RG 30. Personal Papers

Scope and Contents The Ira Steinberg Papers (1959-1987) document the academic career of their creator, a member of the Arts and Sciences faculty of Oberlin College since 1961. The records span Steinberg's teaching career in the departments of Education (1961-1978) and Philosophy (1978-), including his chairmanship of the Department of Education (1975-1978). The records do not document his present activities as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1987-1994?). There is virtually no information in...

Scope and Contents This small collection consists of items relating to the Charles Grandison Finney family. The correspondence series (Series 1) includes eight letters by Elizabeth Atkinson Finney, C.G. Finney’s second wife, and one letter from C.G. Finney to his daughter, Julia R. Finney. The series also holds one letter of introduction for Mrs. Charles G. Finney to Horace Greeley by Henry Ward Beecher.Series 2. Geneaology holds a family chart and a report on the Finney family. Information in the...

Scope and Contents The papers of Karl Frederick Geiser consist of biographical information, clippings, correspondence, and writings concerning Geiser’s pro German stance and reaction by the Oberlin College administration, the community of Oberlin, and the nation. Included in the biographical file is a copy of the “Report of the Committee on the Case of Professor Karl F. Geiser” (1919). This report provides insight into how Geiser’s writings and teachings were viewed by the College trustees, administration, and...

Scope and Contents The papers consist of copies, both photocopies and typescript, of letters and other documents; notes taken by Lawson and Merrill; correspondence created in search of source material and potential publishing vehicles, and in writing to others doing similar research; articles and drafts of articles; photographs and slides of Oberlin College and town individuals and families; and other records of a like nature. Records created the last two years also reflect additional interests followed by...

Scope and Contents The papers consist of two series: Correspondence, 1818–1824, 1836, and Estate Materials, 1843–1865, and undated Estate Materials is further divided into two subseries: Estate Correspondence, 1843–1865, and Financial Records, 1843–1845 and n.d. The Correspondence series includes a series of letters from Benjamin Franklin Bosworth’s school days at Lenox Academy in upstate New York and Union College. The materials are modest, but they do shed light into the life of a student at the beginning of...

Scope and Contents The 13 folders primarily consist of the correspondence between George A. Adams and Emily M. (Higgins) Adams, dating from 1846 to 1858. These letters document their courtship. Letters written by Emily provide evidence related to her life in the 1840s and 1850s. One letter (Nov. 27, 1851) makes reference to her decision not to join the Antislavery Society in Rochester. A second letter (March 19, 1852) addressed "To my Sabbath School Class" in Rockville, Indiana, reveals some of Emily's...

Scope and Contents The George Durand Wilder Papers consists primarily of letters, 1922-45, between George Durand Wilder and his cousins and friends regarding his missionary work and family matters. In 1936, Wilder was detained by the Japanese government upon his departure from China. He wrote to his cousin, Jamie, and described his stay in Japan and corruption in China. Wilder’s reference to the actions of the Japanese can be identified as the first conflicts of WW II in the Pacific. Included with the...

Scope and Contents This small collection includes materials from the Tenney and the Snedeker families. Both families were early settlers in the Lorain County region of Ohio, and are connected by the marriage of Mary’s parents, Bernard Tenney and Sadie Snedeker, in 1895. The Tenney family has a long history with Oberlin College spanning multiple generations.Series I pertains to Mary Francis Tenney and her family. Her photo album, dating from the mid- to late 19th century,...

Scope and Contents

The Alexander Maitland and Laura Salome Bartlett collection is mainly made up of the long-distance courtship correspondence between Alexander and Laura from the 1850s. However, little else in terms of their childhood, time spent at Oberlin, or adult lives is included. The collection arranged into three series.

Scope and Contents

The papers of Dorothy Hedden Boyd consist primarily of correspondence between Dorothy and her mother, Nellie Hedden, while Dorothy was a student at Oberlin College from 1921 to 1925. The papers also include a small amount of correspondence with other family members and her friends, miscellaneous papers of Dorothy Hedden Boyd and Nellie Hedden, and photographs of family members, Dorothy's wedding, and homes.