Early Gay History, 1920s-1999 and undated (bulk 1930s-1940s)

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[Original audiovisual materials are closed to patron use and have been removed to the Audiovisual Materials Series (boxes 22-23). Technical Services staff must arrange to have use copies made before contents can be accessed. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use these materials.]

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Extent:
3 boxes
Scope and content:

Research materials concerning three individuals interviewed by Sears: Jeri Farrar of Lewiston, Maine, Julian "Jerry" Hayes of South Carolina, and Perry Schwartz of South Carolina. Formats include interviews on cassettes (removed to the Audiovisual Series), photographs, many folders of correspondence, memoirs, and a diary.

The undated Farrar memoir covers the years 1932-circa 1945 and narrates events in the life of Farrar, her close friend and musical collaborator Rena Estabrooks, Farrar's mother Edna, and various friends, male and female; there are references to World War II and social conditions of the times, and detailed descriptions of nightclub circuits and the entertainment business in New York and New Jersey. It was probably written in the 1980s or 1990s.

The Hayes materials offer a detailed look into the life of a gay man growing up in rural North Carolina who "came out" in college and became part of the early gay community in Charleston, South Carolina during the 1940s. Materials include a diary kept in Jerry Hayes' teen years (typed transcription), a brief memoir by Hayes, interviews conducted in 1999, and paper prints of digitized photographs that date from circa 1920-1940.

The Schwartz materials cover the life events of a gay man from Birmingham, Alabama, who also became a Charleston resident; the bulk of this material consists of photocopies of hundreds of pieces of correspondence, numbered and arranged in chronological order, from Schwartz to family members and friends during his military service, 1936-1946. Includes interviews on cassettes conducted in 1998. A few folders contain early printed matter from 1957-1966, including a pamphlet on the psychology of homosexuality, and a "gay girl's guide."

Finally, another set of files corresponds to research Sears conducted on early criminal cases linked with homosexual behavior, and personal histories of lesbians in the Northeast during the early 20th centuries (Laura Beam, Harriet Hosmer, Ellen Day Hale), and contain resource listings from the Schlesinger Library at Harvard and some photocopied primary material from several archival institutions, including Duke University.

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Collection restrictions:

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

Consent forms signed by individuals whose interviews or images were recorded for possible use in publications are sometimes filed with other records relevant to that publication; oftentimes, however, permissions may have been filed in the Research Permissions Subseries box in the Research and Writings Series, or have not been located in the collection. Researchers wishing to publish information on individuals represented in the Sears Papers must have in hand the consent forms, or obtain permission from the individuals.

Original audiovisual materials are closed to use. Use of these materials requires production of listening or viewing copies.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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