Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter Collection

The Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter Collection was accessioned into the Dunbar Library's Special Collections and Archives on December 5, 2000. The collection includes the personal papers of Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter (a.k.a. Allen James or Rosemary Hadler), a music editor, literary writer, musical composer, and professor. The collection was donated by the Women's Literary Club of Dayton Ohio.

The collection is an excellent source of information on church music. It includes original musical compositions, articles written about church music, lecture and workshop materials on hymnology and handbells, an annotated bibliography of hymns, a notebook that Lorenz Porter kept while majoring in music at Wellesley College, and her dissertation on camp meeting spirituals. The collection also includes many original literary writings by Lorenz Porter including essays, short stories, word games, jokes, and speeches. Incoming and outgoing correspondence is also included. The collection is arranged into eight series. There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Series I- Correspondence This series contains the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter from 1979 to 1995. Incoming correspondence contains several letters from her adopted son, but most of the correspondence in this series relates to submissions of her creative writing for publication.

Series II- Original Writings Unpublished This series includes many examples of the unpublished writings of Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter. It includes speeches delivered between 1956 and 1992, essays, short stories, plays, jokes, word games, an annotated bibliography of hymnals, a notebook she kept while attending Wellesley College, and her doctoral dissertation.

Series III- Original Writings Published This series includes original writings of Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter, which appeared in published form between 1946 and 1991. They include letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines, an article about the founder of the Lorenz Music Publishing Company, E.S. Lorenz, articles hymnology, and a booklet on handbells.

Series IV- Courses and Workshop Materials This series included materials used by Lorenz Porter to teach college courses on hymnology and workshops on handbell ringing. It includes lecture notes, handouts, and research materials.

Series V- Published Interview One item is included in this series. It is a biographical interview with Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter, conducted and written by Howard Zettervall and printed in the November 1982 issue of Chorister Guild LETTERS.

Series VI- Published Music This series includes published church music written, compiled, or arranged by Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter or under her pseudonym, Allen James. The inclusive dates are 1931-1982.

Series VII- Rosemary Hadler This series includes work done by Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter under her pseudonym- Rosemary Hadler. It includes original published music, which was written, compiled or arranged under the name of Rosemary Hadler. It also includes published writings on music written under this pseudonym, as well as copies of The Younger Choirs: A Magazine for the Junior and Youth Choirs of Church, a publication of the Lorenz Music Publishing Company, edited by Lorenz Porter under the name of Rosemary Hadler.

Series VIII- Unpublished Music This series includes original, unpublished musical compositions by Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter including a Japanese suite for flute and piano, lullabies, orchestrations, a string quartet score, chamber music, and a flourish for brass.