Austin W. White papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-2016-026

Staff Only

Dates

Creation: 1866 - 1876

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the creative life of Massachusetts schoolboy Austin W. White roughly between the ages of nine and sixteen. Materials include small handmade books of fables detailing the adventures of American boys, several school compositions, sketchbooks, and a two-year run of a weekly handwritten satirical newspaper, "The Sober Giggler." The three volumes of White's sketchbooks contain captioned pencil drawings, and subjects include landscapes, dramatic events, personages, and buildings, most significantly those in Brockton and neighboring towns. White's newspaper includes spoofs of editorials, advertisements, news accounts of current events, and many illustrations. Two columns appear in every issue: "The Self Made Men of Our Times" and "Popular Songs Illustrated." "The Sober Giggler" portrays contemporary attitudes towards women, Irish Americans, African Americans, commerce, professional and social class distinctions, politics, and temperance.

Creator

White, Austin W. (Person)

Restrictions on access

Collection is open for research; a portion is also availalbe digitally.

Restrictions on use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical note

Austin Welcome White was born on January 26, 1857 in North Bridgewater (later re-named Brockton), Massachusetts. Austin lived with his parents, Phebe and Welcome White, and four older sisters, Lucy Ella, Emma, Caroline, and Annie Phebe. Austin's father was a shoe manufacturer and later a carpenter. After finishing primary school, Austin became a roofer. In 1889 he married Annie E. Folsom, and they had three children, Clara, Spencer, and Robert. Austin died on February 10, 1929 in Everett, Massachusetts.

Sources:

Massachusetts. “Massachusetts Death Index, 1901-1980.” “Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915.” “Massachusetts, State Census, 1865.” “Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988.” Rhode Island. “Rhode Island, Marriages, 1851-1920.” Database with images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com: 2016. Massachusetts. Middlesex County. 1860-1920 U.S. census, population schedules. Plymouth County. 1860-1880 U.S. census, population schedules. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com: 2016.