Margueritte Bain Hall Family Papers

NOTE:  The numbers cited in parentheses, e.g. 1:5, refer the researcher to the Series#:Folder# in which that name/topic will be found.

INTRODUCTION

This collection consists of scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera relating to World War I. Margueritte Bain Hall was the daughter of Greensboro businessman Edward E. Bain, and her brothers Edward Jr. and William served in the U.S. Navy during the war. Of particular interest is the scrapbook she created and dedicated to them; it features newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other materials relating to their service and that of other Greensboro soldiers. Researchers interested in Greensboro men who served in World War I may find this collection useful.

Arrangement: This collection is organized in five series and arranged within series by subject and/or document type. The series are: Correspondence, 1918-1920; Miscellaneous, n.d.; Photographs, ca. 1902-1942; Printed Materials, 1917-1938; and Scrapbooks, 1917-1919.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Margueritte Bain Hall’s son, Edward B. Hall, in May 1999 and assigned the accession number 1999.24.1.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by intern Justin Evangelisto in July 2022.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Margueritte Boyer Bain (1901-1988) was born to Annie Love and Edward Everett Bain, and she grew up on South Spring Street with her sister Nellie and two brothers, Edward Jr. and William. Their father owned E.E. Bain Lumber, and he was also a director of the American Exchange National Bank and Southern Loan & Trust Company. Margueritte briefly attended Greensboro College for Women (later Greensboro College) before marrying Richard Smith Hall on June 30, 1920. The couple moved to Florida, had two sons, and divorced in the 1930s, with Margueritte returning to Greensboro with their children. A member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, she was a homemaker with an interest in drama and design.

Edward E. Bain Jr. (1894-1951) attended Greensboro High School, Washington and Lee University, and the Poughkeepsie Business School, and then joined E.E. Bain Lumber Co. in 1917. Along with his brother William, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Minnesota from September 15, 1918, to November 11, 1918. He married Isabel Keener of Sylva, North Carolina, in 1921, and the couple had three children. After his father’s company closed during the Great Depression, he worked as a salesman in Greensboro before moving his family to Columbia, South Carolina. His wife died in 1948 and by 1950 he had returned to Greensboro, where he attended West Market Street Methodist Church. William J. Bain (1896-1971) also served on the USS Minnesota from September 15, 1918, to November 11, 1918. He married Elizabeth Ferguson of Greensboro in 1924, and the couple had one daughter. After E.E. Bain Lumber Co. went out of business, he worked as a salesman for Harbor Sales Co. of Baltimore, Maryland, for thirty years. A member of Christ Methodist Church, he was also a 32nd degree Mason and a Shriner.

Biographical Sources: The sources used to compile this biographical note include materials in the collection, Ancestry.com, The Gate City, Greensboro (1910; pg. 34), Sketches of Greensboro, North Carolina (1917; pgs. 15 and 44), and the obituaries of Margueritte Bain Hall (Greensboro News & Record, March 1, 1988), Edward E. Bain Jr. (Greensboro Daily News, October 31, 1951), and William J. Bain (Greensboro Daily News, January 7, 1971).

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

The types of materials in this collection include scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other printed materials relating to World War I, Margueritte’s youth, and her brothers’ experiences during the war. Of special interest is a large scrapbook that contains material pertaining to her brothers’ service and that of other Greensboro soldiers. In addition to correspondence relating to the brothers, the scrapbook includes many printed materials concerning World War I. Researchers interested in Greensboro men who served in World War I may find this collection useful.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Correspondence.  3 folders (6 items).  1918-1920.

The correspondence consists of a letter William Bain wrote to his sister Margueritte while in the Navy (1:1), a couple empty envelopes addressed to Margueritte from her brothers while they were in the Navy (1:2), and an invitation to Margueritte’s wedding to Richard Smith Hall (1:3).

2. Miscellaneous.  1 folder (2 items).  n.d.

These two composition books contain personal writings by Margueritte.

3. Photographs.  1 folder (26 items).  ca. 1902-1942.

Most of these photographs relate to Margueritte’s childhood and teenage years. She and other family members, including Edward Jr. and William as children, are featured prominently. Eight photos from 1920 portray Margueritte with friends from Greensboro College for Women.

4. Printed Materials.  6 folders (30 items).  ca. 1916-1938.

The printed materials consist primarily of local and national newspaper pages and clippings relating to World War I and the peace settlement (4:4). Advertisements for acting lessons from the Film Information Board reflect Margueritte’s interest in drama (4:1). Also included are a copy of The Caduceus (a publication of Camp Greene’s base hospital; 4:2), a booklet of patriotic songs (4:5), a bill of fare from a Chinese restaurant in New York (4:3), and invitations to the Virginia Military Institute’s “Opening Hops” school dance (4:6).

5. Scrapbooks.  2 folders (2 items).  1917-1919.

The large scrapbook (5:2) is dedicated to Margueritte’s two brothers, Edward Jr. and William, and it documents World War I and her brothers’ role in it. It contains many photographs, clippings, pamphlets, letters, pieces of clothing, and stamps. While materials relating to her brothers are included, they are contextualized with items pertaining to the war on a global scale and to other Greensboro citizens who served overseas. Also of note are pieces of wood and leather from a German gun and a piece of paint from the USS Connecticut. Some pages have rodent damage. The smaller scrapbook (5:1) was created from a theater program, and it contains photographs and brief newspaper clippings relating to World War I.

FOLDER LISTING