Papers of Matilda White Riley, 1844-2019 (inclusive), 1929-2004 (bulk)

The papers of Matilda White Riley document her personal and professional life. The collection includes Riley's personal and professional correspondence, genealogies and family histories, photographs, speeches, articles by and about Riley, book chapters, and other writings. This collection documents Riley's career in sociology, as well as her writings and research, which focused on all aspects of age and aging, including adult development, aging in the 21st century, aging and social change, self-care, health issues, and AIDS in older people.

Also found in these papers are letters between Matilda White Riley and John "Jack" Riley, Jr., which describe their courtship, travel, their studies at both Bowdoin College and Radcliffe College, friends and family, and their future together. Also found in these papers are Matilda White Riley's correspondence with her family, friends, and colleagues, including fellow sociologists Robert Merton, Harriet Zuckerman, and Paul Lazarsfeld. Most of Riley's correspondence is addressed to both Matilda and John "Jack" Riley, Jr., highlighting their combined careers in sociology. This collection also includes correspondence with the Rileys's granddaughter, Elizabeth Hutchinson, who worked in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Christian ministry Young Life Service Center.

Original folder headings were maintained; titles in brackets were created by the archivist. The material in Series III was received in 13 binders, divided by speeches and articles in chronological order. These binders were dismantled, and the material was foldered following Riley's arrangement. Electronic records were received on three zip disks, one 3.5 inch floppy, one CD, one thumb drive, four mini data cartridges, and two jumbo data cartridges. Disks, the CD, and the thumb drive were imaged using FTK Imager and Duke Data Accessioner. Selected data has been converted to PDF/A for preservation and delivery. Data on the data cartridges was unrecoverable.

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1844-2019, n.d. (#1.1-6.3, F+D.1, OD.1-OD.2, E.1-E.2), includes family histories and genealogies, curricula vitae, obituaries, diary excerpts, musical scores; and articles about Matilda White Riley. This series includes family memoranda written as diary entries by Riley. Topics include Riley's own health, including a bad reaction to prednisone, as well as the state of her father, Percival White's, mental and physical health. A transcript of an oral history of Matilda White Riley and John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr., conducted by their daughter Lucy Sallick, and nieces Matilda Ticknor and Lee Summer Cushman, is also located in this series.

This series also includes material related to Riley's father, Percival White. These documents include musical scores written by Percival White during World War II, articles about White and Riley's step-mother Pauline "Polly" Arnold White, and writings by Percival White on market research techniques.

Located in this series are family trees, genealogies, obituaries, and family histories of the White family, the Wheeler family, and the Cliff family, which were arranged by Riley's daughter, Lucy Sallick, as well as Sallick's notes on preparing her mother's papers to be donated to the Schlesinger Library.

Also found in this series are documents related to John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr.'s work during World War II and the Korean War for the Office of War Information on psychological warfare research. This material includes training documents, blank radio surveys, and subsequent reports. See also Series II for related correspondence. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, CORRESPONDENCE, 1921-2018, n.d. (#6.4-13.9, FD.1, F+D.2, E.3-E.9), includes Matilda White Riley's correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues. Letters between Riley and members of her family, including her sisters Persis McMillen, Nancy Bartlett, and Jessica Pirie, reflect their close relationship, as well as the dynamics of the White family. This series also contains Matilda and John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr.'s correspondence with friends and other members of their family, including their daughter Lucy Sallick, their son John W. Riley, III, their grandchildren, and Matilda White Riley's half-brother, David Cliff. Topics include travel, health issues, the field of sociology, John W. Riley, III's health, moving permanently to Maine, John "Jack" W. Riley's death in 2002, and their granddaughter Elizabeth Hutchinson's work in Nairobi, Kenya.

This series contains correspondence between the Rileys while they were apart. Early letters highlight their courtship and future together. Later letters feature John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr., work with the Office of War Information on psychological warfare research during both World War II and the Korean War. These letters highlight both the reality of the war in France, as well as the struggles of the women left at home. Topics include his training in London, food rationing, conducting research surveys in France with citizens living in a war zone, French citizens after liberation, his work in South Korea, family life, the health of family members, and Matilda White Riley's work with the Market Research Company of America.

Matilda White Riley's correspondence with professional colleagues documents her career in sociology. Topics include her positions at Rutgers University and Bowdoin College, consulting for the Russell Sage Foundation, her position as Senior Social Scientist at the National Institute of Aging, her many books and articles, and the American Sociological Association. Other correspondence found in this series includes letters between Riley, her father, Percival White and her stepmother, Pauline "Polly" Arnold White. Topics include the Market Research Company of America, and the estate of Pauline "Polly" Arnold White after the death of Percival White in 1972.

This series also contains correspondence between Riley's daughter Lucy Sallick and business professor D. G. Brian Jones, regarding his writings on Percival White, Pauline "Polly" Arnold White, and the Market Research Company of America. Sallick's correspondence with Asian studies professor Robert Oppenheim regarding John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr.'s work in Korea can also be found in this series. See also Series I for material related to John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr.'s research of psychological warfare during World War II and the Korean War. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Series III, WRITINGS, 1928-2002, n.d. (#14.1-19.8, E.10-E.11), includes the writings of Matilda White Riley. Riley's writings and research document her work as a sociologist and gerontologist, where she investigated all aspects of age and aging. Earlier writings include such topics as mass communication, communication in social networks, sources of contraception information, and the uses of contraceptives.

Folders titled "Writings" may include Riley's articles, book reviews, forwards to books written by others, book chapters, and material published in the Radcliffe Quarterly.

This series also includes articles written by John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr., and a book written by John W. Riley, III, regarding his service during the Vietnam War. This series is arranged with Matilda White Riley's material arranged alphabetically by folder title, then chronologically first, followed by material written by John "Jack" W. Riley, Jr., and John W. Riley, III.

Series IV, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1905-1995, n.d. (#PD.1-PD.17), includes photographs and tintypes removed from folders throughout the collection. Images include a woman at a business workstation invented by Percival White and a three-wheeled supercar designed by White. Other images include Riley with her sisters as children; Riley with her children, John W. Riley, III and Lucy Sallick; and slides taken by John "Jack" Riley, Jr., during the Korean War. The photographs are arranged to mirror the series above.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online.