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George Gough Booth Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 1981-01

Collection Scope

SERIES I: Biographical (1864-1969) contains materials related to the life of George Gough Booth and includes personal legal documents, typescripts of talks by Booth and several typescripts of Cyril Players' George Gough Booth of Cranbrook.

SERIES II: Newspaper (1887-1959) contains documents relating to George G. Booth's tenure at The Detroit News, and his role, as chairman and later president of the Booth Publishing Co.

SERIES III: General Correspondence (1813-1957) contains family correspondence, personal correspondence, and correspondence documenting George G. Booth's affiliation with various cultural, charitable and arts organizations, and business interests other than newspapers.

SERIES IV: House and Property (1904-1973) includes documents relating to the designing, building and furnishing of George G. Booth's residence, Cranbrook House. It also contains materials relating to the development and maintenance of the Cranbrook Estate, the Greek Theatre and the Cranbrook Masque.

SERIES V: Cranbrook Academy of Art (1926-1948) contains materials documenting the development and early growth of the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

SERIES VI: Christ Church Cranbrook (1909-1969) contains information pertaining to the planning, construction and decoration of Christ Church Cranbrook.

SERIES VII: Cranbrook Schools (1917-1942) contains correspondence regarding the building, furnishing and staffing of Brookside School, Kingswood School and Cranbrook School.

SERIES VIII: Cranbrook Institute of Science (1932-1945) contains correspondence and news clippings about the Cranbrook Institute of Science, and information regarding purchases for exhibits.

SERIES IX: Trust Agreements consists of four volumes containing the trust agreements of George and Ellen Scripps Booth.

SERIES X: Purchases (1907-1944) contains notebooks and correspondence which documents George Booth's purchases of artifacts, in both foreign and domestic locations, for Cranbrook House and the various Cranbrook Institutions.

SERIES XI: Realia (n.d.) contains some personal possessions of George G. Booth.

SERIES XII: General Correspondence contains photocopies of correspondence with Jacques Seligmann & Co. (1925-1941) and DeHauke & Co. (1926-1928).

SERIES XIII: Images (1944, n.d.) contains a photo album, which is stored in the Photograph Special Collection, and slides, which are housed with the rest of the collection.

Dates

  • 1864 - 1949

Creator

Access

Access to the collection is unrestricted.

Use

Permission to use collection materials must be requested in writing.

Extent

13 Linear Feet (29 MS, 3 OS)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The collection documents the life and work of George Gough Booth, a renowned advocate of the arts, and a great philanthropist whose crowning achievement was the establishment of Cranbrook Educational Community. He was also one of the nation's leading newspapermen in the first half of this century. It includes biographical materials including legal documents, travel itineraries, talks and writings, and the financial and business records of the Cranbrook Press. It documents his working life and business in the newspaper industry, including his partnership with his father-in-law, James E. Scripps. There are correspondence series pertaining to general life and Cranbrook House and property. It documents the creation and early administration of various Cranbrook institutions including the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Christ Church Cranbrook, Cranbrook Schools, and the Cranbrook Institute of Science. It contains Trust Agreements relating to these institutions and purchases made for personal use and gifts to Cranbrook. There is a realia series with objects used by Booth, and an audio-visual series including a photograph album and slides.

Arrangement

Arranged in 13 Series: Biographical (boxes 1-6); Newspapers (boxes 6-10); General Correspondence (boxes 10-14, 28); House and Property (boxes 14-18); Cranbrook Academy of Art (box 19); Christ Church Cranbrook (boxes 20-22); Cranbrook Schools (box 22); Cranbrook Institute of Science (box 22); Trust Agreements (box 23); Purchases (boxes 24-26); and Realia (box 27); General Correspondence (box 28); and Images [slides] (boxes 30-31).

The folders are arranged alphabetically within each series; the documents in the folders are organized chronologically and\or alphabetically.

Acquisition

Gift of the Booth Family. In June 2003, photocopies of correspondence with Jacques Seligmann & Co. were added to the collection.

Related Materials

Ellen Scripps Booth Papers (1981-03) George Gough and Henry Scripps Booth Architectural Drawings (1982-01) George Gough and Ellen Scripps Booth Financial Papers (1981-02) Cranbrook Foundation Records (1981-05)

Separated Materials

SERIES XII: Images (box 29) contains a photograph album, which is stored in the Photograph Album Collection.

Processing History

Beverly Hoffman, 1981 (inventory); Mary Beth Kreiner, 1991

Index

Air Conditioning Corp.
10:16
Allen, Sanford H.
10:18-19
American Academy in Rome
10:17
American Federation of Arts
10:20-21; 11:1-5; 19:2
American Institute of Architects
10:16
American Red Cross
10:16
American Workingman's Expedition
11:16
Ann Arbor News
7:2
Burrowes, Marcus R.
18:21
Calder, Ralph R.
13:12, 20
Kahn, Albert
16:19-22
Architectural League of New York
10:17
Ardolino, Edward
20:17, 21:3, 21:12, 21:14-15
Ardmore Gardens Forge
19:41
Bachstitz Gallery
14:19; 20:8
De Hauke & Co
28:3
Seligman, Jacques & Co.
18:5; 28:1-2
Art Alliance of America
11:7; 12:11
Associated Press, The
8:21
Aulenbach, Rev. W. Hamilton
20:1
Bach, Oscar B.
11:9; 14:18; 22:10-11
Bachstitz Gallery
14:19; 20:8
Bacon, Francis H. Co.
14:20; 22:22
Baker, P. C.
10:12
Bank of Montreal
11:10
Barnum Wire & Iron Co.
11:11
Bay City Times
7:2
Belle Isle Bridge
11:9
Bendann, David
13:18
Beresford, James A.
11:12
Berglund, Tor
19:3
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Associates
20:13-22; 21:1-3
Bessi and Trafeli
21:3
Billington, Cecil
11:13-15
Billson, C. J.
6:7-9; 7:12
Bloomfield Hills, MI
11:16
Bloomfield Hills School
11:17
Bloomfield Seminary
11:17
boat house
14:21; 16:16
Bonawit, G. Owen
14:18; 21:3; 21:10; 21:12; 21:14-15; 21b:2; 22:17
book dealers --Sheehan & Co.
18:5
bookbinding --Swaton, Frank E. & Son
18:13
Booth, Edmund Wood
22:16
Booth, Clara Gagnier
12:3
Booth, Clarence H.
7:4; 11:18
Booth, Edmund Wood
6:9; 8:13;15-22; 9:1-3
Booth, Ellen Scripps
11:19-20
Booth, Ellen Scripps--trust agreements
23:1-4
Booth Family
12:3
Booth, Florence
1:16
Booth, George
13:1
Booth, George Gough
6:11; 8:4
Booth, George Gough--automobiles
14:17
Booth, George Gough--biographical summaries
1:3
Booth, George Gough--birth
1:1
Booth, George Gough--bronze collection
25:2
Booth, George Gough--gratuities (donations, loans)
1:8
Booth, George Gough--honors
1:9-11
Booth, George Gough--legal documents
1:4; 1:7; 5:7-10; 6:1-2
Booth, George Gough--life insurance
13:10
Booth, George Gough--obituaries, memorials
1:15-16
Booth, George Gough--purchases
24:1-18 25:1-12
Booth, George Gough--purchases --arch. frags.
26:1-2
Booth, George Gough--purchases --foreign
25:1-12; 26:1-9
Booth, George Gough--re: Jas. E. Scripps estate
10:7
Booth, George Gough--talks
1:18-20
Booth, George Gough--trips
1:21
Booth, George Gough--trust agreements
23:1-4
Booth, George Gough--wedding
2:2
Booth, George Gough--wedding anniversaries
2:2-3
Booth, George Gough--writings
2:4-12
Title
Guide to the George Gough Booth Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Beverly Hoffman; Mary Beth Kreiner
Date
1981, 1991
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Edition statement
Resource record created by Laura MacNewman

Repository Details

Part of the Cranbrook Archives, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research Repository

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