Private Papers Collection

The University Archives contains nineteen collections of private papers. Collections are composed of personal diaries, correspondence, photographs and newspaper clippings on topics ranging from Northwest politics, history, and logging operations to Methodist missions and travels in the Far East. Their descriptions below provide the only access information presently available.

Blaine, David & Catharine  Letters & Papers (1849-1864)
Transcription of the original letters of Rev. David Blaine and his wife written from New York, at sea, and from Washington State (Olympia, Seattle, etc.) after their journey to the Northwest. They deal in some detail with family matters as well as the events of daily life for a pastor and his family in the Puget Sound area. A rather poignant account of life in those early days.

Bone, Homer T.  Papers, scrapbooks, photos & memorabilia (1903-1944)
132 boxes. Deals with Northwest politics, especially Democratic in Tacoma (where Bone lived), Pierce County and Washington State; the development of public power in the Northwest; the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt and national government politics as a U.S. Senator (1932-1944) who proposed the first national cancer legislation; and his appointment by F.D.R. as a judge (1944-1956) to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Known as the father of public power in the United States. The collection is completely calendared with a personal name index and a complete contents by folder and box listing filed at the head of the collection. 
General Collection Index  |  Name Index

Brown, Rev. Henry  Autobiography & Scrapbooks (1848-1931)
Contains his personal reminiscences about his pioneer days as a Methodist pastor in Iowa and eastern Washington (esp. Spokane and Walla Walla). There are two scrapbooks consisting mostly of articles, poems, temperance tracts and news items. The second scrapbook is composed of editorial extracts from the Oregonian newspaper from 1887-1904.

Canse, John M.  Pamphlets & Miscellany (1900-1935)
Nine boxes. This is a widely assorted collection of items published on the towns, cities, areas (mainly Pacific coast), counties, companies, institutions, architectural features, etc. in the Northwest. Includes newspapers, typescripts of county history, and assorted newspaper clippings.

Coffee, John  Correspondence & Scrapbooks (1934-1950s)
Coffee was a representative to Congress (1937-1947) from the Tacoma area. Contains his remarks in the House of Representatives (from the Congressional Record) from 1940-1945; also his correspondence, radio speeches, photos, campaign literature, newspaper clippings and press releases from 1946 to the early 1950s. The four scrapbooks contain mainly newspaper articles about his activities and speeches from 1936 to 1945.

Cunningham, Laura H.  Scholarship & Personal Memorabilia
The university became the beneficiary of her estate upon her death in 1978. Her will established a fund and specified that it provide assistance for worthy juniors and seniors of superior abilities. Since she was a teacher of foreign languages for over 14 years in Seattle, and developed a passion for world-wide travel, her scholarship provides for the annually selected recipient to spend a year abroad anywhere of their choice. Married twice, she spent most of her life in Bellingham and Seattle. This collection contains some of her photographs, papers, and talks plus some letters.

Davis, Walter S.  Papers (1866-1943)
Walter Davis was a CPS professor of History and Political Science from 1907-1943. He was also a Washington State Senator from 1912-1928. The collection holds his CPS diploma and his 32d degree Masonic certificate, and notes on the CPS Trustees meetings (1916-?), a short paper (4-5 pages) on the history of CPS from 1898 to 1930 in several versions, and a number of notebooks devoted to notes on the history of CPS. In addition there is a copy of his Cornell University master's thesis and a number of his student lecture notebooks while there. Also contains a letter to him from Ezra Meeker (Jan 12, 1923), and his retirement memorybook holding many congratulatory letters from former students, friends and community people throughout the area, In addition there is a bound copy of a genealogy of the Davis family entitled "Our Pioneer Ancestors". A popular and highly regarded teacher, the third floor reading room (to the East) of Collins Library is dedicated to him. Formerly it held a large (5'x4') oil portrait of Senator Davis, painted by Rowena Alcorn, which is now stored elsewhere on campus.

Gould, B. A.  Papers & Letters (1874-1881)
Deals with the establishment and operation of the Astronomic Observatory at Cordoba, Argentina. Contains Gould's letters from May 1878 to August 1881 and certain subject related letters of 1876 by M. Thome, the Annual Report of the Argentine Meteorological Office for 1874 and related observation documents in Spanish. In addition, there are various other letters concerning the Gould materials by CPS Professor Raymond Seward (and others) plus twelve photographs of the moon taken in October and November of 1918.

Hill, Abby Williams Paintings, Works on Paper, Letters, Diaries, Photos, Memorabilia and Native American Artifacts (1880s - 1930s)
The Abby Williams Hill collection was donated to the University by Ina Hill beginning in the 1950s. The collection includes over 100 paintings; many are on display in Jones Hall. The papers include letters, diaries, daybooks, postcards, clippings and exhibition files by, to, from, and about Abby Hill and her family. They address a broad range of topics including early Tacoma and Washington State history, the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railways, the National Park System, and the Congress of Mothers. The collection also includes several boxes of mounted or bound "art appreciation" photographs and reproductions, stereoscopic views of various subjects, and Hill's collection of Native American artifacts.  More information.

KAYE 1971 radio broadcast about UPS
A far right commentator berates the liberal influence on the UPS campus.

Lilly, Stella  Papers, pamphlets, periodicals and miscellany (circa 1937)
Two boxes. The first box contains maps and tourist pamphlets mainly about Japan but also on Shanghai, Manchuria, and Manila with assorted reports or papers on various aspects and activities (especially education) in Japan in 1937. Box two holds six pamphlets, e.g., "Outline of Federation of Young Women's Association of Japan", "The Japanese Junior Red Cross", etc. and seven periodical issues mainly from 1937 such as "Travel in Japan" (vol.3), "Japan Times Weekly" (April 20, 1939), and "Nippon" (July), etc.

Mongolian Missionary Materials (1913-1926)
This collection gathered by Christian missionaries, whose connection to UPS is unknown, contains the following items:

• The New Testament in Tibetan, Revised Version. Shanghai: British Foreign Bible Society.1913.
• Genesis in Mongolian. Ed. 1201. Shanghai: British and Foreign Bible Society. 1913.
• Astronomy text in Mongolian or Tibetan. Text of illustrations in Russian. Russian-Mongolian Publishing Company.
• A paper-bound biography of Chinggis Khaan in Mongolian or Tibetan. Beijing publisher.
•  A small collection of books of hymns in Tibetan or Mongolian with index in English and Swedish.
• Five items written in Tibetan or Mongolian. Content unknown. One produced by the Swedish Mongol Mission Press and another by the Russian-Mongolian Publishing Company (1923).
• A couple hundred small black and white photographs depicting daily life in Mongolia.  Some are photos of the missionaries, but very few are annotated. The photographs may have been taken at or near the South Mongol Mission from 1925 to about 1935.

Northwestern Lumber Co.  Photo Album (circa 1900-1935)
Contains assorted views mostly of logging operations, about the Puget Sound area, e.g., Moclips River, Tacoma waterfront, and Pokeganta but mainly in the Hoquiam area.

Methodist Missionaries  Letters (1836-1851: excluding Oregon & Washington)
A collection representing a random scattering of correspondence from California, Texas, New England, Wisconsin, etc. about the rigors of missionary life and travel. Some of the most interesting letters deal with the sea journey from New York to Panama (overland) and north by sea to San Francisco and the Northwest, There is also a letter or two from missionaries in Africa.

Oregon Methodist Missions (Jason Lee Papers) (1835-1858)
Three boxes and one 16 mm microfilm reel. These letters dramatically describe the daily life, rigors, deaths and dying associated with the work of missionaries and their families. Some of the most poignant passages deal with the death of a child and the separation of husband from wife. One unforgetable description is of the Indian encampment on the banks of the Columbia River in the autumn during the salmon run when it almost seemed one could cross the river walking on the hordes of fish migrating upsteam. Includes the Journal of H.K.W. Perkins (Aug 12, 1843 to March 19,1844: 106 pages) in which he describes his work and travels as a missionary in Oregon.

Schweitzer, Albert  John D. Regester Collection (1960-1972)
John Regester wrote his dissertation on Schweitzer in 1928 which was later published in 1931 by Abingdon Press, the first book on the great Bach organist and humanitarian. Because of this, Schweitzer always referred to Regester as his "First American Friend." Regester visited Lambarene in Africa twice to see Schweitzer. The second time he arrived just a day or two after Schweitzer's funeral. This is the reason for the African funeral relics (face masks, wooden bell). Normally these are buried with the body but due to Regester's special relationship with Schweitzer the local Africans decided to give these special artifacts to Regester. There is no original correspondence from Schweitzer in this file. Mainly the material is composed of pamphlets and letters of Regester to other Schweitzer scholars and supporters (and from them to him) about Schweitzer (1875-1965) and his work.

Shelmidine, Lyle Stanton  Papers
Two boxes. Lyle Stanton Shelmidine ("Stan") was a popular and highly respected professor at UPS. He began teaching here in 1936 in the history department , with particular emphasis on Near and Far East history. His papers include some biographical information, personal and departmental correspondence, course exams, bibliographies, syllabi, and lecture notes.

Williston, Frank  Far East Collection (1936-1945) 
Five boxes plus maps of China, Japan & Korea. Williston was a specialist in Far Eastern affairs. He spent a few years teaching at CPS (College of Puget Sound) before WW II during which he served in the Far East as an expert on Japan and China. Most of his academic career was at the UW. For many years in the 1950s and 1960s he also broadcast a weekly radio program from KUOW (Seattle) dealing with events in the Far East. Four boxes contain single issues of magazines, guide books, booklets, and pamphlets on China, Japan, Manchuria, Malaya, Burma, Korea, and the South East Asia region. The materials are mainly on the political, historical and economic conditions. There is also one framed (5"x7") portrait of an unidentified Chinese plus an assortment of pictoral postcards and photo snapshots. The fifth box contains a collection of folded maps while there are twelve rolled maps of the region on the open shelf. Most of these maps and printed materials are from 1936 to 1945.

Wood, Warren  Diaries: 1870-95; 1896-1908; 1909-1922; 1923-1932 & Photo Album of Puget Sound and Washington State, 1915-1930?
Four boxes. Wood was a pioneer surveyor of the Northwest from 1883 to 1932. These historic diaries trace the early history of the Puyallup Valley area and surrounding territory. The photo album records his activities with Ezra meeker, G.N. Talcott of Olympia, W.P. Bonney of the Washington State Historical Society, and others in locating various famous historical sites in Washington and some in Oregon. Wood and his partner Nicholson are believed to be the original platters of the town of Auburn. Wood and Meeker checked the original location of Fort Nisqually, visited St. Joseph's Mission on the Ahtanum near Yakima, as well as Fort Simcoe. They also visited historical sites at the Whitman Mission, Fort Dalles, and the town of Steillacoom near Tacoma. This is an invaluable photographic record of what life was like then. The diaries are one to each year and of a 3"x5" size. The entries are short and succinct with no elaborate narrative descriptions or commentary of those times and places.