Clemson University Libraries Special Collections
Ben Robertson Papers
Mss.0077
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Clemson University Libraries Special Collections
- Creator
- Robertson, Ben, 1903-1943
- Title
- Ben Robertson Papers
- ID
- Mss.0077
- Date [inclusive]
- 1903-1982
- Extent
- 6.0 cubic feet (11.5 document boxes, 1 oversize box, 2 oversize folders)
- Language
- English
Biographical Note
Ben Robertson was a nationally recognized journalist, war correspondent and author from Clemson, South Carolina.
| Chronology | |
|---|---|
| June 22, 1903 | Ben Robertson (Benjamin Franklin Robertson), Jr. was born in the Calhoun community of Clemson, South Carolina |
| 1910 | Ben's mother, Mary Bowen Robertson, dies. |
| 1918 | Ben's stepmother, Hattie Boggs Robertson, dies. |
| 1924 | Robertson graduates from Clemson Agricultural College. |
| 1926 | Robertson receives his journalism degree from University of Missouri School of Journalism. Is hired as a reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in Hawaii. |
| 1927 | Joins the staff of The News in Adelaide, Australia. |
| 1929 | Becomes a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune. |
| 1934 | Leaves the New York Herald Tribune to take a job with the Associated Press in Washington and London. |
| 1935 | Joins the United Press. Also writes for the Anderson Independent in Anderson, South Carolina. |
| 1937 | Returns to the Associated Press. Works for the Red Cross during the flooding of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. Serves as a seaman aboard the freighter, the City of Rayville. |
| 1938 | Traveler's Rest is published by Cottonfield Publishers in Clemson, SC |
| 1940 | Covers war-time England for PM. Covers the bombing of London with Edward R. Murrow. |
| 1941 | I Saw England is published. Completes manuscript for Red Hills and Cotton. Continues as war correspondent in England. |
| 1942 | Red Hills and Cotton--An Upcountry Memory is published. Serves as correspondent for PM and the Chicago Sun in Guam and Midway, India, Russia, and Egypt. Rejoins the staff of the New York Herald Tribune in December. |
| 1943 | Robertson is killed in the crash of The Yankee Clipper which plunged into the Tagus River as it was approaching the airport in Lisbon, Portugal. Ben was enroute to England to head the British office of the New York Herald Tribune. |
| 1944 | Launching of the S. S. Ben Robertson. |
| 1960 | Red Hills and Cotton is reissued by the University of South Carolina Press, with a biographical essay by Wright Bryan. |
| 1973 | Paperbound edition of Red Hills and Cotton is published by USC Press. |
Scope and Contents
The Ben Robertson Papers include biographical information prepared by Charles H. Busha, M. D. Klaas, and others, as well as a wide assortment of Robertson's personal papers. A clippings file contains newspaper and magazine articles written by Ben Robertson during his tenure with the Charleston News and Courier, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Adelaide News, the New York Herald Tribune, the Chicago Sun, PM, the Anderson Independent, and othe national and local publications. Included among the clippings are articles about Robertson and reviews of Traveler's Rest, I Saw England, and Red Hills and Cotton. A chronological correspondence file includes Robertson's carbon copies of his own letters in addition to correspondence from personal friends, journalists, and authors. Internal evidence reflects relationships with a diverse group of people such as Edward R. Murrow, Lady Astor, Edgar Snow, Tom Waring, Governor of South Carolina Burnet R. Maybank, staff at foreign embassies, and Roger Peace. Single items exist from Thomas Wolfe, George Washington Carver, and Margaret Mitchell. A number of original and photocopied notebooks contain Robertson's handwritten and typed journal entries, as well as pasted-in letters and clippings. These personal records date from 1923 to one month before his death in 1943.
Arrangement
Robertson's manuscripts are arranged chronologically and include typed and annotated drafts of stories, articles, cables, and novels. There are also articles printed in magazines, galleys and proofs from publishers, and undated, unidentified notes and drafts. Mrs. Longley has annotated some of her brother's writings with questionable dates and information. A miscellaneous file contains various items evidently saved by Robertson himself and of uncertain significance. Information gathered by Robertson for his work in Guam, India, Java, and Russia exists in a research file. A posthumous file contains accounts of the crash of the Yankee Clipper, a number of honors and tributes to the memory of Ben Robertson, a 1943 Taps containing a memorial page, information on the launching of the S. S. Ben Robertson, copies of the ship's logs, and 1965 reviews of The Pilgrim, a book by Mary Robertson Longley based upon Ben's writings. The collection includes oversize holdings and a photograph collection.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Robertson Papers were given to Clemson University by his sisters, Mary Bowen Robertson Longley and Mrs. Frederick Wagener. Additional materials were loaned by the Pickens County Historical Society and copied for inclusion in the Clemson collection. This collection was formerly cataloged as 48-1, 66-7, 68-2, 75-2, and 77-3.
Processing Information
In 2009, the finding aid was updated and entered into Archivists' Toolkit by staff archivist Jen Bingham and student assistant Kristi Roberts.
Controlled Access Headings
Personal Name(s)
- Busha, Charles H.
- Gadsden, Jeanne
- Klaás, M.D.
- Longley, Mary B. (Mary Bowen)
- Murrow, Edward R.
- Peace, Roger C. (Roger Craft), 1899-1968
- Shanklin, Virginia
- Snow, Edgar, 1905-1972
- Wagoner, Hattie Boone
- Waring, Thomas R.
Subject(s)
- American literature--20th century
- World War, 1939-1945
Collection Inventory
Biographical |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Biographical: Miscellaneous |
1 | 1 | |
|
Biographical: Sketch by Charles N. Busha |
1 | 2 | |
|
Biographical: M.D. Klaas biography 1966 |
1 | 3 | |
|
|
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Clippings |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Clippings: Charleston News and Courier (use copies) 1924 |
1 | 4 | |
|
Clippings: Charleston News and Courier (originals) 1924 |
1 | 5 | |
|
Clippings: San Francisco; New York Herald Tribune (photocopies) 1927; 1929-1936 |
1 | 6 | |
|
Clippings: Reviews, Traveler's Rest (photocopies) 1938 |
1 | 7 | |
|
Clippings: "Forget Gettysburg" (photocopies) 1939 |
1 | 8 | |
|
Clippings: The Tiger (photocopy) February 6, 1941 |
1 | 9 | |
|
Clippings: "7 Americans Killed as Plane Falls in Britain" August 13, 1941 |
1 | 10 | |
|
Clippings: Reviews, I Saw England (photocopies) 1941 |
1 | 11 | |
|
Clippings: Reviews, Red Hills and Cotton; Corregidor; Egypt 1942 |
1 | 12 | |
|
|
|||
Correspondence |
|||
| Box | Folder | ||
|
Correspondence (photocopies) 1923-1924 |
1 | 13 | |
|
Correspondence (photocopies, some originals) 1930-1935 |
1 | 14 | |
|
Correspondence 1936-1938 |
2 | 15 | |
|
Correspondence 1939-1940 |
2 | 16 | |
|
Correspondence 1941 |
2 | 17 | |
|
Correspondence 1942-1943 |
2 | 18 | |
|
Correspondence undated |
2 | 19 | |
|
Correspondence undated |
2 | 20 | |
|
Correspondence: Posthumous 1943 |
2 | 21 | |
|
Correspondence: Posthumous (provenance, portrait) 1960-1973 |
2 | 22 | |
|
|
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Journal |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Journal 1923-1925 |
2 | 23 | |
|
Journal 1923-1925 |
2 | 24 | |
|
Journal 1927 |
2 | 25 | |
|
Journal 1927 |
2 | 26 | |
|
Journal (copies) 1929 |
3 | 27 | |
|
Journal 1929 |
3 | 28 | |
|
Journal (copies) [1929-30?] |
3 | 29 | |
|
Journal [1929-30?] |
3 | 30 | |
|
Journal (copies) 1932 and 1936 |
3 | 31 | |
|
Journal 1932 and 1936 |
3 | 32 | |
|
Journal 1935 |
3 | 33 | |
|
Journal 1935 |
4 | 34 | |
|
Journal: Notebook 2 1936 |
4 | 35 | |
|
Journal: Notebook 2 1936 |
4 | 36 | |
|
Journal 1936-1937 |
4 | 37 | |
|
Journal 1937 |
4 | 38 | |
|
Journal 1938 |
4 | 39 | |
|
Journal 1938 |
4 | 40 | |
|
Journal [England 1940] June - December |
5 | 41 | |
|
Journal [England 1940] June - December |
5 | 42 | |
|
Journal [England 1941] March, April; one Jan. 21 PM article |
5 | 43 | |
|
Journal [England 1941] May, June |
5 | 44 | |
|
Journal [England 1941] May-June 1941 |
5 | 44B | |
|
Journal [England 1941] July |
5 | 45 | |
|
Journal Jan. 1943 |
5 | 46 | |
|
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Manuscripts |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Manuscripts: "The Old Stone Church" Feb. 1922 [printed copy; Clemson College Chronicle] Feb. 1922 |
5 | 47 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Madame Jesus" [1926?] |
5 | 48 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Adelaide" [copy, typed carbon draft] 1929 |
5 | 49 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Adelaide" 1929 |
5 | 50 | |
|
Manuscripts: "No Sunday School Town" Asia [copy] 1929 |
5 | 51 | |
|
Manuscripts: "No Sunday School Town" Asia [Asia, Aug. 1929 w/ annotations] 1929 |
5 | 52 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Java" [copy]; "New Zealand" [1929?]; [1931?] |
6 | 53 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Java" [1929?] |
6 | 54 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Hawaiian Melting Pot" [copied Current History, June, 1932, p. 312] 1932 |
6 | 55 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Hawaiian Melting Pot" [original printed copy] 1932 |
6 | 56 | |
|
Manuscripts: "A Follower...Australia," Asia [copy, Asia, Jan. 1934, p. 60] 1934 |
6 | 57 | |
|
Manuscripts: "A Follower...Australia," Asia [original printed copy] 1934 |
6 | 58 | |
|
Manuscripts: "James Henry Scullin" [copy of carbon, typed, annotated draft] 1934 |
6 | 59 | |
|
Manuscripts: "James Henry Scullin" [typed carbon draft with annotations] [1934?] |
6 | 60 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Capt. Tom Sheridan" [1965?] |
6 | 61 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Merchant Marine" 1938 |
6 | 62 | |
|
Manuscripts: Anderson Independent "S.C. Politics" 1938 |
6 | 63 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Clemson Twice a Week" from Clemson Commentator June 10, 1938 - July 22,1938 |
6 | 64 | |
|
Manuscripts: "All Southerners...Gentlemen" from Atlanta Journal July 11, 1939 |
6 | 65 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Margaret Mitchell" 1939 |
6 | 66 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Cotton Country Sings" Aug. 1939 |
6 | 67 | |
|
Manuscripts: "On Writing" Nov. 1939 |
6 | 68 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Robertson Speaks" [from the Tiger, n.d.] [1941?] |
6 | 69 | |
|
Manuscripts: 'Land of Hope & Glory' [typescript] [1937?] |
6 | 70 | |
|
Manuscripts: 'Land of Hope & Glory' [typescript] [1937?] |
6 | 71 | |
|
Manuscripts: 'Land of Hope & Glory' [typescript] [1937?] |
6 | 71A | |
|
Manuscripts: Land of Hope and Glory [typescript], revised pages and notes 1937 [?] |
7 | 72 | |
|
Manuscripts: Traveling [ Traveler's Rest, annotated typescript (draft)] 1938 |
7 | 73 | |
|
Manuscripts: Traveling [ Traveler's Rest, annotated typescript (draft)] 1938 |
7 | 74 | |
|
Manuscripts: Traveling [ Traveler's Rest, annotated typescript (draft)] 1938 |
7 | 75 | |
|
Manuscripts: Traveling [ Traveler's Rest, copy] 1938 |
7 | 76 | |
|
Manuscripts: Traveling [ Traveler's Rest, copy] 1938 |
7 | 77 | |
|
Manuscripts: Traveling [ Traveler's Rest, copy] 1938 |
8 | 78 | |
|
Manuscripts: I Saw England [First Draft; annotated typescript] 1941 |
8 | 79 | |
|
Manuscripts: I Saw England [First Draft; annotated typescript] 1941 |
8 | 80 | |
|
Manuscripts: I Saw England [Rough Draft; annotated typescript] 1941 |
8 | 81 | |
|
Manuscripts: I Saw England [Rough Draft; annotated typescript] 1941 |
8 | 82 | |
|
Manuscripts: I Saw England statement of sales [Galleys removed to oversize Mss 77] Dec. 31, 1941 |
8 | 83 | |
|
Manuscripts: I Saw England [Galleys] [oversized galleys removed to oversize Mss 77] 1941 |
8 | 84 | |
|
Manuscripts: I Saw England, Reader's Digest 1941 |
8 | 85 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Yanks, Know Your Britain," Patterned after "Britishers: Know Your America!" (copy enclosed) 1942 |
8 | 86 | |
|
Manuscripts: "Yanks, Know Your Britain" 1942 |
8 | 87 | |
|
Manuscripts: Red Hills and Cotton [original, annotated,typescript] [also "Eight Cent Cotton and Forty Cent Meat" from Red Hills and Cotton, (reprint)and notes] 1942 |
8 | 88 | |
|
Manuscripts: Red Hills and Cotton [Copy of Original...from folder 88] 1942 |
9 | 89 | |
|
Manuscripts: Egypt 1942 |
9 | 90 | |
|
Manuscripts: Guam/Midway 1942 [1940?] |
9 | 91 | |
|
Manuscripts: India [Typescripts and notes by sister, M.B.R.L.] 1942 |
9 | 92 | |
|
Manuscripts: India [copy of typescripts and notes] 1942 |
9 | 93 | |
|
Manuscripts: India 1942 |
9 | 94 | |
|
Manuscripts: Russia June, July 1942 |
9 | 95 | |
|
Manuscripts: Russia June, July 1942 |
9 | 95A | |
|
Manuscripts: Russia [copies from folder 95] June, July 1942 |
10 | 96 | |
|
Manuscripts: Russia [copies from folder 95] June, July 1942 |
10 | 96A | |
|
Manuscripts: Undated, unidentifed notes and drafts |
10 | 97 | |
|
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Miscellaneous |
10 | 98 | |
|
|
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Research |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Research: Guam/Midway |
10 | 99 | |
|
Research: India [Includes facts about life and career of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and guidebooks] |
10 | 100 | |
|
Research: Java - Guidebooks |
10 | 101 | |
|
Research: Russia |
10 | 102 | |
|
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Posthumous |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Posthumous: Crash of Yankee Clipper |
10 | 103 | |
|
Posthumous: Jane Froman after crash |
11 | 104 | |
|
Posthumous: Honors and Tributes |
11 | 105 | |
|
Posthumous: 1943 Taps given to S.S. Ben Robertson (memorial pages) 1943 |
11 | 106 | |
|
Posthumous: S.S. Ben Robertson |
11 | 107 | |
|
Posthumous: S.S. Ben Robertson Logs |
11 | 108 | |
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Posthumous: Reviews of "The Pilgrim," Mary Longley 1965 |
11 | 109 | |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Newsclippings Donated by Charles Egleston |
11 | 110 | |
|
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Photographs |
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| Box | Folder | ||
|
Photographs: Rose Series P.9149 "The Road to Waterfall Gully, Near Adelaide, S.A." (photographic copy) |
12 | 1 | |
|
Photographs: Rose Series P.113 "Rounding Up Australia's Golden Fleece" (photographic copy) |
12 | 2 | |
|
Photographs: Rose Series W.20 "Aboriginals" (photographic copy) |
12 | 3 | |
|
Photographs: Australia. Cattle Herds |
12 | 4 | |
|
Photographs: Australia's "Teddy" bear (Koala) |
12 | 5 | |
|
Photographs: Bombed buildings (Wallasey) & Britains [Britons?] |
12 | 6 | |
|
Photographs: Baby (Wallasey); family bombed out, in need of new home |
12 | 7 | |
|
Photographs: Mrs. Wade O'Dell of Liberty, nee Bettie Bowen, daughter of W.T. Bowen (photographic copy) |
12 | 8 | |
|
Photographs: Mary Bowen at Winthrop College graduation, class of 1924 "Mary B." 1899 (photographic copy) |
12 | 9 | |
|
Photographs: Jeannette Brown, Slaton Miller, a Lieutenant and aide to General Todd, and Alexa Riguorie (?), Honolulu girl... (photographic copy) |
12 | 10 | |
|
Photographs: Bill Burkitt (Butcher of Hull); Sheriff Terran; Lord Mayor Sidney Smith; and Bertram de N. Cruzer of British War Relief Society of America (photographic copy) |
12 | 11 | |
|
Photographs: Consuelo 32 (photographic copy) |
12 | 12 | |
|
Photographs: Mrs. Danforth & Mrs. Burbacher, Honolulu (photographic copy) |
12 | 13 | |
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Photographs: Ditchley Hall, England (photographic copy) |
12 | 14 | |
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Photographs: Fort Hill, Clemson, SC (photographic copy) |
12 | 15 | |
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Photographs: "Guide Mary-Taimi." Whaka Rotorua. Blencow. 66. (photographic copy) |
12 | 16 | |
|
Photographs: Hawaii 1928 or '29 (photographic copy) and Bob Neville, Ben and Merle Sproul - "old Hawiian gang" at Palm Springs, Cal. - |
12 | 17 | |
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Photographs: Cutting Cane on Hawaii (photographic copy) |
12 | 18 | |
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Photographs: Hawaii. Honolulu 1928 (photographic copy) |
12 | 19 | |
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Photographs: Surf-riding in Honolulu (photographic copy) |
12 | 20 | |
|
Photographs: "Aloha to Ben - And we'll hoist a few to a re-union in Dixie - Bill - Honolulu 1/18/27 (photographic copy) |
12 | 21 | |
|
Photographs: The Koolau Mountains (photographic copy) |
12 | 22 | |
|
Photographs: Lord Mayor of Cardiff and Bertram de N. Cruger (photographic copy) |
12 | 23 | |
|
Photographs: Maori woman (photographic copy) |
12 | 24 | |
|
Photographs: New Zealand. Eagle's Nest Geyser (photographic copy) |
12 | 25 | |
|
"Maori Carveing's. Rotorua, N.Z. Blencowe. 56." |
12 | 26 | |
|
Photographs: Photographs of Ben Robertson (originals and copies) |
12 | 27 | |
|
Photographs: Ben Robertson with John Lane; Ben Robertson & friend (photographic copies) |
12 | 28 | |
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Photographs: Ben Robertson with Indian man (photographic copy) |
12 | 29 | |
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Photographs: Ben Robertson with friends in Hawaii (photographic copy) |
12 | 30 | |
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Photographs: Ben Robertson with friends in Java (photographic copy) 1929 |
12 | 31 | |
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Photographs: R.A. Winston, Enoch W. Sikes |
12 | 32 | |
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Photographs: The S.S. Ben Robertson January 4, 1944 |
12 | 33 | |
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Photographs: "The Hawaii gang" (original and enlargement) |
12 | 34 | |
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Photographs: Tree carving (photographic copies) |
12 | 35 | |
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Photographs: War Correspondents 1941-1945 |
12 | 36 | |
|
Photographs: Negatives for 8x10 photographs |
12 | 37 | |
|
Photographs: Negatives |
12 | 38 | |
|
Photographs: Jane Froman |
12 | 39 | |
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Oversize |
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| Oversize_folder | |||
|
Daily Telegraph January 21, 1936 |
1 | ||
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Moscow News June 21, 1942 |
1 | ||
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Manuscript: I Saw England [Galleys] |
2 | ||
| Oversize_box | Oversize_folder | ||
|
The Daily Telegraph Supplement; Roundup January 21, 1936; September 24, 1942 |
1 | 3 | |
|
Actueel Wereldnieuws 1931 |
1 | 4 | |
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PM's, 1 of 2 1941 |
1 | 5 | |
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PM's, 2 of 2 1941-1943 |
1 | 6 | |
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