II. Letters (cont.)

A. Oberlin Students, 1835-1999 (cont.)

Box 2 (cont.)

Alice Strickler, 1865

Eight letters and replies September-October 1865, between preparatory students Alice Strickler and Alpheus E. Gregory. Miss Strickler initiated the correspondence under the name of "Ettie Leavenworth" but Gregory soon discovered her identity. The letters tell something of student relationships in the period. [Acc. 1978/30]

Henry E. Peck, 1867

Henry E. Peck, Minister to Haiti, to the Secretary of State, January 7 and May 31, 1867 (copies); tells of the death of his daughter, Peck's attitude toward his work in Haiti and some of the problems he faced.

Thornton and Charlotte Penfield, 1866-1871

The Missionary’s call: The Correspondence of Thornton and Charlotte Penfield, edited by Susan C. Davis (A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Kalmazoo College, Winter 1983). Consists of transcribed letters of Thornton Penfield (Oberlin College, A.B. 1856) and his wife Charlotte, during their missionary work in India from 1866 to 1871 (typescript, 587 pages). Includes acknowledgement and introduction.

Isaac W. Russell, 1867-68

Papers of Issac W. Russell, A.B. 1869. Consists of 23 items, 1867-69, including letters written by John S. C. Abbot (2), Bishop Thomas M. Clark, Frederick Douglass, John B. Gough (2), Josiah G. Holland, John G. Saxe (2), and Moses Coit Tyler (2). The letters concern the possibility of these persons lecturing in Oberlin and also include J. A. Sladden and Elizabeth R. (Mrs. Theodore) Tilton.

Conrad Matter, 1877-89

See IX. Account Books for letters and accompanying account book, 1877-89, of Conrad Matter (A.B. 1858) relating to expenses incurred in educating his children at Oberlin.

Mary E. Betts Family, 1878-1892

Typescript transcriptions of letters received by Oberlin College President James H. Fairchild from Alfred Harris Birch Betts, Mary E. Betts (literary degree, 1878) E.C. Betts, and Catherine C. Betts. The letters were transcribed by Douglas N. and Lillian E. Betts, February 25- March 10, 2001. The original letters are located in the James H. Fairchild Papers (RG 2/3).

Nettie E. Smith, 1886

Commencement address of Nettie E. Smith (Mrs. William B. Van Gorder), A.B. 1886. Also, four other essays, 1886-88, n.d., all apparently written by her. Miscellany includes a note from Prof. Frederick Anderegg (1917) and letters from classmates Lavinia Davis, Harriet Mason, and Lora Larash. Also, a 1920 letter written by daughter Pauline Van Gorder (A.B. 1923) vividly recounting an auto trip to Wooster for a football game; and three letters received from Dorothy Bailey, 1918-22.

Louise Hill, 1889-93

Louise Hill (Ph.B. 1894): letters written to her mother, 1889-90, including one telling of the suicide of President King's father; one sent by her classmates while she was ill in 1893 at her home; some poetry and prose by Miss Hill and classmates, and a few cards and announcements.

John H. Wise, 1889-93

Copy of a letter from preparatory student John H. Wise (Sem. 1893) to "Dear Boys," November 17, 1890, telling what his daily routine is, about his studies, of eating with the girls, of a day in Cleveland where he heard Henry Morton Stanley speak, etc. Wise was from the Hawaiian Islands.

George O. Swartz, 1894

Eight letters (1894-96) to his parents by college student George Swartz describe his living accommodations, his school friends and fellow student boarders, classes, and his "girl."

Women's Intercollegiate Correspondence League, 1895-96

See II, C. Letters by Others

Includes two letters describing Oberlin College life, written by Julia Patton (A.B. 1895) and Jane E. Davis (enr. cons. 1892-96), in addition to letters received from other colleges and universities. Filed in Series II., C. Letters by Others.

Box 3

Susan Rowena Bird, 1900 (2f)

Letter written by missionary Rowena Bird in Taigu, Shanxi Province, China, June 24 to July 13, 1900, while the Boxer disturbances were coming angrier and more threatening. Miss Bird and her fellow missionaries in Taigu were killed July 31, 1900. [Original letter is very fragile. Researchers are asked to use typescript copy.]

Also filed here are typescript copies of letters (dated 1901) by I.J. Atwood, Luella Miner, and H.H. Kung concerning Taigu after the Boxer Rebellion, the missionaries’ burial site, and H.H. Kung; a typescript copy of “The story of Tai-Ku” told by K’ung Hsiang (H.H. Kung) and Chang Cheng Fu (Er Wn), 1901; and printed information, 1900-01, about the missionaries, their work in China, and H.H. Kung. [1983/016]

Roy E. Bowers, 1900-1939

Twelve letters of Roy E. Bowers, Oberlin College class of 1895, including a letter from Bowers to President Ernest H. Wilkins, 1928, concerning Fenelon B. Rice (d. 1901, teacher and director of the Conservatory, 1869-1901). Also included are three letters from Oberlin College President Henry C. King to Bowers, 1902, 1914, and 1918 concerning Oberlin College and King’s Presidency.

James Bennett McCord, 1905, 1908-09

Five (5) typescript letters written by James Bennett McCord (OC class of 1891) to "My Dear Friends." The letters were written for the Medical Missionary Review, 905, 1908-09, and were originally filed in the Class Letters Collection, 1891 folder (College Genera). The letters contain accounts of missionary work in Zululand and Durban, Natal, and the efforts to provide medical care and build a hospital. (14 pages)

Ethelyn Unholtz, 1911

Letter (copy) written by freshman Ethlyn Unholz, January 15, 1911, in which she describes Oberlin and the daily life of a student.

Josephine Roberts, 1917

Josephine E. Roberts, Oberlin, to her father, September 30, 1917: a freshman tells of her activities including a prom, a reception, and doings at Keep Cottage. Received from Phil Tear, Alumni Magazine ed., 1971.

Marion Benjamin, 1916-18, see II, C. Letters by Others, Wolsey, Rabbi Louis

Letters regarding Jewish students at Oberlin and the founding of the Menorah Society, the precursor to Hillel. Filed in Series II, C. Letters by Others.

Yeijiro Ono, 1922

Letters concern Yeijiro Ono, donor of the Newton Scholarship in memory of Professor James K. Newton, who aided Ono during his student days at Oberlin, ca. 1884-87.

John Prindle Scott, 1925-27

Includes four letters (1925-27) to Mrs. Wayne B. Wheeler; also musical score for "Love is a Riddle" (words by Reginald Vivian Darow, music by John Prindle Scott). [1976/018]

Margaret G. Hammaker, 1925-47 (2f)

Margaret Hammaker, a missionary teacher in India, attended Oberlin College (1918-20), graduated from the Oberlin Kindergarten Primary Training School in 1923, received the B.S. degree from Columbia University in 1932, and attended Oberlin's Graduate School of Theology, 1939-40. Hammaker taught at Youngstown, Ohio from 1923-25 and then served as a teacher and principal at the Mary B. Harding Kindergarten Training School, Sholapur, India, 1925-64. There are 61 letters (1925-63) written to "Friends" from India telling of events at the school, of trips taken, calamities of nature, of cities visited, of holiday celebrations, and the like. Note: for additional Hammaker letters, see 30/85. [Acc. 1983/26.]

Vincent Hart, Jr., 1929-74, 2003, n.d. [2003/031] (2f)

A collection of letters of Vincent Hart, Jr., '53, consisting of Margaret G. Hammaker (Oberlin Kindergarten Training School Class of 1923), including some received by Ruth Raine Hart, 1924-79, n.d. (see also Margaret H. Hammaker); letters received by John Dart, 1941; and two letters from Julia Severance to Vincent and Ruth Raine Hart, 1939-40. Also included is a typescript document "Remembrances of Julia Severance," by Vincent Hart Jr. Materials relating to William, Lucretia, and Joseph Vaill are filed in IV. Miscellany, B. Non-College Miscellany.

Phonograph Recordings of the Oberlin Dramatic Association's performance of Othello, 1953; and "The Magic Stone," by the Mummers, n.d. See RG 37.

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