"Mrs. Buyer and the Girls.", 1967.

The Helen King Boyer Collection includes the personal papers of Zachariah T. Miller (1847-1913), who was attached to the 61st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment under General Carl Schurz during the American Civil War and later practiced homeopathic medicine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; his daughter Louise Miller Boyer (1890-1976), a noted artist and pioneer screenwriter at Metro Pictures Corporation in the New York City film industry in 1918; his granddaughter Helen King Boyer (b. 1919), another renowned artist; and other family members. The Helen King Boyer Collection is preserved in 16 archival boxes (24.0 linear feet).

Of particular note, the collection contains more than 130 substantive Civil War letters from Z. T. Miller to his family, over 250 letters from concert pianist Julie Rive-King (1854-1937), and the diaries of Helen King Boyer. Significant correspondents include John Taylor Arms, Nathaniel B. Boileau (1763-1850), John A. Brashear, and Elbert Hubbard. More than 1000 photographs in the collection provide extensive visual documentation of this distinguished family's history.

The portion of the Helen King Boyer Collection relating to Z. T. Miller thoroughly chronicles his Civil War experiences and his postwar medical career. Miller's 130 letters to his family, dated 1862 to 1864, trace his unit, the 61st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as it moves from training in Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, to the Virginia theater of war in places such as Moorefield, Fairfax Court House, Centreville, and Stafford Court House; and then to the Atlanta campaign. Moreover, his diaries offer additional details to his already thorough letters. The letters and diaries are preserved in original, transcript, and photocopy forms. Fascinating information about Carl Schurz is available among these documents. A unique item is a rare published regimental newspaper, "The Sixty-First Ohio" (Vol. 1 No. 1), edited by the members of the 61st Ohio and dated Moorefield, Virginia, 14 June 1862. Later, Z. T. Miller went on to become a homeopathic physician, and the collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, speeches, and printed material on the medical phase of his career. Many photographs of Miller, including some from his Civil War days, are preserved.

Documents pertaining to Louise Miller Boyer are also found in the Boyer Collection. Louise's letters to her husband in 1918 discuss her experiences as a screenwriter for Metro Pictures Corporation. In addition, Louise's correspondence with Dorothy Arms, John Taylor Arms, and John A. Brashear, among others, is retained. Manuscripts by Louise and photographs of her are plentiful. Files on Louise's husband, Ernest W. Boyer (1885-1949), are also of part of the family papers. Of interest are his letters to his wife, articles, drawings, and photographs. Ernest's photographs from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and the Panama-Pacific Exposition are especially noteworthy.

Helen King Boyer's correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, art work, and photographs are also found in the Boyer Collection.

Many other significant individuals count themselves among the Boyer family. Accordingly, the papers contain a wealth of documents by and about Julie Rive-King, including correspondence, photographs, and sheet music. A series of letters to and from Nathaniel B. Boileau is included. Furthermore, some items relate to Louise Klein Miller.

As a whole, the Helen King Boyer Collection provides scholars of American history and American art with an impressive documentary and visual record of the lives and achievements of several notable figures. The Georgetown University Fine Prints Collection and the Georgetown University Art Collection, both of which are also housed in the Georgetown University Library Special Collections Division, contain many prints and visual art materials created by or related to Helen King Boyer, Louise Miller Boyer, Ernest W. Boyer, and other Boyer relatives.

SERIES SYNOPSIS: The Helen King Boyer Collection is arranged into 19 series as described below. SERIES 1 - Z. T. Miller Civil War Letters. Arranged chronologically. SERIES 2 - Z. T. Miller Civil War Documents. Arranged chronologically. SERIES 3 - Z. T. Miller Correspondence. Arranged alphabetically by correspondent. SERIES 4 - Z. T. Miller Manuscripts. Arranged alphabetically by type of document. SERIES 5 - Z. T. Miller Printed Material. Arranged chronologically. SERIES 6 - Ernest W. Boyer Materials. SERIES 7 - Louise Miller Boyer Incoming Correspondence. Arranged alphabetically by correspondent. SERIES 8 - Louise Miller Boyer Outgoing Correspondence. Arranged chronologically. SERIES 9 - Louise Miller Boyer - New York Letters (1918). Arranged chronologically. SERIES 10 - Louise Miller Boyer Manuscripts. SERIES 11 - Julie Rive-King Materials. Chronological correspondence appears first, followed by printed matter. SERIES 12 - Nathaniel B. Boileau Correspondence. Chronological correspondence from Boileau is placed first, then chronological correspondence to Boileau. SERIES 13 - Helen King Boyer Materials. Correspondence appears first, next manuscripts, then art work, and finally printed matter. SERIES 14 - Other Boyer Relatives Materials. Arranged alphabetically by last name of family member. SERIES 15 - Printed Matter. Arranged alphabetically. SERIES 16 - Helen King Boyer Diaries. Arranged chronologically. SERIES 17 - Photographs. Arranged alphabetically by individual/subject. SERIES 18 - Oversized Objects. SERIES 19 - Oversized Documents and Photographs. Box 13 contains oversized materials on Z. T. Miller, Boxes 14 and 15 on Julie-Rive-King, and Box 16 on other family members, including Ernest W. Boyer and Louise Miller Boyer.

ABBREVIATIONS: ACS - Autograph Card Signed. ADS - Autograph Document Signed. AL - Autograph Letter. ALS - Autograph Letter Signed. AM - Autograph Manuscript. ANS - Autograph Note Signed. TCS - Typed Card Signed. TLS - Typed Letter Signed. TL - Typed Letter. TM - Typed Manuscript.