George Frederick Wright Papers, 1811-1998 | Oberlin College Archives

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I. Appointment Books, 1897, 1899 (0.05 l.f.)

Includes two appointment books from 1897 and two from 1899. One of the 1897 books belonged to G.F. Wright’s son, Frederick B. Wright.

Series II. Biographical File, 1868-1968, n.d. (0.1 l.f.)

This series includes biographical information and obituaries for Wright, passports, and the itinerary of Wright’s 1900-01 trip, diplomas and certificates, and an undated bibliography of some of Wright’s writings. The series also includes genealogical material concerning the Wright and Day families. The collection does not include a diploma for Wright’s 1877 honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from Drury College in Springfield, Missouri.

Series III. Contracts and Agreements, 1879-1920 (0.05 l.f.)

The contracts and agreements are arranged in two subseries. The first, G.F. Wright Publications, contains contracts and agreements concerning works by Wright. The second, Bibliotheca Sacra Publications, includes contracts for works by other authors that were published by Bibliotheca Sacra. These contracts and agreements cover only a small number of G.F. Wright and Bibliotheca Sacra publications.

Series IV. Correspondence Files, 1811-1921, n.d. (10.55 l.f.)

The correspondence is divided into four subseries: 1. Calendared Correspondence, 2. Incoming Letters (not calendared), 3. Miscellaneous Family Letters, and 4. Select Letters in the R.B. Hayes Library. Subseries 1 consists of primarily incoming correspondence, 1850-1921, described in Victor V. Lytle’s seven-volume calendar and index (1953-54). Subseries 2 consists of G.F. Wright correspondence, 1876-1920, that was not included in Lytle’s calendar. Most of these letters are arranged alphabetically by correspondent; the remainder are chronological. Subseries 3 is miscellaneous Wright Family correspondence and is in two groupings. The first consists of family correspondence, 1811-1869. These letters were calendared, and a copy of the calendar is found in the first folder. The second is letters dated 1907-1915 relating to G.F. Wright’s children’s membership in Second Congregational Church in Oberlin. An additional letter to Second Congregational Church concerns Wright’s book on the history of Lorain County. Subseries 4 contains photocopies of selected letters held by the Rutherford B. Hayes Library of Wright and his daughter Helen; the subjects of these 1913-14 letters include Records of the Past and the possibility of Wright returning to the Middle East to study the Jordan River Valley and the Dead Sea. Also included are photocopies of relevant pages from the indexes to the correspondence of Birchard Austin Hayes, Webb Cook Hayes, and Mary Miller Hayes. Additional correspondence is located with the genealogical material in Series II.

Series V. Diaries, 1875, 1877, 1879 (0.05 l.f.)

The diaries consist of three volumes that document Wright’s work as a minister in Andover, Massachusetts, and also include notes on geological observations and readings.

Series VI. Geological Files, 1877-1903, n.d. (0.8 l.f. + 4 vol.)

These include notebooks of Wright’s geological observations taken during his travels as well as loose notes on his travels and readings. His notebooks cover his work for the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Geological Survey as well as his trips to study glacial formations in Alaska, Greenland, Europe, and Asia. Also included in these files are lectures and 1907 exam questions for his glacial geology course at Oberlin College. Additional material relating to Wright’s geological studies is in his writings in Series XV.

Series VII. Ministerial Files, 1863-1881, n.d. (0.05 l.f. + 1 vol.)

Consists of material relating to his posts as a Congregational minister in Bakersfield, Vermont, and Andover, Massachusetts, including a copy of an address by Rev. Eldridge Mix given at Wright’s 1866 installation in Bakersfield. Also included is a register for the Free Church in Andover, covering 1872-1881. Wright’s sermons are in Series XI. Sermons and Addresses.

Series VIII. Miscellaneous Materials, 1817-1912, n.d. (0.2 l.f. + 1 vol.)

This series contains a variety of materials, including an index compiled by Wright on his readings, c. 1868; foreign language material from Wright’s 1900-01 trip; a New Testament given to Wright at the time of his enlistment in 1861; a list of students taught by Wright in an unidentified school; a grade book (c. 1856) from the Select School in Fairhaven, Vermont; a summary of church membership by county in New Connecticut (Ohio); a report about the Ohio Centennial Forestry Exhibit; miscellaneous notes covering topics such as Fort George and the population of Palestine; bills and receipts, 1886-1912, n.d.; a blueprint of a mill from the Noye Manufacturing Company; and an 1894 map of the Johnson Company’s property in Lorain County. The New Testament has a tintype of an unidentified woman pasted inside the cover. Included with the Oriental language material is a list in English of the participants in a welcome meeting for Wright, which took place at Maebash, Japan, March 20, 1900.

Series IX. Newspaper Clippings, 1879-1919, n.d. (3.75 l.f.)

Clippings of articles about Wright, including reviews of his books and accounts of lectures. In addition, there are some clippings of articles that Wright wrote. Other clippings concern subjects of interest to Wright and have been labeled by subject.

Series X. Printed Matter, 1860, 1886-1917, 1919, n.d. (0.4 l.f.)

Consists primarily of lecture advertisements and programs for events (1886-1917) in which Wright participated. Additional material includes temperance related material, 1905-1916, and information on excursions that Wright and Charles Dutton (1870-1959, A.B. 1893), a Cleveland teacher, led for geology classes from Oberlin College and Cleveland high schools. Also included is material from meetings of the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Congregational Club of Cleveland.

Series XI. Sermons and Addresses, 1860-1918, n.d. (2.0 l.f.)

These include sermons Wright gave during his time as an active minister and later as a visiting preacher at various churches, primarily in Ohio. The sermons include Wright’s reflections on particular texts and cover subjects such as the immortality of God and divine revelation. Wright numbered his sermons and recorded the dates and places where he gave them and his addresses. A bound volume contains skeletons of the sermons Wright preached at the Gustavus revival of 1860-61; this volume also includes records for the students Wright taught in Gustavus, in 1860. The addresses document Wright’s career as a well-known lecturer and include addresses about geological subjects and about Wright’s travels, particularly in Asia. The sermons and addresses are arranged chronologically; sermons that Wright gave in more than one church are filed under the earliest date noted. Undated material is arranged alphabetically at the end.

Series XII. Student Essays, 1854-1862, n.d. (0.1 l.f.)

Wright wrote the majority of these essays while he was a student at Oberlin College and Oberlin Theological Seminary; a few of the essays date from his time at the Castleton Seminary in Vermont. They cover such topics as China, intellectual faculties, and providence. They are arranged chronologically, with undated material arranged by title at the end.

Series XIII. Theological Files, 1893, n.d. (0.3 l.f. + 17 vol.)

Includes lectures, lecture notes, and research notes relating to Wright’s teaching and writings. Additional material from Wright’s theological work is found in Series XI. Sermons and Addresses and in Series XV. Writings.

Series XIV. Topical Files, 1866-67, 1875-77, 1881, 1885, 1888-97, 1919-20, n.d.  (0.4 l.f.)

Includes files on specific topics including evolution, the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, and the history of Sunday Schools in Ohio. The file on Judge Charles C. Baldwin contains writings by Baldwin and biographical information that was used by Wright for a memorial article on Baldwin; this file also includes his address concerning the Cleveland Professorship presented at the 1892 annual dinner of Cleveland alumni of Oberlin College and a review of Wright’s Man and the Glacial Period with notes by Baldwin. Another file includes research notes and newspaper clippings about Z. Swift Holbrook who was a special instructor on Christian Sociology at Oberlin College from 1894-96. There was an attack on Holbrook’s character made in connection to an 1895 property dispute in Chicago, and the file includes clippings about the dispute as well as Wright’s letters to the Cleveland Plain Dealer in Holbrook’s defense. The material about Oberlin College includes Wright’s notes on the College’s history, an undated “General Scheme for the Reorganization of Oberlin University,” and a 1919 statement from New York alumni concerning the organization of an alumni association. Wright’s articles and lectures about the College may be found in Series XI. Sermons and Addresses and in Series XV. Writings.

Series XV. Writings, 1871-1998, n.d. (1.6 l.f.)

Arranged in two subseries: 1. Writings by George Frederick Wright, and 2. Writings by other authors. The subjects of Wright’s writings include geology and theological issues, as well as accounts of his travels. Subseries 1 is arranged alphabetically by title and includes primarily manuscript or typescript copies as well as notes for a few works. Many of Wright’s works are not represented; see the appended list for the titles included here. Subseries 2 is arranged alphabetically by author.

Series XVI. Photographs, 1849, 1899, n.d. (0.99 l.f.)

Photographs of geological sites near New Comerstown, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, and Scottsbluff, Nebraska. An additional photograph of an unidentified site was originally with a manuscript of “Geologic Time” by C.B. Shedd (1846-1935, A.B. 1868). Three photographs of fossils were given to Wright by Sam Huston of Stubenville, Ohio. Also included is a photograph of botanist and Christian Darwinist Asa Gray, his wife Jane Loring Gray, and third person identified simply as Professor Hooker. An 1899 photograph shows Wright on an excursion with unidentified students. Series VIII. Miscellaneous Materials includes a tintype of an unidentified woman that is pasted inside the front cover of a New Testament.  Five cased images dating from about 1849 were received in 2015.  These are three hand-tinted ambrotypes and two daguerreotypes, including a portrait of William W. Wright.  All but one of these portraits are of unidentified individuals.

A clergyman, amateur geologist, and theology professor, George Frederick Wright was born in Whitehall, New York, on January 22, 1838. His parents, Walter and Mary Peabody Colburn Wright, were farmers. The Wrights lived on the edge of the “Burned-over District” of upstate New York, known for its evangelistic fever. Young Wright doubtless came to know about the vagaries of spiritualism, and he experienced a pious upbringing. His family’s interest in Oberlin College and Charles Grandison Finney made his eventual attendance at Oberlin inevitable. Oberlin’s founders and trustees of the Institute, John J. Shipherd (d. 1844) and Philo P. Stewart (d. 1868), were from towns in the vicinity of Whitehall. According to Wright’s autobiographical account, their influence led Wright’s father and uncle William Wright to join the early supporters of Oberlin College. Wright’s three brothers and two sisters, as well as several of his cousins, all attended Oberlin.

After attending country schools and the Castleton Seminary in Castleton, Vermont, Wright entered the senior class in Oberlin’s Preparatory Department in 1855. His classmates included Major John Wesley Powell, Emory Upton, and Elisha Gray. He, like many students at the time, supported his education by teaching school during the winter vacations. In his four years as an undergraduate student, he taught at several district schools around Ohio, in Franklin, Medina, Fayette, and Belmont Counties. Wright graduated from Oberlin College with an A.B. degree in 1859.

Wright subsequently enrolled in the Theological Seminary to study with Reverends Charles G. Finney, John Morgan, and Henry E. Peck. His studies were interrupted by the Civil War, however. In April 1861, Wright was among the first hundred Oberlin students to volunteer; these students formed Company C of the Seventh Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. Wright was invalided home that summer after contracting pneumonia, and he returned to Oberlin, ultimately receiving his theological degree in 1862.

Wright served as a Congregational pastor for nineteen years from 1862 to 1881. His first church was in Bakersfield, Vermont, where he served from 1862 to 1872. It was during his time in Vermont that Wright developed a strong interest in glacial deposits. He left Bakersfield for the Free Church in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1872 and was pastor there until 1881.

Wright returned to the Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1881 as Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, replacing his former professor John Morgan who had retired one year earlier. In 1892 he was named Professor of the Harmony of Science and Revelation. This professorship, also known as the Cleveland Professorship, was specially endowed for Wright by alumni living in the Cleveland area. This position permitted Wright to teach a geology course in the College, in addition to his courses in the Theological Seminary, and also allowed him to devote part of each year to research. He became Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 1907. During his retirement Wright gained a reputation as a local historian.

Wright’s first article “Ground of Confidence in Inductive Reasoning,” published in 1871, brought him to the attention of Harvard University botanist and Christian Darwinist Asa Gray (1810-1888). With Gray’s encouragement, Wright took on the task of reconciling the theory of evolution with Christian beliefs and thus joined the ranks of those known as Christian Darwinists.

Wright’s early writings advanced his reputation in scholarly circles as an evolutionist. In later years, however, he became a significant figure in fundamentalist circles. His shift toward fundamentalism came about in reaction to the growing trend of biblical criticism. Wright was a staunch defender of the infallibility of the Bible, and much of his later work was devoted to using scientific evidence to verify biblical accounts. Of his views Ronald L. Numbers writes:

<p style="margin-left:.5in;"> Although Wright never subscribed to a purely naturalistic form of Darwinism, and his final views on human evolution remain obscure, it is clear that he revised his opinions substantially. Most significantly, he gave up a relatively uniformitarian view of Darwinian evolution for a catastrophist theory of paroxysmal evolution, a switch he justified with frequent reference to Darwin’s mistakes and to the even more unforgivable errors of his followers. During his last years Wright unashamedly invoked miraculous acts of creation and felt ill at ease when people called him an “evolutionist.” (p. 644)

Wright’s long association with the respected theological journal Bibliotheca Sacra began in 1875 with the publication of a series of articles on evolution. While in Andover, Massachusetts, Wright worked as an assistant to editor Edwards A. Park, and, upon Park’s retirement in 1883, Wright took over as editor, a position he held until his death in 1921. With Wright as editor, the publication of Bibliotheca Sacra moved from Andover to Oberlin.

Although Wright’s formal scientific training was limited to his undergraduate courses at Oberlin, he continued to study geology throughout his life. During his years as an active minister, Wright’s geological interests became focused on the study of glacial deposits. His theory that gravel ridges in New England were the result of glacial deposits brought him to the attention of geologists. He soon became a respected member of scientific circles, and in 1881 Wright, with Henry Carvill Lewis (1853-1888), was asked to survey the glacial drift border in Pennsylvania as part of the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania. He continued this survey work independently, and later as part of the United States Geological Survey, to include Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

Wright’s best-known geological work was The Ice Age in North America, and Its Bearings Upon the Antiquity of Man, published in 1889 by D. Appleton and Company. This well-received book, which was largely based upon his 1887 Lowell Institute lecture series, went through six editions. The positive reception led Wright to publish a new book in 1892. Man and the Glacial Period (also published by D. Appleton and Company) was essentially a condensed version of The Ice Age in North America with the addition of some new data. Unlike the earlier work, however, Man and the Glacial Period was met with attacks by a number of geologists who disagreed with Wright’s theory of a single Ice Age and questioned his scientific accuracy. Despite the fact that many geologists took his side in the debate, Wright lost much of his sense of belonging to the geological community and began to focus less of his time on geological matters and more on his theological studies.

While teaching at the Oberlin Theological Seminary, Wright devoted vacation periods to continuing his geological studies. In addition to examining geological formations across the United States, he traveled to Alaska in 1886 and Greenland in 1894 to study their glaciers. During his 1886 trip, Wright became the first person to study the Muir Glacier in Alaska. He also visited Europe several times between 1892 and 1908 to see archaeological sites and glacial phenomena. His most ambitious voyage was a 1900-01 trip across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe with his son, Frederick B. Wright, which came about from his desire for firsthand observation of geological conditions.

His geological interests expanded to include archaeology. He and his son, Frederick B. Wright, edited the archaeology journal Records of the Past, from its creation in 1901 until its 1914 merger with Art and Archaeology. During his retirement, he was president of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, 1907-19, and he was active in efforts to preserve prehistoric earthworks.

Wright was a prolific writer and a popular lecturer. He published sixteen books and nearly six hundred articles; during the last years of his life he averaged one article a month. Wright was invited three times to give lecture series at the Lowell Institute in Boston. These lecture series were “The Ice Age in North America” (1887), “The Antiquity and Origin of the Human Race” (1892), and “The Scientific Aspects of Christian Evidences” (1896). He also lectured in Japan at the beginning of his 1900-01 trip across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

He was honored in both theological and geological circles. Wright received two honorary degrees in 1887: the degree of Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) from Brown University and Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) from Drury College in Springfield, Missouri. He was named a Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 1890.

Throughout his many years living in Oberlin, he was an active community member. Wright was a longtime member of Second Congregational Church and was involved in its leadership for many years. He also had an interest in music and was a charter member of the Musical Union. With Professors Fenelon B. Rice and Edward Dickinson, Wright edited the hymnal New Manual of Praise: for Sabbath and Social Worship, published in 1901.

In addition to his theological and geological work, Wright was known as a local historian. He wrote a scholarly biography of Charles Grandison Finney that was published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1891. Wright also compiled the two-volume work, A Standard History of Lorain County, published in 1916.

Wright married Hulda Maria Day (d. 1899) in August 1862. They had four children, all Oberlin graduates: Mary Augusta Wright Berle (1867-1940, A.B. 1889), Etta Maria Wright (1870-1943, A.B. 1893), Frederick Bennett Wright (1873-1922, S.B. 1897), and Helen Marcia Wright (1879-1983, A.B. 1902). In 1904, five years after his first wife’s death, he married Florence Eleanor Bedford (d. 1943). George Frederick Wright died in Oberlin of cardiac asthma on April 20, 1921, and he is buried in Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin.