Collection summary derived from "Guidebook to Manuscripts", 1969: Grant Foreman (1869-1953), an attorney of Muskogee, Indian Territory, chose for his life work the history of this area and published many books on the subject. Drafts of his manuscripts are in this collection. He served as an attorney, especially on land questions, for the Dawes Commission. He was instrumental in founding the Oklahoma Historical Society and was one of its directors. He also was responsible for the preservation and gathering in one place the records of the Five Civilized Tribes. His wife, Carolyn (Thomas), was also a writer of many aspects of eastern Oklahoma history. She died in 1966. The original manuscripts in this collection were written mostly in the 1930's and 40's; the great number of transcripts and photostats are mostly from 18th and 19th century sources. Practically all relate to the social, political, and economic development of Indian Territory and the State of Oklahoma. The original manuscripts are largely the correspondence Mr. Foreman maintained with persons who could furnish historical information or who were interested in the activities which engaged his attention. The largest part of the collection is composed of transcripts of all descriptions, except microfilm. There are over 700 photostats from all types of sources. There are thousands of pages of historical data transcribed in over 100 libraries and institutions by the Foreman's themselves and persons hired by them. An interesting portion of these transcriptions are in the hand­ writing of both the Foreman's in pencil notebooks. There are forty-three such in the Gilcrease Library and thirty-four in the Indian Archives of the Oklahoma Historical Society. These books register the change from right to left hand when Mr. Foreman suffered a stroke, partially paralyzing his right side. A partial index to this collection is in progress at the Gilcrease Library. There is also a "Box List" indicating the contents of the numbered boxes. This collection was purchased from Mr. Foreman by Mr. Gilcrease in 1944.

Access Restrictions

Available by appointment only at the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR) with the exception of materials with donor restrictions. Contact Library staff in advance to inquire if materials exist pertaining to your research interests.

Use Restrictions

Please contact the Rights and Reproduction Department for information on publishing or reproducing materials included in these records. Permission will be granted by the Gilcrease Museum as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.

Provenance

The Gilcrease Foundation acquired these materials before 1964 and is housed in the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR). The library currently receives most materials through community donation, board members, artists and the acquisition of manuscript collections.

Staff, interns, and volunteers of the Thomas Gilcrease Library and Archive have contributed to the organization and maintenance of the files since the collection passed to the City of Tulsa in the 1950s.