Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection are in English.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Edith Halsey Lay Invitation, Ms1994-009, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Edith Halsey Lay Invitation was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1994.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Edith Halsey Lay Invitation commenced and was completed in October, 2023.

Biographical / Historical

Edith Halsey Lay, daughter of (Thomas) Walcott and Martha E. Arnold Lay, was born in Washington, D. C., June 10, 1869 (though on various documents she reported the year of her birth as 1870, 1871, and 1873). The 1870 and 1880 federal censuses list Lay as a resident in the Washington home of her parents. Her name appears several times in the society pages of Washington newspapers throughout the 1890s, and by the time of the 1900 census, she was living in the Washington home of Eva Bennett. By 1909, Lay was employed as a servant/companion in the Samuel (or Charles) Matthewson home, New York City, where she remained as late as 1911. The 1920 census again lists her as a Manhattan resident, employed in a department store. In 1922, she traveled to Mexico City, Mexico, where she married Dr. Henry Arthur Geitz (1874-1961) on August 19, 1922. Edith Lay Geitz died in Monterrey, Mexico on August 9, 1952, and was buried in Panteon del Roble, Monterrey.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of an invitation (with envelope) issued by United States President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland to Edith Halsey Lay. The invitation permitted Lay entrance to four separate receptions at the White House in January and February, 1894: to meet the diplomatic corps (January 11), for Congress and the judiciary (January 25), to meet the officers of the armed services (February 3), and for the public (February 6).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Women -- History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Edith Halsey Lay Invitation by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).