Melissa Newcomer Lee Papers
Scope and Contents
These are the personal effects of Mrs. Melissa Newcomer Lee, given to Archives by Julius Melton, former Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, when the Lee Estate was willed to Davidson College. The earliest pictures are from approximately 1907, while the last newspaper article is from 1986, but there are materials that are undated in this collection. The first folder contains Mrs. Lee's high school yearbook, correspondence, her husband Samuel Lee, Jr.'s certificate of jury duty, and a copy of Mr. Lee's birth certificate. The second folder contains copies of newspaper clippings concerning Mr. Curtis and Mrs. Irving Harding Johnson as well as concerning Mrs. Lee's performances in community theatre and work with the American Red Cross. The five remaining folders contain personal pictures including the scrapbooks of Melissa Newcomer Lee and Samuel McClung Lee, Jr. and pictures from their personal collection, including of their home in California. There is additional material concerning the Lee Estate in RGN 5/2.2 Institutional Advancement - Executive Director.
Dates
- Creation: 1907 - 1986
Creator
- Lee, Melissa Newcomer (Person)
Biographical / Historical
Melissa Newcomer Lee was the widow of Samuel McClung Lee, Jr, whose parents were George Lee and Rebecca McClung. Melissa Lee was the daughter of William Newcomer and Ada Lewis, but was raised by the McTaggarts. Mrs. McTaggart was the sister of Ada Lewis. Melissa Lee was influenced by Mrs. Irving Harding Johnson, widow of Mr. Curtis Johnson, publisher of The Charlotte Observer, to will her estate to Davidson. Melissa Lee's husband Samuel McClung Lee, Jr. was the nephew of Mr. Curtis Johnson and was willed most of the Johnson estate, which is why Mrs. Irving Harding Johnson was able to persuade Mrs. Lee to leave the estate to Davidson College. Before her marriage, Melissa Newcomer performed in the community theatre at the Vassar Institute. Mrs. Lee served as the Executive Secretary for the American Red Cross in New York, before resigning to follow her husband, who was in charge of installing new IBM software in the Nevada-California Light and Power Company. They moved to Riverside, California, just north of San Diego.
Extent
0.42 Linear Feet (1 box, 7 folders)
Language
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
ACCN# 2004-17
Processing Information
Processed on 30-Nov-06
Subject
- Lee, Melissa Newcomer (Person)
- Lee, Samuel McClung (Person)
- Johnson, Curtis (Person)
- Johnson, Irving Harding, Mrs. (Person)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscript Collections Repository