Address:
Jean Fagan Yellin/Harriet Jacobs Research Collection, 1855-2017 (majority within 1968-2010)
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
- This collection is open to research.
Summary
- Creator:
- Yellin, Jean Fagan, 1930-
- Abstract:
- The Jean Fagan Yellin/Harriet Jacobs Research Collection (1855-2017, majority between 1968-2010) spans approximately 10 linear feet with 7 series covering the work done by Jean Fagan Yellin on Harriet Jacobs and related materials on slavery, abolitionism, and feminism. The collection includes correspondence, drafts, reports, notes and annotations, clippings, photographs, and various research files collected, created, and utilized for Yellin's research, writings and publications, and speaking engagements to public and scholarly audiences. Notable materials include extensive evidence of Yellin's engagement with public and scholarly audiences on topics related to Harriet Jacobs, research files and other materials related to Harriet Jacobs and individuals originating from the 1800s and descendants, and files including correspondence proving the authenticity of "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" as an autobiographical work by Harriet Jacobs.
- Extent:
-
10 Linear Feet
9 record center boxes, 1 flat oversize box - Authors:
- Finding aid created by Tere Elizalde using ArchivesSpace, April 2024.
Background
- Scope and Content:
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The Jean Fagan Yellin/Harriet Jacobs Research Collection is approximately 10 linear feet and contains materials between 1855-2017 and primarily between 1968-2010. The collection focuses on the work of Jean Fagan Yellin with most attention to Yellin's research and engagement regarding Harriet Jacobs through correspondence, research files, drafts, reports, clippings, photographs, clippings, and other collected materials.
Other notable topics include her works on antislavery, abolitionism, and feminism during the nineteenth century through additional writings, drafts, and research that would connect with Yellin's work on Harriet Jacobs. Notable strengths of the collection include files related to extensive outreach efforts to public and scholarly audiences about Harriet Jacobs, research files with notes and other documentation including those created during Harriet Jacobs' lifetime, correspondence with the North Carolina archivist George Stevenson in researching "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", and a 1993 interview with Dr. William Knox Jr., a family member of Harriet Jacobs.
Audiovisual materials in the collection have not been digitized.
Jean Fagan Yellin also used extensive abbreviations to describe various professional associations, organizations, projects, and titles within individual files and folder names such as the following:
AAUW: American Association of University Women AHA: American Historical Association ALA: American Literature Association ASA: American Studies Association CAAR: Collegium for African American Research CLA: College Language Association EIAAT: European Imprints of African American Texts HJFP: "Harriet Jacobs Family Papers" ILSG: "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" MELUS: Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States MLA: Modern Language Association NCFA: National Collection of Fine Arts, now Smithsonian American Art Museum NEH: National Endowment for the Humanities NEMLA: Northeast Modern Language Association NHI: National Humanities Institute NYC: New York City Humanities Program OHA: Organization of American Historians SHA: Southern Historical Association
- Biographical / Historical:
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Jean Fagan Yellin (1930-2023) was born in East Lansing, Michigan. Yellin obtained her bachelor's degree in 1951 from Roosevelt University, her master's degree in 1963 from the University of Illinois, and her doctorate degree in literature, also from the University of Illinois. In 1968, she became Assistant Professor at Pace University (formerly Pace College), and eventually Professor Emeritus, where her teaching focused on topics such as the nineteenth century, African Americans, abolitionism and slavery, feminism, and Harriet Jacobs.
During Yellin's dissertation research (which was later published as "Intricate Knot"), Yellin came across "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" published under the psuedonym "Linda Brent" and edited by Lydia Maria Child, a well-known abolitionist and author. At the time, "Incidents" was regarded as a fictional account written by Child, however, Yellin developed a feeling that the narrative was an autobiography rather than fiction. Through a letter from Harriet Jacobs in the archives at Smith College, Yellin was able to match names to the characters in "Incidents". Yellin would then devote much of her career researching the life of Harriet Jacobs through historical documents, newspapers, correspondence, photographs, and other materials, as well as sharing her discoveries with the public and scholars. In addition, to support her research on Harriet Jacobs and other related interests, she earned multiple grants and fellowships including support from the Smithsonian, the WEB DuBois Institute, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Ford Foundation.
As a result of Yellin's research into proving the authenticity of "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" as an autobiography of Harriet Jacobs, Harvard University Press published an updated version in 1987 edited by Yellin and a later edition in 2009 that included research on John S. Jacobs, Harriet Jacobs' brother. After the 1987 publication of "Incidents", Yellin continued to research Harriet Jacobs and her life, in which the information was published in other works including a full biography entitled "Harriet Jacobs: A Life" in 2004, and a compilation of primary sources in the two-volume, "Harriet Jacobs Family Papers" in 2008 that details an extensive look into Harriet Jacobs' life, family, and work as an educator, women's rights activist, and abolitionist.
Sources: Jean Fagan Yellin/Harriet Jacobs Research Collection, University of Michigan Library (Special Collections Research Center).
Sam Roberts, "Jean Fagan Yellin, Who Uncovered a Slavery Tale's True Author, Dies at 92," The New York Times (July 28, 2023).
- Acquisition Information:
- Donation from the Yellin family, 2023.
- Processing information:
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Processing completed by Tere Elizalde, 2024. Some documents were photocopied due to damage and materials were rehoused into acid-free folders while retaining many of the original folder titles used by Jean Fagan Yellin, including use of abbreviations for professional associations, organizations, and select projects listed in the Scope and Contents.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged in seven series:
1. Correspondence, arranged alphabetically in two subseries, Alphabetical and Topical. 2. Pace University, arranged chronologically in two subseries, Teaching and University Materials. 3. Professional Engagement, arranged chronologically in four subseries, Lectures and Talks, Meetings and Conferences, Professional Associations, and Activities. 4. Writings, arranged chronologically in three subseries, Original Works, Articles and Essays, and Reviews. Original Works contains materials created by Yellin individually or in collaboration with others in the following publication order: "Intricate Knot", "Women and Sisters", "The Pen is Ours", and "Abolitionist Sisterhood". 5. Achievements, arranged chronologically in two subseries, Awards and Prizes, and Grants and Fellowships. 6. Harriet Jacobs, arranged in six subseries, Correspondence, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" (ILSG), "Harriet Jacobs: A Life", Harriet Jacobs Family Papers (HJFP), General Publicity and Impact, and Research files. All subseries are arranged chronologically except for Research Files, which are arranged alphabetically. 7. Audiovisual, consisting of various audiovisual items arranged chronologically.
- Rules or Conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Related
- Related Material:
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Ed and Jean Yellin HUAC Papers, 1948-2019
Contents
Using These Materials
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is open to research.
- USE & PERMISSIONS:
-
Copyright has not been transferred to the University of Michigan. Permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s).
- PREFERRED CITATION:
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Jean Fagan Yellin/Harriet Jacobs Research Collection, University of Michigan Library (Special Collections Research Center).