Administrative/Biographical History
The collection contains letters composed by various people with connections to Oberlin and Oberlin College. Provided here is a list of the people represented in the collection who have been identified, along with brief biographical notes.
Barnes Family
Marcus A. Barnes was a student in the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1840 to 1842. He was originally from Keeseville, New York.
L. Barnes is the mother of Marcus A. Barnes.
Bonney Family
Malvina Hurd Bonney was a student in the Oberlin Preparatory Department, although her dates of attendance are unclear. She later married John R. Bonney.
John R. Bonney was a student in the Oberlin Preparatory Department, although his dates of attendance are unclear. He later married Malvina Hurd.
Chapin Family
Roswell Chapin graduated from Oberlin College in 1870. He continued his studies at Yale University, where he graduated in 1873. He became a minister and preached in Litchfield, Ohio. He was married to Mary Emma Turner Chapin. See RG 19/04/03, Student Life: Scrapbooks Collection, for Roswell Chapin’s school scrapbook.
E.M. Turner is probably Mary Emma Turner Chapin (she signs the letter as “EM Turner” and the postscript as “Em,” indicating a nickname). She was married to Roswell Chapin, although the letter in this collection dates to the time of their courtship.
Helms Family
Stephen Decator Helms was a graduate student in the Oberlin Theological Seminary beginning in 1840 and graduating in 1843. Originally from Canoga, New York, he was active in the Underground Railroad while in the Midwest, going on to do work with the Raisin Institute in southern Michigan. He died in Highland, Illinois in 1888.
Silas Y. Helms was the brother of Stephen Decator Helms, but little other information can be found about him. He does not appear to have been a student at Oberlin College, although in one of the letters in this collection a childhood acquaintance and prospective student of the college requests information from him. It appears from the letters between the brothers in this collection that Stephen was generous with advice to Silas, but that Silas might be doing better financially than Stephen.
Frederick Kinch (Hinch?) was a childhood acquaintance of Silas Y. Helms. In 1843 he wrote to Silas to request information about Oberlin College, but does not appear to have enrolled.
Johnson Family (see RG 30/378, Albert H. Johnson Papers)
Albert Harris Johnson attended Oberlin Preparatory Department (1853-57) and Oberlin College (1862-65), but never finished a degree course. He went on to become an incredibly successful businessman in the Oberlin area and around the country, working in the banking and infrastructure industries. See also RG 30/378, Albert H. Johnson Papers.
H.M. Johnson is Henry Mussey Johnson, the older brother of Albert Harris. He was enrolled in the Preparatory Department from 1856-57.
Monroe Family
James Monroe graduated from Oberlin College with an A.B. in 1846 and from the Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1849. Shortly after graduation, he was offered a position teaching at the college, which he accepted and held until 1862. He held elected office in the Ohio state legislature and the United States House of Representatives, as well as an appointed position as the United States Consul to Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. In 1870, he returned to Oberlin, and maintained a residence there until his death in 1898. The letters included in this collection date from his time in Oberlin: one from 1846, while he was still a student, and two from 1871, after his return from Brazil. See also RG 30/022, James Monroe Papers.
Phebe and James Monroe were the parents of Consul, US Representative, and Oberlin College faculty James Monroe.
Electa and Abel were the sister and brother, respectively, of Consul, US Representative, and Oberlin College faculty James Monroe.
Pratt Family
Phebe S. Pratt graduated from Oberlin College in 1845.
Ezra Pratt is the father of Phebe Pratt. He was living in Orwell, Ohio at the time that Phebe was enrolled at Oberlin College.
Rawson Family
Samuel Andrew Rawson was enrolled at the Oberlin Theological Seminary between 1836 and 1839. His letter to his cousin, William S. Merrill, suggests that he had missionary intentions, and although he did not become a missionary abroad, he engaged in ministerial work in New York and Pennsylvania after his studies.
William S. Merrill graduated from Oberlin College and is the cousin of Samuel A. Rawson. In 1839, he was working as a druggist in Cincinnati.
Sprowls Family
J.N. Sprowls is Dr. John Nelson Sprowls. He studied at Oberlin, although the dates are unclear, and later studied medicine at Jefferson Medical College. He later practiced medicine in Claysville, Pennsylvania.
L.M. Sprowls is most likely Leroy M. Sprowls, the younger brother of Dr. John Nelson Sprowls.
A.A. Cecil was a friend of J.N. Sprowls during his time in Oberlin, and writes Sprowls a friendly letter telling him about what mutual acquaintances are up to in Oberlin. Cecil mentions schoolwork, but there is no record of his attendance at Oberlin College.
Morgan Sprowls is the cousin of J.N. Sprowls.
Thompson Family
Eunice Thompson Oughterson graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory in 1887. Little else is known about her.
Sarah Cowles Little graduated from Oberlin College in 1859. After graduation, she embarked upon an impressive teaching career, becoming superintendent of the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired from 1875 to 1891. Her letter in this collection, addressed to Eunice Thompson (later Oughterson), describes her studies at Oberlin College, particularly the rules of the Ladies’ Department.
Margaret Thompson was the sister of Eunice Thompson Oughterson. She was a student at Oberlin College, but her dates of attendance and graduation status are unknown. She writes to Eunice about her experiences at Oberlin, particularly the costs associated with attendance and the social dynamics of living in the ladies’ dormitory.
Wait Family
William Howard Wait was enrolled in the Preparatory Department at Oberlin from 1843 to 1844. He then went on to attend Oberlin College from 1844 to 1845. His letters to his mother, Mrs. S. Wait, shed light on student finances at Oberlin, as he gives her a rather exact account of his expenses. Of particular note is his description of students taking leaves of absence from the college in order to work and finance their studies.
Westervelt Family
William Hart Drake was enrolled at Oberlin College from 1846 to 1848. He was originally from Chester, New Jersey.
Lydia Hayes Drake Westervelt was a graduate of Oberlin College (class of 1845), the cousin of William H. Drake and the wife of William Andrew Westervelt. At the time of her cousin William’s letter to her, she and her husband were living in Mansfield, Ohio, and she had recently given birth to their son, William Drake Westervelt.
Reverend William Andrew Westervelt graduated from Oberlin College with his A.B. degree in 1843 and from the Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1846. He went on to a ministerial career, preaching in Congregational churches around Ohio.
Noah Cory was a clerk for the Presbyterian church in Mason, Ohio. Little else is known about him.
Wilcox Family
Mary Wilcox is probably Mary B. Wilcox Rosecrans, who attended the Oberlin Preparatory Department in the 1860s.
Mrs. H. Woodbury is the mother of Mary Wilcox.
Wright Family
Albert Allen Wright was a native of Oberlin as well as a student at the College, graduating with his A.B. in 1865 and from the Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1870. After completing his studies and earning his doctorate at the Columbia College School of Mines, he returned to Oberlin and became a professor of geology and natural history. His career at Oberlin College was quite accomplished, and he served on several boards, led scientific research in his field, and served as interim president of the College between 1896 and 1898. See also RG 30/017, Albert Allen Wright Papers.
Identified Individuals
C.B. French, Jr. could be Claudius B. French, who graduated from Oberlin College in 1883, in the months preceding the writing of this letter.
C.E. Yates is most likely Christina E. Yates, who was enrolled in the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1854 to 1855.
Elizabeth Russell is listed in the Alumni Register as being in the Miscellaneous Group of students, which comprises “unclassified students in summer sessions, and others not logically assignable to any particular class.” Her dates of attendance are unclear.
Jim Sherman is possibly James M. Sherman, who was enrolled in the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1860-61.
John Bruce Cory was a student in the Oberlin Preparatory Department. Although his dates of attendance are unclear, he probably graduated in 1862. He went on to become a Methodist clergyman.
Josephine L. Cody graduated from Oberlin College in 1885, and would have been in her second year of study at the time she received this letter from a friend who had recently graduated.
Martha Hitchcock could be Martha Hall Hitchcock, who was enrolled in Oberlin College, although her dates of attendance are unclear. From the letter in the collection, she seems to have been a good school friend of Nancy Eliza Chapman.
Minnie Strieter was a student in the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1865 to 1869 with a focus on literature. She was originally from Eaton, Ohio.
Nancy Eliza Chapman was a student in the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1895-97. Two of her children graduated from Oberlin College: Effie in 1884 and Caius in 1885.
Orville Reed Paige was enrolled in the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1852 to 1853. Although a native of Lorain County, after his time at Oberlin he moved to Iowa, where he held several local public positions.
William T. Fee was a student in the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1872 to 1874. He continued his studies at Lafayette College (Ph.B 1876, L.L.D 1909) and Case Western Reserve (M.D. 1891).
Unidentified Individuals
Addie Clark
Anna
Beulah
Clarissa Chapman
Emeline Bristol
Free L.W. Moody
Hattie Niles
Hubert
Jennie
Nattie Paragon (?)
Nettie Townsend
Pit
Rose/Roye
Tip Williston
Sources Consulted
Oberlin College Archives
Albert Allen Wright Papers (RG 30/017)
Alumni and Development Files (RG 28)
Helms, Stephen Decator
Johnson, Albert Harris
Little, Sarah Cowles
Monroe, James
Rawson, Samuel Andrew
Wait, William Howard
Westervelt, William Andrew
Wright, Albert Allen
James Monroe Papers (RG 30/022)
Alumni Register: Graduates and Former Students, Teaching and Administrative Staff 1833-1960. Oberlin College, 1960.
Author: Rebecca Sparagowski Administrative InformationThe Oberlin College Archives holds the personal papers of several individuals included in this collection, namely the following:
Albert Harris Johnson (RG 30/378)
James Monroe (RG 30/022)
Albert Allen Wright (RG 30/017)
William Andrew Westervelt (RG 30/120)
The Little Family Papers (RG 30/007) contain the personal letters and papers of Sarah Cowles Little, who married into the Little family. There is a personal papers collection for Julia Finney Monroe (RG 30/001), who was the second wife of James Monroe.
The Alumni and Development Files (RG 28) contain files on many of the individuals included in this collection.
The Student Life: Scrapbook Collection (RG 19/04/03) contains the college scrapbook of Roswell Chapin, who is represented in this collection.
