Preferred Citation

Edith Moore Sprouse Papers, MS313, Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections, Alexandria, Va.

Biographical / Historical

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Edith Moore Kynor Sprouse (1923-2004) was a local historian, author, and preservationist. A graduate of Wellesley College, she worked briefly for the Army Map Service before discovering her true love, Northern Virginia history. Beginning in 1961, Sprouse wrote numerous books and articles about local history and undertook what she regarded as her most important project, indexing and cataloging Fairfax County government records from the 1700s through 1979. Instrumental in founding the Fairfax County Historical Commission, Sprouse served on the board of the Franconia Museum and advised the Friends of Historic Huntley. She was a member of the Northern Virginia Association for History, the Alexandria Historical Society, the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Virginia, the Friends of Gunston Hall, Historic Dumfries, at the Alexandria Public Library.

Content Description

This collection consists of correspondence, research materials, including computer discs and card files, and printed local history publications written and collected by Mrs. Sprouse. Of particular interest are the card files, containing extensive information on Alexandria, Fairfax, and the surrounding areas extracted from newspapers and public records as well as collected through interviews and fieldwork.

Arrangement

The correspondence and local history materials are organized chronologically; the computer discs alphabetically; the special projects and card files chronologically and by topic. The collection is divided into six series: Series I: Correspondence Series II: Special Projects Series III: Research Materials Series IV: Computer Discs Series V: Card Files Series VI: Local History

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Alexandria (Va.) -- History
• Fairfax County (Va.) -- History.