Guide to the Archival Collections.pdf - Missouri History Museum

Wahlert, Jennie (1883-1971).
Papers, 1879-1967. 3 boxes
St. Louis educator Jennie Wahlert was born into a family that boasted six generations of
teachers. She was born in 1883, the daughter of Henry August Wahlert and Anzella Snodgrass
Wahlert. She was educated at Harris Teachers College in St. Louis and earned a master's degree
from Columbia University. She began her own career in education as a teacher at Irving School
in St. Louis in 1905. After teaching also at Elliott and Wyman Schools she became primary
supervisor in 1923 and principal of Jackson School in 1934. In 1943, she became professor of
education at Harris Teachers' College, a post she held until her retirement in 1953, at the age of
70. Thereafter, she assumed the directorship of Washington University's nursery school and
became an instructor in early childhood education at the school's University College. An
advocate of state-supported kindergartens and a promoter of early childhood education, Miss
Wahlert was active in the Association for Childhood Education, the Girl Scouts of America, the
Missouri State Teachers' Association, the Nursery Foundation, the National Council of Primary
Education, and the Nursery Education Council of St. Louis. She was also active in the Grace Hill
Settlement House. She died in St. Louis in 1971 at the age of 88.
The Jennie Wahlert Papers consist of material that documents Wahlert's career as a St. Louis
educator and advocate of early childhood and elementary education. The collection includes
correspondence from St. Louis educator Thomas E. Spencer, 1906-1938; correspondence from
Rachel Stix Michael, 1929-1936; pamphlets and articles on kindergarten education, 1923-1957;
material regarding her 1931 trip to England as a guest of the English-Speaking Union; notes and
programs for the 1938 observance of the centennial of the St. Louis public school system;
material regarding the Progressive Education Conferences, St. Louis, 1940, 1941;
correspondence and notes concerning Wahlert's visit to Germany to observe the German
educational system and to acquaint Germans with American elementary education, 1951-1953;
notes and speeches concerning Susan E. Blow; data relating to the Jane Addams Centennial,
1959-1963; and letters and notes on kindergarten education, particularly concerning the
campaign for state-supported kindergartens in Missouri, 1963-1967. The collection also contains
biographical sketches of several noted St. Louis educators; notes and minutes of meetings of the
Grace Hill Settlement House, in which Jennie Wahlert was active, 1964-1968; a collection of
awards, citations, and diplomas conferred on Wahlert throughout her life, including an honorary
doctor of humane letters from Principia College of liberal arts, 1944; and biographical data and
newsclippings concerning Wahlert. The collection also includes family material, namely an
1879-1882 autograph book of her mother, Annie Snodgrass (Anzella Snodgrass Wahlert); notes,
sketches, photographs pertaining to inventions and the career of her father, Henry A. Wahlert,
1907-1908; and genealogical information and correspondence to Jennie Wahlert from her
nephew Ernie [Ernst Henry Wahlert, Jr.?], 1968-1969. Also includes the record book of the
Humanity Club, a woman's philanthropic association concerned with the reform of public
institutions, primarily those that housed women and children, 1894-1911.
The collection is organized into three series. Series I contains Jennie Wahlert’s papers and is
subdivided into three subseries. Subseries A consists of biographical data; subseries B, the
largest portion of the collection, contains material that documents her professional career; and
subseries C includes Wahlert's awards, diplomas, honors, and commemorations. Series II
consists of Wahlert family papers. Series III contains the record book of the Humanity Club.
Finding aid available.
Cite as: Jennie Wahlert Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A1705