Richard Banta collection
Collection
Identifier: L631
Scope and Contents
This collection includes materials created and compiled by Banta and his secretary, Mrs. Margaret Husting, between 1945 and 1949 during the writing and editing of Indiana Authors and Their Books: 1816-1916. The book was published in 1949 by Wabash College. Materials included are note cards with information about the 900-plus authors in the work, biographical sketches with bibliographies of each author's work, and correspondence related to gathering information about the authors from libraries throughout Indiana as well as with the editorial committee. Among the biographies compiled in the book include those of George Ade, Theodore Dreiser, Gene Stratton-Porter, James Whitcomb Riley, Booth Tarkington, and Lew Wallace.
The second series contains the manuscript drafts compiled by Banta. Subseries 2.1 contains the first draft of the manuscript while subseries 2.2 contains additional manuscript drafts. The items in subseries 2.2 appear to come from two different drafts, however the order in which they were created is unclear.
The second series contains the manuscript drafts compiled by Banta. Subseries 2.1 contains the first draft of the manuscript while subseries 2.2 contains additional manuscript drafts. The items in subseries 2.2 appear to come from two different drafts, however the order in which they were created is unclear.
Dates
- 1945-1949
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
Richard Elwell Banta was born in Martinsville, Indiana on February 16, 1904 to William and Pearl Banta. By 1920, Richard and his family had moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana where he attended Crawfordsville High School and Wabash College. From 1925 to 1935, Banta ran his own advertising business. On November 29, 1926, Richard married Caroline French and together they would have a daughter named Kathleen. He later held various positions at Wabash College including bookseller, director of public relations, and assistant to the President. Banta wrote or edited four books including: Indiana Authors and Their Books, 1816-1916; The Ohio; Hoosier Caravan: A Treasury of Indiana Life and Lore; and Life in America: The South. Richard Banta died on December 4, 1977 and is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Crawfordsville.
Sources:
1930 United States Census. Crawfordsville, Montgomery, Indiana. Page 5A, family 131. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
Death Certificates. 1977. Indiana Archives and Records Administration. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
"Dr. Frank H. Sparks Tribute Set Tomorrow." The Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, IN), January 5, 1965.
Indiana Marriages, 1810-2001. 1926, page 414. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
"'Monon Bell' Has Vanished Up At Wabash." The Daily Banner (Greencastle, IN), October 11, 1941.
U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. 1940, page 24. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
Sources:
1930 United States Census. Crawfordsville, Montgomery, Indiana. Page 5A, family 131. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
Death Certificates. 1977. Indiana Archives and Records Administration. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
"Dr. Frank H. Sparks Tribute Set Tomorrow." The Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, IN), January 5, 1965.
Indiana Marriages, 1810-2001. 1926, page 414. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
"'Monon Bell' Has Vanished Up At Wabash." The Daily Banner (Greencastle, IN), October 11, 1941.
U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. 1940, page 24. Ancestry.com. Accessed October 3, 2017.
Extent
3.6 Cubic Feet (11 manuscript boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series and subseries:
Series 1: Research documents, 1945-1949
Subseries 1.1: Correspondence, 1945-1949 Subseries 1.2: Manuscript notes, 1945-c1948
Series 2: Manuscript drafts, 1945-c1948
Subseries 2.1: Original Manuscript drafts, 1945-c1948 Subseries 2.2: Additional Manuscript drafts, 1945-c1948
Series 1: Research documents, 1945-1949
Subseries 1.1: Correspondence, 1945-1949 Subseries 1.2: Manuscript notes, 1945-c1948
Series 2: Manuscript drafts, 1945-c1948
Subseries 2.1: Original Manuscript drafts, 1945-c1948 Subseries 2.2: Additional Manuscript drafts, 1945-c1948
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Richard Banta on 1998/03/20.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 1998 by Andrea Bean Hough. Collection reprocessing completed and EAD finding aid created 2017/10/03 by Kristin Lee.
Creator
- Title
- Richard Banta collection
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
