mnsss234 Mary Alletta Crump Papers, 1916-1970 Finding Aid Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-04-07 Finding aid written in English 2009-07-30 Finding aid revised after further processing by Annie-Sage Whitehurst, July 2009 Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Mary Alletta Crump Papers, 1916-1970 Finding Aid MS 37 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Crump, Mary Alletta, 1887-1970 Mary Alletta Crump Papers1916-1970 MS 37 3 boxes (.75 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Owner, Crumperie Tea Room; Red Cross volunteer; YWCA volunteer; Suffragist. Collection includes guest books and memorabilia from the Crumperie Tea Room (Greenwich Village, N.Y., 1916-26) with entries from theatrical and literary personalities; and materials from Mary Alletta Crump's volunteer work with the Grenfell Mission (Labrador) and American Women's Voluntary Service in World War I. Biographical Note

Mary Alletta Crump in her "Crumperie" tea room, Greenwich Village, New York, circa 1916-1920

Mary Alletta Crump ("Crumpy") was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1887 to Annie L. Hulst Crump and Leonard Crawford Crump. With her mother, she owned and operated the Crumperie Tea Room in Greenwich Village, New York from 1916 to 1926. The Tea Room was "characteristic of the best days of the Village," attracting devotees from the theatrical and literary worlds. Crump was a YMCA entertainer in London and France during World War I and appeared in two Cherry Lane revues. She was active in the suffrage movement in the 1920s, and she later volunteered for the Red Cross' Grenfell Mission, Labrador as a summer teacher and nurse. Crump was one of the first members of the American Women's Voluntary Service and designed the organization's flag. In 1946, she participated in International Assembly of Women in New York City. In 1958 she was a contestant for 5 weeks on the "$64,000 Question." Mary Alletta Crump died in July of 1970.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Mary Alletta Crump Papers include guest books from the Crumperie Tea Room (including sketches, poems and letters). Entries include notable patrons such as Laura and William Rose Benet, Charles Coburn, Dorothy Dix, Jessie Beals, Theodore Dreiser, Fannie Hurst and Christopher Morley. There are also materials from the Grenfell Mission and the American Women's Voluntary Service. The collection includes programs, certificates, correspondence, a diary of her 1958-59 trip to Germany, photographs, and a wide variety of memorabilia. The Papers document Crump's life, in part, as well as life in Greenwich Village circa 1920's.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into four series:

SERIES I. CRUMPERIE TEA ROOM SERIES II. GRENFELL MISSION SERIES III. WAR WORK SERIES IV. MISCELLANEOUS Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Copyright to Mary Alletta Crump 's unpublished works is unknown. Copyright to materials authored by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Mary Alletta Crump Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

History of the Collection

The Mary Alletta Crump Papers were presented to the Sophia Smith Collection in 1970 as a gift of Susan E. Lyman. The Papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection with the following exception: audiovisual materials will need to have copies made before they can be used.

Further processing done and finding aid revised by Annie-Sage Whitehurst, Fraenkel intern, 2009

Search Terms American Women Voluntary Services--History--Sources Businesswomen--United States--Biography--Sources Greenwich Village (New York, N.Y.)--History--20th century--Sources Labrador (Nfld.)--History--Sources Missionaries--Newfoundland--Labrador--Biography--Sources New York (N.Y.)--Social life and customs--20th century--Sources Women-owned business enterprises--United States--History--Sources Grenfell Association of America--History--Sources Grenfell Labrador Medical Mission--History--Sources International Grenfell Association--History--Sources Crump, Mary Alletta, 1887-1970 Grenfell, Joyce, 1910- Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir, 1865-1940 SERIES I. CRUMPERIE TEA ROOM 1 1 Obituaries of Crump and May Singhi Breen 1970 1 2-2a Guest books (photocopies) and summary by Susan E. Lyman 1916-27, 1966 1 3 Sketch of Crumpn.d. 1 4 Photographs and postcards 1916-27 1 5 Clippings, advertisements, apron fabric and memorabilia 1916-27 SERIES II. GRENFELL MISSION 1 6 Photographs and printed material about the Grenfells and the Mission n.d. Audio recordings 1 7 Recording by Crump for Joyce Grenfell (reel-to-reel audio tape) and insert: Christmas card with song by May Singhi Breen 1958 1 7 "Garden book" (phonograph record) 1943 SERIES III. WAR WORK 1 Correspondence to Crump 1 8 AWVS 1942-46 1 9 Reid, Whitelaw 1948 1 10 Mrs. E. Rickenbacher 1942 2 11 Clippings, photographs, and periodicals 1941-45 2 12 Color Guard: articles, photographs, and clippings 1942-44 2 13 Civilian Protection School: certificate, memorabilia, and letters to May Singhi Breem 1943 2 14 International Assembly of Women: clippings and photographs 1942-46 SERIES IV. MISCELLANEOUS 2 15 "$64,000 Question" and trip to Europe: photographs, clippings, and journal 1958 2 16 Miscellaneous correspondence 1913-64, n.d. 2 17 Miscellaneous photographs 1902-58 2 18 Memorabilia and AWVS sketches 1940-45, n.d.