Marjorie Edgar
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Marjorie Edgar | |
|---|---|
 Marjorie Edgar, from a 1924 publication | |
| Born | February 17, 1889 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 1960 (age 71) Stillwater, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupations | Girl Scout leader, folklorist |
Marjorie Edgar (February 17, 1889 – April 20, 1960) was an American Girl Scout leader and folklorist, based in Minnesota. She made a significant collection of Finnish folk songs among the immigrant families of rural Minnesota.
Edgar was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of William Crowell Edgar and Anne Page Robinson Edgar.[1] Her businessman father published a literary weekly, The Bellman, and a trade journal, The Northwestern Miller.[2] She attended Rosemary Hall in Connecticut,[3] and studied folk music with Grace Hodsdon Boutelle, a student of Cecil Sharp's.[4]
As a young woman, she was a friend to Helen Taft and her future sister-in-law Martha Bowers, during their visit to Minneapolis in 1912.[5] Edgar was a bridesmaid when Bowers married Robert A. Taft in 1914.[6]
Career
Edgar helped organize the first Girl Scout troop in Minnesota in 1915,[7][8] and one of the first Girl Scout camps. She was regional director of the Girl Scout councils and troops in Minnesota.[9] She also trained Girl Scout leaders in a program at Carleton College in 1923.[10]
During the 1930s, Edgar worked as a writer, researcher, and transcriber for the Minnesota Writers' Project. She served on the board of directors of the Minnesota chapter of the National League of American Pen Women.[11] She presented on her work to women's groups,[12][13] scout gatherings,[14] and other audiences, sometimes in costume.[15] In the 1940s she was on the music committee of the Folk Arts Foundation of Minnesota.[16]
Publications
In addition to two song books for Girl Scout use, Edgar published research in journals including Journal of American Folklore,[17] Minnesota History,[18][19][20] and Western Folklore.[21]
- Songs of Camp Minnesota for Girl Scout Leaders (1925)
- Old Songs and Balladry for Girl Scouts (1930)
- "Finnish Charms from Minnesota" (1934)[17]
- "Finnish Folk Songs in Minnesota" (1935)[18]
- "Finnish Charms and Folk Songs in Minnesota" (1936)[19]
- "Imaginary Animals of Northern Minnesota" (1940)[22]
- "Finnish Proverbs in Minnesota" (1943)[20]
- "Ballads of the Knife-Men" (1949)[21]
