Marjorie Edgar

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Marjorie Edgar
A young white woman wearing a dark brimmed hat and a dark suit with a necktie (may be a Girl Scout uniform, from context)
Marjorie Edgar, from a 1924 publication
BornFebruary 17, 1889
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedApril 20, 1960 (age 71)
Stillwater, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation(s)Girl Scout leader, folklorist

Marjorie Edgar (February 17, 1889 – April 20, 1960) was an American Girl Scout leader and folklorist, based in Minnesota. She made a significant collection of Finnish folk songs among the immigrant families of rural Minnesota.

Early life and education[edit]

Edgar was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of William Crowell Edgar and Anne Page Robinson Edgar.[1] Her businessman father published a literary weekly, The Bellman, and a trade journal, The Northwestern Miller.[2] She attended Rosemary Hall in Connecticut,[3] and studied folk music with Grace Hodsdon Boutelle, a student of Cecil Sharp's.[4]

As a young woman, she was a friend to Helen Taft and her future sister-in-law Martha Bowers, during their visit to Minneapolis in 1912.[5] Edgar was a bridesmaid when Bowers married Robert A. Taft in 1914.[6]

Career[edit]

Edgar helped organize the first Girl Scout troop in Minnesota in 1915,[7] [8] and one of the first Girl Scout camps. She was regional director of the Girl Scout councils and troops in Minnesota.[9] She also trained Girl Scout leaders in a program at Carleton College in 1923.[10]

During the 1930s, Edgar worked as a writer, researcher, and transcriber for the Minnesota Writers' Project. She served on the board of directors of the Minnesota chapter of the National League of American Pen Women.[11] She presented on her work to women's groups,[12][13] scout gatherings,[14] and other audiences, sometimes in costume.[15] In the 1940s she was on the music committee of the Folk Arts Foundation of Minnesota.[16]

Publications[edit]

In addition to two song books for Girl Scout use, Edgar published research in journals including Journal of American Folklore,[17] Minnesota History,[18][19][20] and Western Folklore.[21]

  • Songs of Camp Minnesota for Girl Scout Leaders (1925)
  • Old Songs and Balladry for Girl Scouts (1930)
  • "Finnish Charms from Minnesota" (1934)[17]
  • "Finnish Folk Songs in Minnesota" (1935)[18]
  • "Finnish Charms and Folk Songs in Minnesota" (1936)[19]
  • "Imaginary Animals of Northern Minnesota" (1940)[22]
  • "Finnish Proverbs in Minnesota" (1943)[20]
  • "Ballads of the Knife-Men" (1949)[21]

Personal life[edit]

Edgar lived in Marine on St. Croix, with her mother from 1931 to 1949.[1] She died in 1960, at the age of 71, in Stillwater, Minnesota. The Minnesota Historical Society holds the papers of Edgar and her family.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Mrs. W. C. Edgar Succumbs at 89". Star Tribune. 1949-08-17. p. 24. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Rahkonen, Carl (2014-07-01). "The Rowan Tree: The Lifework of Marjorie Edgar, Girl Scout Pioneer and Folklorist, With Her Finnish Folk Song Collection "Songs from Metsola."". Journal of American Folklore. 127 (505): 321–322. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.127.505.0321. ISSN 0021-8715.
  3. ^ "Society item". Star Tribune. 1917-02-27. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Joyce E. Hakala, The Rowan Tree: The Life Work of Marjorie Edgar, Girl Scout Pioneer and Folklorist, with her Finnish Folk Song Collection "Songs from Metsola" (2007): 9-10.
  5. ^ "Sleuths Guard Taft Children". The Minneapolis Journal. 1912-08-05. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-03-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Washington Society". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1914-10-29. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Girl Scouts of Minneapolis and their Leader". Star Tribune. 1917-03-18. p. 56. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Marjorie Edgar to Speak at Girl Scout Dinner". The Minneapolis Journal. 1937-03-11. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Foster, M. D., "The Girl Scouts of Minneapolis" in Who's Who Among Minnesota Women (1924): 121.
  10. ^ Adams, Elizabeth Kemper; Wood, Eleanor Perry (1927). A Five Year Experiment in Training Volunteer Group Leaders, 1922-1927: Conducted by the Girl Scout National Organization. Studies in Girl Scouting Number I. Girl scouts, Incorporated. p. 180.
  11. ^ Taaffe, Florence (1936-09-27). "Professional Women of Varied Careers at Pen Women's League Board Meeting". Star Tribune. p. 55. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Old Ballads to be Sung in Costume; Business Women's Club to Hear Miss Marjorie Edgar Tonight". The Minneapolis Star. 1930-01-27. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Taaffe, Agnes (1929-11-12). "Songs of North Country Sung by Marjorie Edgar Entertain College Club". The Minneapolis Star. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Sings Folk Songs". Sioux City Journal. 1930-03-25. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Miss Marjorie Edgar to Address Penwomen". Star Tribune. 1940-04-07. p. 58. Retrieved 2024-03-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Krey, A. C. (1947-04-27). "Folk Arts Foundation Collects Minnesota Songs". Star Tribune. p. 23. Retrieved 2024-03-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1934). "Finnish Charms from Minnesota". The Journal of American Folklore. 47 (186): 381–383. doi:10.2307/535695. ISSN 0021-8715. JSTOR 535695.
  18. ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1935). "Finnish Folk Songs in Minnesota". Minnesota History. 16 (3): 319–321. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162046.
  19. ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1936). "Finnish Charms and Folk Songs in Minnesota". Minnesota History. 17 (4): 406–410. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162133.
  20. ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1943). "Finnish Proverbs in Minnesota". Minnesota History. 24 (3): 226–228. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162615.
  21. ^ a b Edgar, Marjorie (1949). "Ballads of the Knife-Men". Western Folklore. 8 (1): 53–57. doi:10.2307/1497159. ISSN 0043-373X. JSTOR 1497159.
  22. ^ Edgar, Marjorie (1940). "Imaginary Animals of Northern Minnesota". Minnesota History. 21 (4): 353–356. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 20162424.

External links[edit]

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