Rosa Cornelia Veal Papers - Accession 1766

Authors

Rosa Cornelia Veal

Files

Identifier

Accession 1766

Inclusive Dates

1864-1979

Restrictions

Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Collection Size

6.0 linear feet, 12,000 pieces

Language

English;

Scope and Content Note

The Rosa Cornelia Veal Papers document the professional career, pedagogical philosophy, and personal life of Winthrop College Class of 1926 graduate Rosa Cornelia Veal (1904–1967), an educator whose work spanned elementary classroom instruction, teacher education, and curriculum development during the mid-twentieth century. The collection dates from 1904 to 1978, with the bulk of the materials concentrated between the 1930s and 1940s, corresponding to Veal’s tenure as an elementary school teacher and associate professor of elementary education at Ball State Teachers College.

The collection contains a substantial body of teaching materials that provide insight into classroom practices, instructional methods, and educational priorities of the period. These include lesson manuals, workbooks, visual teaching aids, curriculum guides, and daily classroom records documenting student progress, instructional planning, and classroom activities. Particularly significant are Veal’s classroom record books from 1936–1937 and her extensive use of Compton’s Pictured Teaching Materials, which illustrate the emphasis on visual learning and subject-based instruction in elementary education.
Veal’s contributions as an author and curriculum developer are reflected in her published and unpublished writings, including instructional materials created for classroom use and children’s books she helped to author, most notably I Learn to Write. Also included are developmental manuals and religious instructional works prepared under her guidance, demonstrating her interest in holistic child development and literacy education.

Personal materials in the collection include journals and planners spanning two decades, which contain poetry, reflections on daily life, financial notes, reading excerpts, and personal observations. These writings provide a rare and intimate perspective on the professional and personal experiences of a woman educator during the early to mid-twentieth century. Biographical documents—such as probate records, census materials, school report cards, and family histories—further contextualize Veal’s life and career.

The collection also documents Veal’s professional affiliations and community involvement, including her leadership in the Muncie, Indiana branch of the Association for Childhood Education and her membership in the teaching sorority Delta Kappa Gamma. Related materials include correspondence, event ephemera, name cards, and organizational records. Photographs dating from the early twentieth century through the 1940s depict Veal, family members, unidentified individuals, and travel scenes, offering visual context to her personal and professional life.

Additionally, the collection includes a wide array of educational books used by Veal as both a student and educator, as well as miscellaneous ephemera reflecting intellectual, cultural, and everyday interests. Together, the Rosa Cornelia Veal Papers provide a rich resource for research on elementary education, teacher training, women educators, curriculum development, and the lived experience of professional women in education during the twentieth century.

Provenance

The Rosa Cornelia Veal Papers were donated to the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections by the Museum of Western York County via Elizabeth Tyndall on December 1, 2021.

Copyright

For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.

Finding Aid Citation

Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Rosa Cornelia Veal Papers - Accession 1766". Finding Aid 1330.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1330