Frances Nacke Noel/Job Harriman Papers

The collection is made up of material gathered by Knox Mellon for his dissertation about Job Harriman. The papers chiefly deal with Job Harriman; Frances Nacke Noel; socialism; the Llano del Rio Colony; labor and union issues; and suffrage and women's rights. Some other subjects covered are: Los Angeles politics, the Los Angles Times Building bombing, utopian communities, and women in the labor movement in both Mexico and the United States. The manuscripts include essays, research notes, draft pages for Mellon's dissertation, and personal interviews with individuals who knew Job Harriman. The correspondence is mainly made up of letters written by Knox Mellon requesting information about Job Harriman. There are also letters related to Frances Nacke Noel, her family, and her activities. Other authors included are: Eugene V. Debs, Joe Hill, Robert V. Hine, J.S. Holliday, Walter Millsap, Alice Park, and Maud Younger. The collection contains several items that are in German.

Manuscripts

The majority of the 383 manuscripts are items used by Knox Mellon while researching Job Harriman and socialism. The manuscripts include: essays written by Mellon and others about Harriman, Noel, socialism, labor, unions, reform movements, utopian communities, and the bombing of the Los Angeles Times building; transcripts of interviews with individuals who knew Harriman; and Mellon's research notes for and draft pages of his dissertation "Job Harriman: The Early and Middle Years, 1861-1912." The research notes are organized by subject, however, they are not mutually exclusive and the subjects may overlap. The manuscripts also include copies of several items written by Job Harriman. There are several items written by Frances Nacke Noel on behalf of several of the organizations of which she was a member or officeholder.

Correspondence

The majority of the 629 pieces of correspondence are letters by Knox Mellon requesting information about Job Harriman. These letters are to other professional historians and individuals who knew Harriman or had lived with him at the Llano del Rio Colony. The correspondence also includes the responses Mellon received from these individuals. A large part of the correspondence, however, is made up of letters written by or to Frances Nacke Noel. Although most of these letters are of a personal nature, some of them do deal with several of the reform movements for which she worked. There are also copies of fifty-eight letters by Job Harriman to Morris Hillquit. In these letters, Harriman often discusses socialism and labor, as well as his mayoral run of 1911. Other authors included in the correspondence are: Katharine Beecher Stetson Chamberlin, Eugene V. Debs, Joe Hill, Robert V. Hine, J. S. Holliday, Walter Millsap, Alice Park, Ethel Duffy Turner, and Maud Younger.

Ephemera and Oversize Items

The 440 pieces of ephemera are arranged alphabetically by subject, which are however, not mutually exclusive and may overlap. The ephemera, many of which are photocopies, includes: articles, journals, offprints, birth, death, and marriage certificates, newspaper clippings, and 132 photographs. The oversize items include three scrapbooks and a photo album related to Frances Nacke Noel.