Ella May Thornton (April 28, 1885 – October 11, 1971) was an American librarian who served as the State Librarian of Georgia;[1] president of the Atlanta Library Club; and in 1936, became the president of the National Association of State Libraries.[2]
Ella May Thornton | |
|---|---|
| President, National Association of State Libraries | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | on April 28, 1885 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 1971 (aged 86) Atlanta |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Library School of Atlanta |
| Occupation | Georgia State Librarian |
| Awards | Woman of the Year in Professions (1951) |
Early life and education
editElla May Thorton was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 28, 1885. She was the daughter of Eugene Hascal Thornton (born May 31, 1848, in Clay County, Georgia;corporal, Pruden's Battery, Confederate States Army; board member, superintendent and secretary, Confederate Soldiers' Home; died December 14, 1921) and Emma (Neal) Thornton (born April 25, 1844, in Zebulon, Georgia ; died March 29, 1918). Granddaughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Eley) Thornton of Clay County, Georgia, and of John Neal (born September 19, 1796, in Warren County, Georgia; member, Pike County, Internal Improvement Convention, 1831; member, Pike County, Convention, 1833; member, Pike County, House of Representatives, 1838, 1839; died January 4, 1886, in Atlanta, Georgia) and Mary Jane (Campbell) Neal (born April 15, 1817). Great-granddaughter of David Neal (captain in the Revolution; married Apr. 2, 1780) and Joyce (McCormick) Neal.[1][3][4]
She was educated in the private schools of Atlanta; Walnut Hill School, Natick, Massachusetts, (3 years);[4] and the Carnegie Library School of Atlanta.[1]
Career
editThornton served as Second Assistant Librarian, Georgia State Library, 1909–14; Legislative Reference Librarian, Georgia State Library, 1911–18; Assistant State Librarian, 1919–25; and became the State Librarian on January 6, 1926,[4] retiring in 1954.[2] During the period of 1926–28, she was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Southeastern Library Association. She was also a member of the Georgia Library Association and the American Library Association, as well as a member ex-officio of the Georgia Library Commission and Georgia State Historical Commission.[1][3]
She compiled and published Georgia State Constitution and Amendments, 1917, 1925; and Georgia Election Laws, 1926.[4][3]
Personal life
editThornton never married. She died in Atlanta on October 11, 1971.[2]
The Ella May Thornton letters are held in a collection by the University of Georgia.[5]
Awards and honors
edit- 1951, Woman of the Year in Professions[2]
Selected works
edit- 1917, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
- 1925, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
- 1929, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
- 1932, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
- 1941, Georgia Women: 1840-1940, Record of Achievement
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Blair, Ruth (1926). Georgia Women of 1926. Georgia Department of Archives and History. p. 2. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d "Ella May Thornton". The Atlanta Journal. 12 October 1971. p. 57. Retrieved 29 November 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Georgia Department of Archives and History (1927). Georgia's Official Register. Department of Archives and History. p. 25. Retrieved 29 November 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d Who's who in the South. Mayflower Publishing Company. 1927. Retrieved 29 November 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Ella May Thornton lettersms767". sclfind.libs.uga.edu. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
