Late Accretions, 1860 - 1975

The Laurence H. and Frances MacDaniels papers contain biographical and college-related files, correspondence, and photographs. The bulk of the material is correspondence (with indexes initially prepared by Ellen Speers), and most of the material documents their Oberlin connection up to 1920. Photographs, almost all dated before 1920, strongly complement the correspondence in that they capture visually their lives at Oberlin.

The papers are organized around 10 records series. Series I consists of biographical information and college-related files, dated between 1908-1917. Included here are Laurence's undated address book, a eugenics study of the Cochran family completed by Frances, and items relating to the MacDaniels' studies in high school and college.

The majority of the letters, mostly sent to Laurence by Frances during his studies at Cornell University (1913-1917), document the couple’s long-distance relationship. The courtship letters offer a view of two people in love; they also report on Frances' life in Cincinnati, her struggle to start and maintain a career making use of her Oberlin education, and plans of marriage. These letters, including a few that survived from Laurence, underscore a close relationship that lasted over 70 years. Laurence's relationship with his mother, Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels, is also documented. After he left Oberlin for Ithaca, New York, Mrs. MacDaniels often wrote to her son about life in Oberlin, family news and history, contact with Rosa Dale Cochran, gardening, and her sojourn at El Rosario, her son Fred's dairy ranch outside of Mexico City, Mexico. Outgoing correspondence includes letters dated 1919-1920 describing the MacDaniels' work in Turkey with the American Committee for Relief in the Near East.

After 1920, the volume of incoming letters is considerably less, yet those that exist offer details into many lifetime friendships the MacDaniels formed at Oberlin College. Coupled with a small amount of outgoing mail (post 1960), the letters provide a picture of current happenings in their lives. The letters often report on Oberlin class reunions, memorable experiences as students at Oberlin College, children, and grandchildren. Letters from 1977-1978, both incoming and outgoing, discuss aspects of Cochran family history. Letters sent by Frances to researcher Richard A.G. Dupuis detail Cochran-Cox family history, especially the family relationship with Charles Grandison Finney. Other correspondents of the MacDaniels include Don King, Keyes Metcalf, and Otis Curtis.

The MacDaniels papers also contain a small number of letters (incoming and outgoing) of other Cochran-MacDaniels family members. Primarily dated between 1913 and 1924, the letters document Cochran-MacDaniels interactions because of the marriage of Frances and Laurence. Most of the correspondence was received by Rosa Dale Allen Cochran (dated 1913-1924) and Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels (dated 1912-1914). Frances, in her letters to Rosa Dale Allen Cochran, demonstrates the closeness between the two. In 1913, she describes the floods that destroyed parts of Dayton, Ohio, where she resided. Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels kept a lively correspondence with Rosa Dale Allen Cochran, often reporting on Laurence and Frances, life in Oberlin, and grandchildren. Correspondence of Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels contains several poignant letters from Laurence and Frances MacDaniels. A 1914 letter from Laurence describes his first meeting with the Cochran family in Mt. Auburn.

The MacDaniels papers also contain non-textual materials (photographs and photographic albums). These documents provide rich visual evidence of Laurence and Frances MacDaniels at Oberlin College, their personal activities, and the Cochran family in Mt. Auburn. Included are three photo albums, one each from Laurence (dated c. 1900s) and Frances MacDaniels (dated 1909-1914), and Frances' older sister, Helen Finney Cochran (dated 1912-1919). Frances and Helen Cochran's photo albums contain several snapshots of the Cochran family. Other noteworthy items include posed portraits of many of the MacDaniels' classmates/friends. Especially interesting are two images (ca. 1910s, 1932) depicting MacDaniels, Otis Curtis, Don King, and Keyes Metcalf, as Oberlin College students, and twenty years after graduation. A significant number of images of Oberlin College Athletics in the 1910s are present, including many which appeared in the Oberlin College yearbook, Hi-O-Hi. Interesting items include photographs of the 1910 Oberlin College—Ohio State University football game, and ca. 1910s football team member portraits (featuring MacDaniels, Otis Curtis, and Keyes Metcalf). Other images include six undated prints of several Oberlin College buildings.

Later accretions include letters and photographs from other family members, including a folder of letters written by Carolyn MacDaniels to her parents while she was enrolled in Oberlin College in the 1940s.