gerrish_sc.html

THE GERRISH FAMILY
PAPERS, 1786-1940
SCOPE AND CONTENT

The Gerrish Family Papers document three generations of Gerrish's in Oberlin, beginning with Nathaniel Gerrish, one of the earliest settlers in Oberlin, continuing with William Blanchard Gerrish, and ending with his children. Although the collection spans from 1825-1940, the bulk of the material covers the time period 1880-1938 and concerns primarily William Blanchard Gerrish. Types of materials include letters, deeds, financial journals and record books, photographs, artifacts and memorabilia.

Due to the fact that this collection is comprised of several different accessions, researchers may find some arrangement anomalies. For example, Sub-Group III, Series 1 contains the correspondence of William B. Gerrish as a public official. Since this series came from several different sources, there are two forms of arrangement--chronological and alphabetical. These two filing methods were left intact in order not to unduly disturb the original order.

The following sub-groups and series are included:

I. Personal Papers of Nathaniel Gerrish and Harriet Blanchard Gerrish

II. Personal Papers of William Blanchard Gerrish and Julia Gage Gerrish

III. Public Career of William B. Gerrish

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Sub-Group I: Personal Papers of Nathaniel Gerrish and Harriet Blanchard Gerrish, 1786-1890 (2.85 lin. ft.)

Nathaniel Gerrish (1810-1890) was one of the early settlers of Oberlin. Harriet Blanchard (1820-1898) was his second wife. Before their marriage in 1861, Harriet taught school for a number of years. The couple had two children: William Blanchard Gerrish and Mary Gerrish (the name of William Blanchard's sibling is questionable and could not be verified in official documents). The identity of Nathaniel Gerrish's first wife is also somewhat uncertain, but according to letters in this collection it was probably Mary. Her maiden name may have been Harris, and she and Nathaniel apparently had no children.

Series 1: Correspondence of Nathaniel Gerrish, 1825-90 (.4 lin. ft.)

Many of the correspondents' names are uncertain in this series, but it consists primarily of letters to and from Nathaniel Gerrish and various family members, including his brother Charles--the first member of the Gerrish family to attend Oberlin. Charles was in the opening class of 1833. There is also correspondence with friends and business associates, including one post card dated 1886 from "H.C. King", the future president of Oberlin College. Received with this group of papers were letters to William H. Harris (1835-50), who may have been a relative of the first Mrs. Nathaniel Gerrish. Many of the letters to Mr. & Mrs. Gerrish are from Newburyport, Massachusetts, the ancestral home of the early Gerrishes. Arranged chronologically.

Series 2: Financial Records of Nathaniel Gerrish, 1835-57 (1.25 lin. ft.)

Nathaniel Gerrish's financial and real estate records include an early financial journal (1833-54) and many deeds to property bought and sold by him. The "Oberlin File" (21/3, Box 4, folder 7) contains the original deed, dated 12 December 1837, from Peter Pindar Pease to Nathaniel Gerrish for the Gerrish family home at 143 E. College Street.

Series 3: Correspondence of Harriet B. Gerrish, 1838-55 (.4 lin. ft.)

The bulk of these letters to and from Harriet Blanchard and her family members date from the late 1840s to the mid 1850s. They cover Harriet's career as a teacher in Ohio. Included are two teaching certificates dated 1845 and 1855. Harriet did not marry Nathaniel until age 41, and thus was able to devote at least ten years to her teaching career. Arranged chronologically.

Series 4: Memorabilia of Nathaniel Gerrish Family, 1786 (.8 lin. ft.)

One framed handwriting sample (12" x 17") signed by Nathaniel Gerrish, 28 March 1786. This was the father of the Nathaniel Gerrish who settled in Oberlin.

Sub-Group II: Personal Papers of William Blanchard Gerrish and Julia Gage Gerrish, 1872-1940 (2.05 lin. ft.)

William Blanchard Gerrish and Julia Gage Gerrish were married 10 January 1889. Both were graduates of Oberlin College. They had five daughters, the eldest of whom married Keyes Metcalf. Most of the papers in this sub-group concern William and Julia Gerrish during their student days at Oberlin and subsequently during their married life.

Series 1: Gerrish Genealogy and Family Information, 1930-85 (.05 lin. ft.)

This genealogical and biographical information was collected by several family members, among them William Gerrish Metcalf, ("Gerry") the grandson of William B. Gerrish. It includes a family tree and various letters and clippings. None of the material, however, verifies the name of either the first wife of Nathaniel Gerrish or the name of William B. Gerrish's sibling (probably named Mary and called "Mattie" by her family).

Series 2: Correspondence of William B. Gerrish and Julia G. Gerrish, 1872-1939 (.2 lin. ft.)

Among the early items in this series are letters to "Willie" Gerrish signed from his sister "Mattie" (also sometimes signed as "Mary"). Of particular interest is a letter from Nathaniel Gerrish to Jacob Johann of the Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railway Co., dated 1881, regarding employment for Nathaniel's son, William. This series contains a few letters from Martha Gerrish (later Metcalf) as well as an untitled and undated poem written by her about the Oberlin High School Class of 1907. The last folder in the series consists of letters written by William and Julia Gerrish to their five daughters, spanning the period 1915-1930. Arranged chronologically.

Series 3: Legal and Financial Records of William B. Gerrish and Julia G. Gerrish, 1884-1940 (.4 lin. ft.)

William Gerrish's day books contain a record of household finance and events, and span 1884-1939. These pocket-size (2" x 5") books are arranged chronologically. Also included in this series are tax receipts (1910-1917, 1940), account books (1912-1935), insurance policies (1929-38), deeds (1890-1900), and a Westwood Cemetery certificate dated 1906 for William B. Gerrish. Of particular note are the estate matters of William and Julia Gerrish, which include 1903 copies of their wills (William drew up a later version but it is not in this collection). Much of the correspondence in this file is directed to William son-in-law, Keyes Metcalf. Keyes served as his father-in-law's beneficiary after the death of Julia in early 1939, and apparently handled the estate of his father-in-law after William's death later in 1939.

Series 4: Gerrish Family Photographs, 1833-1938 (.2 lin. ft.)

Photos are arranged in basic chronological order with unidentified photos first. Of special interest are an undated photo of Charles Gerrish, the first member of the family to attend Oberlin; a 1924 photo of the 40th reunion of the class of 1884 which includes Julia Gage Gerrish and Azariah Smith Root; and two 12" x 8" photos of the Gerrish family home at 134 E. College St.

Series 5: Memorabilia of William B. and Julia G. Gerrish, 1872-1907 (1.2 lin. ft.)

Most of this series is comprised of Oberlin College programs from rhetoricals, class days, and commencements during the college days of William & Julia Gerrish in the 1880s. Included are a few early grade cards for "Willie Gerrish" in the early 1870s, and several college essays written by William Gerrish in the mid 1880s. The last folder contains miscellaneous items including two blank pledge cards for the Women's Christian Temperance Union. In a separate box is a banner from Oberlin High School, which William Gerrish Metcalf believed may have been made by his mother Martha Gerrish Metcalf. It measures 18" x 28." Sewn on one side is "OHS," and on the other is "'07."

Sub-Group III: Public Career of William B. Gerrish, 1888-1939 (1.4 lin. ft.)

The documents of this sub-group relate primarily to William Gerrish's life as a public official. It also includes collections of clippings he maintained during most of his adult life. Both as a public official and as a private citizen, he never lacked opinions or interest regarding public events in Oberlin and elsewhere.

Series 1: Correspondence and Papers of William B. Gerrish as Oberlin City Official, 1889-1938 (1.0 lin. ft.)

This series contains a few publications by and about William Gerrish as well as some village annual reports found in his files. The latter may well be duplicated in the records of Oberlin city government. The actual correspondence begins with three letterpress copy books dating from 1889-1903. Among the miscellaneous letters is a substantial file of correspondence from the Chicago architect, J.L. Silsbee, concerning the construction of the Memorial Arch (1902-3). Included is an undated copy of specifications for the Memorial Arch. Gerrish's letters to Silsbee are contained in the last volume of the letterpress copy books. The last series of folders is arranged alphabetically by last name of correspondent. It includes letters written to Gerrish in his capacity as superintendent of the Oberlin waterworks and spans 1890-1910.

Series 2: News Clippings of William B. Gerrish, 1888-1939 (.4 lin. ft.)

William B. Gerrish was a diligent collector of news clippings. Included in this series are three scrapbooks of clippings which concerned mainly the affairs of the village, his family, and his own opinions on events of the day. The third scrapbook contains a letter written by Gerrish to Mrs. F.F. Jewett on 15 October 1921 explaining why he ceased to be village engineer.

PROVENANCE

The bulk of materials in this collection were acquired in two lots as gifts from William Blanchard Metcalf (Gerry) of Falmouth Massachusetts in October 1989 and May 1990. As the grandson of William Blanchard Gerrish and the son of Keyes DeWitt Metcalf (who married William's daughter Martha), Gerry Metcalf had in his possession papers of both the Gerrish and Metcalf families. When donating these papers to the Oberlin College Archives in October 1989 and May 1990, Gerry Metcalf's personal recollections proved of valuable assistance.

A few of the items in this collection came to the Archives as acquisitions from the College Library in 1971 and 1977. Altogether, therefore, the Gerrish Family Papers represents a combination of five different accessions: #133, #1977/33, #1989/182, #1990/49, and #1993/12. The classification number 30/109 now includes the first two and the fifth accessions, and portions of the third and fourth accessions. The remainder of the third and fourth accessions became part of The Keyes DeWitt Metcalf Family Papers (30/212).

RELATED MATERIALS

Because of the prominence of the Gerrish family name there are a number of related collections of primary importance. Perhaps the most obvious of these is the Keyes DeWitt Metcalf Family Papers (30/212), which contains a significant number of courtship letters written to and from Martha Gerrish and her future husband Keyes Metcalf. Also of prime importance in regard to the public career of William Gerrish Metcalf are the records of Oberlin City (31/5). Other related materials may be found in the appropriate alumni student files (28/1), in the records of the Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization (31/9), and in the records of the Oberlin Public Schools (31/7).