Harriet May Norton Noyce Papers, 1882-1921
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
Louise Augusta Hill and Reverend Milton James Norton met while classmates at the same high school in Berlin Heights, Ohio. Both graduated from Oberlin College in 1894, and moved around substantially due to Milton’s work as a pastor. Their daughter, Harriet May Norton (Noyce), was born in 1898 in Grandin, Missouri. She graduated from Oberlin in 1921 with a degree in Sociology. Harriet’s brother, Donald Macgregor Norton, was born in 1900. He also attended Oberlin, but passed away in 1920 during his sophomore year after contracting tubercular meningitis.
While at Oberlin, Donald participated in the Oberlin Students’ Army Training Corps (SATC) from October through December 1918. The SATC was a nationwide program initiated by the War Department during World War I. It allowed college and university students to volunteer for the army while remaining at school. The government provided funding for tuition, room and board, and uniforms, and the colleges and universities provided the space for training. The Armistice was signed before Donald was called for duty overseas.
Harriet met her husband, Ralph Brewster Noyce at Oberlin, where he graduated with a master’s degree from the Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1920. After attending the Chicago Theological Seminary for a year in 1922, he became a Congregationalist minister. His parents were Harriet Louisa Brewster (OC class of 1886), and George Thomas Noyce.
Harriet and Ralph Noyce had four children: Donald, Gaylord, Robert, and Ralph. Ralph Sr. died in 1984 at the age of 91, and Harriet Norton Noyce passed away in 1996 at age 97. They both resided in Berkeley, California before their deaths.
Author: Haley Antell Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
This small collection consists mainly of correspondence between members of the Norton family, many of whom attended Oberlin College. The letters describe the Oberlin experience in the late 19th and early 20th century, specifically during World War I. One member of the family, Donald Norton, participated in the war effort through the College’s Students’ Army Training Corps (SATC) program.
The Noyce family is also represented in this collection through essays written by Harriet Norton Noyce’s mother-in-law, Harriet Brewster Noyce, while she was a student at Oberlin from 1882 to 1886.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Correspondence of Louise Hill Norton, 1889-1921, n.d.
The bulk of this series comprise letters by Louise Hill Norton, Harriet’s mother, to her mother, Sally Peabody Hill. They document her experience as a student at Oberlin College. Additionally, the series contains letters to her children, Harriet and Donald, while they studied at Oberlin. Also included are letters received by Louise from friends and other members of her extended family, including her son-in-law Ralph Brewster Noyce.
Series II. Correspondence of Milton James Norton, 1895-1921, n.d.
Milton Norton sent these letters to his children, Harriet and Donald, while they studied at Oberlin between 1917 and 1921. There is also a small amount of correspondence sent by Milton to his future wife, Louise Hill Norton, and to his mother.
Series III. Correspondence of Harriet May Norton Noyce, 1908-21, n.d
This series contains a small amount of correspondence between Harriet and her grandmother, Sally Peabody Hill. Some letters to her grandmother include messages from her mother, Louise Hill Norton. The majority of the letters are from Harriet to her parents while she studied at Oberlin. There are also two folders that contain letters received by Harriet from friends at school and from members of her extended family.
Series IV. Correspondence of Donald Macgregor Norton, 1915-20
These letters document Donald’s time as a student at Oberlin College and as a member of the Students’ Army Training Corps (SATC). The series mainly comprises letters sent to his sister Harriet, and to his parents. Included in a letter sent to Harriet dated February 21, 1918 is a tintype showing some men standing outside a military vehicle. There are a few letters received by Donald, including one from the Oberlin College Office of the Secretary regarding registration and arrangements for men in the SATC.
Series V. Other Norton Family Correspondence, 1884-1920, n.d.
These letters pertain to the Norton family, but were not sent or received by Louise, Milton, Donald, or Harriet Norton.
Series VI. Prayer Books, ca. 1918
Consists of two copies of the booklet, “Hints on Prayer,” written by Oberlin College President Henry Churchill King.
Series VII. Writings, ca. 1882-86, 1939
Harriet Brewster Noyce wrote these essays while she was a student at Oberlin. The essays examine the following topics: Compulsory Gymnasium for Women, France as a Monarchy, City Mission Work, Remarriage of Divorced Persons, Medical Missions, and The Sabbath in America. Also included is a poem by Harriet Brewster Noyce, published in Fairs Mart of Verse: A Collection of Modern Poetry in 1939 by Leslie Mead.
Series VIII. Cabinet Cards, ca. 1894
This series contains cabinet card portraits of many members of the Oberlin College class of 1894.
Series IX. Clippings, 1909, 1914, n.d.
With the exception of the June 1909 issue of The Union Worker, these clippings are from unidentified sources.