Identifier
MML 001 (local)

Repository
Mills Music Library, University of Wisconsin--Madison

Date
1823 - 1979 (Inclusive dates)
1940 - 1960 (Bulk dates)

Summary
The Helene Stratman-Thomas collection includes materials that document her professional activities as a scholar, teacher and folklorist. Series have been designated for personal papers relating to Stratman-Thomas’ family history and correspondence, papers principally from her work as a music teacher, and materials relating to her work as a collector of Wisconsin and Cornish folk music. The bulk of the collection is comprised of material from her work with Wisconsin and Cornish folk music. The collection forms part of the Wisconsin Music Archives.

Scope and Content Note

The collection includes personal and professional correspondence, newspaper clippings, genealogical records, unpublished monographs, published materials, scrapbooks, teaching materials, bibliographies, maps, song transcriptions, research materials, photographs, music scores, and sound recordings. The collection also includes the disc recording machine (SoundScriber) Stratman-Thomas used on her song collecting trips, and a number of blank discs.

Administrative/Biographical History Element

Helene Stratman-Thomas was a UW-Madison music teacher and collector of Wisconsin musical folklore. She was born on May 13, 1896. After completing high school, Helene taught school in Monticello and Brooklyn before earning a business degree from University of Wisconsin–Madison. She worked at an investment firm in Minneapolis for about eight years, and then returned to Madison to complete her B.A. and M.A. degrees in music. In 1930, she was hired at UW to teach music theory, conduct the women’s chorus, and work as the business manager for the Pro Arte string quartet. In 1940 professor Leland Coon asked her to head the Wisconsin Folk Music Project, an effort co-sponsored by the Library of Congress and the University of Wisconsin to record music from the state’s diverse population. In the years after gathering the recordings, Stratman-Thomas recounted her trips in a radio series on Wisconsin Public Radio and gave lectures on folk music throughout the state. In the fall of 1948, Stratman-Thomas married A.J. (Pat) Blotz. Stratman-Thomas worked as a music teacher at UW-Madison until she retired in 1961. She died Jan. 11, 1973 at the age of 76.

Helene’s parents were Helena Emma Stratman and Warren H. Thomas, a local grocer and businessman. Her paternal uncle was Edward Shepherd Thomas, a musician, bandleader, and composer. She had one brother, Warren K. Stratman-Thomas, a renowned malarial research pharmacologist.

System of Arrangement

Series 1. Personal Papers, 1847-1973
Series 2. Professional Papers, 1930-1970
Series 3. Wisconsin Folk Music Recording Project, 1823-1979

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Conditions Governing Access

Duplication of the materials for non-profit personal, educational, and research purposes may be arranged after making a written request expressing compliance with copyright law. Use of materials for public presentation, publication, and production requires negotiation with the Music Library Director.

Custodial History

These materials consist of donations from several sources over a period of time which were combined into one collection.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The bulk of the materials was donated by Stratman-Thomas' husband, A.J. (Pat) Blotz.

In 1987 Harry Peters donated research papers, song transcriptions and correspondence from his work on Folk songs out of Wisconsin.

General Note

2004-2006; Collection arranged, weeded of duplicates, and a finding aid written by Karen A. Peters.

May 2004; Manuscript portion of the collection arranged by Lisa Saywell.

December 1993; Preliminary inventory written by Robert Young Walser.

1993; Preliminary inventory written by John Solon.

2010; Finding aid completed and edited by Matt Appleby.

Related Archival Materials

University of Wisconsin-Madison:

Leland A. Coon papers, 1923-1961 (UW-Madison Archives, Series 7/24/15/1-3 44N1)

Helene Stratman-Thomas, Wisconsin Folk Singers Photographs, 1940-1941, 1946 (Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, Visual Materials Holdings, PH 2907 and WHi(S75))

Wisconsin Folksong Collection, 1937-1946

Wisconsin patchwork : Recordings from the Helene Stratman-Thomas collection of Wisconsin Folk Music, with commentary (Mills Music Library, CAS 219)

Folk music from Wisconsin, ed. Helene Stratman-Thomas. (Mills Music Library, LP 601806 and Comp Disc 10494)

Digital copies of Stratman-Thomas' original field recordings (Mills Music Library, Audio Facility)

Wisconsin field recordings in the Archive of Folk Culture (Mills Music Library, Wisconsin Music Archives)

Kremers Reference Files, A2 (American Institute of the History of Pharmacy)

16-inch sound recording discs, West High Band 2/15/39 (Mills Music Library, Wisconsin Music Archives)

Digital copies of related sound recordings (Mills Music Library, Audio Facility)

HST Gymanfa Ganu broadcast; Walter Krulevitch (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMC 299/1)

HST Gymanfa Ganu broadcast “Pt. 2 to be played after Interview” (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMC 299/2)

HST Gymanfa Ganu broadcast; interview with Walter Krulevitch and members of the group (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMC 299/3)

HST Gymanfa Ganu broadcast “Last to be used for broadcast” (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMC 299/4)

HST Gymanfa Ganu broadcast “Not to be used on 1:30 broadcast” (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMC 299/5)

Peniel Church Broadcast (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMU 300/1)

HST 4th Broadcast (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMU 300/4)

All State Band (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMC 301/1-4)

4 sound recording discs of Desiré Maes, French language songs (Mills Music Library, Digital Preservation Masters, PMC 302/1-8)

Extent
35 (archives boxes)
1 (volume sound discs)
1 (box blank sound recording discs)
1 (sound recording machine)

Language
English (Languages)

Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Helene Stratman-Thomas collection, Mills Music Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison