Laurence H. and Frances MacDaniels Papers, 1847-1999
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
An eminent horticulturist, scholar, teacher, community activist, a loyal and active participant in Oberlin College's alumni affairs, Laurence Howland MacDaniels (1888-1986, AB. 1912) and his wife, Frances Cochran MacDaniels (1891-1986, AB. 1912) were people of diverse interests and abilities. Strongly influenced by their education at Oberlin, Laurence and Frances MacDaniels effectively and willingly served their family, local community, and the world in substantive ways.
Laurence, son of Heman Nye MacDaniels[1] (d. 1921) and Ellen Woodbury Fay (d. 1940), was born in Fremont, Ohio, on October 21, 1888. Laurence was only two years old, when his father moved the family to Oberlin, Ohio, for better educational opportunities. To support a family that included five children, Heman built and repaired houses, maintained several properties the family owned, and received a Civil War disability pension. In addition, Ellen operated a boarding house for female students and later, for young unmarried faculty. Growing up in Oberlin, young Laurence enjoyed the natural beauty of the unspoiled area of the Arboretum south of the campus and the woods and swamps beyond the town. His interest in nature and the environment followed.
As a teenager, Laurence attended Oberlin High School and proved to hold tremendous academic promise. Laurence also showed himself to be a friendly, well rounded individual that held many interests. He served as the 1907 president of the high school debating club and as a member of the Board of Editors of the Oberlin High School newsletter The O-High. Laurence's athletic abilities also began to blossom, playing guard on the high school football team.
After working for one year after graduating from Oberlin High School in 1907, Laurence began classes at Oberlin College in 1908, and would finish his studies in 1912. An outstanding student (Phi Beta Kappa) with a major in Economics, he was elected Class President in his first year, served as President of the Student Council, chaired the Honor Court, and served as secretary and then vice-president of Sigma Gamma. In his senior year, Laurence was named captain of the Oberlin College football team. He was also the starting center on squads that won the Ohio State championships in 1909, 1910, and 1911, as well as being named to the all Ohio Football Team by the Ohio College Press Association. Besides being starting center on the football team, Laurence was also a class tennis champion during his freshman and sophomore years. Laurence also enjoyed music. He studied piano and voice at the Conservatory, sang in the College Glee Club, and was a member of the First Congregational Church Choir in Oberlin. In addition, Laurence held a student assistantship in Dendrology in the Botany Department, under the direction of Professor Frederick O. Grover.
Laurence's future wife, Frances Ermina Cochran, daughter of William C. Cochran (d. 1936, AB. 1869) and Rosa Dale Allen (d. 1926), was one of his Oberlin classmates. Frances, born in Cincinnati on January 12, 1891, attended Woodward High School in Cincinnati before enrolling at Oberlin College in 1908. She was Vice-President of her class (1909-1910) and a member of Sigma Gamma, as well as a student player and director in the Oberlin Dramatic Association. Frances, who studied piano for four years at the Conservatory, was also active in natural dancing and student recitals, served on Honor Court and Women's Senate for three years, sang in First Congregational Church Choir, and was twice class tennis champion. After graduation in 1912, Frances worked for the Young Women's League in Dayton, Ohio, then as a field worker and, later, as a director (1912-1916) of a Juvenile Protection Association in Cincinnati, Ohio. Frances and Laurence would marry in 1916 in Cincinnati.
In the fall of 1912, Laurence began his forty-five year association with Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Here, he would make his academic mark in teaching, scholarship, and service to Cornell. While earning a Ph.D. (he finished in 1917) in Plant Anatomy and Plant Pathology, he also served as a part-time instructor in Botany. After graduation (and World War I), Laurence would return to Cornell to teach: Assistant Professor of Pomology (1921 -1923), Professor of Pomology (1923-1940), and Head of the Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture (1940-1956). Laurence retired in 1956, but was named Visiting Professor, Emeritus, an appointment he served from 1957 to 1960.
Laurence was one of the giants who changed horticulture from a backyard garden activity into a highly respected agricultural science. His research projects were in plant anatomy related to fruit plants, on fruit varieties, tropical fruits, and pollination. Laurence wrote several articles for journals and periodicals, as well as co-authoring a popular 1925 textbook, Introduction to Plant Anatomy. Laurence was recognized in American Men of Science (4th edition) for his expertise, research, teaching in plant histology and anatomy, fruit pollination, plant propagation, ornamental horticulture, and floriculture, receiving several awards for his work with food-producing trees, garden lilies, and nuts. As an early dedicated conservationist, Laurence gave particular attention to plantings and horticultural maintenance as Chairman of The Cornell Plantations Committee, a group actively engaged in supporting an area nature preserve. He was also active in the Cornell chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAU.P.). In addition to his teaching, Laurence was recognized as a leader and a first class scholar at Cornell. Students and colleagues knew Dr. "Mac" as a concerned, committed teacher and scientist.
Besides teaching, Laurence was able to serve his country in non-military capacities during two World Wars, as well as participate in research trips throughout his career. At the outbreak of World War I, Laurence became an investigator for the Botanical Raw Products Committee in Boston (1917) and an inspector of propeller woods in Baltimore and Boston (1918-1919). He then worked on relief and reconstruction projects in Lebanon and Turkey (1919-1920). During World War II, Laurence sought ways to use plant materials for camouflage and helped develop Victory Gardens in New York State. In 1943-1945, he was director of agriculture for the Near East Foundation in Syria and Lebanon and for the U.N.R.R.A in Italy. Research trips took Laurence to Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand, and Tahiti in 1926-1927. He continued botanical collecting in 1949-1950 in New Caledonia, New Hebrides, and Canton Island in the Pacific.
Laurence was also very active in many professional and civic groups, including many in Ithaca. He was a President of the American Society for Horticultural Science, the North American Lily Society (founder), the Northern Nut Association, the Academy for the Advancement of Science, and the Royal Horticulture Society of London. In Ithaca (where the Mac Daniels would stay and raise their family), Laurence was active with the Rotary Club, Boy Scouts, Council of Social Agencies, First Unitarian Church, and the early hospice movement. He also helped found a Senior Citizens Center with his wife Frances, and served as chair of the Cayuga Lake Preservation Association-a group credited with preventing construction of a nuclear power plant on the lake. On his 85th birthday in 1974, a 90-acre tract near Cornell was dedicated as the Laurence H. MacDaniels Botanical Sanctuary (and added to The Cornell Plantations) to be kept wild, managed only with suitable scientific practices.
Laurence and Frances both nurtured a life-long interest in Oberlin College. The Oberlin Alumni Board benefited from Laurence's participation, and he was active in Oberlin alumni groups in Ithaca. Laurence served as class president in 1912 and from 1957-1982. As class president, he corresponded often with classmates and college officials to communicate reactions, support, and dissent to changes on campus and contribute expertise when appropriate. Laurence represented Oberlin at numerous inaugurals of College presidents and served as Honorary Marshal at the 129th Commencement in 1962. In 1986, Laurence was inducted as a charter member of the Heisman Club Hall of Fame in recognition of his play on the Oberlin College football team.
Frances and Laurence raised two daughters, Ellen Woodbury (Mrs. Peter C. Speers, b. 1921, BA '42) and Carolyn Rudd (Mrs. Robert S. Miller, b. 1926, d. 1994, BA '47). As a housewife raising their children, Frances was active in the Ithaca community and social work. Frances chaired both the Ithaca Council of Church Women and the Council of Social Agencies, and served as Superintendent of the Unitarian Sunday School, 1931-1932. During World War II, she was head of the Office of Civil Defense Volunteers. In 1945 (and later elected in 1948), Frances was appointed as the first female member of the Ithaca Common Council. (Subsequently, Laurence donated two (2) acres of land to Ithaca to create a small city park to honor Frances as the first woman to hold that office.) In addition, Frances was active with the PTA between 1928 and 1934 and also Girl Scouts, as well as a co-founder of the Ithaca chapter of the United Nations Society. Highly interested in culture, Frances was an accomplished pianist who pursued art and dramatic interests at the Ithaca Women's Club, and for a time lead the Federation of Women's Clubs.
Frances often accompanied Laurence on his overseas assignments. She contributed to relief work in Turkey (1919-1920), supervised a clinic in Lebanon (1944), worked as a mess sergeant in Italy (1945), and served as his secretary when on assignment in the Philippines (1957-1959), in Mexico (1960), and in Yugoslavia (1963-1964).
Laurence died at home in Ithaca, New York, at the age of 97, on June 18, 1986, weeks after Frances, who preceded him in death on May 15, 1986.
[1] Heman spelled his last name "McDaniels" (with umlauts under the c) to denote the Scottish derivation of the name. Yet Heman's children spelled their last name "MacDaniels."
Sources Consulted
"Crusader at 79." Cornell Alumni News (February 1968): 16-17.
Isabell, Joan. "Dr. Mac, an Activist, Scientist and a Friend to All Who Knew Him." The Cornell Plantations 42 (1986): 47-68.
Ithaca Journal (May 16, 1986).
Ithaca Journal (June 19, 1986).
Oberlin College Archives. Record Group 0. Class Files.
Oberlin College Archives. Record Group 28. Alumni Record Files for Laurence H. MacDaniels and Frances MacDaniels.
Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
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. (Laurence's work at Cornell University is documented in a collection held by the Rare Books and Manuscripts Collections, Kroch Library, Cornell University.) Photographs, almost all dated before 1920, strongly complement the correspondence in that they capture visually their lives at Oberlin.
The papers are organized around nine 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 helpful eugenics study of the Cochran family completed by Frances, and items relating to the MacDaniels' studies in high school and college.
The bulk of the MacDaniels papers comprises correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, most of which is dated before 1920. The incoming correspondence, dated between 1907 to 1917, belonging to the unmarried Laurence MacDaniels, is the most significant. The majority of the 540 letters, mostly sent to him by his future wife during his studies at Cornell University (1913-1917), document his long distance relationship with Frances. The courtship letters offer a fascinating view of two people in love; they also report on Frances' life in Cincinnati as a member of the Cochran family, her struggle to start and maintain a career making use of her Oberlin education, and future plans of marriage. Rich in detail, these letters, including a few that survived from Laurence, underscore a close relationship that lasted over 70 years. Laurence's tight 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, son Fred's dairy ranch outside of Mexico City, Mexico. Outgoing correspondence includes letters dated 1919-20 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 Cochran-MacDaniels family members. Mostly dated between 1913 and 1924, the letters document Cochran-MacDaniels interactions as a result of the marriage of Frances and Laurence. The majority 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 in great detail 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. Frances wrote to Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels in an effort to discover what traits a "perfect" wife for Laurence would possess.
The MacDaniels papers also contain valuable 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 (c. 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 c. 1910s football team member portraits (featuring MacDaniels, Otis Curtis, and Keyes Metcalf). Other images include six undated prints of several Oberlin College buildings.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Biographical and College-Related Files, 1908-1999, n.d. (0.3 l.f.)
Contains Oberlin College and Cornell University files of Laurence H. and Frances MacDaniels. Included here are Laurence's undated address book and a 1914 eugenics study form completed by Frances of the Cochran family. Other noteworthy items include Laurence's Oberlin College transcript, letters of recommendation, and a 1912 commencement booklet. This series also contains photocopies of Frances transcripts of classes taken at Woodward High School (dated 1908) and the University of Wisconsin (dated 1910). Files are arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically.
Series II. Correspondence (incoming) of L.H. MacDaniels, 1907-1917 (0.55 l.f.)
Consists of the incoming correspondence of Laurence H. MacDaniels. The 540 letters, arranged in chronological order, were sent during this ten-year period. The bulk of correspondence is dated between 1913 and 1917, during his study at Cornell. Correspondents include childhood and college friends Otis Curtis, Keyes Metcalf, and Don King. The majority of letters were sent by Frances and Laurence's mother, Ellen MacDaniels, documenting their close relationship. An index is filed at the front of the series.
Series III. Correspondence of Frances MacDaniels, 1914-1916 (0.05 l.f.)
Contains a small amount of correspondence received by Frances MacDaniels before her marriage to Laurence. Arranged chronologically, most letters were sent from Laurence and his mother, Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels. These letters report on their engagement, wedding plans, and life in Oberlin and Ithaca, New York. An index is filed at the beginning of the series.
Series IV. Correspondence (incoming) of L.H. and Frances MacDaniels, 1916-1932, 1945-1984 (0.03 l.f.)
Contains incoming correspondence, arranged chronologically, of L.H. and Frances MacDaniels. Most letters in this series were written before 1930, and were almost exclusively from Laurence's mother Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels. Topics often reported by his mother were life in Oberlin, gardening, and trips to El Rosario, Mexico, as well as attempts to bring Frances and Laurence back to Oberlin. A small number of letters were received after 1945, and were almost all from childhood and college friends. Correspondents included Keyes Metcalf, Elmina Lucke, and Don King. An index is filed at the beginning of the series.
Series V. Correspondence (outgoing) of L.H. and Frances MacDaniels, 1960-1984 (0.02 l.f.)
Consists of outgoing correspondence, arranged chronologically, of Laurence H. and Frances MacDaniels. Most letters were written to childhood friend and Oberlin College classmate Keyes Metcalf. Letters sent by Frances to researcher Richard A.G. Dupuis in 1977 offers insight to Cochran-Cox family history, and their interactions with Charles Grandison Finney. An index is filled at the beginning of the series.
Series VI. Correspondence (incoming and outgoing) of L.H. and Frances MacDaniels, as Class President, 1956-1984 (0.1 l.f.)
Contains correspondence of Laurence MacDaniels in his capacity as president of the class of 1912. Material included here reports on arrangements for the 45th and 50th class reunions of the class of 1912, as well as contains a few class letters reporting on meetings, Oberlin, and other gatherings. Documents are arranged chronologically.
Series VII. Correspondence (incoming and outgoing) of Allen-Cochran-MacDaniels Family Members, 1914-1924, 1974-1975 (0.05 l.f.)
Consists of correspondence received by Rosa Dale Allen Cochran (dated 1913-1924), William C. Cochran (dated 1913-1916), and Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels (dated 1912-1914), as well as two letters, dated 1974-1975, written by Mary Rudd Cochran. Correspondents of Rosa Dale Cochran include Frances, Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels, and Laurence MacDaniels. Laurence MacDaniels, and his sisters Anna and Alice were frequent correspondents of Mrs. Ellen MacDaniels. Included here also is correspondence received by William C. Cochran. Containing routine telegrams from Frances, it also possesses a 1916 letter from Laurence attempting to get better acquainted with his future father-in-law. Two letters written, dated between 1974 and 1975, by Mary Rudd Cochran urged her grandniece, Janet Miller, daughter of Carolyn MacDaniels Miller, to pursue a career in librarianship. Files are arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically. A partial index is filed at the beginning of the series.
Series VIII. Non-Textual Materials Files, 1900s-1910s, 1919-1923, 1932, 1972, 1974, 1980 (2.0 l.f.)
Contains photo albums, portraits, photographs of Oberlin College sports and activities, and a file of postcards and invitations. Included here are three photo albums, one each from Frances MacDaniels (dated 1909-1914), her older sister Helen Finney Cochran (dated 1912-1919), and Laurence MacDaniels (dated c. 1900s), all depicting activities in and around Oberlin and Cincinnati. Other photographs (c. 1910s) depict Oberlin College football, the Glee Club, and track, as well as undated prints of Oberlin College buildings. Files are arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically. Also includes a photo album from Laurence MacDaniels' work in Turkey, Egypt, and Greece from 1919 to 1920 with the American Committee for Relief in the Near East (ACRNE), later called the Near East Foundation (NEF). The photographs depict a wide range of life in and images of the Near East: people, farming, courtyards, homes, markets, shops, museums, and churches. They also depict remains of the First World War: abandoned German equipment, military equipment and personnel, and destroyed sites from the War. Also depicted are Mr. and Mrs. MacDaniels and photos showing the relief effort. The negatives of these photos are included, as well. Also included is a DVD disk containing 164 tiff images of the photographs in the album of the Near East relief work. [2003/070]
Series IX. Additional Correspondence of Laurence & Frances MacDaniels, 1917-24, 1944-79 (Received as late accretions, 1997/59, 1998/114, 1999/083, 2000/017, 2000/050) (0.4 l.f.)
1997/59 - Correspondence of Laurence and Frances MacDaniels and their relations. Includes letters of Samuel D. Cochran (1847, 1900), Everett MacDaniels to Laurence MacDaniels, Fred to Laurence MacDaniels, and Laurence MacDaniels from his mother, Ellen Woodbury MacDaniels. Arranged chronologically.
1998/114 - Correspondence of Laurence and Frances MacDaniels and family. Includes letters of Mary R. Cochran, Everett MacDaniels, Anne Fauver, Frances MacDaniels to Mary R. Cochran, Ben Fauver, and Watt P. Marchman to Laurence MacDaniels. Arranged chronologically.
1999/083 - Correspondence of Laurence and Frances MacDaniels and W.W. Peet. Includes 38 letters of Frances MacDaniels to her family in which she describes her work as a member of the American Committee for Relief in the Near East in Turkey, 1919-20. Five letters were written by Laurence MacDaniels to family while he was in Turkey. A letter by W.W. Peet to friends and relatives of the members of the Relief team is also included.
2000/017 - Correspondence of Mary Rudd Cochran to Janet Miller and Frances MacDaniels.
2000/050 - Correspondence of Mary Rudd Cochran to Janet Miller and Carolyn Rudd MacDaniels Miller.
2007/011 - Correspondence of Mary Rudd Cochran to Robert Miller, Carolyn Rudd MacDaniels Miller, and Janet Miller.