Charles Royce Comings Papers, 1897-1945
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
Charles Royce Comings was born in Oberlin, Ohio on April 8, 1879. He was the son of Andrew Gordon ("A.G.") and Emelie Royce Comings. A.G. and Emelie graduated from Oberlin College in 1877. A.G. Comings owned the Comings & Son book and music store in Oberlin. Charles Royce Comings attended Oberlin Public Schools and then the Oberlin Academy and Conservatory, 1890-1898. He studied organ with Professor Walter K. Breckenridge in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1899 during the Spanish-American War, and served in the Philippines during the insurrection resulting from the United States assuming control over that country from Spain. According to his grandson Sid Comings, Charles Royce Comings probably did not play the organ but served as backup bugler for his military unit, Company G, 22nd United States Army Infantry.
He met Elizabeth Lee while stationed at Ft. Crooks, Nebraska, and they married on June 28, 1906 following his discharge from military service. The couple returned to Oberlin and Charles joined his father at the bookstore. He assumed leadership of the family business upon his father’s death in 1932, and held that position until turning over control to his two eldest sons, Lea and Fred, in 1939.
Charles Royce Comings was elected to the Council of the Village of Oberlin in 1922, and served on that body until his death in 1945. In 1934, he was named chairman of the council and police justice and served in these two roles until his death. With these two leadership roles, he was called the Mayor of the Village of Oberlin.
Charles and Elizabeth Comings had four sons, Lea, Fred, Eugene, and Gordon. Charles Royce Comings died in Oberlin on July 20, 1945.
Sources Consulted
Former student file of Charles Royce Comings, Alumni and Development Records (RG 28), Oberlin College Archives.
Author: Jacob Ertel Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
The papers of Charles Royce Comings primarily document his military service with Company G, 22nd United States Infantry during the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War.
The Charles Royce Comings Personal Papers are organized into four series: Series 1. Diaries and Memo Book, Series 2. Documents Related to Military Service, Series 3. Printed Matter, and Series 4. Photographs. An itemized list of materials in Series 3 is available in the case file.
Diaries for the years 1899-1901 contain passages related to Comings enlistment in the Army, basic training, and deployment to the Philippines. Training manuals and military handbooks, correspondence, and photographs provide additional documentation concerning his military career. The photographs include images of Charles Royce Comings playing the bugle, in the barracks, with a wounded friend, and with members of his military unit. Three poems, included in Series 3, provide some insight into the challenges faced by soldiers during the Philippine conflict.
One folder of photographs includes images (copies) related to Comings family members. A journal kept in 1944 contains medical information.
INVENTORY
Box 1
Series 1. Diaries and Memo Book, 1899-1902, 1944
Diaries, 1899-1902 (3)
Memo Book, September-July, 1944
Series 2. Documents Related to Military Service, 1900-1901, 1904-1905
Correspondence, reference statements, 1905
Military Records and Orders, 1900-1901, 1904-1905
Poems, c. 1900
Series 3. Printed Matter, 1897-1898, 1905-1906, 1938, 1941, 1945
Handbooks (2) and Manual (1), 1897-1898
Honor Roll, 1945
Rosters and Passenger List, 1906, 1938, c. 1941
The 22nd Second Infantry Journal, February 1, 1905
Series 4. Photographs, 1900-1930s, n.d.
Company G, 22nd Infantry, 1903, n.d.
U.S. Army members, Philippines, c. 1900
Charles R. Comings and family members (copies),
c. 1900-1930s