Emma Helen Blair (September 12, 1851 – September 25, 1911) was a United States historian, journalist and editor, whose most notable work was a documentary history of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Biography
Emma Helen Blair was born on September 12, 1851, on
Menasha, Wisconsin
Menasha () is a city in Calumet and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winnebago County, and 2,209 were in Calumet County. The city is located mostly in Win ...
. Although born in Wisconsin, she attended high school in
Westfield, Massachusetts
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...
. In 1871, she returned to Wisconsin and enrolled in
Ripon College, where she graduated in 1874. After graduation she taught in public school for two years and then moved to
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
, where she worked as a journalist. In 1892, she began postgraduate work in history, economics and sociology at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
. She later became a librarian at the
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...
.
In 1894, Blair resigned from the library staff and became assistant to
Reuben Gold Thwaites
Reuben Gold Thwaites ( May 15, 1853 – October 22, 1913) was an American librarian and historical writer.
Biography
Thwaites was born in 1853 in Dorchester, Massachusetts. His parents were William George and Sarah Bibbs Thwaites, who had mo ...
. Thwaites was the translator of the 73-volume work ''
Jesuit Relations
''The Jesuit Relations'', also known as ''Relations des Jésuites de la Nouvelle-France'', are chronicles of the Jesuit missions in New France. The works were written annually and printed beginning in 1632 and ending in 1673.
Originally written ...
'' (1896–1901). This massive work consisted of English translations of the annual reports issued by the superior of the
Jesuit missions in
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...
to the Jesuit overseer in France between the years 1632 and 1673. Blair participated in the editing and annotations. After her work on the ''Jesuit Relations'', she assisted in the editing of the journal of Father
Louis Hennepin
Father Louis Hennepin, O.F.M. baptized Antoine, (; 12 May 1626 – 5 December 1704) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Recollet order (French: ''Récollets'') and an explorer of the interior of North Amer ...
and of the journals of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...
, still working with Thwaites.
![Title page from The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Title_page_from_The_Philippine_Islands%2C_1493-1898.gif)
In 1903, she began work on the project she is most remembered for, the translation and editing of Philippine historical documents that were published in the 55-volume series ''
The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898
''The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898'', often referred to as ''Blair and Robertson'' after its two authors, was a 55-volume series of Philippine historical documents. They were translated by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson, a direc ...
'' (1903–09). Her collaborator was
James A. Robertson, later librarian at the Philippines Library in Manila. Most of the documents in this enormous collection had not previously been translated into English. Volumes 15 and 16 consist of
Antonio de Morga
Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay (29 November 1559 – 21 July 1636) was a Spanish soldier, lawyer and a high-ranking colonial official for 43 years, in the Philippines (1594 to 1604), New Spain and Peru, where he was president of the Real Audie ...
's ''History of the Philippine Islands From Their Discovery by Magellan in 1521 to the Beginning of the XVII Century'', an extremely valuable source on the early history of the islands.
Her last work was the translation and editing of documents for ''The Indian Tribes of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Region of the Great Lakes'' (2 vols., 1911–12). This work included
Nicolas Perrot
Nicolas Perrot (–1717), a French explorer, fur trader, and diplomat, was one of the first European men to travel in the Upper Mississippi Valley, in what is now Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Biography
Nicolas Perrot was born in France between 1641 ...
's ''Memoir: The Habits and Customs of the American Indians''. Just days after receiving an advance copy of volume 1 from the bindery, Blair died in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
on September 25, 1911.
According to her obituary in the ''Madison Democrat'',
:Miss Blair became by dint of native ability and years of preparatory toil one of the most expert historical editors in the county. She had acquired a complete mastery of the French and Spanish languages. Her literary style was incisive, her historical judgment clear and accurate, and her knowledge of the details of typography quite unusual. In recognition of these qualities Ripon College and the State University honored her with degrees.
[''Madison Democrat'', September 26, 1911]
References
External links
Her entryat the ''Dictionary of Wisconsin History''
Obituary ''Madison Democrat'', September 26, 1911
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Emma Helen
American book editors
1851 births
1911 deaths
People from Menasha, Wisconsin
Ripon College (Wisconsin) alumni
American women historians
American women journalists
Historians from Wisconsin