Biographical is a small series of only ten folders. Included are vitae, letterheads of organizations with which Shelley worked, transcripts of class presentations, a biographical sketch, and several oral history transcripts. The biographical sketch prepared by Janet Reedy for Jane Fonda and Columbia Pictures in 1980 is especially broad, covering Shelley's life beginning with childhood.
21 linear feet — 1 oversize folder
The papers of Rebecca Shelley (1887-1984) were donated by Shelley in several accessions between 1964 and 1984. The papers make up twenty-one linear feet of materials and cover the years 1890-1984, though only a few photographs and printed items predate 1910. Her anti-war activism, legal battles, writing career, and courtships with Franz Willman and Felix Rathmer are all well-represented. In addition to her personal papers, there are groups of material belonging to Emily Balch, Richard Olsen, Felix Rathmer, Paul Shelly, and William A. Shelly.
Many peace organizations are also documented in these papers through flyers, pamphlets, periodicals, newsletters, and correspondence. These include the American Neutral Conference Committee, Emergency Peace Federation, People's Council of America, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Women Strike for Peace, and many others. As Shelley served as an officer in the Michigan Fellowship of Reconciliation (F.O.R.) through the 1950s and 1960s, many of the organization's official papers came to be in her possession. Therefore, an effort was made to remove most of these official papers to the separate Michigan F.O.R. collection.
The collection is arranged in eleven series: Biographical; Newspaper Clippings; Correspondence; Topical Papers; Miscellaneous Papers; Papers Of Other Individuals; Printed; Periodicals; Diaries And Notebooks; Photographs; and Writings.
Newspaper Clippings is also a small series, containing only nine folders. It is arranged chronologically and provides useful background information. Most articles are about World War I pacifist movement, Shelley's repatriation case, Peaceways, Shelley's Vietnam protests, or her trips abroad.
Correspondence is extensive (5.5 linear feet) and has been divided into two subseries based upon date of accessioning, 1974 and 1984. Both subseries are arranged chronologically. The two correspondence subseries were not interfiled because parts of the 1974 accession were microfilmed before the 1984 accession arrived. Although the accession groups overlap to a large extent, the 1974 accession is weighted before 1960 and the 1984 accession after 1950. The correspondence is notable for the letters exchanged with many leading pacifist, radical, religious, and political leaders. These include Jane Addams, Emily Balch, Emma Goldman, John Haynes Holmes, Jo Labadie, Scott Nearing, Alice Paul, Rosika Schwimmer, Upton Sinclair, Norman Thomas, Oswald Garrison Villard, and Wendell Willkie. Partial indices to correspondents have been prepared for both accession groups and are appended to this finding aid.