Paul Dennis Brown Family papers

Series 1: Family Records, 1933-1971 (0.75 linear feet)

The bulk of this series, dating between 1950 and 1969, consists of appointment books, certificates, financial documents, notes, newspaper articles, and publications of Paul Dennis Brown, Margaret Brown, his wife, and his daughters, Margaret Brown Klapthor and Mary Berry Brown Moore . The appointment books from 1939 to 1959 record P. D. Brown's county agent appointments, other business meetings, names and addresses, and notes. His 1939 and 1940 appointment books list the "order of business" for hospital meetings. Many of the newspaper articles describe P. D. Brown's retirement and his civic activities on behalf of libraries.

These family records include several World War II ration cards issued to members of the Brown family between 1942 and 1945. P. D. Brown was a member of the local War Price and Rationing Board and served its first Chairman (1942).

Two of the more significant of P. B rown's publications in this series are "Tobacco The Gold of the Province" published in Better Crops with Plant Food Magazine (December 1934 - January 1935) and "A County Agent Looks at Forestry" which appeared in American Forests (October, 1956).

The records of Margaret Brown document her volunteer activities, certificates and participation in many gardening events. The records of Margaret Brown Klapthor document her 1939 graduation from the Sacred Heart High School in La Plata, as well as her role as the escort for Queen Mother Elizabeth of Britain and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the wife of the President, when they toured the Smithsonian's First Ladies exhibit in 1954. The records of Mary Berry Brown Moore document her membership in the Girl Scouts (1934) and her marriage to William Moore (June, 1947).

Arrangement is alphabetical by name and then chronological within the folds.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1933-1971 (0.25 linear feet)

The bulk of the series, dating between 1950 and 1967, consists of letters written by Mary Berry Brown (Moore), written and received by P. D. Brown, and received by Margaret Brown and Margaret Brown Klapthor. Several letters congratulate P. D. Brown on his service as county agent, his retirement and his selection as an outstanding library trustee. Others invite him to participate in or thank him for his volunteer work in various civic organizations, such as the Charles County Library Board of Trustees on which he served for more than twenty years, the Physicians Memorial Hospital, and the County Fair.

Among Mrs. Bwn's correspondence is an April 13, 1938, letter from the Preakness Week Association chairman, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, inviting her to serve as a judge in the selection of Duchesses for Preakness Week. A 1944 letter from the Brown's daughter, Mary Berry Brown (Moore), describes her experiences at the Pensacola, FL, Naval Air Station, while serving in the U. S. Navy. A 1957 letter to Margaret Brown Klapthor seeks help locating Henderson, KY individuals and another expresses disappointment in not seeing her when visiting Washington.

Arrangement is alphabetical by name and then chronological withithe folders.

Series 3: Subject Files, 1926-1974 (2.00 linear feet)

This series contains newspaper articles about the history and civic organizations of Charles County dating between 1926 and 1974 and correspondence and minutes of organizations in which P. D. and/or Margaret Berry Brown participated in the 1950s and 1960s, with the bulk of the materials covering 1931 to 1960. Included is material on Port Tobacco, the Smallwood Foundation, Smallwood's Retreat, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, the Slot Machine Study Committee, the U. S. Naval Propellant Plant at Indian Head, and the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. Tobacco is the main topic covered in many of the reports and pamphlets in this series.

The bulk of the material covers the Charles County Fairs from 1931 to 1973. Included are programs, advertisements, minutes of various planning meetings for many of the fairs and pageant scripts. Script authors include Kathleen Read Coontz, H. S. Swann, T. Beverly Campbell and Howard Southgate.

Newspaper articles, correspondence and minutes document the business of the Charles County Garden Club, the La Plata Beautification Commission, the La Plata Town Council, the Public Library, and the Physicians Memorial Hospital Women's Auxiliary from 1944 to 1972.

The Smallwood Foundation Board documents include brochures, correspondence, and minutes from 1939 to 1973. The Maryland 1962-1963 Slot Machine Study Committee records include correspondence and research documents and charts. The University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service activities from 1950 to 1968 include information about Thomas Baddeley Symons, the director through most of Brown's employment by the Service and several of its Horticulture brochures written by Harry William Dengler.

Arrangement is alphabetical by topic and chronological witthe folders.

Series 4: Scrapbook, 1941 (2.0 linear feet)

This series consists of a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings documenting the 1941 Charles County Fair. The clippings mainly relate to Senorita Maria Teresa Escalante, daughter of the Vezeuelan Ambassador to Washington, D.C., who was named the Maryland Tobacco Queen in 1941. Other clippings relate to Maryland tobacco, the Court of the Magic Weed, and other women participating in the fair.

Series 5: Photographs, 1920s-1970s (1.50 linear feet)

This series contains three binders of photographs spanning the 1920s to the 1970s. Among the subjects are the Brown family, tobacco fields, Charles County historic homes, monuments, and the Charles County Fairs. These materials have been transferred to the Photograph Collection. A more detailed listing of the photographs is available.

Series 6: Memorabilia, 1938 and undated (4 items)

This series consists of two pins and four ribbons documenting activities of either P. D. Brown and his wife, Margaret Brown. These materials have been transferred to the Memorabilia Collection #2148a-d.