The papers in the collection document Schwantz's genealogy, her work with the State Board of Control in 1923-1924 for Elizabeth Kading (including correspondence with Ada James), as well as her teaching, her family background in Watertown, and her interest in progressive politics. There are also materials relating to the foreclosure of the Robert Lamp house (22 N. Butler Street in Madison), which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The collection consists of genealogical materials, correspondence, scrapbooks, memorabilia, journals, clippings, photographs and negatives, and other materials, with the bulk of the collection dating from about 1894 to 1968. Some of the items were used in preparing the “Six Generations Here” exhibit organized by George Talbot of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1982, concerning the Krueger family in the area around Watertown. The main source of materials for the exhibit was accessioned as the Krueger Family Papers.
The Schwantz Papers present a picture of domestic life in a German American immigrant family over four generations. The collection also relates to aspects of women's history in the state, documenting the changes in society reflected in one Wisconsin woman's life as a family member, a young woman, a wife, a mother, and a worker.
Schwantz was keenly interested in her genealogy, and recorded detailed notes on her family history. The Goetsch and Schwantz lines are well represented; the Deuschli and Krueger lines are represented, but in less depth. The large number of photographs in the collection are annotated primarily by Schwantz, and provide a corresponding visual record to the genealogical materials. The great majority of photographs have documentation on the reverse sides, in some cases going into great detail about the subjects depicted. The extent and level of documentation for the genealogical materials is a strength of the collection. The genealogical materials are complemented by materials representing other aspects of Schwantz's life, and this variety creates a more complete portrait of her life than that of a purely genealogical collection.
The collection is organized into three series: Board of Control, Personal Papers, and Visual Materials. The Personal Papers series has the following subseries: Biographical Information, Correspondence, Financial Records, Newspaper clippings, Notebooks, Real Estate Records, and Scrapbooks and Memorabilia. The Visual Materials series has two subseries, Photographs and Scrapbooks.
The BOARD OF CONTROL series concerns Schwantz's work as a special confidential clerk during 1923-1924 for Mrs. Elizabeth Kading, and the political pressures that led to Mrs. Kading's resignation as President of the organization. Schwantz and Kading were friends from Watertown high school, and remained close friends into adulthood. After Schwantz wrote an unsigned letter to the Capital Times, supporting reforms advocated by the Board of Control in its oversight of homes for children, Kading asked her to serve as a special clerk. In this capacity, Schwantz had firsthand knowledge of the correspondence coming from the homes and the internal workings of the Board. Schwantz discusses her support of Mrs. Kading when opposing interests on the Board and in Governor Blaine's administration in effect forced Kading's resignation. Included in the series are correspondence to and from Ada James, other letters and postcards, clippings, and a memorial booklet about Mrs. Kading.
The PERSONAL PAPERS series represents the bulk of the manuscript portion of the collection. The Biographical Information consists of school papers, including Schwantz's high school diploma, graduation essay, and teaching certificates; genealogical materials, Francis Walter Swantz materials, and Ralph Willard Stevens materials. The genealogical materials include Schwantz's notes; materials from other members of her extended family; memorial cards for her parents, paternal grandfather, and husband; clippings concerning her immediate and extended family; and typed genealogical trees. There is a translation of a short account written in 1893 by her grandfather, Wilhelm Friedrich Goetsch, about his emigration from Germany to the area around Watertown, and his life in Wisconsin. He wrote a similar account for his wife, Charlotte, upon her death in 1899. There is also a commemorative booklet from 1957 on the Diamond Anniversary of the First Baptist Church, which Wilhelm Goetsch helped found in Watertown. The Schwantz family genealogical materials include copies of August Friedrich Schwantz's German emigration document from 1856, and his naturalization application in the United States, from 1868. The materials on Swantz and Stevens are relatively few, and are primarily related to their professional accomplishments. The Swantz materials include school diplomas, letters of recommendation, and a talk he presented on nuclear energy to a church group. The Stevens materials include a form relating to his change of surname in 1926, and clippings of awards and other recognition he received.
The Correspondence subseries consists of letters between family members, general letters, and civic letters. The family letters contain some genealogical information, and include a letter from 1876 from Magdalena Deuschli to her daughter Louise (Frances Schwantz's mother), letters from Schwantz's sister Alice, and boyhood letters from Francis Walter Schwantz to his mother. Civic letters consist of a letter from Representative Jeannette Rankin (1917) acknowledging receipt of Schwantz's letter, and a copy of Schwantz's letter to Senator Robert M. La Follette (1934), urging him to run on a third party liberal ticket. General correspondence (primarily incoming) includes letters between Frances Schwantz or other family members and those outside the family.
The Financial records subseries includes household account books and sales books. There are twenty-six household account books, 1900-1949. These include records of everyday expenses, but also unique expenditures such as those for Schwantz's trousseau in 1902, and financial details of her father's will. Sales books consist of Henry Goetsch's sewing machine sales book (1883-1901), a sales book from the Goetsch Brothers store (1883, 1902-1903), and Theodore Schwantz's store receipt book (1909).
Newspaper clippings include articles on Watertown, including one written by Schwantz in 1962, and various news clippings related to civic affairs and politics.
The Notebooks subseries includes Schwantz's notes on her readings, and other reflections. The earliest two are marked “Frances Goetsch,” and contain rules for English grammar: one is dated 1899-1900, the other is undated, but was presumably written before her marriage in 1902. The others range from 1901 to 1932.
The Real Estate Records pertain primarily to the Robert Lamp house, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, which Schwantz won by foreclosure. Included are legal documents, a rental lease, maps, and news clippings. This subseries also contains a few documents relating to another property in Portland, Oregon.
The Scrapbooks and Memorabilia include copies of two large scrapbooks with newspaper clippings compiled in 1934 which document Schwantz's interest in the issues covered, such as municipal ownership of utilities, pension reform, the New Deal, progressive politics, and columns on the political climate in Washington, D.C. There is also an autograph book inscribed “Hattie Goetsch” (Frances's sister Harriet). Memorabilia include three handmade booklets from Theodore Schwantz to his fiancée, Frances Goetsch; two metallic souvenirs of Theo Schwantz's store opening in 1903, a tag and permit to remove the cremated remains of Schwantz's sister Alice, and wallpaper fragments with handwritten quotations from Schwantz's girlhood bedroom.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series consists of Photographs and Scrapbooks and mirrors the organization of the manuscript portion of the collection.
The Personal Papers section within the Photographs subseries includes both portraits and snapshots of Frances Goetsch Schwantz from her high school days in 1894 through approximately 1960. The Genealogy section, which is primarily portraiture, is arranged alphabetically by family name. The images here are well documented with detailed inscriptions on the back of many of the photographs. The Teaching Career section documents Schwantz's eight years teaching school including class pictures and portraits of administrators related to the schools where she taught. The Scrapbooks subseries includes three albums of Victorian paper decorations and pictorial advertisements and a postcard album which reflect women's pastimes and advertising conventions of that era.
