BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Edith Throckmorton was born in Summit Point, West Virginia, on March 6, 1901. During her early childhood her family moved to Chambersburg Pennsylvania, where she attended elementary and secondary school. After receiving her bachelor's degree in education from Shippensburg State College, in Pennsylvania in 1930, she went on to pursue further study at the Universities of Boston, Pennsylvania, and Maine.

She began her teaching career in Calvert County, and then held teaching positions in Frederick County, Maryland, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She became a principal in the Cambridge, Maryland public school system in 1932 where she served with distinction until the mid 1930s. In 1937 she joined the Montgomery County school system where she would serve for twenty-one years, becoming principal of the segregated elementary schools of Sellman, Sandy Springs, Emory Grove, Laytonsville and Longview.

After the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, the County Public School Board initiated plans for school desegregation in Montgomery County. The process resulted in the systematic down-grading of African-American teachers as they were moved to previously all-white schools. The desegregation of Longview Elementary School in 1959-1960 proved to be a turning point in Throckmorton's career. She resigned from the school system in 1959, after being offered an assistant principal position under a white teacher whom she thought less qualified. She forfeited her $700 retirement and declined to attend a reception planned in her honor by the school system.

Throckmorton then began to pursue a more active role in the Montgomery County Chapter of the NAACP, and served as president from 1962-1977. In this capacity she worked effectively with local elected officials, organizations, churches, and citizens, garnering their support for civil rights. She played a vital role in the enactment of the 1967 Montgomery County Fair Housing law, and was influential in securing a public accomodations ordinance, low to moderate income housing for county residents, and a strong Human Relations Commission.

After her retirement from the NAACP in 1977, Throckmorton continued to participate actively in local community organizations. Over the course of her career she was recognized by the County government and the Board of Education for her service to the community, and received a multitude of awards including: a plaque for community service from Focus on Women, Montgomery County, in 1980; a 1977 Certificate of Appreciation for Service to Humanity from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; and a certificate for community service from the progressive Citizens Organization of Lincoln Park. Throckmorton died of cancer on February 21, 1982 at

the Collinswood Nursing Home in Rockville.

PROCESSING PROCEDURES

General processing procedures consisted of discarding duplicates, unnecessary binders, and routine transmittals. Oversized documents and photographs were removed from the original location in their assigned series and placed in separate containers. Separation sheets were inserted in the original location within the folder to indicate the new location of any records placed elsewhere.

Preservation copying of newspaper clippings was performed whenever feasible. Records in folders were arranged, unless otherwise indicated, in forward chronological order, with undated records appearing at the end of the folder

PROVENANCE

The papers were transferred from Rockville Regional Library in 1997.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The 2 cubic feet of Edith Throckmorton's Papers span the years from 1946 to 1985. The bulk of the material, however, pertains to the work of the Montgomery County Chapter of the NAACP from 1962-1978. Record types consist of correspondence, memoranda, newsletters, press releases, handwritten notes, financial records, membership rosters, minutes and agenda, reports, scrapbooks, photographs, clippings, and ephemera. The papers have been arranged primarily by subject matter into four series:

Series I: NAACP, Montgomery County Branch and Youth Council

Subseries 1: General Files

Subseries 2: Financial and Membership Records

Series II: Other Organizations

Series III: Personal Papers

Series IV: Clippings

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I: NAACP, Montgomery County Branch and Youth Council, 1946-1985 (1.32 cu. ft.)

This series consists primarily of correspondence, memoranda, newsletters, publicity material, handwritten notes, financial records, membership information, and photographs relating to the activities of the Montgomery County Chapter and Youth Council of the NAACP. Although the bulk of the material is from the years of Throckmorton's presidency of the Chapter, some material dates before and after her tenure.

Subseries 1: General Files, 1955-1985 (0.66 cu. ft.)

Papers in this subseries document the actions of the NAACP both in Montgomery County and at the state level during a critical period for the civil rights movement. Important activities include the organization's efforts to encourage African-Americans to register to vote, join the NAACP, and become informed about the 1963 Civil Rights Bill. The subseries also contains material relating to Throckmorton's work with County agencies, such as the Community Action Committee, and the NAACP's attempts to introduce a more equal and positive representation of African American history and culture in school curriculums. A small portion of the material does not relate specifically to the Montgomery County Chapter of the NAACP, but was left with the collection so as to preserve the integrity of the whole.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject. Material from the Correspondence and General Information files for 1962-1966 was originally collected in a scrapbook, but was removed by the Archivist for preservation reasons. One folder, describing grievances alleging racist employment practices in the County, is restricted.

Subseries 2: Financial and Membership Records, 1956-1981 (0.66 cu. ft.)

Material in this subseries documents the financial history of the Chapter, and provides information about membership levels in the NAACP.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.

Series II: Other Organizations, 1955-1981 (0.11 cubic feet)

This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, newsletters, minutes, agenda, and membership information pertaining to other organizations in which Throckmorton was involved. It also contains a book of faculty minutes from Longview Elementary School from the critical desegregation period.

The records are arranged alphabetically by subject.

Series III: Personal Papers, 1950-1982 (0.22 cu. ft.)

Material in this series consists primarily of correspondence, awards, letters of commendation, and greeting cards. The series illustrates the high regard in which Throckmorton was held by the community, and also contains her collection of pictures of famous African-American individuals, and a scrap book of postcards on American History.

The records are arranged alphabetically by subject.

Series IV: Clippings, 1949-1981 (0.35 cu. ft.)

This series consists of newspaper clippings and articles documenting civil rights for African- Americans, and civil liberties in general, from 1949 to 1981. The clippings cover events at the county, state, and national level.

The clippings are arranged in chronological order. Some of the clippings that relate to national or statewide events, rather than to Montgomery County, have not been photocopied or arranged in strict chronological order, and have been placed at the end of the series.

BOX INVENTORY

Series I: NAACP Montgomery County Chapter and Youth Council

Subseries I: General Files

Box 1

Appointment Calendar, 1971

Conference Planning Committee, Region 7, 1967

Correspondence and General Information

1961-1963

1964

1965-1966

1967

1968-1969

1970-1973

1974-1983, & n. d.

Grievance Actions, 1968 RESTRICTED

Guest Book, 1965

Maryland State Conference of Branches, 1973-1980, & n. d.

Box 2

Minute Book, April 1946-September 1955

Newsletters, Howard County Chapter, 1979

Newsletters, Wisconsin State Chapter, 1980 & 1982

Notes, [ca. 1969-1974] (3 folders)

Programs and Publicity

1974-1979

1981-1985, & n. d.

Report Investigating Racist Employment Practices in Montgomery County Government, 1979

Subseries II: Financial and Membership Records

Box 3

Bank Records, 1973-1975

Check Book

May-September, 1956

March 1958-September 1959

Checks, July 1972-December 1972

Expenditure and Income Records, 1973

Farmers Banking and Trust Company Account Book, December 1958-July 1974

Invoices and Receipts, 1969, & 1973-1975

Legal Defense and Education Fund Account Book, 1963

Membership Applications, 1976-1981 & n. d.

Membership Payment Book, January 1978-January 1981

Box 4

Membership Record Books

1961-1964

1968-1969

Membership Reports, 1963-1978, & n. d.

Notes, 1974-1975 & n. d.

Receipt Book, February-August 1973

Receipts, June 1972, & March 1973-February 1975

Region 7 Annual Membership and Branch Assessment Reports, 1973-1975

Rosters of Life Members, 1977-1980

Summary Membership Reports, 1973-1975

Treasurer's Year-End Reports, 1972-1974

Youth Council Membership Payment Book, 1963-1968

Series II: Other Organizations

Box 5

Longview Elementary School Faculty Minute Book, September 1955-June 1958

Merry Makers Club, Inc., 1977-1981, & n. d.

Miscellaneous, 1961-1979

Montgomery County Retired Teachers Association, 1962-1974

Senior Citizens Associations, 1973-1981, & n. d.

Series III: Personal Papers

Awards and Letters of Commendation, 1950-1982, & n. d.

Cards, 1978-1981, & n. d.

Correspondence, 1974-1982, & n. d.

Obituaries and Remembrances, 1982

Picture Collection, n. d.

Box 6

Scrap Book of "Still Pictures," n. d.

Series IV: Clippings

Box 7

Clippings

1949-1958

1959-1960

1961-1962

1963 Scrap Book

1966 Scrap Book

1966-1968

1969

1970-1981

n. d.

Clippings, National News

1959-1961

1961

1962-1980

n. d.