Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1862-1973 (Accumulation)
Extent
1.68 linear feet (4 document cases)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Charles Louis Sewrey, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, came to South Dakota State College in 1947 after graduating with high distinction from the University of Minnesota. He held BA and MA degrees and had some teaching experience from the University of Minnesota. His third degree, Ph.D., also from Minnesota, was granted in 1955. He taught American political, economic, cultural and diplomatic history as professor of history at South Dakota State University. In addition to teaching, he published numerous articles in some of America's leading intellectual magazines. Dr. Sewrey also authored a book titled, A History of South Dakota State College in 1959. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a national scholastic honorary society. Dr. Sewrey retired from teaching in 1974 due to failing health. He died in 1979. A memorial endowment fund was established in 1981. The History Department is the main benefactor of the endowment, which funds scholarships and faculty development with such programs as the Sewrey Faculty Colloquium.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection is composed of collected materials presumably used for research, correspondence and writing and miscellaneous materials.
The collected material is composed of numerous pamphlets, newspapers and clippings, an 1862 book of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, material of the Socialist Party in the United States, and a file of research on Steven Truscott, a man who was convicted of murder in Ontario, Canada but may have been wrongly accused.
The general papers include correspondence, some notes and an exam from some of Sewrey's history courses, miscellaneous items and photographs. The miscellaneous items include a map showing lakes, railways, wagon roads, hotels and other points of interest of the Lake District in the vicinity of Alexandria, Minnesota.
The manuscripts cover several topics but the main scope of this material is of anti-Catholicism and frontier Minnesota. Included in the manuscripts is a draft of Sewrey's master's thesis titled The Protestant Minister in Frontier Minnesota.
The published works also covers several topics but the main scope of this material is anti-Catholicism and Communism. Included in this material are two transcripts of a radio program titled Professor's Forum that was broadcast from the South Dakota State College radio station.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged into series:
- Series 1. Collected material
- Series 2. General papers
- Series 3. Manuscripts
- Series 4. Published works
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
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Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
ID
ID
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Sewrey, Charles Louis (Subject)