Archival Anecdotes: April 24, 2023

History is what we make it

Dorothy Payne Beardsley (1894-1985) lived to be 90 years old and experienced nearly a century of rapid cultural change in her lifetime. She was involved with the Minerva Club and Pioneer Daughters, and became one of the founding members of the Eddy County Museum. Her obituary, as printed in the New Rockford Transcript, highlights her educational achievements as a 1913 New Rockford High graduate and a scholar at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio.

A look through museum collections would present a whole different vision of Dorothy. In addition to the doll-sized dishes, Dorothy donated a telegraph key, ceramic dinnerware and a wedding dress.

For Dorothy, history was about more than the past; it was a connection to her childhood, and more specifically her mother. When Dorothy joined the Pioneer Daughters in 1961, she had 3,800 words of pioneer history in hand, all of which had been written by her mother, Clare Collins Payne (1869-1949). One passage speaks of how Clare learned a new and emerging skill of telegraphy and charted a course for her future that didn't involve homesteading.

Clare wrote, "I practiced telegraphy with William Payne all winter. When he was sent to Mapleton, they gave me the station agent-operator job at $60 per month. I had ambitions to earn money and wanted to teach school, but was not old enough. After becoming the Agent, I lived at home and gave Father a good part of my pay. The rest went into my clothes. I held the job for a year, and then quit to be married to William."

This passage shines a light on the items Dorothy donated. Professional life was important to Clare, as it provided a better life than she had experienced on the homestead. A telegraph key, paired with Clare's history, could open a door to the discussion about the role of the telegraph in North Dakota and the rise of women in the workforce.

The dinnerware pieces were once part of a set. Made of semi-porcelain, the dinnerware sported a popular pattern of brown branches that came to be known as Columbia. Made by Johnson Bros. in England, it's quite likely that Clare ordered them from a catalog, and took pride in using them to serve dinner to her family and friends.

Clare told us that she spent money on clothing, but she made no mention of her wedding dress. The stitching alone is enough evidence to show that Clare purchased her wedding dress, rather than making it at home. After all, living at home and working provides little time or privacy to pour over stitches and embellishments. Clare was in the perfect position to call on Mary Molloy, designer and dressmaker from St. Paul. She married William Payne on January 1, 1889.

By 1972, Dorothy had put all these special items into the museum and turned her sights west. At the age of almost 80, Dorothy took up her own prospects and moved to San Jose, Calif., where she spent the rest of her days. Her remains are buried at Prairie Home Cemetery in New Rockford.

Perspective from 1919

Rest assured, I haven't forgotten about the Calendar of Cheer we have been following all year. It's just that it has required a bit of reflection. The phrase is uncredited, yet resonates deeply with me.

When I began studying anthropology in the late 1990s, I heard concerns from people in my life that sounded something like, "Why would you want to work with dead people? Extinct cultures! Get your head out of the past and into the modern world! Choose a career path that isn't so depressing!"

It turns out, the skills I gained studying anthropology helped me counter the limiting mindset of depression. I found hope in knowing that different cultures have existed (and still exist). I found comfort learning how to discern facts from wear patterns and maker's marks. I also learned to flex my skills in reflexivity, which allows me to question my own assumptions and interpretations. To be honest, it's been pretty useful!