Finding Aid for Frances Carter and Marjorie Moore Research Files on John Philip Sousa, 1849-2007 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: Frances Carter and Marjorie Moore Research Files on John Philip Sousa, 1849-2007

ID: 12/9/179

Primary Creator: Moore Carter, Frances (1925-2022)

Other Creators: Moore, Marjorie Deane (1922-1972)

Extent: 8.0 cubic feet

Arrangement: Organized in three series: 1. Moore-Carter Photographs, Research Files, and Personal Papers of John Philip Sousa, 1888-2007. 2. John Philip Sousa Family Papers, 1900-1937. 3. Sousa Marine and Civilian Band and Sousa Band Fraternal Society Records, 1849-1971.  The contents of each series and subseries are arranged chronologically, with the exception of oversized materials, which are arranged chronologically in boxes 19-22.

Date Acquired: 05/27/2023

Subjects: Band Musicians, film music, Film Scripts, Hollywood, Marines, United States, Military Bands, Military History, Military Music, Movie music, Music - United States, Navy, United States, Sousa, John Philip, United States Marine Band, World War I - Military Operations

Consists of letters, photographs, handwritten drafts of manuscripts, band pins, scores, and magazines documenting materials collected by John Philip Sousa's family members and used for research purposes by Marjorie Moore and Frances Moore Carter.

Marjorie Deane Moore, born in 1922, was the first female archivist for the U.S. Marine Band in the early 1950s. A publicist by trade, she worked as a technical advisor for the 1952 film Stars and Stripes Forever. Her first brush with John Philip Sousa’s legacy was in her childhood hometown of Washington, D.C., where she grew up watching parades on Pennsylvania Ave., which would often perform Sousa’s marches. After attending Barnard College, the University of Michigan, and New York University, Marjorie traveled to California post-WWII to become a lighting manager in Hollywood, and then a publicist in her own firm. She then enlisted in the Marine Corps and found a job that reflected her background as the publicist for the U.S. Marine Band. She began work on a history of the Marine Band during John Philip Sousa’s tenure as conductor from 1880-1892, using materials in the Library of Congress archives.

Her research and expertise on Sousa, combined with her engaging personality and publicity background, led her to become the technical advisor for the film Stars and Stripes Forever, consulting on everything from wardrobe choices to the portrayal of John Philip Sousa’s personality. Around this time, she began corresponding with Sousa’s daughters, Jane Priscilla Sousa and Helen Sousa Abert. Their bond grew over the years, and the sisters encouraged Marjorie to write a biography of John Philip Sousa, to serve comprehensively alongside Sousa’s 1928 autobiography Marching Along. Marjorie passed away suddenly in 1972, leaving her research notes, manuscripts, and material on Sousa to her sister, Frances Moore Carter.

Frances Moore Carter was born in Washington, D.C. in 1925 and was the younger sister of Marjorie Moore. Frances, along with Marjorie, grew up listening to Sousa’s marches on the radio and during school events. She received her PhD. in Education in 1978 from the University of Pennsylvania, and became an adjunct professor at Villanova University and St. Joseph’s University. After retiring in 1990, Fran discovered her sister’s research on John Phillip Sousa and continued the work on the Sousa biography her sister started. Frances was able to complete several chapters of the book, but had to stop her work because of her health. Frances Moore Carter passed away on August 1st, 2022, and her children honored her wish to have the Sousa collection materials be brought to the Sousa Archives at the University of Illinois.

John Philip Sousa was born in 1854 in Washington, D.C. At the age of 13, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Band as an apprentice musician, following in the musical footsteps of his father. Sousa remained a band musician until 1875, when he was discharged. Sousa returned to the Marine Band in 1880, where he served as the band’s director until 1892. Under Sousa’s leadership, the Marine Band expanded its tour’s reach beyond the nation’s capital and became the finest military band in the world. However, Sousa decided to leave the Marine Band director position, urged by his manager, David Blakely, to form his own civilian band, the John Philip Sousa Band. The Sousa Band performed transcontinentally from 1892-1931. Due to the constant touring of the Sousa Band, John Philip Sousa was often away from home, which was a source of tension between him and his family. The personal correspondence, in the Frances Carter and Marjorie Moore Sousa Research Files collection, between Sousa and his wife and children document these family dynamics.

Frances Moore Carter (1925-2022) was born in Washington D.C. to parents, Joel and Ora Moore. During WWII, she attended college at William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, serving as the Chairman for the Women's Students' Cooperative Government and receiving a dual BA degree in English and history. After graduating in 1947, she married Richard Carter, who had served in the Army Air Corps. The couple had three children—Karen, Marcia, and Richard Jr.—in the subsequent years.

In the mid-1950s, Frances Carter's sister, Marjorie, became the publicist and historian for the Marine Band. Marjorie wrote an article on Sousa that was included in the November 1954 issue of Music Journal, which was based on primary source evidence that was maintained by Sousa's daughters, Helen and Jane Priscilla. Shortly after composing this article, the Moore sisters began collaborating on a book project with the Sousa daughters, but the project was never completed.

In 1967, Carter became the director of the Springfield (PA) School District's Title IX program. Soon after, she began teaching elementary grades in the Chester Upland (PA) School District. She received her MA in English from West Chester University in 1972 and earned her PhD in Education six years later at the University of Pennsylvania. Following this she served as an adjunct faculty member at both Villanova and St. Joseph's Universities. In 1989, Carter established an educational foundation for students in Chester, PA. She retired in 1990.

Band Musicians
film music
Film Scripts
Hollywood
Marines, United States
Military Bands
Military History
Military Music
Movie music
Music - United States
Navy, United States
Sousa, John Philip
United States Marine Band
World War I - Military Operations

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Access Restrictions: Please note that the photobook in Box 22 is currently restricted as it undergoes remediation from asbestos and will remain restricted until photos are safely removed from the book. Photos have been scanned, and samples can be requested in the meantime.

Acquisition Source: Materials were donated to the Sousa Archives by Richard Carter of Springfield, Pennsylvania on May 27, 2023. The donation was coordinated by Marcia Wood.

Acquisition Method: Gift