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Captain Francis L. and Elizabeth P. Edmondson papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS1109

Scope and Content

This collection contains documents that provide professional and personal details about Captain Francis and Elizabeth Edmondson and the Edmondson family. Material includes United States Navy correspondence and publications documenting Edmondson's navy career. Personal interests of Francis and Elizabeth are illustrated through Civil War history clippings, publications from civic organizations, and Cyclorama Restoration, Inc. correspondence. Also a part of the collection are Elizabeth Edmondson's gardening articles, yearbooks from various gardening organizations, and flower show judging materials. Edmondson family papers contain a large number of church bulletins from Reverend Robert A. Edmondson's career as a Methodist preacher. Of special interest is a scrapbook devoted to Weis C. Snell, sculptor for the Atlanta Cyclorama, as well as items from Eugene Schofield Heath, founding president of the Georgia Botanical Society.

Dates

  • 1878-2008, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

Captain Francis Livingston Edmondson (1903-1991) was born in McDonough, Georgia, to Reverend Robert Andrew Edmondson (1874-1960) and Sallie Myrick (1877-1966). Edmondson attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, graduating in 1920 with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy. He enlisted in the Naval Reserves in 1937, married Vermel Newton Calhoun (1907-1964) in 1940 and had a daughter, Dorothy Susan (1940-1991). Edmondson served as Assistant Director of State Parks for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in Atlanta before entering active duty in 1942 as Operational Training Officer with operational command COMEASTSEAFRON (Commander, Eastern Sea Frontier). From 1944 to 1945 Edmondson served aboard the U.S.S. Prairie destroyer as First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer before being relieved from active duty in 1945. After working as Navy Public Relations Officer with the Office of Naval Research, Edmondson became an Executive Officer with the U.S.S. Delta AR-9 stationed offshore from Hong Kong in 1955, before retiring in 1961 at the rank of Captain.

Administrative/Biographical History

Elizabeth Pinkston Edmondson (1920-2012) was born in Chalybeate, Georgia, to Harold Robert Pinkston (1896- ) and Audry Mitchell Pinkston (1902- ). Edmondson was a charter member of the Flower Arrangers' Club of Georgia and an honorary member of the Johnson Estates Garden Club. She was an active gardener and flower show judge, frequently judging flower show competitions and performing as guest lecturer at garden club events. Edmondson was a member of numerous other garden clubs such as the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of America, the North Georgia Council of Flower Show Judges, and the Landscape Design Critics' Council of Georgia. Edmondson also served as historian for Cyclorama Restoration, Inc. and was an Auxiliary member of the Egleston Children's Hospital. She was involved in many other organizations such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Civil War Round Table Atlanta, Inc., the National League of American Pen Women, and the Atlanta Woman's Club. Captain Francis L. Edmondson remarried Elizabeth Pinkston and together they retired to the College Park and Brookhaven neighborhoods to pursue mutual interests in Civil War history and restoring the Atlanta Cyclorama.

Extent

11.08 linear ft. (16 document cases and three oversize boxes)

Language

English

System of Arrangement

This collection is arranged in three series: Series I. Captain Francis L. Edmondson papers; Series II. Elizabeth P. Edmondson papers; Series III. Edmondson family. Material is arranged alphabetically within each series according to titles supplied by staff.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1985, with subsequent additions

Separated Materials

Visual material has been separated from the collection. Please contact an archivist for access to this material.

Description Control

This collection was processed in 2017.

Title
Captain Francis L. and Elizabeth P. Edmondson papers
Author
Jennie Oldfield
Date
January 2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040