Guide to the M. A. Jagendorf Papers
1916-1980

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Overview of the Collection

Creator: Jagendorf, M. A. (Moritz Adolph), 1888-
Title: M. A. Jagendorf Papers
Dates: 1916-1980 ( inclusive )
Quantity: 8 linear feet (16 containers)
Collection Number: Coll. 045
Summary: Moritz A. Jagendorf (1888-1981) was a dentist in New York for forty years, but his true interests were in the folklore of Europe, Asia and America. He was the founder of the Free Theatre and director of the Children's Playhouse in New York, vice-president of the New York Folklore Society, and wrote numerous books, plays and short stories based on folktales, in addition to being a practicing dentist. The collection includes correspondence, literary manuscripts, lectures, and research materials.
Repository: University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives

1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html

Languages: Collection materials are in English. 
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical Note

Moritz A. Jagendorf (1888-1981) was born on August 24 in Czernowitz, Austria and moved to New York in 1903. Jagendorf studied law at Yale, and earned a D.D.S. at Columbia in 1916. He also authored numerous books on folklore, and transformed folktales into plays and short stories for children. Jagendorf founded the Free Theatre and was director of the Children's Playhouse, and was active in organizations such as the Story League, Green Room Club, Overseas Press and the New York Folktale Society. After a short illness, he died on January 8, 1981.

Content Description

The Moritz A. Jagendorf Papers contain correspondence, manuscripts of plays, short stories and folktales, and research material relating to folklore. There are also interviews, printed materials concerning folklore, lecture notes, essays by other authors, and newspaper clippings of human-interest stories.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access :  

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use :  

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation :  

[Identification of item], M. A. Jagendorf Papers, Coll. 045, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

Administrative Information

Arrangement :

Collection is organized into the following series:

  • Series: Correspondence
  • Series: Manuscripts
    • Subseries: Plays
    • Subseries: Short Stories and Folktales
    • Subseries: Lectures and Notes on American Folklore
  • Research Material
  • Newspaper Clippings

Processing Note :  

Collection processed by processing staff, 1982.

Separated Materials :  

Photographs in this collection are stored separately under call number PH054.


Detailed Description of the Collection

Correspondence
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
Folder
1 1 Correspondence 1916-1945
1 2 Correspondence 1947-1949
1 3 Correspondence August 1949
1 4 Correspondence August 1949-September 1949
1 5 Correspondence October 1949-December 1949
1 6 Correspondence 1950
2 1 Correspondence 1951
2 2 Correspondence January 1952-July 1952
2 3 Correspondence August 1952-December 1952
2 4 Correspondence January 1953-April 1953
2 5 Correspondence May 1953-December 1953
2 6 Correspondence 1954-1964
2 7 Correspondence 1965-1980
2 8 Correspondence undated

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Manuscripts
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Plays
Box
Folder
3 1 Barney and George undated
3 1 By the Light of Moonshine
3 1 Caesar Takes a Walk
3 2 Circus Ghosts undated
3 3 The Cut Throat undated
3 3 Deacon Possum Goes a' Courtin', Bre'r Rabbit Gits a Gal
3 3 The Farce of Pierre Patelin
3 4 The Farce of Pierre Patelin undated
3 4 The Farce of the Pie and the Tart
3 4 The Fatal Bath
3 4 The Ghost of Caesar's Hair
3 5 God Has Many Ways undated
3 5 Her Dream
3 5 How the Sun Came to the Mi-Wok Indians
3 5 In the Dusk of the Day
3 5 Jealous Old Fool
4 1 Love in a French Tub undated
4 1 A Merry Tale of Foolish Grown-Ups
4 1 The Miracle of Corpus Christi Day
4 1 The Miracle of Love
4 1 My Child
4 2 One Midnight in New York City undated
4 3 The Part is Picked: A Comedy undated
4 3 Paternity
4 3 A Play in One Act
4 3 Plays for Fun
4 4 Plays for Fun undated
4 4 The Tale of the Tub
4 4 The Tales End?
4 4 Tenement Street Evening, or There's Another Way
4 4 Unto Eternity
4 5 The Vigilante Guardsmen undated
4 5 What Ho! Helen of Troy
4 6 What Ho! Helen of Troy undated
4 7 What Ho! Helen of Troy undated
4 7 Wooden Soldiers: A Comedy of Revolutionary Days
5 1 Untitled undated
5 2 Untitled undated
Short stories and Folktales
Box
Folder
5 3 Abu Dalameh: Poet of Laughter undated
5 3 Caught by a Fish
5 3 Adventure on Lake Erie
5 3 The Adventures of Chuni Ram
5 3 Africa in Harlem
5 4 The Animal Game in the Sky undated
5 4 Armenia
5 4 Armenia on Lexington Avenue: A Tale as Old as the World, A Hero Tale, A Merry Tale
5 4 Bah!
5 4 Barring Teacher
5 4 Bears is Bears
5 4 The Birthday Party: The Greatest Journey of All
5 4 The Bloodless Battle at the Elm Tree
5 4 Buffalo Cal undated
5 4 The Bullfrogs of Riley's Pond
5 4 Barring Teacher
5 4 The Bully Blacksmith loses his Wingding
5 5 Burlington County's Roman Bath undated
5 5 Butterfly and Beast
5 5 Call the Doctor, or Don't Be Afraid it Doesn't Hurt
5 5 Cat Inspector of Rhode Island
5 5 Caught by a Fish
5 5 Iktomi and the Ducks
5 6 Caught by a Fish undated
5 6 Chinatown: The Punishment of the Sin of Sin
5 6 Cleopatra, Oh You Egyptian Catfish
5 6 The Clock Must Not Stop
5 6 Commodore Vanderbilt's First Boat
5 6 The Courageous Quaker of Flushing
5 6 Cute Aleck
5 6 Czechoslovakia Near the East River: Honza and Kaca
5 7 Desire Under the Hawser undated
5 7 The Devil in Pennsylvania
5 7 The Devil's Footsteps
5 7 Don't You Remember
5 7 Doroque District
5 7 Down in Texas
5 7 The East Side: Caught By a Fish
5 7 The Enchanted Mule
5 7 The Endless Journey of Princess Moon
5 8 The Escape From the Sea undated
5 8 Famous Nauphatic Incidents in History
5 8 Fancy Tom
5 8 Flattening of Quark's Head
5 8 The Finest Skeeters in All the World
5 8 First Canal Boat in Wabash, Indiana
5 8 France on Fifty-Second Street
6 1 France on Fifty-Second Street: the Story of Pierre Patelin the Lawyer undated
6 1 The General and the Devil
6 1 The Ghost of the Peg-Leg Peter
6 1 The Ghost Who Wasn't a Ghost
6 1 The Giant Wind Eaters
6 1 The Giant of Indiana
6 1 Glass Coffin Antics
6 2 God's Own Country undated
6 2 Gotham
6 2 Granny Martin's Cabin
6 2 The Great Conjure-Alligator-Man of Florida
6 2 The Great Sleigh Ride in Ohio
6 2 The Greatest Hoax on New York City: The Ladies Feast
6 2 Greece Near Knickerbocker Village
6 2 Grong Haugen's Handsome Bride
6 3 The Hawkins of Ohio undated
6 3 History Repeats Itself
6 4 How the Clever Red Little Devil with the Cute Green Horns Got the Best of the Sea Witch Gor undated
6 4 Huon the Horse
6 4 How Come Women Swish Their Skirts
6 4 How the Duyvil Gave New Amsterdam to the English
6 4 How King Itol was Cheated of His Due
6 4 How Sroove Loved like His Father Grool
6 4 How Thyll Proved to Seven Suabian Citizens that not a Single One of Them Had Drowned
6 5 Humor and Words undated
6 5 Hungary Under the 'Ei': Fearless Sari
6 5 Huon the Horse
6 5 An Idea is Born
6 5 Iktomi and the Ducks
6 5 Indian Legends of California
6 5 The Irish Luck of Brian Hughes
6 6 It Is The Will of Allah undated
6 6 Iwa the Everlaughing
6 6 The Jewels of All-Living-Mother-Earth
6 6 The Judgment of Little-Fat-Old-Woman
6 6 This'n That'n Everything
6 6 King John and the Abbot
6 7 Leonia's Ghost undated
6 7 Little Italy in New York City: Lucky Grillo
6 7 Long Island
6 7 The Lord Said No undated
6 7 Lost Among Wolves
6 7 Lucky Fourth Trial, Lucky Red Star
7 1 The Marvelous Hen of the Mountains undated
7 1 Methods of Publicising a Discipline
7 1 Mighty Mose the Bowery B'Hoy
7 1 Miss Baskinville Goes a-Riding
7 1 Mistress Murray and Her Mulberry Wine
7 1 Mornin' Mighty Mose
7 1 Morse's Slough
7 2 Old Germany in Manhattan Isle undated
7 2 One Town's Lore
7 3 Over the Rail undated
7 3 The Poor Ploughman and the Rich Nobleman
7 3 Porto Rico Above Central Park
7 4 Preacher Cussoms' Great Victory undated
7 4 Preacher John the Fine Witch Doctor
7 4 The President and the Lady with the Green Umbrella
7 4 Prince Sun and Princess Moon
7 4 List of Proverbs
7 4 Psychoanalysis for the Simple
7 4 Puffing Potter's Powerful Puff
7 5 Rag-a-Bag Mary and Tim undated
7 5 Rag-a-Bag Round the World in New York
7 5 Real Folklore
7 5 The Rich Lady and the Ring
7 5 Riddles
7 5 Riot at Dannemore
7 5 Romance in Old Lousianna
7 6 Rungholt undated
7 6 Seven You Won't Forget
7 6 The Smart Husband and the Smarter Wife
7 6 Spain Near the Brooklyn Bridge
7 6 The Sting that Comes From Stolen Honey
7 6 The Story that Was Never Told
7 7 Sunshine in the Forest undated
7 7 Syria on the Hudson
7 7 The Tale of Abu Delama
7 7 The Tale of Farmer Lem in Kansas
8 1 The Tale of Godfrey Malbone undated
8 1 The Tale of the Hope Tree
8 1 The Tale of the Little Water Birds
8 1 The Tale of a Merry Dance
8 1 The Tale of the Three Footsteps of the Devil
8 1 Tall Barney Beal
8 1 This'n That'n Everything
8 2 Three Armenian Tales undated
8 2 The Three Wondrous Gifts of the Jewel Flowers
8 2 The Tombstone that Wouldn't Stand Still
8 2 Towards a Summer Evening in Boiling, Broiling Rivingston
8 3 The Treachery of King Grool undated
8 3 "The Use of Folklore in Schools"
8 3 "The Utilization of Folklore in the Classroom"
8 3 The Violin's Song
8 3 The Voices of the Trees
8 3 Way Down Georgia
8 4 We Are Americans: How Juan Bobo Helped the Shepherd Boy undated
8 4 West India Company
8 4 When the North-Wind Came with a Wild Haloo
8 4 Wherein is Related the Strange Birth of Our Hero and His Still Stranger Baptism
8 4 The White Mule Ghost of Maryland
8 5 Why Columbus Fell on His Knees and Thanked God When He Landed on Land undated
8 5 Why Donkeys Should Never be Taught the Alphabet
8 5 Wind and Clouds A-Playing
8 5 The Women of Ohio
8 5 Xerxes Comes Across
Lectures and Notes on American Folklore
Box
Folder
8 6 Lectures and Notes on American Folklore undated
8 7 Lectures and Notes on American Folklore undated
8 8 Lectures and Notes on American Folklore undated
9 1 Lectures and Notes on American Folklore undated
9 2 Lectures and Notes on American Folklore undated
9 3 Essays by Others on American Folklore undated
9 4 Miscellaneous Pages undated

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Research Material
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
Folder
9 5 Algiers undated
9 6 American Tall Tales undated
9 7 Tony Beaver Story undated
9 8 Bees and Honey Story undated
9 9 Bells undated
10 1 Children's Plays undated
10 2 Drummer Boy Story undated
10 3 Edward Eggleston undated
10 4 European and American Folktales undated
10 5 Febold Feboldson Story undated
10 6 Geography undated
10 7 Helen of Troy undated
10 8 Abe Lincoln undated
10 9 Lo! The Informant undated
10 10 Lorenzo Don undated
10 11 Mehitabel Story undated
11 1 New York City undated
11 2 One Night in New York City undated
11 3 Pecos Bill Story undated
11 4 Precious Stones undated
11 5 Romance in Old Louisiana undated
11 6 Signs and Symbols undated
11 7 Signals and Signs undated
11 8 Tales of Comics undated
11 9 Tammany Hall undated
11 10 Tree Folklore undated
11 11 Wentworth Story undated
11 12 Wine, Women and Folklore undated
11 13 Wine, Women and Folklore undated
12 1 California undated
12 2 Europe undated
12 3 Europe undated
12 4 Kansas undated
12 5 Illinois undated
12 6 Indiana undated
12 7 Indiana undated
12 8 Iowa undated
13 1 Michigan undated
13 2 Nebraska undated
13 3 New York undated
13 4 New York undated
13 5 New York undated
13 6 New York undated
13 7 Ohio undated
13 8 Ohio undated
14 1 Turkish undated
14 2 Washington undated
14 3 Wisconsin undated
14 4 Wisconsin undated
14 5 Interviews B-G undated
14 6 Interviews H-W undated
15 1 Japan undated
15 2 Interviews, Rubenfeld-Jagendorf undated
15 3 Publicity Sheets undated
15 4 Miscellaneous undated
15 5 Miscellaneous undated
15 6 Miscellaneous undated
15 7 Miscellaneous undated
15 8 Miscellaneous undated
16 1 Miscellaneous undated
16 2 Miscellaneous undated
16 3 Printed matter undated

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Newspaper clippings
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box
Folder
16 4 Newspaper clippings undated
16 5 Newspaper clippings undated
16 6 Newspaper clippings undated
16 7 Newspaper clippings undated

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Photographs
Photographs stored separately under call number PH054.
Container(s)
Description
Box
1 PH054_001: Two Legs Before, Two Wheels Behind
black and white print;4 x 5 inches
Description: Carved pig with two legs and wheels.
1 PH054_002: Blacksmith
black and white print;5 x 4 inches
Description: Carved blacksmith.
1 PH054_003: Untitled
black and white print;5 x 4 inches
Description: Carved dog.
1 PH054_004: Hog Killing Time
black and white print;3 x 4 inches
Description: Carved man ready to gut pig.
1 PH054_005: Lazy Bones
black and white print;3 x 4 inches
Description: Carved man with rifle leaning on tree.
1 PH054_006: Hillbilly Fiddler
black and white print;5 x 3 inches
Description: Carved fiddler.
1 PH054_007: Apple Jack
black and white print;5 x 4 inches
Description: Carved man next to keg.
1 PH054_008: Untitled
black and white print;4 x 6 inches
Description: Carved 5 piece band.
1 PH054_009: Hillbilly Fiddler
black and white print;6 x 4 inches
Description: Carved fiddler.
1 PH054_010: Fire and Brimstone Preacher
black and white print;5 x 3 inches
Description: Carved preacher.
1 PH054_011: Lewis Richardson
black and white print;2 x 3 inches
Description: Lewis on street.
1 PH054_012: Torsonce House Stow
black and white print;4 x 6 inches
Description: House.
1 PH054_013: State Capitol Park Showing new Building Group, Harrisburg, PA
4 x 6 inches
Description: Drawing of New Building Group.
1 PH054_014: Untitled
color print;7 x 5 inches
Description: Pitcher.

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Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

  • Personal Names :
  • Jagendorf, M. A. (Moritz Adolph), 1888-
  • Jagendorf, M. A. (Moritz Adolph), 1888---Correspondence
  • Subject Terms :
  • Children--Folklore
  • Children's literature, American--Authorship
  • Children's stories, American--Authorship
  • Folklore--United States
  • Folklorists--United States
  • Tales--America--Authorship

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