James McHenry Elementary School dedication, 1966

The McHenry-Keyser papers consists of two series: Correspondence and Miscellaneous. The first series is further arranged into subseries based on the main correspondant. Folders within each subseries are arranged according to date, followed by undated materials.

Series I, Correspondence, forms the bulk of the collection. Subseries A contains twelve folders (over two boxes) of letters addressed to Ellen McHenry Keyser, circa 1869-1901, as well as two folders of letters written by Ellen McHenry Keyser, circa 1878-1914. The earliest letter, dated May 19, 1869, was sent from James Howard McHenry to his daughter when she was just 9 years old. Addressed, "My dear Little You," McHenry encourages Ellen to make progress in her reading, and recounts his own experience in learning to read, with the help of his uncle, Charles Howard. This letter from her father is the only letter dating from Ellen's childhood, as the next letters were not sent until 1877. From that date until 1887, the incoming correspondence is primarily of a social nature, sent from individuals within Miss McHenry's circle of friends in Baltimore.

Many of the incoming letters tend to be dated around major life events, beginning with Ellen's engagement to R. Brent Keyser in April 1887, their wedding in June 1888, and the birth of their children and loss of family members. There are also a number of letters from R. Brent home to his wife while he's away on business. In addition to incoming letters, there are two folders of outgoing correspondence, mainly letters from Ellen to her husband and daughter.

Series I, Subseries B, contains one folder of correspondence addressed to Juliana B. Keyser Clark, circa 1898-1947. The earliest letters in this folder are from Juliana's father, R. Brent Keyser, and her grandmother, Sarah Nicholas Cary McHenry, dated 1898-1899. Mrs. McHenry's letter to her granddaughter is full of affection, and she expresses great joy in receiving a letter from Juliana and her sisters. "I read them to everybody in the house and then to all in the kitchen."

There is a gap in the letters to Juliana Keyser until 1915, when "Cousin Lily" writes with concern for Ellen, who had recently suffered a mental breakdown. Several more letters from Cousin Lily follow in the years to come. In 1929, she complains about her failing eyesight, and in an undated letter, she exclaims, "Do you realize that I am 93?" One letter, written in 1920 from Gaylord Clark's sister, encourages Juliana in her decision to marry her brother. "I shall always have affection for you," she writes, "who have been such a noble inspiration in my brother's life, and who has received his love and adoration." The couple married the following year.

Series I, Subseries C, contains one folder of correspondence addressed to Gaylord Lee Clark, Juliana's husband. Most of the letters are dated 1918-1919, and concern matters having to do with Clark's involvement in World War I. Two of these letters, dated November-December 1918, contain words of encouragement and pride at Clark's service, having read the letters he sent home to his sister Lettice (which are not contained in this collection). Louise C. Whitelock writes, "they are very wonderful letters, and bring up such vivid pictures of the country, the people, the warfare, above all the real soldiers' life, that we seem to have been transported to that other world called, 'Somewhere in France.'"

In one letter to Clark, dated December 4, 1918, a widow writes for information on the death of her husband, who was killed in France as part of Clark's regiment. She also inquires as to the whereabouts of his personal affects, and asks that they be sent back to her. In his own hand after the close of her letter, Clark notes, "This was a fine young fellow about 21. A clean, gritty soldier. He went like many others killed in action. It's hard to answer these letters. There isn't much you can say and few if any personal belongings of a man who falls are ever saved. There isn't time or opportunity."

Subseries D, the final folder in Series I, contains miscellaneous correspondence to various other members of the families associated with Ellen McHenry and R. Brent Keyser. The earliest letter, dated January 6, 1857, is from Robert James Brent (1811-1872), R. Brent Keyser's grandfather. Labeled at the top of the letter, "Private and Confidential", Brent brings up the future of the Democratic Party in Maryland. The file also contains letters to Julia Howard McHenry (Ellen's sister), and Mrs. J. Howard McHenry (Sarah Nicholas Cary, Ellen's mother). One letter, dated June 30, 1891 to Mrs. McHenry, or "Sallie", is from her mother, Jane Margaret Carr (1809-1903), the founder of the Southern Home School for girls in Baltimore. Other letters from Jane are located in Subseries A, letters to Ellen McHenry Keyser. Along with relaying the news of her health and the whereabouts of her other children, Jane mentions that the Southern Home School is flourishing. "I think the Southern Home School promises to be the rage next year. The other day a gentleman called to see Willie and kept him, he said, for at least an hour--'wanted he said to enter his two daughters with my mother, paid you [Mrs. Cary] no end of compliments and said he had always wanted to send them here, but--my wife you know--we can't always have our own way. But he had put his foot down this time-was dissatisfied with Mrs. Tutweiler and was determined his girls to finish their schooling at the SHS.' These make five new day scholars interested before school opens, which is an unheard of thing in the school annals."

Series II, Miscellaneous, consists of the remaining two box of the collection. The series contains files on various families such as the Howard family, Cary family, and Fenwick family. These folders contain genealogical information and photocopied or typescript copies of correspondence, as well as newspaper articles, and ephemera related to the family members. Within the Cary family folder are several pieces of ephemera relating to the Southern Home School, founded by Mrs. Wilson Cary (Jane Margaret Carr). Also within this series is a 1998 manuscript titled, "From Generation to Generation", containing first-person remembrances and quotes from Letitia Lee Clark Sexton, Juliana Brent Keyser Clark, and Gaylord Lee Clark, in which they relate memories from their childhoods, as well as family histories and stories. The manuscript also contains copies of photographs, correspondence, and genealogical information from various publications.