Marjorie Edgar
Marjorie Edgar | |
---|---|
Born | February 17, 1889 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
Died | April 20, 1960 (age 71) Stillwater, Minnesota, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Girl Scout leader, folklorist |
Marjorie Edgar (February 17, 1889 – April 20, 1960) was an American Girl Scout leader and folklorist, based in Minnesota. She made a significant collection of Finnish folk songs among the immigrant families of rural Minnesota.
Early life and education
[edit]Edgar was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of William Crowell Edgar and Anne Page Robinson Edgar.[1] Her businessman father published a literary weekly, The Bellman, and a trade journal, The Northwestern Miller.[2] She attended Rosemary Hall in Connecticut,[3] and studied folk music with Grace Hodsdon Boutelle, a student of Cecil Sharp's.[4]
As a young woman, she was a friend to Helen Taft and her future sister-in-law Martha Bowers, during their visit to Minneapolis in 1912.[5] Edgar was a bridesmaid when Bowers married Robert A. Taft in 1914.[6]
Career
[edit]Edgar helped organize the first Girl Scout troop in Minnesota in 1915,[7] [8] and one of the first Girl Scout camps. She was regional director of the Girl Scout councils and troops in Minnesota.[9] She also trained Girl Scout leaders in a program at Carleton College in 1923.[10]
During the 1930s, Edgar worked as a writer, researcher, and transcriber for the Minnesota Writers' Project. She served on the board of directors of the Minnesota chapter of the National League of American Pen Women.[11] She presented on her work to women's groups,[12][13] scout gatherings,[14] and other audiences, sometimes in costume.[15] In the 1940s she was on the music committee of the Folk Arts Foundation of Minnesota.[16]
Publications
[edit]In addition to two song books for Girl Scout use, Edgar published research in journals including Journal of American Folklore,[17] Minnesota History,[18][19][20] and Western Folklore.[21]
- Songs of Camp Minnesota for Girl Scout Leaders (1925)
- Old Songs and Balladry for Girl Scouts (1930)
- "Finnish Charms from Minnesota" (1934)[17]
- "Finnish Folk Songs in Minnesota" (1935)[18]
- "Finnish Charms and Folk Songs in Minnesota" (1936)[19]
- "Imaginary Animals of Northern Minnesota" (1940)[22]
- "Finnish Proverbs in Minnesota" (1943)[20]
- "Ballads of the Knife-Men" (1949)[21]
Personal life
[edit]Edgar lived in Marine on St. Croix, with her mother from 1931 to 1949.[1] She died in 1960, at the age of 71, in Stillwater, Minnesota. The Minnesota Historical Society holds the papers of Edgar and her family.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Mrs. W. C. Edgar Succumbs at 89". Star Tribune. August 17, 1949. p. 24. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rahkonen, Carl (July 1, 2014). "The Rowan Tree: The Lifework of Marjorie Edgar, Girl Scout Pioneer and Folklorist, With Her Finnish Folk Song Collection "Songs from Metsola."". Journal of American Folklore. 127 (505): 321–322. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.127.505.0321. ISSN 0021-8715.
- ^ "Society item". Star Tribune. February 27, 1917. p. 10. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Joyce E. Hakala, The Rowan Tree: The Life Work of Marjorie Edgar, Girl Scout Pioneer and Folklorist, with her Finnish Folk Song Collection "Songs from Metsola" (2007): 9-10.
- ^ "Sleuths Guard Taft Children". The Minneapolis Journal. August 5, 1912. p. 6. Retrieved March 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Washington Society". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. October 29, 1914. p. 5. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Girl Scouts of Minneapolis and their Leader". Star Tribune. March 18, 1917. p. 56. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Marjorie Edgar to Speak at Girl Scout Dinner". The Minneapolis Journal. March 11, 1937. p. 19. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Foster, M. D., "The Girl Scouts of Minneapolis" in Who's Who Among Minnesota Women (1924): 121.
- ^ Adams, Elizabeth Kemper; Wood, Eleanor Perry (1927). A Five Year Experiment in Training Volunteer Group Leaders, 1922-1927: Conducted by the Girl Scout National Organization. Studies in Girl Scouting Number I. Girl scouts, Incorporated. p. 180.
- ^ Taaffe, Florence (September 27, 1936). "Professional Women of Varied Careers at Pen Women's League Board Meeting". Star Tribune. p. 55. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Old Ballads to be Sung in Costume; Business Women's Club to Hear Miss Marjorie Edgar Tonight". The Minneapolis Star. January 27, 1930. p. 7. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Taaffe, Agnes (November 12, 1929). "Songs of North Country Sung by Marjorie Edgar Entertain College Club". The Minneapolis Star. p. 13. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sings Folk Songs". Sioux City Journal. March 25, 1930. p. 9. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Marjorie Edgar to Address Penwomen". Star Tribune. April 7, 1940. p. 58. Retrieved March 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Krey, A. C. (April 27, 1947). "Folk Arts Foundation Collects Minnesota Songs". Star Tribune. p. 23. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1934). "Finnish Charms from Minnesota". The Journal of American Folklore. 47 (186): 381–383. doi:10.2307/535695. ISSN 0021-8715. JSTOR 535695.
- ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1935). "Finnish Folk Songs in Minnesota". Minnesota History. 16 (3): 319–321. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162046.
- ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1936). "Finnish Charms and Folk Songs in Minnesota". Minnesota History. 17 (4): 406–410. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162133.
- ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1943). "Finnish Proverbs in Minnesota". Minnesota History. 24 (3): 226–228. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162615.
- ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1949). "Ballads of the Knife-Men". Western Folklore. 8 (1): 53–57. doi:10.2307/1497159. ISSN 0043-373X. JSTOR 1497159.
- ^ Edgar, Marjorie (1940). "Imaginary Animals of Northern Minnesota". Minnesota History. 21 (4): 353–356. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162424.
External links
[edit]- Joyce E. Hakala, The Rowan Tree: The Life Work of Marjorie Edgar, Girl Scout Pioneer and Folklorist, with her Finnish Folk Song Collection "Songs from Metsola" (2007), a biography of Edgar