Edward I. Devitt, SJ Papers
Collection
Identifier: GTM-000007
The Edward I. Devitt, SJ Papers contain diaries, sermons, correspondence, manuscripts, and miscellaneous material. Of note are his accounts of early post-war social and political events in Washington, DC (box 1 folders 1-2), which often focus on the Black population of the area. Within his near-daily diaries he describes the assassination and funeral of Abraham Lincoln; post-war legislation such as the Freedmen's Bureau Bill; anniversary celebrations of emancipation in the District; and the passing of Black suffrage in the city.
Please be aware that this collection contains documents that use outdated and potentially offensive terminology.
The Edward I. Devitt, SJ Papers are on deposit at Georgetown University and are the property of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. As stewards of the Archives, the Georgetown University Library’s Booth Family Center for Special Collections is responsible for managing access to the material based on policies set forth by the USA East Province. Researchers may view these materials in the Reading Room of the Booth Family Center for Special Collections. General policies for using Special Collections can be found here.
Access to the Archives is governed by the USA East Province and is subject to all Library and Special Collections policies and procedures in addition to the specific guidelines below. These guidelines are a summary of access policies; the Archives may include materials that fall outside the scope of these general guidelines. For information on access to specific materials, please contact the Special Collections staff.
Guidelines:
1. All Archives materials dated or bearing solely on events occurring before January 1, 1940, shall be open for review unless otherwise restricted, subject to Library policies and procedures.
2. All unpublished Archives materials dated or bearing solely on events occurring on or after January 1, 1940, shall be open for review upon request subject to a decision by the Provincial or someone designated by the Provincial.
3. Researchers may quote from the materials.
4. Researchers may take their own photographs of the material for scholarly and research purposes. Allowing photographs is not an authorization to publish or to deposit the material in another library or archive.
5. Written permission from the USA East Province is required for the publication of substantive portions of any material or publication-quality reproductions of any material.
6. Material not yet processed is not available to researchers; permission will not be granted to access any unprocessed material.
7. Audiovisual, microfilm and other material in the Archives, the original of which is held in another archive, may be consulted and transcribed only. Written permission from the archive holding the original material is required for any duplication, reproduction, or publication of that material.
8. Use the Permission Request Form to request permission (i) to access any restricted processed material or (ii) to publish reproductions or quote substantive portions of the material. Send the completed form by email to the Booth Family Center for Special Collections (speccoll@georgetown.edu).
Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.
Fr. Edward I. Devitt (1840-1920) was born in St. John, New Brunswick, to George and Bridget Devitt. By 1851 the family had moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he was enrolled in Eliot Grammar School and Boston English High School. After graduating high school in 1857, Fr. Devitt attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester until 1859 when he joined the Society of Jesus. He was at Frederick (1859-1863) before teaching at Gonzaga College in Washington, DC (1864-1869), and completing his philosophical studies at Woodstock (1870-1872). He stayed at Woodstock for his theological studies (1873-1876) and was ordained in 1875. Fr. Devitt was Prefect of Studies at the College of the Holy Cross (1877-1878) and finished his tertianship at Frederick (1879), taking his final vows in 1880.
Between 1880 and 1883 he was editor of the Woodstock Letters and also assisted with the mission at nearby Poplar Springs. He was stationed at Georgetown College (1884-1887, 1895-1898), Woodstock (1888), College of the Holy Cross (1889-1891), and he was Rector of Boston College between 1892 and 1894. After a brief period at Gonzaga College in 1899, he spent the remainder of his life at Georgetown College (1900-1920). There he was custodian of the archives of the history of Maryland (1900-1920), also known as the Maryland Colonial Library, as well as principal university archivist while Fr. Francis A. Barnum was stationed elsewhere (1901-1913). In 1902 he was a representative of the Maryland-New York Province at the Procurators General Congregation in Rome. Fr. Devitt died at Georgetown in 1920.
1.2 Cubic Feet (3 boxes)
English
Latin
Italian
Spanish
French
The collection was previously part of the University Archives (prior to 1970). Likely transferred to the collection from the Georgetown University Jesuit residence or from the offices of the University Archives in Healy Hall after Fr. Devitt's death in 1920.
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository