teaching curriculum papers | |
| Box 14, Folder 4 | Misc. flyers, programs, forms, etc. | |
| Box 14, Folder 5 | Published works, prints, etc. | |
| Box 14, Folder 6-9 | Vo-tech English Manual | |
| Box 15 | ||
| Box 15, Folder 1-3 | Vo-tech English Manual and workbook | |
| Box 15, Folder 4 | Works by Jean Nudd, 1987-1994 | |
| Box 15, Folder 5 | Works by Jean Pedrick | |
| Box 15, Folder 6 | Works by Skim milk Workshop members | |
| Box 15, Folder 7 | Photographs | |
| Box 16 | ||
| Box 16, Folder 1 | "Basic Design" | |
| Box 16, Folder 2 | "Basic Machines" | |
| Box 16, Folder 3 | "A Countryside of Granite" | |
| Box 16, Folder 4 | "The Eagle's View" | |
| Box 16, Folder 5 | "The Granite Roots" | |
| Box 16, Folder 6 | "Imaginary Life, Summer 1981" | |
| Box 16, Folder 7-9 | "Land of Comic Opera" | |
| Box 16, Folder 10 | "Letter to Walter" | |
| Box 16, Folder 5 | Miscellaneous papers | |
| Box 17 | ||
| Box 17, Folder 1 | "New Hampshire Stories and Novellas" | |
| Box 17, Folder 2-5 | "Out of Destructions Reach" | |
| Box 17, Folder 6 | Poetry and prose, miscellaneous | |
| Box 17, Folder 7 | "The Unhappy Present" | |
| Box 17, Folder 8 | Wheaton College miscellaneous | |
Series 3: Scrapbook
| Box 17, Folder | Scrapbook contains 25 pages, most of which have newspaper clippings relating to genealogical and World War II items. |
