Guide to the Archival Collections.pdf - Missouri History Museum

the congress.
Cite as: Rabbi M. Spitz Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A2352
Spoeri Family.
Papers, 1866-1922. 1 folder, 1 oversize item
Mathias Spoeri died April 8, 1888, in St. Louis, and was survived by his wife, Maria
Magdalena Spoeri (widow of Michael Fischer).
The collection include deeds, certificates of titles, house building contracts, and other Spoeri
family papers.
Finding aid available.
Cite as: Spoeri Family Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A2929
Spraggon, Sarah (circa 1871-1926).
Papers, 1917-1926. 2 boxes; 1 oversize item
Sarah Bird Spraggon, according to her passport, was born to Daniel Bird and Ellen Faulkner
Bird on November 9, 1871, in Manchester, England. (Other records indicate earlier dates.) When
Sarah was young the Birds moved to St. Louis, where she worked in a shoe factory and became a
lifelong member of the Boot and Shoe Workers’ Union. She later married Alfred J. Spraggon of
St. Louis and had a daughter, Hazel Maurie Spraggon, who married Leroy William Esmond of
Troy, New York. An active labor leader in the St. Louis area, Spraggon especially advocated for
working women. Her job titles included President of the Women’s Trade Union League of St.
Louis and Second Vice President of the Missouri State Federation of Labor. She was also active
in the State Free Employment Bureau. In 1918, Spraggon was one of six women to participate in
a two-month American labor mission to Britain and France. The mission was intended to build
resolve and increase understanding between European and American war workers. The party
visited multiple factories and manufacturing sites; delegates also met with notable leaders,
including the king and queen of England, the president of France, and General Pershing.
Spraggon died at her home in St. Louis on June 9, 1926.
The Sarah Spraggon Papers focus primarily on her journey to Europe in the spring of 1918.
The papers are organized into two series: Delegation and Personal. The Delegation Series
includes correspondence, notes, schedules, and programs; guidebooks and memorabilia;
photographs; and newspaper clippings. Within each grouping, items have been arranged
chronologically whenever possible. The photographs, which document large groups of workers
as well as the delegates themselves, may be especially interesting for researchers. The majority
of photos were stamped and numbered by The Central News, Ltd., London, and detailed captions
for these may be found in an accompanying booklet. Photographed locations include Queen
Mary’s Hospital for Limbless Soldiers at Roehamption, the Portslade Military School of
Cookery, multiple shipyards in Glasgow, and the Gretna Munitions Works. Newspaper clippings
pertaining to the mission have been bound into a large, well-organized scrapbook. The Personal
Series includes Spraggon’s passport, calling cards collected at home and abroad, personal and
business correspondence, and newspaper clippings dated after her journey. The series includes a
letter written by Spraggon to her 8-year-old granddaughter, Hazel Esmond.
Finding aid available.
Cite as: Sarah Spraggon Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A1623