Margaret Jane (Burke) Carns, 1859-1952 [RG2970.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG2970.AM:  Margaret Jane (Burke) Carns, 1859-1952

Papers:  1865-1952

Lincoln, Lancaster County, Neb.:  Lawyer

Size:  1.5 cu.ft.; 3 boxes

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Margaret Jane Carns, the first woman member of the American Bar Association and a life long leader in women’s activities, was born in Forestville, New York, November 7, 1859.  She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Burke.  She came to Omaha in 1878 and married Edmund C. Carns on March 31, 1880.  The couple came to Lincoln in 1901. Margaret Carns was a graduate of Forestville New York High School, studied at the University of New York City, and in 1919 when she was 60 years old, secured a law degree from the University of Nebraska. At the time she was appointed to the American Bar Association she was also a member of the Nebraska and Lincoln Bar Associations.  She served as Vice President of the National Association of Women Lawyers and for many years specialized as a counselor in law for women.

For ten years Mrs. Carns was head of the old charity organization in Lincoln and was secretary of the Nebraska Prison Board.  She was also a member of the National Prison Association and had been appointed by Governor McKelvie as a delegate from the National Council of Women to the International Council at Christiana, Norway. She was once a candidate for justice of the State Supreme Court, the only Nebraska woman ever to be a candidate for the position.  She was the president or chair of many other organizations before her death at the age of 92 on February 25, 1952.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of three boxes of manuscript material arranged in four series:  1) Correspondence, 1889-1944; 2) Printed matter; 3) Certificates, documents and memorabilia; and 4) Manuscripts and notes. The bulk of this material dates from 1910-1935 and relates to Margaret Jane Carns’ activities in the American Bar Association, National Association of Women Lawyers, and the Nebraska Prison Board.  Of particular interest are letters from women lawyers in France and Italy concerning the number of women lawyers in those countries.  Included in the collection are certificates and letters of Edmund C. Carns.  Correspondents include:  Rose Falls Bres, 1925; and Charles F. Manderson, 1929.

DESCRIPTION

Series 1 – Correspondence, 1889-1944

Box 1

Folder

1. 1. 1889-1920

1. 1. 1921-1929

1. 1. 1932-1944

1. 1. Undated

Series 2 – Printed Matter

1. 1. Newspaper Clippings, 1865-1952

1. 1. Newspaper Clippings, 1865-1952

1. 1. Newspaper Clippings, 1865-1952

Box 2

Folder

1. 4. Programs and Miscellany

1. 5. Programs and Miscellany

1. 6. Programs and Miscellany

Series 3 – Certificates, Documents & Memorabilia

1. 1. Certificates and Documents (see also OB001)

Box 3

Item

1. 1. Carns Family Bible

Series 4 – Manuscripts and Notes

Box 2

Folder

1. 1. Manuscripts and Notes

Subject headings:

American Bar Association

Carns, Edmund C., 1844-1895

Carns, Margaret Jane (Burke), 1859-1952

Lawyers — Nebraska

National Association of Women Lawyers

Nebraska Prison Board

Women in Public Life

KLC/kfk           05-03-1996

KFK/dco           09-04-2003