Kerby Miller Papers
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Abstract
Kerby A. Miller is an historian and Curators' Professor at the University of Missouri. His teaching and published work focuses on Irish history, often with an emphasis on social, immigration, and urban history. The Kerby Miller Papers date between 1958 and 2013, with the bulk of the material dating between 1989 and 2003. The collection consists of materials created or collected by Miller in the course of his research, teaching, and writing on Irish and Irish American history. Materials include photocopies of American Loyalists' petitions to the British government, a run of British Information Services news bulletins concerning the conflict in Northern Ireland, and research materials created in the course of his academic scholarship, including original writings, reviews of his work, photocopied letters from Irish immigrants and citizens, and correspondence between Miller and other academics and institutions. Major subjects and themes present in these research files include pre- and post-immigration economic issues, experiences coming to and first impressions of living in America, genealogical records, and accounts of Irish family life.
Biographical Note
Kerby A. Miller is a historian and Curators' Professor at the University of Missouri. Miller graduated from Pomona College in 1966 and the University of California, Berkley with an M.A. in 1967 and a Ph.D in 1976. His teaching and published work often focus on Irish and Irish American history, with an emphasis on social, immigration, and urban issues. During his career, Miller has served as an adviser, consultant, and visiting professor for many institutions. He has authored or co-authored numerous books, journal articles, and essays, including Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Irish Exodus to North America; Out of Ireland: The Story of Irish Emigration to America; Irish Immigrants in the Land of Canaan: Letters and Memoirs from Colonial and Revolutionary America, 1675-1815; and Ireland and Irish America: Culture, Class, and Transatlantic Migration.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
Scope and Content Note
The Kerby Miller Papers consist of materials created or collected by Miller in the course of his research, teaching, and writing on Irish and Irish American history. The collection dates from 1958 to 2013, with the bulk of material between 1989 and 2003. The bulk of the collection consists of Miller's research files which include photocopies of material dating from the 17th through the 19th centuries, Miller's extensive notes on this material, his notes on relevant books and articles, and correspondence regarding his research. Miller's correspondents include historians, archivists, and librarians in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland, with historian Bruce Boling being the most frequent correspondent. Major subjects and themes present in these research files include accounts of Irish family life, pre- and post-immigration economic issues, and experiences coming to and first impressions of living in America.
Other material in the collection includes photocopies of American Loyalists' petitions to the British government during the American Revolutionary War asking for compensation for losses, explaining their political acts and affiliations, and describing their lives in America; a run of British Information Services news bulletins on various aspects of the conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 1980s and early 1990s; and reviews of Miller's work. Subjects that frequently appear in the British Information Services bulletins include religion, electoral politics, employment discrimination, paramilitary funerals, law enforcement practices or regulations, and incidents of violence attributed to various Irish republican paramilitary groups. Also included are dossiers of republican organizations including Sinn Fein, the Official Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA or PIRA), and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). Also present are excerpts of statements made by officials or other prominent figures.
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Access Restrictions
Materials are open without restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Kerby A. Miller, the creator of this collection, were relinquished and transferred to the public domain in 2015 by Kerby A. Miller. These materials are governed by a Creative Commons CC0 license, which permits publication and reproduction of materials accompanied by full attribution. See, https://creativecommons.org/licenses.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Kerby Miller Papers; AIA 076; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Kerby Miller in April and June 2015. The accession number associated with this gift is 2015.018 and 2015.051.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was received with materials divided into distinct sets based on topic or type of material, with some materials loose and others in titled, alphabetized manila folders. Loose materials were rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes, and described by an archivist. No arrangement of material was done.
In March 2018 overstuffed folders were separated into multiple folders containing appropriate amounts of material. Folder titles were transcribed onto the new folders. Oversize materials were separated from their original folders and housed in appropriately sized folders. Separation sheets were made and included in the original and new folders for these items.
