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Milton C. Abrams papers

 Collection
Identifier: UUS_COLL MSS 471

Scope and Contents

The Milton C. Abrams papers consist of 14 boxes of materials that Abrams collected throughout his career with the Utah Historical Society, as Director of the Merrill Library at Utah State University, as Chairman of the Executive Board of the Utah Bicentennial District 1, and as a community leader. These materials are beneficial to anyone interestsed in the Utah Historical Society's work with historic sites, the history of Manti, Utah, Utah's American Revolution Bicentennial celebrations, or Milton Abrams' life and career. The materials are split into four sections: the Utah Historical Society, the Manti Public Library, correspondence, and the Utah American Revolution Bicentennial Commission.

The first eight boxes contain the Utah Historical Society records that Abrams accumulated over his time as a member of the organization. These files include reports on historical sites and committees, meeting minutes, correspondence, and other materials related to the Society.

The next two boxes hold information concerning Sanpete County, Utah. During Abrams' time as Director of the Merrill Library, he became interested in acquiring historical materials from various counties in Utah to place in the Library's archive. The bulk of the Sanpete County records appear to have been transferred from the Manti Public Library. Among the materials are papers of the Mothers of the Boys in Service, a service organization started during World War II by Bertha Christiansen. The group's files include minutes of the organization, poems written by the mothers and wives, and letters written by the boys of the 145th Field Artillery to the organization. Also included in the Manti files are biographies of residents such as John Haslem Clark and Foster Kenner, as well as records from the Manti Commercial Club, the Manti first Presbyterian Church, and other organizations and institutions.

Boxes 11 and 12 include correspondence from Milton Abrams' 1985 congressional campaign and his participation in the Democratic Party as well as letters from the Peace Institute, the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies and other organizations and individuals.

The last two boxes, containing the 1990 donation, hold material pertaining to the Utah American Revolution Bicentennial Commmission (UARBC), in which Abrams was involved as a UARBC Heritage Committee member and as Chairman of the Executive Board of the Utah Bicentennial District 1. These files include meeting minutes, memorandums, reports, letters, newspaper clippings and promotional material, as well as UARBC grant project proposals and planned events.

Dates

  • 1872-1998

Language of Materials

Material in English

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Milton C. Abrams papers must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Biographical Note

Milton Charles Abrams was born November 22, 1918 to George Franklin and Nettie Rebecca Schenk Abrams. From 1939 to 1941 he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Northern States Mission. He was married to Lucille Pixton with whom he had three children. They later divorced, after which he married Lois Allred, who passed away. He then married Mattie Ann Robinson Callister. Milton Abrams served as an officer in Europe during World War II, receiving military honors for his bravery. During the Korean War he trained troops.

After leaving the military Abrams began his lifelong career in education. He worked as a high school teacher and later at Utah State University. Over his 40 years there he served in various capacities, including chair of the Educational Policies Committee and Director of the Merrill Library and Learning Resources Program. He was active in civic and community affairs, including an extended tenure as the chair of the Board of State History. A staunch Democrat, Abrams held both county and state offices and even ran for Utah's first congressional seat in 1985, but was handily defeated by Republican incumbent James V. Hansen.

Extent

14 boxes (6.75 linear feet)

Abstract

This collection consists of materials that Abrams collected throughout his career with the Utah Historical Society, as Director of the Merrill Library at Utah State University, as Chairman of the Executive Board of the Utah Bicentennial District 1, and as a community leader.

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged by document type.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection consists of two donations. The first, found in boxes 1 to 12, was transferred to USU Special Collections from Milton Abrams' office shortly after his death in 1998 and processed in May 2013. The second, housed in boxes 13 and 14, was donated by Milton Abrams in 1990 and processed in December 2016.

Processing Information

Processed in December of 2016

Title
Guide to the Milton C. Abrams papers 1872-1998
Author
Finding aid/Register created by Elisabeth Cropper, Andrew Izatt, Bria Corry, and Clint Pumphrey
Date
©2017
Description rules
Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2009: Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines.
  • 2017 February 21: The 1990 donation was processed into the existing collection in February 2017.

Repository Details

Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository

Contact:
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)