Margaret Lindsley Warden Papers, ca. 1897-2009.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Organization: In three series: Autobiography; research notes; miscellaneous.

Materials housed in the Nashville Room of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: Half of the collection contains Margaret Lindsley Warden's typescript autobiography, originally begun in 1993, expanded in 1998, and later published as Life Has Been Very Kind to Me. The rest of the collection primarily consists of detailed research notes about Nashville history, including prominent Nashville families; organizations and general historical minutiae; music and theatre; and streets and the residents and businesses along them. Some notes have been abstracted from sources such as newspapers and city directories, but in many cases, the notes are from interviews Miss Warden conducted with Nashville residents, mostly in the 1950s. Some of the information was probably also gathered by her aunt, Louise Lindsley, which she then shared with Margaret. Many of the research notes are on the back of Pony Club newsletters, announcements, or bulletins. A small but significant collection of programs (ca. 1897-1922), mostly from musical performances, are also a part of the collection, as are clippings related to performing arts. A copy of the 2009 interment service for Miss Warden, including remarks by State Senator Douglas Henry, was added to the collection in 2010.

Research notes - families.,Some of the families include: Bransford, Brown, Carter, Cheek, Craighead, Demoville, Druillard, Elliston, Fall, Farrell, Fite, Hayes, Horton, Lindsley, Maddin, Overton, Porter, Robinson, See, Thompson, Trousdale, Woods.

Programs (ca. 1897-1922).,Contains programs from: Bachelor's Dinner at Maxwell House (Feb. 14, c.1897); Nashville Art Association; Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Children's Symphony; Belmont College; vaudeville shows; recitals; Centennial Club; Ladies Hermitage Association; and similar events.

Cite as: Margaret Lindsley Warden Papers, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library.

Nashville Public Library does not have intellectual property rights to these materials.

Margaret Lindsley Warden;,Gift;,1997.,Acc. RT-162.

Interment service,Nashville Public Library staff;,Pickup;,2009.,Acc. 2010.001.

Associated Materials: Margaret Lindsley Warden Equine Collection, Special Collections, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University. Books, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, journals, serial publications, and miscellaneous items focusing on the development of horse breeding, sports, and horsemanship on local, regional, and national levels. The collection also includes information about historic homes, farms, and families of greater Middle Tennessee. Non-equine materials include original and transcribed nineteenth- and early twentieth-century diaries and letters.

Associated Materials: Lindsley-McGavock-Warner Genealogical Papers, Tennessee State Library and Archives. Genealogical information compiled by Margaret Lindsley Warden. Also includes historical information on houses and historic sites associated with the above named families. See full description in TSLA catalog.

A lifelong Nashvillian, Margaret Lindsley Warden was born Jan. 11, 1904, the daughter of Annie Lindsley and Dr. Carl Warden. She was related to the McGavock and Grundy familes, as well as the Percy Warner and Luke Lea families through her extended family. She was the granddaughter of John Berrien Lindsley, and the great-granddaughter of Philip Lindsley. Her aunt Louise Grundy Lindsley had a strong influence on the young Margaret, passing along her own enthusiasm and knowledge of Nashville history. Margaret graduated from Ward-Belmont and obtained her bachelor of science degree from Peabody. She became renowned for her enthusiasm, knowledge, and support of equestrianism, and founded the Middle Tennessee Pony Club in 1953, the first and oldest club to be recognized by the U.S. Pony Clubs, Inc. She began writing a horse news column for The Tennessean newspaper in the 1920s; in the 1940s and 1950s she wrote frequent historical columns as well.

She became increasingly involved in historical organizations, serving on the Belle Meade Board of Governors; serving as secretary for Historic Belmont Association and Historic Nashville, Inc.; was chairman of the Metro Historical Commission, establishing its architectural awards program; and worked in many other ways to preserve and record Nashville's history. Mayor Richard Fulton declared May 17, 1979 Margaret Lindsley Warden Day in honor of her historic preservation work. In her 90s, she published her autobiography, Life Has Been Very Kind to Me. She died in Nashville on Nov. 24, 2007. An interment service was held at Mt. Olivet Cemetery on July 4, 2009.

Finding aid available in repository and online;,folder level control,https://assets.library.nashville.org/documents/finding-aids/Special_Collections_Division_Finding_Aid_Warden_Papers.pdf.

Collected and created by Margaret Lindsley Warden and in her possession until donated to the Nashville Room in 1997.