Home
Obituary
- Wednesday September 6th
Dedication of Munroe
Hall
Photographic
History
John A.
Munroe
(updated with
unpublished personal writings and memoirs 13 Sept 2006)
H.
Rodney Sharp Professor of History,
Emeritus, University
of Delaware.
Education:
Wilmington
public schools.
University
of Delaware, B.A.
1936; M.A. 1941.
University
of Pennsylvania,
Ph.D. 1947.
Employment
Newark (DE) High
School, teacher, 1936-39.
University
of Pennsylvania,
graduate assistant,
1940-42.
University of
Delaware, instructor in history, 1942-47; alumni secretary, 1943-45;
assistant
professor, 1947-49; associate professor, 1949-52; assistant to dean of
Arts and
Sciences, 1949-51; chairman, history department, 1952-69; professor,
1952-82;
H. Rodney Sharp Professor, 1961-82.
Fellowships, Visiting
Professorships, etc.
Ford Foundation
(Fund for Advancement of Education) fellowship, 1951-52, largely spent
at
U.C.L.A., University of Washington, and University of Wisconsin.
Social Science
Research Council, director of student project, 1956.
Visiting
Professor, University
of Wisconsin,
summer,
1960.
Visiting
Professor, Bath University
(England),
summer, 1969.
Visiting
Professor, Seminar in American Culture, New
York
State Historical Association, Cooperstown, 1975.
Honors and Awards
Phi Kappa Phi.
Phi Beta Kappa.
Award of
American Association for State and Local History, 1955.
Honorary member,
Society of the Cincinnati.
Outstanding
Alumnus Award, University
of Delaware,
1963.
Governor's Gold
Medal, 1973, for Service.
News Journal
Award, 1976.
Governor's Award
for Contribution to Delaware History and Culture (State House
Symposium), 1977.
University
of Delaware Medal
of Distinction, 1980.
Francis Alison
Faculty Award (University
of Delaware),
1981.
Governor Ruth
Anne Miner’s Award in 2004—First award for contributions
Publications - Books
"Federalist Delaware, 1775-1815." Rutgers University
Press, 1954; paperback ed., University of Delaware,
1976.
"Louis McLane: Federalist and
Jacksonian." Rutgers
University Press,
1974.
"Colonial Delaware:
A History." KTO Press, 1978.
"History of Delaware." University of Delaware Press, 1979;
2nd ed. 1984; 3rd
ed., 1993; 4th ed., 2001, 5th ed, 2006.
"Books, Bricks,
and Bibliophiles: The University
of Delaware
Library." (with Carol E.
Hoffecker). University of Delaware,
1984.
"The University
of Delaware: A History." University of Delaware,
1984.
"Colonial
Delaware: A History." Delaware
Heritage Foundation, Second
Edition, 2003 (Includes footnotes
not included in first
edition.) Hardback and soft cover
"Philadelawareans
and Other Essays Relating to Delaware."
University
of Delaware
Press, 2004.
Publications - Booklets
"Delaware Becomes a State."
University of Delaware,
1953, reprints 1956, 1969, revised
and expanded, 1987.
"Timoleon’s
Biographical History of
Dionysius, Tyrant of Delaware."
University
of Delaware, 1958
(edited).
"Delaware: A Students’ Guide to Localized History." Teachers
College Press,
Columbia
University, 1965,
1972 (3rd
printing); reprint, Delaware State
College, 19__.
"Church vs.
State: The Early Struggle for Control of Delaware
College."
(Distinguished Faculty
Lecture Series). Newark: University
of Delaware, College of Arts
and
Science, 1982.
Publications -
Outlines -
Informally Reproduced
"Outline of the
History and Government of Delaware." University of Delaware, 1962,
1971, 1973.
Unpublished
Personal
Writings and Memoirs (some
samples and excerpts)
Munroe, John A., Dating Dorothy,
14 pages, Spring1996, self
published-limited
Munroe, John A., Detlings In
My Past: A
Memoir for My Children
and Grandchildren, 69 pages, 1996, self published-limited
Munroe, John A., Tales of My Father,
33 pages, self
published-limited
Munroe, John A., Paternal Ancestry
of John A. Munroe, (The
Munroes of Gallway and Delaware) 31 pages1988, self
published-limited
Munroe, John A., Arden
as I Knew It, 4 pages, 200?
Munroe, John A., Eulogy
for Richard P. McCormick, 2 pages, March 2006
Munroe, John A., n.n.
Publications - As Editor
Delaware Folklore
Bulletin, 1951.
Delaware History
(magazine of Historical Society
of Delaware), 1969-95.
University News (University of Delaware),
1943-45.
Publications - Articles
“The Lyceum in America
before the Civil War.” Delaware
Notes, 1942, 15th
series, pp, 65-76.
“The
Philadelawareans: A Study in the Relations between Philadelphia
and Delaware in the Late Eighteenth Century,”
(condensed from speech of Nov. 24, 1944, before Pennsylvania’s
Historical Junto, Washington,
D.C.), The
Pennsylvanian,
Dec. 1944, VII, no. 5, p.19-20.
“The Philadelawareans: A Study
in the Relations Between Philadelphia and Delaware
in the Late Eighteenth Century.”
Pennsylvania
Magazine of History and Biography, April 1945, pp. 128-149,
v.LXIX.
(With R. O. Bausman.)
“James Tilton’s Notes on the
Agriculture of
Delaware in 1788.” Agricultural
History (1946), v. XX, no.3, pp.176-187.
“The Eve
of the Revolution,” “The Revolution and the Confederation,” and
“Party Battles, 1789-1850.” Three
chapters in
H. Clay Reed, ed., Delaware: A
History of the First
State. New York, 1947.
“Albert Newton Raub and the
Administration of Delaware
College, 1888-1896.” Delaware Notes 21st
series (1948), pp.1-18.
“James
Hemphill’s Account of a Visit to Maryland
in 1802.” Delaware
History (1948), III, no.2, p.61-78.
“Conference on American History:
‘Do we
need a “New History” of American Political Democracy?’ (With R. P. McCormick
and R. F. Nichols, eds.) The Historical Society
of Pennsylvania,
January 22 and 23, 1948.” Pennsylvania
Magazine of
History and Biography (1948).
“State's
Rites.” American
Heritage (1949), III no. 1, p.4-8.
“Robert
Kirkwood,” The Picket Post (Valley
Forge),
March, 1949.
“Senator
Nicholas Van Dyke of New Castle.” Delaware History (1951), IV, no.3, pp. 207-226.
“Folklore – And
a Folklore Society.” Delaware Folklore Bulletin (1951).
“The New Castle
Tercentenary.” In Old New Castle and Modern Delaware: An
Exhibition in the Library of Congress.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1951, p.1-11.
“William
Plumer’s Biographical Sketches of James A. Bayard, Caesar A. Rodney,
and Samuel
White.” Delaware
History (1951), IV, 354-377.
“History – It’s
All Around You.” Wilmington Sunday Star (June 10, 1951).
“Unity of Delaware River
Valley.” Wilmington Sunday Star
(October 21, 1951).
“Nonresident
Representation in the Continental Congress:
The Delaware
Delegation of 1782.” William
and Mary Quarterly IX
(April, 1952): 166-90.
“The Delaware
Physician of 1800.” Delaware State Medical Journal (1955), XXVII, no. 10, p.255-261.
“Senator Henry
Moore Ridgely, of Delaware, Dickinson 1797.” In
“John
and Mary’s College,” The Boyd Lee Spahr
Lectures in Americana, 1951-56, Dickinson College (1956).
“The Negro in Delaware.” South
Atlantic Quarterly, LV
(no. 4, autumn 1957): 428-444.
“James A. Bayard
and the Milligans.” Delaware History, VIII,
no.2 (1958), pp.
148-158.
“The Delaware River
Valley:
An Historical Appreciation.” Bulletin of the Historical Society of Montgomery County
(PA), (1958).
“Louis
McLane.” University News
(1958), pp. 3, 5, v.XXII.
“Judgment and
Reasoning in Reading.” In Reading – A Thinking
Process, Proceedings of the 40th
Annual Education Conference (Newark,
1959).
“The Museum and
the University.” The
Curator (1959), II, p.252-258.
“The Hagley
Program.” American
Studies (1959), IV, no.4, p.5-6.
“A Shipment of
Furniture to Australia and China.” Winterthur Newsletter (1959), v.V, no.6.
“Ardent Love,” William
and Mary Quarterly, 3rd ser., XVII (January, 1960),
112-113.
“Catholicism's
Start in Delaware.” In
Coffee Run, 1772-1960: The Story of the
Beginning of the Catholic Faith in Delaware
(Wilmington,
1960).
“A Brave Man–or
a Foolish One.” The
American Archivist (1963), XXV, no.2, p.151-160.
“Mrs. McLane’s
Colored Boy and Peggy O’Neal.” Delaware History (1963), X, 361-366.
Preface to
"Betty Harrington Macdonald," Historic
Landmarks of Delaware
and the Eastern Shore (1963).
“Willard
Hall.” Delaware
History (1964), XI, 36-39.
“Dickinson and the
Constitution,” A Newsletter from the Friends of the John
Dickinson Mansion, II,
no.2 (April, 1964), p.4.
Introduction to
Daniel O. Hastings, "Delaware Politics, 1904-1954" (Wilmington,
1964).
“Regional
Influences in the American Colonies,” in Cultural Contrasts
in Colonial
Capitals, The 17th
Annual Williamsburg
Antiques Forum, Summaries of the
Lectures and Suggested Reading, Jan. 24-29, 1965.
“The Great
Quarter Century, 1763-1788,” Spring In-Service Institute in
American History
(Cleveland Public Schools Division of
Social Studies, 1965.)
“Delaware as an
Antique.” The Delaware Antiques Show Catalogue
(Wilmington,
1965), p.27-29.
“Just What and
Where Is the Mason-Dixon
Line.”
The
Colonial Courier (1968).
“The Philadelphia
Connection.” The Delaware Antiques Show Catalogue
(Wilmington,
1970), p.43-51.
“Address at
Dedication of Cowgill’s Corner
School Museum.” In Fiftieth
Anniversary of the Delaware State Board of Education (Dover, 1972),
p.47-50.
“Separation
Day.” First State
Bicentennial Newsletter (summer, 1973).
“Early Naval
Activities in Delaware
Bay.” Transactions of the Delaware
Academy
of Science 1970 and 1971 (Newark,
1973), II, p. 127-136.
Introduction to
"Collected Essays of Richard S. Rodney
on
Early Delaware"
(Wilmington,
1975).
“A Known, Respected Institution.” The University of Delaware
News (fall 1975), pp. 2-5.
“Reflections on
Delaware and
the American Revolution,” Delaware History (1976), XVII, no.1,
p.1-11.
“Delaware Moved Quickly
after July 4,” in Supplement
to Sunday News Journal, July 4, 1976,
p.4, 6.
“New Castle, 1776” in Historic
New Castle
’76 ( a Public Education Program of Six
Presentations for 1976) Volume II.
“The Battle of
Cooch’s Bridge,” Delaware Conservationist (1978), XXI: 4,
pp.11-15.
“Speech on
Early History of Lewes” in Papers Given at Lewes Historical
Society’s ...
Seminars, 1978, p.1-12.
"Church vs. State:
The Early Struggle for Control of Delaware
College," Distinguished
Faculty Lecture, May 5, 1982. College of Arts and Science, University of Delaware, 1983.
“Benjamin
Eastburn, Thomas Noxon, and the Earliest Map of the Lower Counties.”
Delaware
History XXI (1985):
217-252.
“Afterword: A Short
History
of the University of Delaware.” In The American
University: Problems, Prospects, and Trends. Jan H. Blits, ed. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1985, pp. 157-176.
“The First Map
of Delaware
after Statehood.” Fully,
Freely and Entirely. Delaware
Heritage
Commission, 1986.
“Pierre Charles
Varlé and His Map of Delaware.”
Delaware
History, XXII
(1986): 22-38.
“University of Delaware
Roster of Presidents,” Update (University of Delaware),
Feb 9, 1987, p. 8-10.
“University’s
Leadership Leaves Legacy of Growth,” Compass (supplement
of Wilmington
News Journal), June 25, 1987, p. 1, 12-13.
“Delaware and the
Constitution: An Overview of Events
Leading to Ratification.” Delaware History XXII (1987): 219-238.
Introduction to
"University of Delaware." Louisville: Harmony House, 1988.
Introduction to "New Sweden,"
an Exhibition Catalog (University of Delaware Library, Newark,
1988).
“Musical
Memoirs: A Sheet Music Collection.” University of Delaware
Library Collections, III
(1988): 1-19.
“A Parson in
Politics: The Expulsion of John C. Brush
from the Delaware General Assembly in 1801,”
Delaware History, XXIII
(1989): 189-202.
“James Tilton
(1745-1822)” and “Martin Waltham Bates (1787-1869).” Delaware
Medical Journal LXI (April 1989): 231-232
and 239-240.
“Tales Told Out
of School.” University of Delaware
Messenger, II, No. 1 (1992): 15.
“Judge Morris
in Memory.” In Remembering
Judge Morris. University of Delaware
Library Associates, 1993, pp.
43-46, in Collections, VIII.
“Delaware” in Encylopedia Yearbook (Danbury,
CT: Grolier, Inc.) for
1993,
1995, 1998.
“Armistice Day
in France,
1918: A Letter from John Wilson (Mike)
O’Daniel.” Delaware
History XXV (1994): 264-268.
Foreword to
"Julian Winslow, Samuel Maxwell
Harrington: A Pioneer Judge." New York: Vantage,
1994.
“From the Past
– Presidential Profiles.” University of Delaware Messenger, v.6,
no.5 (1997) p.16-19.
Preface to "Press, Politics and
Perseverance: Everett
C. Johnson and the Press of Kells," by Robert C. Barnes and
Judith
Pfeiffer. New Castle: Oak Knoll, 1999.
“Historic
Setbacks Recalled.” Newsletter of University of Delaware
Association of Retired Faculty, Nos. 39 and 40 (November 1999 and
February
2000).
“The Academy
of Newark in the Early 1790s.”
University
of Delaware
Library
Associates Collections, V (2000):
11-15.
“A Brief History of the University
of Delaware
(2000), University
of Delaware Home Page
(last modified, 2000).
Seven biographical sketches:
Allen McLane, Louis McLane,
George Read,
Caesar Rodney, Caesar A. Rodney, James Tilton, Nicholas Van Dyke,
in American National Biography. Oxford University
Press, 2000.
“Delaware, The First
State”
Fully, Freely and Entirely
(Delaware
Heritage Commission), vol. 13, No. 2 (2002), pp. 4-6.
Three
biographies (accepted and scheduled):
Thomas McKean, George Read,
Caesar Rodney, New Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford
University Press,
2004.
Memorial to
Walther Kirchner in booklet published in Germany,
2005
"Arden, as I Knew It." ~2004,
not published 3 pages.
Publications - Articles Reprinted
Elsewhere
“The Unity of
the Delaware River Valley.” The
Historian. Bucks Co., Pa., Historical
Society,
v. vi, No. 6, 1971, reprint.
“Still
Federalist Delaware.” In The
First American Party System: Federalists
and Republicans. W. N. Chambers, ed.
New York,
1972, reprint from Federalist Delaware, p. 198-208.
“Federalist Delaware.”
In Readings in Delaware
History. Ed., Carol E. Hoffecker, Newark,
1973. A selection from the book of the
same title.
“The Negro in Delaware.” In Slavery
at the State and Local Level.
Edited by Paul Finkelman. Articles
on American Slavery, v.
7. New York: Garland,
1989, pp. 166-183.
“The Battle of
Cooch’s Bridge,” in Cincinnati Fourteen (Newsletter of
the Society of
the Cincinnati),
XXXI, no. 2 (May, 1995), p. 40-43.
Publications - Column on Historical
Subjects
Wilmington Morning News. Weekly,
1959-1960; and every third
week, 1960-65. (145 articles)
Publications - Encyclopedia Articles
Encyclopedia Americana,
Encyclopedia
Britannica, Collier’s Encyclopedia, World Book Encyclopedia, Americana
Annual,
Encyclopedia Yearbook, etc.
Publications - Anonymous
Works
“Class of “75”
and most unattributed content in The University News (University of Delaware Alumni
quarterly), summer 1943 to spring
1945).
"The Hagley Museum: A Story of Early Industry on the Brandywine" (guidebook).
Eleutherian Mills—Hagley
Foundation, 1957 and 1966. (Some of this guide was the work of others.)
“New
Publications of Delaware Interest,” Delaware
History, IV, no. 3 (June 1951), 307-312, and IV, no. 4 (September
1951),
384-386.
Publications - Book Reviews
American
Historical Review, The Journal of American History, American Quarterly,
Journal
of Southern History,
New England Quarterly, South Atlantic Quarterly, New York
Historical Society Quarterly, New York History,
New Jersey History,
Pennsylvania History, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,
Maryland
Historical Magazine,
North Carolina Historical Review, History News, William
and Mary Quarterly, West Virginia History,
Eighteenth-Century Studies,
Wilmington Sunday Star.
Papers
and Speeches
American
Historical Association, Pacific Coast Branch of A.H.A., Organization of
American Historians, American Association for State and Local History,
Delaware
State General Assembly (Washington’s Birthday speech and a televised
address to
the assembly, judiciary and executive on 100th anniversary
of state
constitution),
Northeast Museums Conference, Antiques Forum (Williamsburg, VA),
Antiques Forum of Midwest (Dearborn, MI), Western Reserve Historical
Society
(Cleveland, OH),
Maryland Historical Society, New Jersey Historical Society,
Friends Historical Association (Philadelphia), Historical Society of
Delaware,
Bucks County (PA) Historical Society,
Montgomery County (PA) Historical
Society, Haddonfield (NJ) Historical Society, Cecil County (MD)
Historical
Society, Queen Anne’s County (MD) Historical Society,
Sussex County Historical
Society, New Castle Historical Society, Friends of Old Dover, Delaware
Bench
and Bar Annual Conference, Medical Society Annual Meeting,
Kent County (Md.)
Historical Society, University of Delaware commencement (1975),
Delaware State
Archives (2000), Lincoln Club of Delaware, Society of Colonial Wars of
Delaware,
Colonial Dames of Delaware.
Also to many
college, high school and preparatory school assemblies, graduations,
clubs; to
historical groups in Milwaukee,
Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Valley
Forge, Palm Beach, etc., including teachers’ meetings.
To alumni
groups on the Pacific Coast (Los Angeles,
Oakland, Seattle),
in Florida (Fort
Lauderdale
and Sarasota),
in Delaware,
and at Richmond and New York City.
Television Lecture Series
History and
Government of Delaware, Station WHYY,
1963 Film in Morris Library (University of Delaware).
Earlier series
on Delaware History (live), ca. 1956, on WDEL-TV.
As a Participant in Scholarly Symposia
by Invitation
Historical
Society of Pennsylvania, Rutgers
University,
Institute
of Early American History and
Culture
(Williamsburg),
Winterthur,
Hagley (and Eleutherian Mills),
Anglo-American historical conference (London, 1962).
Professional and Academic Offices, Off
Campus
Chairman,
Publications Committee, and member, Board of Trustees Historical
Society of
Delaware.
Member, Board of
Trustees, Eleutherian Mills—Hagley Foundation.
Member, State
Review Board for Historic Properties, National Historic Register.
Historical
committees, Medical Society of Delaware.
Member, State
Boundary Commission.
Advisor to Delaware
Heritage
Commission.
Member,
Resources Committee, Delaware
Heritage Commission.
Member,
Fellowship Committee, Winterthur
Program
Member, board of
directors, Delaware Society for the Preservation of Antiquities
President,
Friends of the John
Dickinson Mansion
Home
Obituary
- Wednesday September 6th
Dedication of Munroe
Hall
Photographic
History