Eva Velma Davis Beets, daughter of Richard Solomon and Mary Ann Carley
Davis Beets, was born on February 14, 1898, in East Columbia, Marion County,
Mississippi. She graduated from Columbia High School in 1916; married Ed
Roy Beets, a Kentucky native, in 1918; and had four children, Roy Samuel,
Elmer, Edward Ingram, and Geraldine, before her divorce from Beets in 1955.
Eva Beets received a journalism certificate from the Newspaper Institute
of America in 1950; wrote stories for Dixie Roto Magazine; and worked
as a correspondent for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Hattiesburg
American, Clarion-Ledger, Jackson Daily News; and the
Associated Press. Eva Davis Beets died in Columbia, on August
3, 1993.
Scope and Content
The papers document the life, beliefs, family history, and career of Eva
Velma Davis Beet through correspondence; legal, genealogical, and autobiographical
materials, including a copy of her unpublished autobiography; and the drafts
and printed copies of newspaper and magazine articles, many of which were
written by Beets herself. These materials provide insight into her career
as a journalist and sources for the study of women's history; the local
history of Marion County; and the social history of Mississippi in the
twentieth century.
Series Identification
Box 1
Correspondence. 1939–1987; n.d. This series consists of incoming and
outgoing personal and business correspondence of Eva Davis Beets and a
few items of correspondence to her husband, Ed Roy Beets. Personal correspondence
focuses on family news; the religious and genealogical interests of Eva
Davis Beets; and her illness in New Orleans in 1943. Business correspondence
includes that with editors concerning her career as a journalist; her attempts
to get her writings published; and her nomination of a teacher for the
Valley Forge Classroom Teachers' Medal program of the Freedoms Foundation
at Valley Forge in 1960.
Autobiographical Materials. 1986; n.d. This series includes Eva Davis
Beets's unpublished autobiography, "The Narrow Road" (n.d.); a reader's report
on the autobiography (n.d.); copies of Christine Wilson's edition of a
portion of that autobiography in "Growing Up in Marion County: A Memoir
by Eva Davis Beets", Journal of Mississippi History, 48 (1986), 199–213;
and a six-page autobiographical article by Eva Davis Beets (n.d.).
Sylvester Magee Materials. 1976; n.d. This series consists of articles
either written by Eva Davis Beets or constructed around her reminiscences
concerning Sylvester Magee, an ex-slave who lived to be 130 years old,
and his appearance on the Mike Douglas television show.
Box 2
Drafts of Articles. 1927; 1986; n.d. This series contains drafts of
articles by Eva Davis Beets, many of which appeared in newspapers or magazines
in Louisiana and Mississippi. The articles cover a wide variety of topics,
including her religious beliefs; family history; recipes; the events and
history of places and people in Marion County; and issues
such as abortion, nuclear waste, and race relations; and the problems of
teenagers and senior citizens.
Clippings. 1965–1986; n.d. This series primarily contains newspaper
articles written by Eva Davis Beets, including printed versions of the
drafts of articles described above, as well as some clippings concerning
herself and her family.
Poetry. n.d. Three poems, including one written by Eva Davis Beets,
and two composed by her son, Edward Ingram Beets, comprise this series.
Awards. 1951; 1962; n.d. This series includes Eva Davis Beets's 1951
certificate of recognition (for 1950) from the Freedoms Foundation, Inc.,
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; a 1962 Freedoms Foundation brochure; and an
undated clipping reporting her acceptance of the certificate.
Legal Materials. 1918; 1955. These materials consist of the marriage
license (1918) and divorce decree (1955) of Eva Davis and Ed Roy Beets.
Genealogical Materials, n.d. This series contains genealogical materials
relating to Eva Davis Beets's maternal relatives, the Carley family.
