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Collection Number: 05049

Collection Title: Sara Martin Brown Papers 1895, 1924-1979

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 400 items)
Abstract Sara Martin Brown of Liberty County, Ga., was married to Roberts H. Brown, a lawyer who served as speaker of the Alabama House of State Representatives, 1951-1953. Sara Brown's mother was Corrie McDowell Martin, and her sister, Mary Louise Perkins, was an artist who died in a plane crash on 3 June 1962 at the end of a European tour sponsored by the Atlanta Art Association. The collection consists chiefly of correspondence and other items, 1895-1979, relating to Sara Martin Brown and to members of the Martin, Perkins, and Brown families of Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. The largest concentration of correspondence is to and from Sara Martin in 1935 during her engagement to Roberts H. Brown. These letters document their daily lives, wedding plans, family affairs, and education. Scattered family correspondence includes letters discussing military life in World War II, business endeavors, education, health, social engagements, and travel; 1924 letters from Roberts H. Brown's family to him at Culver Military Academy; and 1962 postcards from Mary Louise Perkins describing her experiences on the Atlanta Art Association's European tour. Newspaper clippings include accounts of Mary Louise Perkins's death and the civic activities of other family members. There are also a few photographs of Sara Martin Brown and Roberts H. Brown.
Creator Brown, Sara Martin.
Curatorial Unit Southern Historical Collection
Language English.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Sara Martin Brown Papers #05049, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Provenance
Received from Joseph B. Martin III of Charlotte, N.C., in March 2001 (Acc. 98882).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Sara Martin Brown was the daughter of Donald F. Martin, Sr., of Liberty County, Ga., son of Ellen Barrett Fleming Martin. Her family included her mother, Corrie McDowell Martin; brother, Donald F. Martin, Jr.; and sister, Mary Louise Perkins. In December 1935, Sara Martin married Roberts H. Brown, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Vandiver Brown. His parents ran the San Marcos Baptist Academy in San Marcos, Tex., and had three other children: Irene, Beryl, and Kirtley. Roberts H. Brown attended the Culver Military Academy, Culver, Ind., in 1924 and was graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in December 1935. He served as Lee County representative in the Alabama legislature and speaker of the Alabama House of State Representatives, 1951-1953.

Mary Louise Perkins, Sara's sister, was married to Percy H. Perkins, Jr., a well-known Atlanta architect. Mary Louise Perkins was a portrait artist who attended Queens College in North Carolina and was the first graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1931. An art patron and member of the Atlanta Art Association, she died in a plane crash on 3 June 1962 in Paris, France, at the end of a six-week European tour. The crash killed more than 120 passengers, including many of the High Museum of Art's trustees and contributors.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Chiefly correspondence and other items, 1895-1979, relating to Sara Martin Brown and to members of the Martin, Perkins, and Brown families of Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. The largest concentration of correspondence is to and from Sara Martin in 1935 during her engagement to Roberts H. Brown. These letters document their daily lives, wedding plans, family affairs, and education. Scattered family correspondence includes letters to Corrie McDowell Martin from her children about military life in World War II, business endeavors, education, health, social engagements, and travel. There are also occasional mentions of movies seen, neighborhood affairs, housing, and foster care.

Family correspondence also includes 1924 letters from Roberts H. Brown's family to him at Culver Military Academy about daily life in Texas, education, and sports; an 1895 letter to Corrie Martin from her father about a speaking engagement; and 1962 postcards from Mary Louise Perkins describing her experiences on the Atlanta Art Association's European tour.

Newspaper clippings include accounts of Mary Louise Perkins's death in the plane crash in Paris, France, and the civic activities of other family members. There are also a few photographs of Sara Martin Brown and Roberts H. Brown.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Papers, 1895, 1924-1979.

About 400 items (0.5 linear feet).

Chiefly correspondence and other items, 1895-1979, relating to Sara Martin Brown and to members of the Martin, Perkins, and Brown families of Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. The largest concentration of correspondence is to and from Sara Martin in 1935 during her engagement to Roberts H. Brown. These letters document their daily lives, wedding plans, family affairs, and education. Scattered family correspondence includes letters to Corrie McDowell Martin from her children about military life in World War II, business endeavors, education, health, social engagements, and travel. There are also occasional mentions of movies seen, neighborhood affairs, housing, and foster care.

Family correspondence also includes 1924 letters from Roberts H. Brown's family to him at Culver Military Academy about daily life in Texas, education, and sports; an 1895 letter to Corrie Martin from her father about a speaking engagement; and 1962 postcards from Mary Louise Perkins describing her experiences on the Atlanta Art Association's European tour.

Newspaper clippings include accounts of Mary Louise Perkins's death in the plane crash in Paris, France, and the civic activities of other family members. There are also a few photographs of Sara Martin Brown and Roberts H. Brown.

Folder 1

1895

Folder 2-5

Folder 2

Folder 3

Folder 4

Folder 5

1924

Folder 6

1934

Folder 7-14

Folder 7

Folder 8

Folder 9

Folder 10

Folder 11

Folder 12

Folder 13

Folder 14

1935

Folder 15

1937

Folder 16

1943-1949

Folder 17-18

Folder 17

Folder 18

1950-1959

Folder 19

1960-1961

Folder 20

1962

Folder 21

1963-1979

Folder 22

Undated

Image Folder PF-5049/1

Photographs of Sara Martin Brown and Roberts H. Brown

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

Items separated include pictures (PF-5049/1).

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