II. Letters (cont.)

C. Others, 1832-1949

Box 1

Charles H. Balch, 1832

Copy of letter Charles H. Balch to Elizabeth Balch, New York, March 9, 1832, which contains comments regarding Charles Grandison Finney. Received from Julie Miller, New York Public Library, by way of Bill Moffett. [Acc. 1989/118]

Lysander Jones, 1835

Original handwritten letter from Lysander Jones, New York, NY, to his uncle Joshua R, Giddings, Jefferson, Ashtabula County, Ohio, 26 February 1835. In the letter Jones described his first trip from Conneaut, Ohio, to New York. Lysander Jones was the uncle of Oberlin College Professor Lynds Jones (d. 1951). Also included is a handwritten letter from Elizabeth Williams, granddaughter of Joshua Giddinys, to Lynds Jones, 3 January 1940. This is the cover letter for the 1835 letter, sent by Williams to Lynds Jones.

George B. Cheever, 1835-36

Copies of two letters, 1835-36, with reference suggesting that George B. Cheever had been offered the position of Professor of Sacred Rhetoric at Oberlin.

Theodore Weld, 1839

A lithographed copy of a Theodore Weld (d. 1895) circular, two pages, addressed to Mr. J.B. Barnie(?), East Turner, ME, dated 2 December 1839. The letter, written by Weld from the Office of the American Anti-Slavery Society, was circulated to gather information concerning slave holders in the United States.

John Brown, 1840-41

Photographic copies of agreement (3 April 1840) for John Brown to act as the agent for Oberlin College's Virginia lands, and six letters from Brown about the Virginia lands. Letters are dated 2 Apr. 1840, 14 July 1840, 18 Aug. 1840, 2 Jan. 1841, 5 Feb. 1841, and 26 March 1841.

Jacob Berg Family, 1853-71 & n.d.

Jacob Berg, a Bavarian coal miner, brought his family to American in 1854 and purchased a farm in the German settlement three miles northeast of Oberlin. Jacob died in 1858. In 1894, Jacob's widow, Elizabeth, was still living. Also in that year, sons Charles, Jacob, and John were living in or near Oberlin and daughter Catherine (Mrs. James McIlrath) resided in Oceana County, Michigan. John Berg (1842-1907) became a stone mason. He served from 1862-65 in Company C, 128 Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In 1868, John married Mary Griem of Amherst Township and the couple lived on a farm in Russian Township. John became well known locally as a mason and contractor. Oberlin College recognized his skill as foreman over the building of the foundation of Council Hall by awarding him an engraved Waltham hunter case watch. Further information about John Berg is with the letters.

All of the 31 letters are electrostatic copies. All are written in German. None have been translated. Nineteen of them were written at Johnson's Island, Sandusky, Ohio, where the 128 OVI guarded Confederate prisoners of war. A few of the letters are by John Berg, but the authorship of most of them has not been determined. Two of the remaining letters were written at Cleveland (1861) and at Folly Island, South Carolina (1864). The letters are owned by Karen Schrader, 14571 Baumhart Road, Oberlin, whose husband is a descendant of John Berg. The copies were made with Mrs. Schrader's consent on March 13, 1985. Acc. 1985/13.

John Brown, 1857

Letter written by John Brown to "Brother and Sister Adair," 16 February 1857. Brown wrote about Kansas and his plan to go there "quietly," and he inquired about their opinions of the situation in Kansas and in the nation. Original and photocopy. (2f) [acc. 2001/131]

Patrick R. Nohilly, 1864

Letter written by Patrick R. Nohilly to Mrs. J. Pomeroy, October 6, 1864, concerning the Civil War and the 1864 Presidential Election. Accompanied by copy of an explanatory letter from Don Miller. [Acc. 1997/99]

Lewis D. Campbell, 1865

Photocopy and transcription with end notes of an 1865 letter from Lewis D. Campbell to President Andrew Johnson relating to the Oberlin-Wellington rescue. Original is located in the Johnson Papers, Library of Congress. Not accessioned.

Unidentified letter, 1883

George to Albert, U.S. Geological Survey, 11 July 1883. Folder includes letter from National Archives and Record Administration regarding employees of Geological Survey for July 1883.

Women's Intercollegiate Correspondence League, 1895-96 (2f)

The Women's Intercollegiate Correspondence League was established by the University of Michigan Women's League, prior to 1895. Oberlin College joined in 1895, and these letters include those written from Oberlin as well as those received from other schools. (A list of participating institutions is filed with the letters.) The letters discuss campus life for women, including housing, governance and rules, honor systems, student organizations, religious life, social activities, and college traditions. (2f) [Acc. 2001/94]

Nancy C. Russell, 1915

Two letters, with the dateline Great Falls, Montana, and dated April 29 and May 27, 1915, written by Nancy C. Russell (Mrs. Charles M.) to Mr. [John] Young-Hunter and Dear Friends (A.L.S.). John Young-Hunter painted the portrait of Henry Churchill King in the early 1920s. [Acc. 1994/090]

Rabbi Louis Wolsey, 1916-18, 1920

Copies of correspondence to and from Rabbi Louis Wolsey, Euclid Avenue Temple, Cleveland, re Jewish students at Oberlin and the founding of the Menorah society, 1916-18; includes letters from Oberlin student Marion Benjamin (Mrs. B. F. Roth; A.B. 1919). Also filed here is correspondence with sociology professor H.A. Miller, 1920.

E. Steinilber Oberlin, 1949

Letter written by E. Steinilber Oberlin, to GST student John Harman, April 19, 1949. Professor Oberlin was believed to be a relative of John Frederick Oberlin. Accompanied by copy of an explanatory letter from Mr. Harman.

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