RG 30. Personal Papers

Scope and Contents The materials in this collection document the life and scholarly work of Professor Frank Hugh Foster. His distinguished career, which spanned forty-eight years, began and ended at Oberlin. The collection consists almost entirely of written materials and manuscripts, some of which appear in bound volumes. Frank H. Foster’s interests covered a variety of theological topics as evidenced by the titles in this collection. Also included are over a hundred letters of received correspondence. The...

Scope and Contents The papers of Logan Omer Osborn primarily relate to Osborn's student days at the Oberlin Business School and Oberlin College, and his military service with the U.S. Ambulance Corps, Oberlin Unit (1918-19). His student files consist of printed material from Oberlin College (i.e., football program, handbook, student organization), notes for a physics class (1913) and summer school (1915), a subscription book (1916) for a magazine organized by Osborn and Robert M. Hutchins (Honorary War...

Scope and Contents The Sherwood F. Moran Papers consist of correspondence, published writings, photographs, and some miscellaneous items arranged in four series. Series one holds the bulk of the collection, comprising letters written by Moran to his wife, Ursul Reeves Moran, during his service as a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps in the South Pacific during World War II. The letters date from May 17, 1942, through January 15, 1946, covering his part in the Guadalcanal campaign for which he received...

Scope and Contents The papers of William Willis Curtis consist mainly of diaries, notebooks, and correspondence. The diaries and notebooks contain a partial record of events, accounts, and miscellany of which most was kept during the period in Japan, mainly Osaka, Sendai, and Sapporo. Series VII and Series XI contain records related to missionary work in Japan. Curtis was involved in operating boys’ schools and, in the 1890s, he worked in prisons. After 1900, the family letters in Series V. Letters and...

Scope and Contents The papers of Helen C. Estabrook primarily document “The Order of the Pearls,” one of the student social organizations formed at Oberlin College in the 1920s.The primary document in the collection is a scrapbook compiled by Helen Estabrook that contains information on “The Order of the Pearls” between 1923 and ca. 1970. A document in the collection provides the names of the thirty-five charter members and a brief description of the organization. Also included are two copies of an...

Scope and Contents The Adelia A. Field Johnston papers are divided into the following five series: Series I. Biographical File, Series II. Correspondence, Series III. Travel Accounts and Diaries, Series IV. Writings and Notebooks, and Series V. Photographs.Of importance to the Oberlin community is the correspondence series, which sheds valuable insight on the central role Johnston played in the establishment of the Oberlin Village Improvement Society. Filed under the subheading "Oberlin...

Scope and Contents The papers of the Rev. Henry Cowles document Cowles' active role in the establishment of the Oberlin enterprise from 1835 to 1881. They illuminate Cowles' abilities in the diverse fields of biblical scholarship and college fund raising and reveal his avid support for home missionaries and the rights of freedpeople. A small amount of material pertains to Henry Cowles' daughter, Sarah Cowles Little (1838-1912).The collection is arranged into six records series: I. Correspondence of...

Scope and Contents The Cass Gilbert Collection contains correspondence, sketches, blueprints, specifications, a presentation painting, photographs, and exhibit materials prepared by the Allen Memorial Art Museum about Cass Gilbert and his work for Oberlin College. Copy photographs of Gilbert’s sketches depict floor plans, site plans, specifications, renderings, and elevations for a variety of buildings. A pamphlet of sketches for the Theological Quadrangle and a photograph of the plan for the third floor of...

Abstract The papers of the Rev. Francis Ward Davis (1857-1900) and his wife, Lydia Clara Lord Davis (1867-1952), constitute an excellent source for the study of the lives of China missionaries up to the time of the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 in which Francis Davis was killed. The couple's eight-year residence (1889-97) in Shansi Province as Congregational missionaries under appointment of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (A.B.C.F.B.) is well documented. The post-1900 papers...

Scope and Contents The papers of Grace E. McConnaughey document her missionary work in Shanxi Province, China, from 1910 to 1928. Her letters written to her mother and "Home Folks" provide detailed accounts of missionary life in China, as well as life in China during the early part of the twentieth century. The letters and photographs illustrate the customs, daily activities, hardships, and accomplishments of the Chinese people. Grace McConnaughey's writings include two published articles "Big Sister Jen: The...