Grace Lewis Miller Papers, Ca. 1938-1971Finding Aid by L. Ruth Frick INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTIONGrace Darling Lewis was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 22, 1895. She graduated from McKinley High School and Harris Teacher's College. She received her A.B. degree from Washington University and married Herman Benjamin Miller, M.D. in 1918. After the death of Dr. Miller in 1935, she did further study at Washington University in St. Louis and earned an M.A. in History from the University of Texas. She accumulated enough credit hours for a Ph.D. in History, but did not receive that degree. Grace Lewis Miller conceived the idea of a screenplay about Meriwether Lewis for a film documentary in 1938 and sent a manuscript to the Screen Writers Guild. She became so engrossed in the life and times of Meriwether Lewis and the lack of recognition by historians for his accomplishments, except for the Lewis and Clark Expedition, that she spent the rest of her life studying and writing about the subject. Miller wrote that she claimed no relationship with Meriwether Lewis. She also did graduate work in history to try to insure that her discoveries and writings would be accepted by the academic community. Miller spent the years between 1938 and the early 1970s reading, writing, and studying at numerous libraries, historical societies, and archives. She collected copies of correspondence and documents from many repositories for her study of Meriwether Lewis, his family and associates, and the political, social, and economic conditions that affected his life between 1774 and 1809. The collection is divided into two main series: "Papers Relevant to Meriwether Lewis" and "Personal Papers." The first series is divided into 21 sub-series and is a major source of information about Meriwether Lewis. The second series is divided into eight sub-series and gives an insight into Miller's personal life. The "Lewis Papers" sub-series of the "Papers Relevant to Meriwether Lewis" is a collection of reproductions of correspondence and copies of documents written and received by Meriwether Lewis. There are typed transcripts and editorial notes to be used with the reproductions of correspondence and documents gathered for the unpublished manuscript The Papers of Meriwether Lewis 1774-1809. The "Lewis Biography" sub-series contains notes and copies of correspondence and documents gathered for the unfinished manuscript The Biography of Meriwether Lewis. The Biography was to be divided into three main time periods: "Youth or Albemarle," "Army," and "Governorship" or "Louisiana Territory," which included events after his death. The titles of these divisions are inconsistent throughout Miller's notes and rough drafts and have been left as she had them. The "Lewis and Clark Myth" sub-series contains information gathered for an unfinished manuscript meant to dispel rumors and legends about the Lewis and Clark Expedition by documenting the facts of the planning and execution of the military assignment under the leadership of Capt. Meriwether Lewis. The reasons for Miller not publishing her three volumes of papers and other manuscripts may have been financial, as indicated by the many requests for grants. Another reason may have been Miller's lack of confidence to publish material that was contrary to the mainstream of writings by male historians. Consequently, she continued to revise her work, seeking perfection so that her books would be accepted by all historians. In a letter to Dr. Roy M. Chatters dated December 29, 1970, Miller wrote, "I have not yet accomplished all of what I had expectations of doing." The amount of information that Grace Lewis Miller gathered at her own expense and the work of indexing, organizing, and writing about her discoveries could only have been accomplished with great dedication and an ardent desire to place Meriwether Lewis in his legitimate place in history. In addition to these three unpublished manuscripts, Miller also wrote the following: "More About Meriwether Lewis" (published in the William and Mary Quarterly, July 1958), "Financial Records Expedition to the Pacific Ocean" (published in the Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society, July 1954), "An Englishman Looks at America" (a paper for a Washington University class, 1951), an untitled letter on the death of Meriwether Lewis (submitted to the William and Mary Quarterly but never published), "The First Home of Governor Lewis in Louisiana Territory - the House in which General Clark Resides" (published in the Bulletin Of The Missouri Historical Society, July 1958), "The Landed Estate of Meriwether Lewis in Louisiana Territory" (submitted to the Albemarle Historical Society but never published), "Micheau - Cabinet Maker" (never published), "Lewis' Map of 1806" (published in Military Affairs, spring 1941), "Ratification in the Virginia Convention 1788" (a paper for the University of Texas, summer 1944), and "Mr. Jefferson's July Papers" or "Who was 'A.B.'?" (never published). Series 2 indicates that Miller had an interesting life in addition to her Meriwether Lewis project. Miller's personal papers reveal her varied interest in nature, art, books, study and society by her writing, correspondence with friends, and newspaper and magazine articles saved for reference. Her papers contain correspondence and drawings by architect Richard Neutra, who designed Miller's Palm Springs house. The gift of her collection of papers and books by her sons, Jefferson and Philip Miller, will be a treasure for historians to explore in the study of Lewis and Clark, the fur trade, the Louisiana Territory, St. Louis history, Virginia history, and the period of westward expansion and Jeffersonian ideals. Information obtained from this collection must be properly cited, whether used in publication or in other formats. A citation suggested for this collection is: National Park Service Researchers are advised that before records, photographs, and any other unpublished materials from this collection can be published or exhibited, permission from the National Park Service must be obtained in writing. Also from the ArchivesGrace Lewis Miller Book Collection |
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Last updated: June 18, 2025