Eleanor Marsh Frost biographical materials, 1897-1961

Materials consist of diaries, correspondence, manuscript writings, etc., of Eleanor Frost, second wife of William Goodell Frost.

A native of Wisconsin, she was an 1891 graduate of Oberlin College. That same year she married William G. Frost, moving with him to Berea the next year when he accepted the presidency of Berea College. Mrs. Frost was active in fundraising for the college, making numerous trips east to contact donors. She also made several tours of southern Appalachia where she recruited students for Berea.

Correspondence (1886-1941) consists predominantly of her letters to William Goodell Frost, most of which were written while one or the other of them were on fundraising or speaking tours. Eleanor Frost's letters from Berea detail family as well as college affairs; her letters from Boston, Chicago, and various sites provide information concerning her speaking itinerary, contacts with donors, the success or failure of her speeches, etc. Diaries (1886-1946) further illuminate Mrs. Frost's activities on behalf of the college, family events, and her thoughts on daily experiences. See list of Eleanor Marsh Frost’s correspondence (arranged by date) and list of correspondents (by name) following box list.

Other materials include manuscript writings (e.g. a description of a horse-back trip through eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina made in 1914) and photographs. The latter comprise a folder of black and white prints depicting Mrs. Frost (25), and family members (17) and mountain scenes (7), which date roughly from 1892-1934.