The Margaret Wheeler Ross Papers consist of typescript and manuscript short stories and poetry, correspondence, biographical information, and scrapbooks. Although the collection extends from 1889 to 1951, the bulk of the material consists of Ross' short stories concerning southwestern pioneer life written between 1930 and 1950.
Identification:
MSS-71
Language:
Material in English
Repository:
Arizona State University Library. Greater Arizona Collection
P.O. Box 871006
Tempe, AZ 85287-1006
Phone: (480) 965-4932
E-Mail: archives@asu.edu Questions? Ask An Archivist!
Biographical Note
Margaret Wheeler Ross, author and poet, was born to William Stuart and Margaret (Price) Wheeler in Vicksburg, Mississippi on February 21, 1867. The family moved to New York City in 1869, where Margaret received her education from private tutors. As a result of financial difficulties, the family relocated to New Mexico in 1888 and to El Paso, Texas soon thereafter.
Margaret Wheeler worked for a railroad office in Prescott, Arizona before taking a job as the Yavapai County court stenographer, where she met County Attorney Henry Davis Ross (1861-1945). The couple was married at El Paso on April 24, 1890 and relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona in 1891. They had two sons, Henry Davis (1891-1961) and John Wheeler (1893-1979). In 1901, Margaret attended the University of Chicago to study music and English. She later attended Boston University and the University of California at Berkeley.
Upon Henry Ross' appointment as State Supreme Court Justice in 1912 the family moved to Phoenix, where Margaret became a member of the Phoenix Women's Club. She was elected president of the Arizona Federation of Women's Clubs in 1914 and organized and became the founding president of the Arizona Federation of Music Clubs in 1920. During the 1920s, Margaret Ross began writing and publishing. Her A Musical Message for Mothers appeared in 1926 and Vanity Bag was completed in 1936. Margaret Ross died of heart disease in Phoenix, Arizona on November 8, 1953.
Scope and Content Note
The Margaret Wheeler Ross Papers consist of typescript and manuscript short stories and poetry, correspondence, biographical information, and scrapbooks. Although the collection extends from 1889 to 1951, the bulk of the material consists of Ross' short stories concerning southwestern pioneer life written between 1930 and 1950. Also included is substantial information on the Arizona Federation of Music Clubs, the Arizona Federation of Women's Clubs, and the National League of American Pen Women.
To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.
Copyright
Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.
Access Terms
Personal Name(s)
Ross, Henry D. (Henry Davis), 1861-.
Ross, Margaret Wheeler, 1867-1953.
Corporate Name(s)
Arizona Federation of Music Clubs.
Arizona Federation of Women's Clubs.
Subject(s)
American literature -- Societies, etc.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Arizona.
Music -- Arizona -- Societies, etc.
Women -- Arizona -- Societies and clubs.
Women -- United States -- Societies and clubs.
Women authors, American -- Arizona -- Societies, etc.
