]> ms.375 Remey (Charles Mason) 1874-1974 Papers (1836-1940) Ms. 375 Joan Grattan Special Collections, The Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 USA Phone: (410) 516-8323
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Marius Stan Finding aid written in English Remey (Charles Mason) 1874-1974 Papers (1836-1940) Ms. 375 Special CollectionsThe Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University (1836-1940) Contact Information Special Collections The Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University 3400 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 (410) 516-8323 Joan Grattan June 1995 Marius Stan

©2005 The Johns Hopkins University

 Descriptive Summary Ms. 375 Remey (Charles Mason) 1874-1974 Papers (1836-1940) Remey, Charles Mason, 1874-1974 Johns Hopkins University. Special Collections. 11 records center boxes (13.75 linear ft.) English The collection consists of 154 bound volumes all written and arranged by architect, lecturer, and author, Charles Mason Remey. In the volumes are personal reminiscences, clippings, photographs, memorabilia, biographical accounts of Mason and Remey family members, and a historical record of the Baha'i faith. The volumes are in the form of carbon typescript and are designated "Copy 18." It is known that Remey produced numerous copies of these same volumes and duplicates are included in the collections of the New York Public Library, the University of PA, Stanford University., Yale University, and Cornell. (Descriptions are found in RLIN\AMC) The originals may be filed in the Iowa State Historical Department, Des Moines, Iowa. The bulk of the collection is formed by 119 volumes (1903-1940) of Remey's personal diaries, entitled "Reminiscences and Letters." Here are copies of letters, photographs, architectural studies, genealogy, travel accounts, and clippings. The diaries offer a full account of his personal life and his devotion to the Baha'i faith that were often inseparable. His pilgrimages to sacred places began in 1909 when he traveled to Israel, Persia [Iran], and Syria. Photographs complement the narration and capture the spirit of his travels. Remey's writings include a comprehensive history of the Baha'i Movement (Volumes 65-79) and are closely related to his published volumes. Of interest too are the more personal records of his daily life in Washington, D.C. during the 1930s. Remey's family background and private income afforded him a particular position in Washington society, a position defined by the standards of the period. He recorded a description of his house and furnishings at 2440 Massachusetts Avenue, his daily entertainments, and social interactions with friends. Photographs, clippings from society pages of the period, calling cards, notes, and other memorabilia attached in the diaries are further examples of custom and social life in Washington during the 1930s. The last of the reminiscences (volume 117-119) describe his brief, tragic marriage to Gertrude Heim Klemm Mason. The collection also includes Remey's biographies of his mother, father, and maternal grandfather. The biographies are similar in form and binding to the "Reminiscences and Letters." The pages are carbon typescript and along with Remey's narrative are photographs, clippings, facsimiles of documents, and genealogical data. There are 12 volumes of "The Life and Letters of Charles Mason, Chief Justice of Iowa." The biography begins in 1836 with a journey west via the Erie Canal and Great Lakes to Iowa, recording Mason's life in Burlington, Iowa and Washington, D.C. The diaries provide a running commentary on the political, economical and social life of the the last half of the nineteenth century. Transcripts of Mason's temperance addresses are included. There are 12 volumes of "Life and Letters of Mary Josephine Mason Remey." The biography includes a description of her childhood in Iowa, her experiences during the Civil War, her life in Portsmouth Va., and Washington D.C. Much of the narrative is in the form of letters written and received from her father, husband, and her son, Charles Mason Remey. There are 10 volumes of "Life and Letters of Rear Admiral George Collier Remey." The biography contains records of his travels and naval service including activities in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection, and Boxer Rebellion in China. A listing of all volumes in the collection is given in the Container List. A related collection of Remey Family papers is held at the Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, 4 East University Parkway, Baltimore, MD 21218. In the Archives is a vound volume of letters from Bishop Pinckney (Bishop of D.C. 1870s) written to Josephine Mason Remey. The volume has the original letters and Remey's typed transcripts. Administrative Information Provenance

The volumes that form this collection were given to the University by Charles Mason Remey in 1940. Part of the gift included Remey's personal diaries, 119 bound volumes, entitled "Reminiscences and Letters." Remey stipulated that the diaries were to remain sealed until 1995. The box containing the diaries was opened in June 1995, and the volumes were removed to Manuscripts.

Remey's gift included another 34 volumes that were family histories. These volumes were received by the library in 1940 and were cataloged at that time. Titles and former call numbers are: Life and Letters of Charles Mason (12 volumes; E415.9.m19 A3 Q) Life and Letters of Mary Josephine Mason Remey (12 volumes; E664.R38 A3) Life and Letters of Rear Admiral George Collier Remey (10 volumes; E182.R4 A3 Q)

In June 1995, the family histories were removed from Gilman Storage, de- cataloged, and added to the Remey Papers.

In August 1995, The Wardrobe of Gertrude Heim Remey was removed from the stacks and cataloged for the Manuscripts Department. (The call number was formerly CT275.R38R3Q.)

Use Restrictions

Access to the papers is unrestricted.

Permission to publish material from this collection must be requested in writing from the Manuscripts Librarian, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 21218.

 Preferred Citation

Charles Mason Remey Papers Ms. 375Special Collections,Milton S. Eisenhower Library,The Johns Hopkins University.

 Biographical Note

Charles Mason Remey was an architect, author, and a religious leader of the Baha'i faith. He was born in Burlington, Iowa, May 15, 1874, the son of Rear Admiral George Collier and Mary Josephine Mason Remey. Remey's mother was the daughter of Charles Mason, a former chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court.

Remey was trained as an architect, having studied at Cornell University (1893-1896) and the Ecole des Arts in Paris (1896-1903). He combined a career in architecture with his interest in the Baha'i faith, a belief he embraced in 1899. During his lifetime, Remey made a special study of oriental architecture, and he was appointed to design Baha'i temples at Mt. Carmel, Israel: Teheran, Iran; Kampala, Africa; and Sidney, Australia. Remey traveled widely to lecture in the interests of the Baha'i Movement, and he was the author of many published volumes on the history and beliefs of the Baha'is.

During the 1930s, Remey lived in Washington, D.C. where he enjoyed an active social life and devoted much of his time to his writings. As a young man, Remey began recording events and observations in a series of diaries and memoirs, a practice that he continued with dedication for most of his life. He compiled separate biographical records of his mother, Mary Josephine Mason Remey (1845-1938); his father, George Collier Remey (1848-1928); and his grandfather, Charles Mason (1804- 1882). Remey's diaries numbered over one hundred volumes and included both personal information and research that formed the basis of many of his published works on the Baha'i faith.

Remey was married briefly in 1932; his wife, Gertrude Heim Klemm Mason (1887-1933), took her own life a year later. In his later years, Remey continued to travel and lecture in Europe and Latin America on behalf of the Baha'i faith. Around 1940, Remey arranged to have copies of his personal diaries and family histories bound and reproduced and to have the copies deposited in various libraries in the United States and Europe. He specified that his memoirs were to be sealed until 1995.

Charles Mason Remey died in 1974 at the age of 100 years. His last years were lived in Florence, Italy.

Description of Series/Container List Container List Container List,

Box Contents 1 Vol 1: Outlook In Japan Around The World With Messrs. Remey and Struven Diary Notes of Messrs. Remey and Latemer Letters To Honolulu. Hawaii Letters and Reports of Library and Archives Committees 1 Vol 2: A Pilgrimage To The Holy Land, 1921 1 Vol 3: War and Peace Letters - Compilation Committee Miscellaneous Letters (1920-1923) A Pilgrimage To The Holy Land (1922) 1 Vol 4: Miscellaneous Letters, (1912-1930) 1 Vol 5: Miscellaneous Letters and Reports, (1914-1921) 1 Vol 6: Committee of Investigation, Miscellaneous Letters Southern Tour and Report 1 Vol 7: Mashriqu'l-adhkar, By C. M. R., Miscellaneous Letters A Nonagonal Temple In the Indian Style of Architecture 1 Vol 8: Mashriqu'l-adhkar Correspondence, 1 Vol 9: Architectural Compositions in the Indian Style, 1 Vol 10: Gear Sketch Memorials National Church and Shrine Program Letters, Family and Other 1 Vol 11: Tablets Revealed by Abdul-Baha Abbas, 1 Vol 12: Tablets Revealed by Abdul-Baha Abbas (Part II), 1 Vol 13: Photographs of My Home, 1 Vol 14: Tablet From Abdul-Baha The Temple Upon Mount Carmel The Indian Style of Architecture Preliminary Design for the Temple Vase Given to the Master Tomb of Thornton Chase Memorial Window Designs for New Home Mother's House In N Street 1 Vol 15: Newspaper Clippings. Two Votive Shrines Memorials Book Plates 2 Vol 16: The Remey Family Family Arms My father's Death Proposed cenotaph Father's and Mother's Reminiscences Military Decorations A letter to the Family Charles Mason Ezekiel Gilbert Gear, D.D. Last Tablet from the Master Circular Letters Miscellaneous Cards 2 Vol 17: My letters To My Mother (1931) Letters to My Mother from My Brother William B. Remey (1921) 2 Vol 18: Letters Written and Received by C.M.H.), (1916, Feb. 18, 1931-June 1, 1932 2 Vol 19: The Genealogy of Charles Mason Remey, 2 Vol 20: The National Church and Shrine of the United States of America, 2 Vol 21: The Design, Organization and Work of The National Church and Shrine A Brief Sketch of Its Inception, 2 Vol 22: The Diary of Howard C. Struven (Part I) - An account of a world tour in the interests of the Baha'i Religion made in company with Charles Mason Remey. (1909-1910) 2 Vol 23: The Diary of Howard C. Struven (Part II), 2 Vol 24: My Travels Around The World With Howard Struven (1909-1910) - An intimate description of the travels and experiences of two young men visiting among the Baha'is in foreign lands. 2 Vol 25: Recording Experiences in the Early Days of the great War in Europe Letters (June-July 1932) 2 Vol 26: Letters Received and Written By Charles Mason Remey (1931-1933) 2 Vol 27: Diary of Charles Mason Remey (Oct. 3, 1931-Dec. 31, 1931 2 Vol 28: Diary (Jan. 1932-June 1932) 2 Vol 29: Diary (July 1932-Dec. 1932) 2 Vol 30: Diary (Jan. 1, 1933-April 30, 1933) 3 Vol 31: Diary (May 1, 1933-Aug. 31, 1933) 3 Vol 32: Diary (Sept. 1 1933-Dec 31, 1933) 3 Vol 33: My Trip to Persia in the Summer of 1908 3 Vol 34: Accounts of Baha'i Travels (1907-1908) 3 Vol 35: Diary (Jan. 1, 1934-Apr. 30, 1934) 3 Vol 36: Diary (May 1, 1934-Aug. 31, 1934) 3 Vol 37: Reminiscences of Some of my Baha'i Friends 3 Vol 38: Letters Written and Received by Charles Mason Remey (1934) (Part I) 3 Vol 39: Letters Written and Received by Charles Mason Remey (1934) (Part II) 3 Vol 40: Diary (Sept. 1934-Dec. 1934) 3 Vol 41: Diary (Jan. 1935-Apr. 1935) 3 Vol 42: Architectural Projects 3 Vol 43: Reminiscences of People Connected with the Baha'i Cause 3 Vol 44: Reminiscences of Baha'i Friends 3 Vol 45: Reminiscences of the Master Absu'l Baha 4 Vol 46: The Violation in Chicago 4 Vol 47: The Mashrak-El-Azkar 4 Vol 48: Letters (Jan. 1935-June 1935) 4 Vol 49: Miscellaneous Records of Baha'i Activities places and People in Germany Hawaii and the Orient 4 Vol 50: Reminiscences of Baha'is, of Meetings and of People and Some Letters Received and Written 4 Vol 51: Seal of Baha'o'llah, Illuminated Texts and Pamphlets 4 Vol 52: The Cause of Baha'o'llah 4 Vol 53: A Reply to the Reverend Samuel G. Wilson's Book "Bahaism and Its Claims" 4 Vol 54: Diary (May 1935-Aug. 1935) 4 Vol 55: Some Letters Written and Received by Charles Mason Remey (1935) 4 Vol 56: Diary (September 1935-December 1935) 4 Vol 57: Architectural Designs for Baha'i Edifices 4 Vol 58: Some Baha'i Publications 4 Vol 59: Diary (Jan. 1936-Apr. 1936) 4 Vol 60: Letters (Jan. 1936-June 1936) 5 Vol 61: Some Early Work Preparatory to the Study of Architecture (1888-1896) 5 Vol 62: Some Elementary Problems in Architecture (1896-1898) 5 Vol 63: Some Architectural Problems Done at the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts: Paris, France (1898-1903) 5 Vol 64: Architectural Studies (1903-1913) 5 Vol 65: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume I, Part I, (1927) 5 Vol 66: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume I, Part II, (1927) 5 Vol 67: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume I, Part III, (1927) 5 Vol 68: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume II, Part I, (1927) 5 Vol 69: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume II, Part II (1927) 5 Vol 70: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume II, Part III (1927) 5 Vol 71: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume III, Part I (1927) 5 Vol 72: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume III, Part II (1927) 5 Vol 73: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume III, Part III (1927) 5 Vol 74: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume IV, Part I, (1927) 5 Vol 75: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume IV, Part II, (1927) 6 Vol 76: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume IV, Part III, (1927) 6 Vol 77: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume V, Part I, (1927) 6 Vol 78: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume V, Part II, (1927) 6 Vol 79: A Comprehensive History of the Baha'i Movement, Volume V, Part III, (1927) 6 Vol 80: Diary (May 1, 1936-Aug. 31, 1936) 6 Vol 81: Diary (Sept. 1, 1936-Dec. 31 1936) 6 Vol 82: Diary (JAN. 1, 1937-Apr. 30, 1937) 6 Vol 83: Letters (1936) 6 Vol 84: Remey Family Records 6 Vol 85: Reminiscences of Friends 6 Vol 86: Concerning Architecture 6 Vol 87: Letters and Accounts of Baha'i Travels 6 Vol 88: Reminiscent of My Religious Life 6 Vol 89: Baha'i Records 6 Vol 90: Letters and Baha'i Records 7 Vol 91: Letters (Jan. 1937-May 1937) 7 Vol 92: Letters (June 1937-Aug. 1937) 7 Vol 93: Letters (Sept. 1937-Dec. 1937) 7 Vol 94: Diary (May 1937-Aug. 1937) 7 Vol 95: Diary (Sept. 1937-Dec. 1937) 7 Vol 96: Diary (Sept. 1937-Dec. 1937) (Part II) 7 Vol 97: Diary (Jan. 1, 1938-March 9, 1938) 7 Vol 98: Diary (March 9, 1938-Apr. 13, 1938) 7 Vol 99: A Brief History of the Remey Family 7 Vol 100: Letters (Jan. 1938-Feb. 1938) 7 Vol 101: Diary (May 1, 1938-June 30, 1938) 7 Vol 102: Diary (July 1, 1938-Aug 31, 1938) 7 Vol 103: Diary (Sept 1, 1938-Oct 31 1938) 7 Vol 104: Diary (Nov. 1, 1938-Dec 31, 1938) 7 Vol 105: Letters (July 1938-Dec. 1938) 8 Vol 106: Letters (March 1938-June 1938) 8 Vol 107: Diary (Jan 1 1939-March 18, 1939) 8 Vol 108: Diary (March 19, 1939-July 16, 1939) 8 Vol 109: Diary (July 17, 1939-Dec. 31, 1939) 8 Vol 110: Letters (Jan. 4, 1939-June 8, 1939) 8 Vol 111: Letters (June 9, 1939-Aug. 11, 1939) 8 Vol 112: Letters (Aug. 1939-Dec. 1939) 8 Vol 113: The Break of Day - A Story of the Baha'i Faith by Charles Mason Remey (1913) 8 Vol 114: Diary (Jan. 1, 1940-March 30, 1940) 8 Vol 115: Diary (Apr. 1, 1940-May 16, 1940) 8 Vol 116: Some Letters Written and Received (1940) 8 Vol 117: My Marriage (1940) 8 Vol 118: My Marriage (Continued) (1940) 8 Vol 119: My Marriage - Statements, Letters, Photographs and Newspaper Articles pertaining thereto. 8 The Wardrobe of Gertrude Heim Remey 9 Life and Letters of Charles Mason Chief Justice of Iowa - Volumes 1 -12, 1804-1882 10 Life and Letters of Mary Josephine Mason Remey, Wife of Rear Admiral George Collier Remey, Daughter of Chief Justice Charles Mason - Volumes 1-12, 1845-1938 11 Life and Letters of Rear Admiral George Collier Remey, United States Navy - Volume 1-10, 1841-1926