Title: Irving W. Metcalf Papers, 1877-1937, n.d.

ID: RG 30/009

Extent: 8.03 Linear Feet

Irving Wight Metcalf (1855-1938) was born in Bangor, Maine, November 27, 1855. In 1865 the Metcalf family moved to Elyria, Ohio. Irving Metcalf enrolled in Oberlin College and earned the A.B. degree in 1878 and the B.D. in the Seminary in 1881, following a brief period of study at Andover Theological Seminary. He was ordained to the ministry in Columbus, Ohio. Reverend Metcalf held pastorates in Congregational churches in Columbus from 1881-89, and in East Cleveland from 1889-97. In Cleveland he helped to organize the Hough Avenue Congregational Church, serving as the first pastor. He also served as Superintendent of the Congregational City Mission Society (founded 1892) from 1894-97.

In 1897 he resigned his pastorate and moved to Lawrence, Kansas. There he engaged in investment and real estate business with Wilder S. Metcalf (1855-1929, A.B. Oberlin 1878). In 1899 Irving Metcalf returned to Elyria, Ohio where he became a bank director and executor of estates. Three years later, in 1902, Metcalf moved to Oberlin. He was a member of the Oberlin College Board of Trustees from 1900 to 1925, succeeding his father Eliab Wight Metcalf (1827-1899), who was a trustee from 1880 to 1899. Irving Metcalf also served as a member of Oberlin College's Prudential Committee and the secretary of the Oberlin Living Endowment Union. He worked as an intermediary for Charles M. Hall (1863-1914) for a large number of real estate transactions, some of which ultimately became gifts to the college.

Despite retirement from the pastorate, Metcalf remained active in church affairs and social causes. From 1898 to 1913 he was chairman of the church property committee of the National Council of Congregational Churches. He also served as a trustee of the Thessalonica Agricultural and Industrial Institute at Salonica, Greece. Metcalf was an ardent temperance advocate, and was one of the founders of the Anti-Saloon League in 1893.

In 1885 he married Flora Bell Mussey (1857-1945), a Wellesley College graduate. They had two children, Edith E. (Oberlin A.M. 1910) and Harold M. (Oberlin College 1914). Irving Metcalf died in Oberlin February 12, 1938 of arterio-sclerosis.

Author: William E. Bigglestone

Forms of Material (links to similar genres)

Languages of Materials

Administrative Information

Scope and Contents:

The collection is arranged around seven series. The series are: 1. Correspondence, 2. Charles M. Hall Property Records, 3. Ministerial Career and Religious Associations, 4. Student Notes and Class Records, 5. Temperance Records, 6. Miscellaneous Material, and 7. Architectural Records.

The correspondence series, which constitutes the strength of the collection, is segregated into two parts. The first part contains correspondence of a general nature, dealing with virtually all facets of his life from business through religion, including correspondence regarding the missionary work of Annie E. Pinneo (1876-1960, A.B. Oberlin 1899) with Armenian and Turkish refugees. His correspondence from missionary Chauncey Marvin Cady (1854-1928) exists as a discrete subseries. Cady, a member of the original volunteer band from Oberlin, describes life in China and Japan in the mid-1880s. Other correspondence relating specifically to temperance can be found in the temperance series, which includes letters about the genesis of the Anti-Saloon League.

The Charles Martin Hall Property Records document Metcalf's work as a purchasing agent for industrialist Hall. The records include correspondence as well as titles and supporting documents noting Hall's interest in securing land in Oberlin which he later bequeathed to the College. Metcalf served as an intermediary, purchasing property on behalf of Hall under his own name. After Hall's death, the title was restored to Hall's name and given to the college.

Metcalf's Ministerial Career and Religious Life is evidenced in the records of the churches he ministered to, and his affiliation with numerous religious associations and organizations. The "Parish Registers" record important genealogical information such as baptisms, marriages and funerals performed by Rev. Metcalf. Religious organizations are represented in the minutes from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and Congregational City Missionary Society pamphlets and programs.

Metcalf's studies and affiliation with members of the class of 1878 are well documented in Student Notes and Class Records. Notes from James H. Fairchild's theological lectures at the Oberlin Theological Seminary offer an especially vivid picture of the curriculum and theological currents offered at the Seminary in 1878-79. Notes from the Andover Theological Seminary provide additional insight into Metcalf's theological training. The class records maintained by Metcalf, consisting primarily of letters received from members of his graduating class of 1878, discuss their activities during the 20 years following graduation.

The temperance movement is documented in the correspondence received by Metcalf and pro-temperance pamphlets and fliers. The bulk of the material is correspondence received between 1884 and 1900 which illustrates the formation of the Anti-Saloon League in Oberlin and the impact of the temperance movement in politics at all levels. Included is extensive correspondence with Howard Russell, the State Superintendent of the Ohio Anti-Saloon League. Printed materials, consisting of pamphlets and fliers, promoted the temperance cause and its candidates.

Miscellaneous material is comprised of ephemera associated with Metcalf's life. Included are campaign buttons and ribbons from temperance conventions and political elections. Maps of Kansas reflect his tenure as businessman in Kansas and his ongoing relationship with Wilder S. Metcalf. A scrapbook of a trip to Germany in 1906 compiled by his daughter Edith concludes the series.

The last series comprises blueprints for a summer cottage for I. W. Metcalf in Point Ripley, Maine. These were drawn by a builder or architect in Lorain, Ohio and are undated.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series 1. Correspondence, 1877-1934 (0.3 lin. ft.)

The correspondence series consists mainly of letters and documents received by Irving W. Metcalf, although some outgoing correspondence is found within the series. Topics cover business, politics, religion, the Oberlin Graduate School of Theology, social reform and temperance, and include correspondence from James Monroe (Oberlin A.B. 1846, B.D. 1849, A.M. 1850), D.L. Moody, Booker T. Washington, Charles Martin Hall (Oberlin A.B. 1885, A.M. 1893, honorary degree 1910), H. H. K'ung (Oberlin A.B. 1906) and Arthur Vining Davis among others. The series is divided into two subseries: general correspondence, and the letters from missionary Chauncey M. Cady (Oberlin A.B. 1877). The correspondence is chronologically arranged.

Subseries 1. General Correspondence, 1877-1934 (0.2 lin. ft.)

Contains incoming and outgoing correspondence. Correspondence is arranged chronologically.

Subseries 2. Chauncey M. Cady Correspondence, 1882-87 (0.1 lin. ft.)

Contains letters received from missionary Chauncey Marvin Cady. The letters document his work in China and Japan as an original member of the Shansi, China Band. Correspondence is arranged chronologically.

Series 2. Charles Martin Hall Property Records, 1901-17 (0.2 lin. ft.)

Includes records describing Metcalf's efforts to conceal Hall's role in real estate transactions. The property purchases eventually became part of the Hall bequest to Oberlin College. The collection is divided into correspondence and property documents

Series 3. Ministerial Career and Religious Life, 1882-1931 (0.4 lin. ft.)

Documents in this series detail Metcalf's career as a minister and a member of religious organizations. The series is divided into two subseries: 1. churches served by Metcalf, and 2. religious associations.

Subseries 1. Churches Served by Metcalf, 1882-97 (0.2 lin. ft.)

Records of the three churches served by Metcalf include Eastwood Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio and the Hough Avenue Congregational and Pilgrim Congregational Churches in Cleveland, Ohio. The records are arranged chronologically and include records of marriages, baptisms, funeral and minutes of church meetings.

Subseries 2. Religious Associations, 1884-1931 (0.2 lin. ft.)

Includes records of religious associations and organizations in which Metcalf was involved. Among the items are minutes from the committee on the seventy-fifth annual meeting of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Minutes in 1884, and American Sabbath Union and Ohio Sabbath Union efforts to make Sunday an official day of rest. The associations are arranged alphabetically.

Series 4. Student Notes and Class Records, 1878-1928 (0.6 lin. ft.)

Arranged in two subseries: 1. Student Notes and 2. Class Records. The first subseries is comprised of three volumes of detailed notes on theology lectures from Metcalf's studies at both the Oberlin Theological Seminary and the Andover Theological Seminary. Two of these volumes include notes from James H. Fairchild's courses on Natural Theology and Revealed Theology (1878-79). Class records consist of correspondence with members of the class of 1878 and various notices of reunions and class histories. The class records are alphabetically arranged.

Series 5. Temperance, 1884-1937 (2.4 lin. ft.)

Metcalf's temperance activity is documented in this series. Included as parts of the series are correspondence and printed material. Correspondence chronicles the founding of the Anti-Saloon League and various temperance crusades. Correspondents include James Monroe, C. W. Horr of Wellington, and Ferd Schumacher, founder of the Quaker Oats Company. Printed materials and clippings further illustrate temperance in the political and social arenas.

Series 6. Miscellaneous Material, 1881-1936 (0.6 lin. ft.)

Unusual items in this series include campaign buttons and ribbons for temperance causes and political elections. Kansas maps from 1900 to 1930 reflect Metcalf's brief stint as a businessman in Kansas and his connection to the Kansas branch of the Metcalf family. Other items include a scrapbook of a 1906 cruise to Germany compiled by Edith Metcalf and various invitations such as an 1881 West Point Cadet ball and the semi-centennial of Charles M. Hall's discovery of the electrolytic process of smelting aluminum.

Series 7. Architectural Records, n.d. (3.33 lin. ft.)

Contains six blueprints for a summer cottage for I. W. Metcalf in Point Ripley, Maine, drawn by a builder or architect in Lorain, Ohio.

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