Margaret Dreier Robins Collection - UF Special and Area Studies Collections

A Guide to the Margaret Dreier Robins Collection

Finding aid prepared by Carl Van Ness

University of Florida Smathers Libraries - Special and Area Studies Collections
August 2005


Descriptive Summary
	Creator:	Robins, Margaret Dreier
	Title:	Margaret Dreier Robins Collection
	Dates:	1876-1950
	Bulk dates:	1905-1945
	Abstract:	Women's Trade Union League, social work, suffrage, anti-war, personal papers, photos, correspondence, and biographical material on Robins family members.
	Extent:	41.5 Linear feet. 100 Boxes.
	Identification:	MS Group 15
	Language(s):	English
		Items from this collection have been digitized and are available online in the UF Digital Collections. For more information please see the note below.

Biographical/Historical Note

Women's rights leader and social activist. Margaret Dreier Robins was born in 1868 in Brooklyn, New York. She left New York in 1925 and moved to Florida with her husband Raymond Robins. The Robins' resided at a large estate called Chinsegut Hill near the town of Brooksville. Margaret was a founder and leader of the National Women's Trade Union League and an outspoken crusader for equal rights for women in the workplace. She and her husband were also active in politics and campaigned for candidates in both major parties as well as the National Progressive Party. She died in 1945.

Scope and Content

The collection contains records related to the life of Margaret Dreier Robins. Her involvement with the women's movement and trade unions is extensively documented. Additionally, the collection contains documents and correspondence regarding such specific topics as: prohibition, China, Florida, public health, social welfare, religious groups, the 'Peace Movement', political parties and campaigns, and women's suffrage. The collection also contains biographical material related to both her and her husband as well as correspondence between the two and records related to the Chinsegut Hill estate. Raymond Robins' life is also documented through several scrapbooks and photo albums and many of the clippings and publications reflect his activities as well as those of his wife. There are also records of Raymond Robins' father, Charles E. Robins.

Addendum: Correspondence to Lilly Brummerhoff, a resident of Chinsegut Hill who was employed by the Robins family, was added in August 2005. It includes letters from both Raymond Robins and Margaret Dreier Robbins. In 2007, letters from Margaret Dreier Robins and Raymond Robins to Mary Dreier and Katherine Dreier, sisters of Margaret, were added. The correspondence in the addendum was not microfilmed and is not indexed in the register.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into nine series: (1) Biographical and personal records, (2) Organizational and topical materials, and (3) Correspondence, (4) Publications, (5) Photographs, (6) Albums, (7) Clippings, (8) Scrapbooks, and (9) Miscellany.

Access or Use Restrictions

Access

The collection is open for research.

Related or Separated Material

The remainder of Raymond Robins papers are located at the Wisconsin Historical Society and at New York University.

Additional materials related to Chinsegut Hill can be found in the Lisa von Borowsky papers, University of Florida.

Administrative Information

Alternate Form of Material

Series 1-3 are included in the microfilm edition entitled Papers of the Women's Trade Union League and Its Principal Leaders.

Digital reproductions of selected items in this collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.

Finding Aid Note

A typewritten register for the Dreier correspondence is available in the Special Collections Research Room. The register is organized alphabetically by the correspondents' names.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Margaret Dreier Robins Collection, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Acquisition Information

The collection was gifted to the University of Florida after the death of Raymond Robins in 1954.

Contents List


Biographical and Personal Records
This series contains personal effects and memorabilia, family documents, and biographical information. The series also contains speeches of both Margaret and Raymond Robins. Much of the series is taken up with the operations and social activities of Chinsegut Hill as well as a coastal property named Bimini's Isle also owned by the Robins. (Bimini was Margaret's nickname.) The series contains a survey map of Chinsegut Hill.

Box
1			Drier family: Margaret Dreier Robins.
1			Drier family: General Biographical Material.
1			Drier family: Miscellaneous Personal Items.
1			Drier family: Memberships and Contributions.
2			Margaret Dreier Robins: Autograph Books.
2			Margaret Dreier Robins: Retirement Letters.
2			Margaret Dreier Robins: Silver Wedding Anniversary.
2			Margaret Dreier Robins: Programs of Speaking Engagements.
3			Margaret Dreier Robins speeches: Fragments.
3			Margaret Dreier Robins speeches: Notes.
3			Margaret Dreier Robins speeches: Addresses and Lists of Names.
4			Margaret Dreier Robins: Investments and Business Records
5			Margaret Dreier Robins's Death: Letters of Sympathy.
5			Margaret Dreier Robins's Death: Memorial Services
6			Mary Dreier Biography of Margaret Dreier Robins.
6A			Mary Dreier Biography of Margaret Dreier Robins - Correspondence, 1946-1955 (5 folders).
6A			Mary Dreier Biography of Margaret Dreier Robins - Correspondence - Acknowledgments from Libraries, 1954-1955.
6A			Mary Dreier Biography of Margaret Dreier Robins - Miscellaneous.
7			Robins Family: Raymond Robins.
7			Robins Family: General Material.
7			Material on Particular Aspects of her career.
7			Speaking Engagements.
8			Raymond Robins: Speeches and Writings.
8			Raymond Robins: Business Records.
8			Raymond Robins: Miscellaneous.
9			Chinsegut Hill: General Material.
9			Chinsegut Hill: Correspondence, 1906-1929.
10			Chinsegut Hill: Correspondence, 1930-1931.
10			Chinsegut Hill: Records and Accounts.
11			Guests and Social Occasions: Invitations and Acknowledgements.
11			Robins Entertainments.
11			Guest Books
12			Guest Books (cont.).
12			Verses for Family Occasions.
12			Verses for Chinsegut Hill.
12			Biographical Material on Other Persons.
12			Writings by Others
12A			Chinsegut Hill - Bills and Receipts, 1930-1935 (8 folders)
12A			Miscellaneous Announcements, Programs, Holiday Cards and Post Cards Received by Robins (6 folders)


Organizational and Topical Materials
This series contains reports, newsletters, memoranda, minutes and other records related to the organizations and causes that Margaret Dreier Robins was active in. The series contains very little correspondence.

Box
13			Woman's Municipal League and Related Groups.
14			NWTUL, 1924-1928.
15			NWTUL, 1929-1935.
16			NWTUL, and Miscellaneous. 1936-1950, undated.
17			WTUL: Local Activities.
17A			NWTUL Publications - Bulletins, Newsletters, Reports Constitutions, Convention Calls, Handbooks, Programs, Pamphlets, etc.
17A			Illinois/Chicago WTUL Publications - Bulletins, Reports, Leaflets, Pamphlets, etc.
17A			New York WTUL Publications - Bulletins, Reports, Leaflets, Pamphlets, etc.
18			International Federation of Working Women (1919-1925).
18			Industrial Committee, Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs, (1906-1908).
18			American Federation of Labor (1909).
18			Chicago and Illinois Federations of Labor (1907-1914).
18			Council of National Defense, World War I.
18			YWCA War Work Council.
18			Other Wartime Labor Matters.
19			Committee on Women in Industry, League of Women.
19			Voters (1919-1925).
19			Women's Bureau, US Department of Labor (1918-1938).
19			Mary Macarthur Memorial Committee (1921-1923).
19			YWCA Industrial Department (1919-1926, 1940).
19			White House Conference on Child Health and Protection (1929-1930).
19			Southern Organizations and Conferences (1927-1941).
19			Unemployment (1930-1933)
19			Child Labor Amendment (1933-1938).
20			Labor Legislation
20			Labor and Social Welfare Groups and Interests: Miscellaneous
21			Woman Suffrage.
21			Political Parties and Campaigns.
21			Peace Movement.
22			Prohibition.
22			Religious Groups.
22			Committee on Public Relations, Motion Picture.
22			Producers and Distributors of America. 1922-1924
22			International Women's Conferences.
22			China.
22			Florida Groups and Activities: Social Welfare, Public
22			Health, Observation.
23			Florida Groups and Activities: Miscellaneous.
23			Miscellaneous (National).


Correspondence
This series is arranged chronologically and consists of letters received by Margaret Dreier Robins. It also includes some 19th century Dreier family correspondence in German and third party correspondence of Margaret's family including her sisters, Mary and Dorothea. Letters between Margaret and Raymond are filed separately within the series. The series also contains two boxes of letters written to Raymond Robins by people other than Margaret. It is unclear why these letters, some written after Margaret's death, were not transferred to Wisconsin with the remainder of the Raymond Robins papers.

Box
24			Dreier Family Correspondence, 1885-1889.
25			Dreier Family Correspondence, 1890-1893; Margaret Dreier Robins Correspondence, 1876-1905.
26			January 1906-December 1908.
27			January 1909-December 1910.
28			January 1911-April 1913.
29			May 1913-December 1915.
30			January 1916-December 1917.
31			January 1918-April 1920.
32			May 1920-October 1921.
33			November 1921-May 1923.
34			June 1923-February 1924.
35			March 1924-June 1925.
36			July 1925-February 1927.
37			March 1927-April 1928.
38			May 1928-May 1929.
39			June 1929-March 1930.
40			April-December 1930.
41			January-July 1931.
42			August 1931-February 1932.
43			March-September 1932.
44			October 1932-February 1933.
45			March-December 1933.
46			January-December 1934.
47			January-October 1935.
48			November 1935-April 1936.
49			May 1936-February 1937.
50			March 1937-August 1938.
51			September 1938-December 1939.
52			January-December 1940.
53			January 1941-May 1942.
54			June 1942-September 1943.
55			October 1943-June 1945.
56			Undated correspondence: (A-F).
57			Undated correspondence: (G-P).
58			Undated correspondence: (R-Z), Unidentified, and Miscellaneous.
59			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. April 1905-September 1911
60			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. October 1911-March 1915
61			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. April 1915-August 1916
62			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. September 1916-April 1920
63			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. 1920-August 1922
64			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. September 1922-March 1923
65			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. April 1923-April 1924
66			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. May 1924-December 1928
67			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. January 1929-March 1930
68			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. April 1930-January 1931
69			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. February-September 1931
70			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. October 1931-March 1932
71			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. April 1932-March 1933
72			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. April 1933-April 1934
73			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. May 1934-August 1936
74			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. September 1936-September 1938
75			Margaret Drier Robins to Raymond Robins. October 1938-December 1944 and Undated
76			Raymond Robins Correspondence. 1903-1931
77			Raymond Robins Correspondence. 1932-1948 and undated
78-79			Mary E. Dreier, Dorothea A. Dreier, Leonora O'Reilly and other third-party correspondence.
78-79			Addendum: Letters to Lilly Brummerhoff. 1926-1947


Publications
This series reflects Raymond Robins' career as well as Margaret Dreier Robins'. It is arranged primarily by the authors' or publishers' names. There are also a few subject headings. The series includes labor publications, publications related to child labor and women in the workforce, and political pamphlets, including literature of the National Progressive Party. There is an incomplete run of convention proceedings for the Women's Trade Union League.

Box
80			A.
80			American Federation of Labor.
80			B-C.
80			Charities.
80			Children (3 folders).
80			China.
81			D-F.
81			Fight for Freedom Committee.
81			G-H.
81			Household economy.
81			I.
81			International Federation of Trade Unions.
81			J-M.
82			McNamara Case.
82			N.
82			National Progressive Party.
82			O-P.
82			Prohibition.
82			R-S.
82			Schools for women workers.
82			T.
82			Unemployment.
83			W.
83			Women.
83			Women's Bureau, Dept. of Labor.
83			Women workers.
83			WTUL Conventions. 1905-1919
83			WTUL Conventions. 1923-1929
83			WTUL Miscellaneous (1).
84			WTUL Miscellaneous (2-3).
84			WTUL - United Kingdom.
84			Workers movement.


Photographs
This series contains images of the Dreier and Robins families, photographs of WTUL meetings, and political rallies and campaigns. Of special note are the photographs from the Women's Campaign Train for Hughes and Social Justice Day in Marion, Ohio, with then Senator Warren G. Harding in attendance. There are also photographs of people and activities in Chinsegut Hill, but this is depicted much more extensively in the albums. Finally, there is a small folder of photographs from Raymond Robins' participation in Red Cross efforts in Soviet Russia in 1918. Both Bolsheviks and anti-Bolsheviks are depicted and there are several photographs of Yekaterina Konstantinova Breshko-Breshkovskaya, a member of the Social Revolutionaries known as the Grandmother of the Russian Revolution.

Box
85			Dreier family and friends.
85			Margaret Dreier Robins.
85			Warren G. Harding, Social Justice Day, Marion, Ohio.
85			Hughes Campaign. 1916
85			Immigrants and youth workers.
85			Labor meetings.
86			Raymond Robins, friends, family, collaborators.
86			Russia. 1918
86			Chinsegut Hill.
86			Unidentified photos.

Albums

This series consists primarily of photograph albums related to Chinsegut Hill and Bimini's Isle as well as the surrounding area. Of particular note in this regard are the photographs of local residents in Brooksville and Bayport and other areas of Hernando County, Florida. There are many photographs of people employed at Chinsegut Hill including African-American laborers. There are also albums depicting Margaret Dreier Robins' youth and an album from Raymond Robins' days as a gold miner in the Yukon.

Box

Chinsegut Hill and its people (6 albums).

Chinsegut Hill and its people (4 albums).

Chinsegut Hill.

Unidentified location.

Raymond Robins, Yukon mining.


Clippings
These are arranged alphabetically by subject and reflect the interests of both Raymond and Margaret.

Box
90			Alaska. 1900
90			Amalgamated Clothing Workers/Steel Workers.
90			American Federation of Labor.
90			Arbuckle Case.
90			Chicago Evening Post.
90			Chicago School Controversy.
90			Child Labor.
90			Chinsegut Hill. 1931-1932
90			Chinsegut Hill. 1933-1934
90			Chinsegut Hill. 1935-1937
90			Chinsegut Hill. 1939-1953
90			Chinsegut Hill. 1954-1961
90			Chinsegut Hill. no date
90			Communism.
90			Council of National Defense.
90			Dept. of Labor.
90			Dreier, H. Edward and Ethel.
90			Dreier, Dorothea (sister of MDR).
90			Dreier, Dorothea (niece of MDR).
90			Dreier, Katherine.
90			Dreier, Mary.
90			Dreier, Theodore.
90			Employment Agency Bill. 1901-1904
90			Employment Agency Bill. 1933
90			England, Labor and politics.
90			Factory Inspection Laws.
90			Florida.
90			Foreign Relations.
90			Friends.
90			German clippings.
90			Hauptmann Trial.
90			Health, Education and Welfare.
90			Immigrants.
90			International Labor Conferences.
90			Investment.
91			Jerome election (NYC).
91			League of Women Voters.
91			National Education Assoc.
91			National Purity League.
91			National Women's Party.
91			National Women's Trade Union League.
91			Negro.
91			New York Association of Women Workers.
91			Outlawry of War.
91			Pan Pacific Women's Conference.
91			Politics.
91			Politics - Chicago.
91			Politics - Democratic Party.
91			Politics - GOP.
91			Politics - Progressive Party.
91			Price stabilization.
91			Prohibition.
92			Prominent personages.
92			Prominent women I.
92			Prominent women II.
92			Religion and Men Forward Movement.
92			Robins, Elizabeth.
92			Robins, Margaret Dreier.
92			Robins, Margaret Dreier - Activities.
92			Robins, Margaret Dreier - Reviews of book by Mary Drier.
92			Robins, Raymond.
92			Robins, Raymond - Disappearance.
92			Robins, Raymond - Missions, writings and speeches.
92			Robins, Raymond and Margaret. 1913-1929
92			Roosevelt, Franklin D.
92			Roosevelt, Theodore.
92			Rudowitz extradition.
92			Russia. 1910-1919
92			Russia. 1920
92			Russia. 1921
93			Russia. 1924-1926
93			Russia. 1932-1937
93			Settlement.
93			Southern welfare.
93			State labor relations - New York, Illinois, W. Virginia.
93			Suffrage.
93			Ten and eight hour bills.
93			Unemployment compensation.
93			Unions - general.
93			Unions - strikes. 1901-1918
93			Unions - strikes. 1918-1935
93			United Mine Workers.
93			White House Conference on Child Health and Protection.
93			Women in industry.
93			Women's Bureau.
93			Women's City Club.
93			Women's education.
93			Women's rights.
93			YMCA and YWCA.

Scrapbooks

This series consists primarily of clippings documenting the Robins' activities. Of particular note is a scrapbook from Raymond Robins' 1912 U. S. Senate campaign as a member of the National Progressive Party in Illinois.

Box

Political scrapbooks. 1896-1918

Labor scrapbooks. 1910-1911

Miscellany

Scrapbooks and financial books documenting the life and business activity of Charles E. Robins in Louisville, Kentucky, Staten Island, and Zanesville, Ohio.

Box

Charles E. Robins - scrapbooks. 1853-1885

Charles E. Robins - financial journals. 1865-1875

Selected Subjects and Access Terms

Hernando County (Fla.)--Photographs.
National Women's Trade Union League of America.
Political campaigns.
Robins, Margaret Dreier, 1868-1945.
Robins, Raymond, 1873-1954.
Social reformers--United States.
Women's rights--United States.
Women in the labor movement.

For further information, please contact: Special Collections Access Services.

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