mnsss437 Isabel Holden Papers, 1972-2005 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Burd Schlessinger. Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

2008

Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup. June 17, 2008 Finding aid written in English. Collection Overview Holden, Isabel, 1913-2007 Isabel Holden Papers1972-2005 MS 585 4 boxes (1.75 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Volunteer; Hospital volunteer; Animal welfare advocate. Papers consist primarily of diaries which she began in 1971, the same year her husband retired, to "record what it was like to grow old and die in Northampton." There are some gaps in the diaries, which are quite detailed, introspective, and reflective of the people and goings on in Holden's life. Three spiralbound volumes of course notes, and a few miscellanous fragments, are also included. Biographical Note

Isabel Anderson Holden was born in Montclair, New Jersey. She attended Bennington College in Vermont. In 1937, she married Richard S. Holden and they had a daughter, Constance Holden. The Holdens moved to Northampton, Massachusetts in 1948 where he was president of the Northampton National Bank. Richard Holden died in 1998. Isabel Holden, also known to her friends as Matthew, was a horsewoman, animal lover, local historian, and was active in civic and intellectual life of Northampton. She served as vice president and then president of the Northampton Historical Society (now Historic Northampton) from 1955 to 1981; published articles on local history; volunteered at the Veterans Administration Hospital and later for Hospice; and taught music for several years at the Smith College Campus School. She was also involved with the SPCA; was a Friends of the Forbes Library, and a member of the Monday Afternoon club, which she joined in 1951. In her later years Holden moderated seminars for Learning in Retirement on pastoral poetry, Scotland, and Shakespeare. She also was also a major contributor to the Shakespeare Oxford Society (defending Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, as the true author of the works of Shakespeare). The Holdens lived on Round Hill Road in Northampton and had a summer home in Salisbury, Vermont.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Isabel Holden Papers consist primarily of diaries which she began in 1971, the same year her husband retired, to "record what it was like to grow old and die in Northampton." There are some gaps in the diaries, which are quite detailed, introspective, and reflective of the people and goings on in Holden's life. Three spiralbound volumes of course notes, and a few miscellanous fragments, are also included.

[NOTE: The contents list for this collection is not online. Contact the Sophia Smith Collection if you would like one sent to you.]

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

This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

The material in this collection may be protected by copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights for permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Permission 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:

Isabel Holden Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

The papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Isabel Holden in 2007.

Processed by Burd Schlessinger, 2007.

Aged women--United States--History--Sources Northampton (Mass.)--History--Sources Salisbury (Vt.)--History--Sources Diaries Holden, Isabel, 1913-2007 Holden, Richard S.