Claire Wilhelm photographs, approximately 1910-1950

Sub-Series

Identifier: MSS 8277 Series 1 Sub-Series 3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This subseries contains photographs and postcards of Claire Wilhelm, Lillian Wilhelm Smith, Mildred Fergerson, Dorothy Ackerman, Mildred Smith, Elma Schwarz, Polly Hunter, and various others on fishing trips, camping trips and in other situations with Zane Grey from approximately 1910 to 1950.

Dates

Creation: approximately 1910-1950

Creator

Wilhelm, Claire, 1898-1984 (collector, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Claire Wilhelm collection on Zane Grey must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

Claire Wilhelm (1898-1984) was the sister of artist Lillian Wilhelm Smith and companion to Western author Zane Grey.

Claire Wilhelm was born on July 20, 1898 in New Jersey to Henry T. and Leonore Wilhelm. She was the youngest of seven children, the oldest of which was the artist Lillian Wilhelm Smith. She was the cousin of Lina Elise Grey, wife of Western novelist Zane Grey. She accompanied Zane Grey on various fishing and camping expeditions beginning in 1914. In 1918, Grey's attentions turned to other women and Wilhelm found herself estranged from him. She married Phillips Carlin in June 1921.

In 1924, Grey began inviting Wilhelm to accompany him once again after Wilhelm sustained serious injuries in a car accident. She entered into Grey's employ as a secretary when her marriage began to fail. After nine months with Grey, Wilhelm finally parted ways with him and returned to New York City where she resolved the strains in her marriage. She had two daughters, Virginia and Patricia, and gave up travelling to raise them, however, she continued to correspond with Zane and Lina Elise Grey for many years afterward.

Claire Wilhelm died on January 15, 1984, in Branford, Connecticut.