Alice Jones Emery Papers, 1931-1955, n.d.
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Administrative/Biographical History
Alice Jones Emery was born Alice Ida Jones on June 24, 1868 in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, the daughter of William Morris Jones and Jane Robertson Jones. After she graduated from Allegheny High School, and received her B.L. at Oberlin College in 1891, she taught for one year at the Institute of Columbus, Ohio. Over the next two years she returned to Ebensburg to serve as an assistant in the Belles-Lettres department at Allegheny High School.
On August 2, 1894, she married Rufus Franklin Emery, who served several positions for the Westinghouse Airbrake Company (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), including appointments as the corporate secretary and treasurer. This union produced two children, Margaret (1896-1988) and Rufus Harding (1901-1958).
Following the death of her husband of apoplexy in 1918, Alice Jones Emery continued to give service to a number of organizations, including the American Association of University Women, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the YWCA, and the World Service Council. In some of them she held an elected office. She also invested enormous amounts of time as the Class Agent for the Oberlin College Class of 1891. In this capacity she organized class gatherings, wrote yearly news reports, corresponded with class members and kept the class financial records. One of her most significant contributions to the position was her compilation of the “class letters,” individual letters from members of the class. Her work led her to maintain ties with prominent members of the “Ninety-One” class, which included Seabury C. Mastick, Robert A. Millikan, J.B. McCord, Clark B. Firestone, and R. [Romanta] T. Miller, Jr. Other prominent members of this class include William L. Beard, Fred W. Garney, Guy S. Callendar, Mary B. Stafford, Carrie T. Memmott, and Juanita B. Bates.
While she retained her primary residence in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alice Jones Emery devoted much time in her later years to travel. In particular, she spent a significant amount of time in Oberlin with her daughter, Margaret (Oberlin Kindergarten Training School, Class of 1918) and in Buenos Aires, Argentina with her son, Rufus Harding (Oberlin College Class of 1923).
On April 18, 1956, Alice Jones Emery died in Buenos Aires, Argentina while visiting her son, Rufus, after a brief illness.
Sources Consulted
Alice Jones Emery, Student File, Alumni Records, RG 28/2.
Author: Caitlin Condell Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative InformationClass of 1891, College General (RGO), Series 25. Class Files.
Seabury C. Mastick Papers (RG 30/350).
Alumni Records, Student files for members of the Class of 1891 (RG 28).
The Alice Jones Emery Papers primarily consists of materials relating to Emery’s position as Class Agent for the Oberlin College Class of 1891.
The correspondence series, which constitutes the bulk of the collection, contains letters received from former classmates in response to Alice Jones Emery’s requests for individual class letters. Spanning a period of over twenty years, these letters handsomely document the warm friendship and spirit retained by Oberlin College graduates (see the series description for the names of some key correspondents).
The clippings and miscellaneous series consist of articles, printed matter, and writings (i.e. songs and recollections) relating to members of the Class of 1891. These materials provide additional documentation concerning the careers and activities of the class members beyond their years at Oberlin.
Finally, the collection consists of a small amount of financial records that provide some detail concerning bank accounts and expenses incurred for reunions and other activities of the Class of 1891.
The collection is arranged around four series. The series are I. Correspondence, II. Clippings, III. Financial Records, and IV. Miscellaneous.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Correspondence, 1931-55, n.d. (4 folders)
The correspondence series includes letters written in response to Alice Jones Emery’s requests for information from members of the Oberlin College Class of 1891. The letters include responses from classmates such as Clark B. Firestone, Seabury Cone Mastick, George W. Mead, Henry Martyn Metcalf, R. [Romanta] T. Miller, Jr., and Robert A. Millikan. The series also includes one letter from a niece of Alice Jones Emery.
Series II. Clippings, 1933, 1937-55, n.d. (1 folder)
The clipping series consists of articles written by or about classmates from the Class of 1891. Included are articles about Robert A. Millikan, James B. McCord, George W. Mead, Nellie Brooks, R. [Romanta] T. Miller, Jr., and Seabury Mastick. Among the clippings are columns written by Clark B. Firestone, including a series entitled The Office Window.
Series III. Financial Records, 1931, 1933-55 (2 folders)
The financial records include two bank account books from the Oberlin Savings Bank Company, and documents relating to finances for class activities in the years of 1931, 1933 and 1946. Included in this series is a letter regarding a credit of $150 from the Class of 1891.
Series IV. Miscellaneous, 1941, 1943, 1946-49, 1951-52, n.d. (2 folders)
This series contains printed matter and writings relating to members of the Class of 1891. Included are two pamphlets regarding Dr. James B. McCord’s work in Africa, 1943, 1946; two printed meditations from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, 1948; a commencement program from Pacific University, 1952; Poems and A Christmas Story by Martha Norburn Mead, 1949; and, a program from the American Association University Women Convention, 1941. The writings consist of recollections written by class members (Nellie Summer Brooks, Edwin S. Chamberlin, and Clark B. Firestone), several drafts of the class song, The Spirit of ’91, and the rough notes for a skit performed at the 30th class reunion in 1921. Also included here is a document relating to the class gift for the Miller Room, founded by class member R.T. Miller.
INVENTORY
Series I. Correspondence, 1931-55, n.d.
Box 1
Letters received by Alice Jones Emery,
1931-55, n.d. (4f)
Series II. Clippings, 1933, 1937-55, n.d.
Box 1 (cont.)
Clippings, 1933, 1937-55, n.d.
Series III. Financial Records, 1931, 1933-55
Box 1 (cont.)
Bank books (2), 1933-55
Misc. expenses and related correspondence,
1931, 1933, 1946
Series IV. Miscellaneous, 1941, 1943, 1946-49, 1951-52, n.d.
Box 1 (cont.)
Printed matter, 1941, 1943, 1946-49,
1952
Writings by class members, 1947,
1951-52, n.d.