Correspondence, 1894-1960

Please Note:

This collection is currently being reprocessed to incorporate additional material before it becomes fully open to researchers in January 2027. This work is being funded by a grant from The Duke Endowment, along with funds from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Foundation, the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation Endowment Fund held by Duke University, and the children of Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans. For more information, please contact the Rubenstein Library.

Access restrictions for this series:

Access to this material will be consistent with the 1991 agreement between Duke University Library, James H. Semans, and Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans. Access to any correspondence, legal papers, and financial papers is restricted and will be permitted only with prior written permission, which should be sought from the chair of the board of the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation. This restriction shall be in place until 1 January 2027, after which all material shall be considered open for research.

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Scope and content:

Primarily correspondence to and from Biddle, but also includes correspondence to and from Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Jr., Benjamin Newton Duke, Sarah Pearson Angier Duke, Angier Buchanan Duke, Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, Nicholas Benjamin Duke Biddle, and Duke University administrators, trustees, and faculty. There is a significant amount of incoming correspondence from Duke family business managers related to her finances and outgoing correspondence to Duke University related to her philanthropy. Some legal documents related to financial transactions are interspersed.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically, with files of condolences on the deaths of her brother, father, and mother at the end.

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