THE REPORT OF THE FORTY-EIGHTH
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE OHIO
STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The forty-eighth Annual Meeting of the
Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical Society
was called to
order by President Arthur C. Johnson,
Sr., on April 24,
1934, with sixty members present.
MR. JOHNSON: This is a business meeting of the
Annual Meeting of the Ohio State
Archaeological and
Historical Society. I promise not to
keep you long this
morning because I know those of you
from a distance
will want to visit the Museum and see
some of the new
exhibits, wander about and have a good
time. The re-
ports of the Director, Secretary, and
Treasurer will
answer any questions that may arise in
your minds. As
to the policy of the Society--I feel
that it has enjoyed
the depression, which has brought its
feet down to the
ground; still, that does not mean that
we should not have
ambitions, material or otherwise, and I
hope that the
coming two years will see the completion
of this build-
ing. Members over the State may do more
to bring this
about than any officials might be able
to do here in Co-
lumbus, possibly the finishing touches
can be put on it
here. There is no reason why it should
not be done. If
we had been alive to the situation
during the time when
the government was assisting in
projects, we might have
accomplished it but it is now too late.
Anyway, I would
283
284 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
rather see the people of Ohio do this
than to have help
from the government.
At this time Mr. Johnson introduced the
new Sec-
retary-Librarian of the Society, Dr.
Harlow Lindley.
DR. LINDLEY: A suggestion has been made
to abbre-
viate the reports for the Annual
Meeting in order to give
more time for program features of a more general
nature which would be of interest to
members attending
the morning session. This program has been
arranged
with the idea of carrying out this
suggestion. It was
very fortunate for the Secretary
because he has had the
duties which now devolve upon him only
about two
months and the former Secretary passed
away rather
suddenly, leaving no particular notes
which would serve
as a foundation for the annual report
of the Secretary.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-LIBRARIAN
Since the last annual meeting of The
Ohio State Archaeo-
logical and Historical Society held
April 25, 1933, there have
been four meetings of the Board of
Trustees--on July 28, 1933,
October 24, 1933, January 23, 1934 and
March 5, 1934.
At the October meeting two small tracts
of land owned by
two distinct individuals adjacent to the
Cooper Petroglyph Park
in Jackson County were accepted as
gifts. These additions make
the original park of one-half acre an
attractive asset whose out-
standing features are gorges with
overhanging rock-shelters and
evergreens and other flora
characteristic of the region.
At the January meeting of the Board an
appropriation of
$500.00 from the private funds of the
Society was made and
placed at the disposal of the Librarian
for the purpose of purchas-
ing such material as in his judgment is
most desirable and
available.
During the year the Board of Trustees,
guided by a special
committee, has been making a study of
the scope and activities
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 285
of the Society. This study has been
based upon the results of a
survey made of the activities of about
twenty representative his-
torical societies and agencies
representing nearly as many states.
Final conclusions have not yet been
reached.
The American Anthropological Association
held its annual
meeting in Columbus, December 27-29,
1933. The Society ten-
dered the Association a complimentary
dinner on the evening of
December 27.
The meeting of March 5 was called
primarily to elect a
successor to the late Charles B.
Galbreath who had served as
Secretary, Editor and Librarian of the
Society from March 16,
1920 until his death February 23, 1934.
Harlow Lindley, who
had been a member of the staff of the
Society as Curator of
History since May 1, 1929, was elected
to assume the duties
formerly handled by Mr. Galbreath.
Since the present Secretary of the
Society has had no written
notes or material upon which to base an
annual report, except
the minutes of the four meetings of the
Trustees held during the
year, this report appears very brief,
although the chief matters
of interest to the membership at large
have been mentioned.
PUBLICATIONS
The Constitution of the Society provides
that the Secretary
of the Society shall be the Editor of
its publications. During
the past year, in spite of a reduced
budget, the Society has been
able to maintain its regular
publications, although it has not
been possible to publish any special
contributions. The Editor
has available a large amount of material
of a high grade which
should be published by the Society at
the first reasonable oppor-
tunity.
THE LIBRARY
In spite of a very limited appropriation
for the Library
during the past year, a creditable
showing has been made. 1913
books have been accessioned and made
available. Included in
this number are some books that have
been in the vault for years,
many of which are rare and valuable, the
largest collection being
known as the Rice Collection, consisting
of twenty volumes.
286 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
These volumes contain notes and letters
from members of the
Supreme Court of Ohio, United States
Senators, Governor Tod's
note-book, and other papers from persons
prominent officially
and otherwise.
The Library of the Society is receiving
regularly 240 periodi-
cals--40 by subscriptions, 43 by
donations and 157 by exchange.
Perhaps the two outstanding gifts of the
year to the Library
were a set of the Stephen Collins Foster
reproductions of songs
and compositions, contributed by Josiah
K. Lilly of Indianapolis,
Indiana, and a collection of fifteen
autographed letters and eight
copies of letters of Thomas Ewing I and
one letter of Thomas
Ewing II given by the grandson and son
of the respective writers,
Mr. Thomas Ewing of New York City.
The Newspaper Division of the Library
has been increased
by 3,738 volumes, of which number 1670
are bound. The Library
has a large collection of duplicate
newspapers which we are now
endeavoring to exchange for papers we do
not now have.
The Archives collection has been
increased during the year
by a large collection of manuscript
material received from the
Secretary of State's office. The
Archives collection is a most
valuable one for the serious study of
Ohio's history and one of
the greatest needs of the Library
department is an assistant
trained for this particular kind of
library work. Such a person
also would be of great assistance to the
various departments of
state government which have deposited
their archival material
here.
The present Librarian upon assuming the
duties and respon-
sibility of the office found a cash
balance of $24.90 upon which
to build up the book collection for the
remainder of the year
covering ten months. It is plainly
obvious that the Library must
grow and it is hoped that some means may
be found for increas-
ing this fund. The Librarian will
endeavor to dispose of much
duplicate material not needed by the
Library, either by sale to
augment the book fund, or by exchange
for other desirable
material.
The Library is the most used department
of the Society by
the serious research student and writer
and it seems imperative
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 287
that more emphasis must be placed upon
it by building it up out
of old and rare material bearing upon
the history of the State
and immediate region. Such material is
rapidly becoming unob-
tainable, and it must be secured when
available, if ever.
MR. JOHNSON: What shall be done with
the report
of the Secretary? If there are no
objections the Chair-
man will order that the report be
accepted and filed.
The next item is the annual report of
the Director, Mr.
Shetrone.
MR. SHETRONE: Mr. President, Ladies and
Gentle-
men: As Director, I have prepared a
detailed report
which, together with reports of several
heads of Depart-
ments, will become a matter of record
in the archives
of the Society. You are acquainted, of
course, with the
routine activities through the
medium of Museum
Echoes and the QUARTERLY, and there is no need of
reading them now when the short time at
our disposal
may be utilized for a more worthwhile
purpose. So, with
your permission, I shall not read my
report but shall
shift the burdens to the shoulders of a
younger and more
enthusiastic man, our new
Secretary-Librarian.
MR. JOHNSON:
In times like these we are interested
particularly in our financial situation.
We shall now
have the report of the Treasurer, Mr.
Miller.
MR. MILLER: The details of my report will be
printed in the QUARTERLY, giving the
expenditures as to
personal service and maintenance,
additions and better-
ments as to the different divisions of
parks and the main
building.
288 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications
A
RECAPITULATION OF THE
REPORT
OF THE TREASURER OF THE OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR ENDING
DECEMBER
31, 1933
RECEIPTS:
Cash
on Hand January 1, 1933 .... $ 5,189.55
Plus
Current Fund Investment.... 2,000.00
$
7,189.55
Cash
Received
Annual
Members ........... 375-75
Sustaining
Members ........ 20.00
Junior
Members ............ 4.00
Life
Members .............. 100.00
Subscriptions
.............. 37.25
Books
Sold ................ 256.20
Interest--Permanent
Fund ... 849.91
Interest--Fallen
Timbers .... 35.28
Fallen
Timbers ............. 5.00
Refunds--Fire
Insurance
Premium
....... 2.25
Contingencies
..... .70
Travel
Expense
Advance
....... 100.00
Cash
Advance ..... 1,000.81
Octagon
State Park Rental
Fund .................... 750.00
3,537.15
Receipts
from State Appropri-
ation
House Bill No. 699... 87,942.50
Less
Balance carried forward
to 1934
.................. 9,237.69 78,704.81
TOTAL
RECEIPTS ............ $89,431.51
DISBURSEMENTS:
(From
State Appropriations
and
Society Funds.)
Museum
and Library ........ $47,754.20
Big Bottom
................ 51.75
Buffington
Island ........... 345.55
Campbell
Mound ........... 25.00
Campus
Martius . ......... 2,486.68
Custer
Memorial ............ 147.51
Fallen
Timbers ............. 1,091.32
Felix
Renick ............... 50.00
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual Meeting 289
Fort Amanda ............. 559.35
Fort Ancient .............. 3,536.12
Fort Jefferson ............. 249.99
Fort Laurens .............. 1,697.93
Fort St.
Clair .............. 2,314.01
Logan Elm ................ 415.70
Miamisburg Mound ......... 248.92
Mound City ................ 2,166.86
Schoenbrunn ............... 2,994.59
Seip Mound ................ 399.41
Serpent Mound ............. 2,745.09
Spiegel Grove
.............. 6,677.74
Williamson Mound .......... 199.96
Grant Memorial ............ 1,364.65
Mound Builders ............ 588..0o
Harrison Memorial ......... 814.74
Fort Recovery .............. 25.00
Clark Monument ........... 64.40
Gnadenhutten .............. 129.50
Fort Hill .................. 576.37
Octagon State Park......... 328.35
Total Disbursements ........$80,048.70
Plus Cash
Advancements Re-
funded by State Treasurer.. 1,075.81 $81,124.51
TOTAL CASH BALANCE ....... $ 8,307.00
Cash on Hand December 31, 1933:
Current Fund ..............$ 6,258.49
Fallen Timbers Subscription
Fund
................... 1,526.86
Octagon State Park Rental
Fund
............... .... 421.65
Transferred to Permanent
Fund
...................... 100.oo
TOTAL CASH ON HAND ........ $ 8,307.00
Permanent Fund Jan. 1, 1934. $25,700.00
Respectfully submitted,
O. F. MILLER, Treasurer.
For more complete detail see Report of Audit made
December
31, 1933 by W. D. Wall, Certified Public Accountant.
Vol. XLIII--19
290 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
REPORT OF THE AUDITOR
Columbus, Ohio, April 10, 1934.
Mr. Arthur C. Johnson, Sr., President,
The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society,
Columbus, Ohio.
Dear Sir:
We herewith report on the audit made by us of the books of
account of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society
for the year ended December 31, 1933. Below is presented a
brief resume of the Society's financial transactions for the year,
further details of which are to be found in the statements com-
prising this report.
Total Society receipts collected during the year was $3,537.15
as compared with $4,427.89 in 1932, a decrease of $890.74. Of
this total, however, $1,000.81 was refunded by the State, leaving
a balance of $2,536.34, from private sources. This compares with
$3,394.21; the amount received in 1932, exclusive of state refunds.
The Society disbursed from its own funds $1,443.89, advanced
$1,075.81 for expenses, of which $1,000.81 was refunded by the
State, leaving a balance of $75.00 due on the advance, while
$100.00 was transferred to the Permanent Fund.
Out of the total State appropriation of $87,942.50, the Society
expended $78,704.81 as against $109,351.10 for 1932, a decrease
in expenditures from appropriations of $30,646.19. In verifying
the balances of the various funds with the State Auditor's rec-
ords, slight discrepancies were discovered in the following:
Society State
Records Auditor Difference
Balance Balance
Museum Maintenance ......$1,519.18 $1,345.09 $174.09
Schoenbrunn Memorial
Personal ................ 69.39 91.89 22.50
Fort Hill Maintenance ....... 23.63 74-13 50.50
The difference of $174.09 in the Museum balance was considered
by the bookkeeper at the Museum as a 1934 expenditure whereas
the Auditor's office entered the amount as a 1933 expenditure.
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 291
The Schoenbrunn and Fort Hill
differences were the result
of the treatment of items opposite to
the above. Since the bal-
ances of these funds are carried forward
or available for ex-
penditures during the year 1934,
corrections for the above differ-
ences were not made.
At the close of the year, the Current
Fund totaled $6,207.00,
as compared with $5,189.55 at the close
of the previous year, an
increase of $1,017.45.
The Permanent Fund was increased by
$100.00 to a total of
$25,700.00. The total of funds
controlled by the Society at
December 31, 1933 was $33,982.00, as
detailed in the schedule
on page 6.
The balance in the Treasurer's checking
account of $5,487.00
is supported by statement of The Ohio
National Bank--Citizens
Office, no checks being outstanding
against this account.
The Society's accounting records were
found to be in very
good order and systematically arranged.
With thanks for the cooperation extended
and best wishes
for the coming year, this report is
Respectfully submitted,
W. D. WALL,
Certified Public Accountant.
MR. JOHNSON: Anyone wishing to ask
questions
or to discuss points brought out by the
Secretary, Di-
rector, or1 Treasurer, is now given an
opportunity to
comment on the reports. If not, we
shall proceed with
the business part of the program. The
next item on
the program has to do with memorial
resolutions. No
comment is needed at this meeting to
express the loss
which the Society has sustained in the
deaths of Dr.
Thompson and Mr. Galbreath. All of us are keenly
conscious of that loss but I feel that
we should be
thankful that they were spared to us
for so many useful
years of delightful association. The
Board of Trustees
292 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
at the proper time took action in
adopting memorial
resolutions on the death of Dr.
Thompson but has had
no formal meeting since the death of
Mr. Galbreath.
The resolutions adopted by the Board of
Trustees are
at hand. Mr. Secretary, will you read
them?
DR. LINDLEY: It seems fitting that the
resolution
passed at the time of the regular
meeting of the Board
of Trustees on January 23, 1934, should
be read before
the members at the Annual Meeting.
TRIBUTE TO DR. W. O. THOMPSON
After retirement from the presidency of
the Ohio State
University November 5, 1925, Dr.
Thompson became president
emeritus of that institution. In that
position there was no dimi-
nution of the widening sphere of his
helpful service. We are re-
minded on this occasion particularly of
his service to The Ohio
State Archaeological and Historical
Society. He became a mem-
ber of its board of trustees soon after
he entered upon his, duties
as president of the Ohio State
University, and in that capacity
he continued to the last meeting of the
board of trustees, October
24, 1933, presiding on that occasion
with his usual activity and
vigor. He felt that his acceptance even
of the humblest position
carried with it the obligation to
perform its duties. The records
of the Society attest a commendable
regularity in attendance at
its meetings and the committees on which
he served, and a lively
interest in all matters that came before
it for discussion.
As Dr. Thompson grew in honor, eminence
and influence, he
remained always the commoner. The
struggle of his early years
to gain an education was a basic element
in the training that made
him a great educator. The humblest
worthy citizen could always
approach him without embarrassment and
the humblest student
could always feel assured of his
sympathy. His service constitutes
an era in the educational history of
Ohio and of this Society.
While his absence is still felt, his
faithful, unselfish and
helpful service is an inspiring memory.
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 293
Resolved, That we here record our abiding gratitude that we
were permitted so long to know and enjoy
his friendship and
association in the work of the Society
that we represent.
Resolved, That we extend to his surviving family and rela-
tives all that we can give--our sincere
sympathy in their great
loss--and that the Secretary is hereby
directed to send to them a
copy of these resolutions.
MR. JOHNSON: With reference to memorial
resolu-
tions for Mr. Galbreath I felt that it
was fitting that
action for the preparation of such
resolutions come from
the Society itself. Therefore, I suggest
a motion that
it is the sense of the members of the
Society assembled
at this Annual Meeting that an
appropriate memorial
resolution be prepared, made a matter of
permanent
record, and published along with a
sketch of the life
of the late Charles Burleigh Galbreath,
former Secre-
tary, Editor and Librarian of the
Society.
This motion was seconded by Howard R.
Goodwin
and carried.1
MR. JOHNSON: The next item on the
morning pro-
gram is suitable action on the
referendum concerning an
amendment having to do with membership
fees. Action
was taken by the Board of Trustees after
which the
matter was submitted to members at large
by mail and
one hundred and twenty (120) ballots
have been re-
ceived--all in the affirmative. I feel
that this is a fair
representation of the sentiment of those
sufficiently in-
terested in the subject to return their
marked ballots.
I will entertain a motion to confirm.
1 This Resolution appears on page 129 of
the April issue of the
Ohio Archaeological and Historical
Society Quarterly.
294 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
This motion was made by Lowry F. Sater,
after
which it was duly seconded and carried.
AMENDMENT ADOPTED
That Article II, Sections I and 2 of the
constitution of The
Ohio State Archaeological and Historical
Society be amended to
read as follows:
Section I. The Membership of this
Society shall be desig-
nated as follows: Benefactors, Patrons,
Life Members, Sustain-
ing Members, Contributing Members,
Annual Members, Juvenile
Members, ex-Officio Members and Honorary
Members.
Section 2. Any person, organization or
institution contribut-
ing to the Society in the sum of $1,000,
shall be designated a
Benefactor. Life contributors in the sum
of $500 shall be desig-
nated as Patrons. Fees for Membership in
the several classes
shall be as follows: Life Members $100;
Sustaining Members
$10; Contributing Members $5; Annual
Members $2; and Juve-
nile Members $1. The fees of the last
three classes shall be paid
annually. Any person who shall make a
donation to the Society
or contribute a service the value of
which shall be determined
by the Trustees, to be not less than
$100 shall be entitled to Life
Membership. Contributions and fees
derived from Benefactors,
Patrons, and Life Members shall
constitute a permanent fund,
which shall be expended only as provided
in Section 4 of this
article. Any balance remaining or
accruing in this fund shall be
invested at the discretion of the Board
of Trustees the income
therefrom to be used by the Society for
such purposes as the
Board of Trustees may direct.
DR. LINDLEY: The members of the Society
will
doubtless be interested in learning of
the progress which
is being made in the cooperative work
at Washington
concerning the selection and editing of
territorial papers
which have never been printed. This
Society and other
historical societies of the Middle West
were the original
promoters of the enterprise which was
fostered by the
Department of State. For the past two
or three years
Professor Clarence E. Carter of Miami
University has
been engaged in the work of editing
these papers, some
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 295
of which have reached the publication
state. Those im-
mediately concerned in this important
undertaking feel
that it would be very gracious if we
who are interested
in this work would extend to the
Secretary of State our
appreciation of the interest and
attention given to the
enterprise and, with this in mind, I
offer the following
resolution:
WHEREAS, the Department of State of the
United States has
undertaken under an act of Congress, and
at the urgent request
of the State Historical Societies, the
publication of the official
papers of the Territories out of which
the western states have
been erected, and
WHEREAS, the Department has announced the early publica-
tion of volumes of the series embodying
the papers of the North-
west Territory, of which the State of
Ohio was once a part, and
WHEREAS, work has further progressed to the stage of hav-
ing the manuscripts of additional
volumes ready for the printers,
now therefore be it
Resolved, by the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical
Society, in annual meeting, That the
Secretary of State be peti-
tioned, and is hereby petitioned, to
include the continuation of
this work in the budget of the
Department for the fiscal year
1935-1936, and to so increase the sum
requested that a more
rapid publication of the papers of other
territories may be made
possible.
Mr. President, I would like to move
that this reso-
lution be adopted by the Society.
The motion was seconded by Lowry F.
Sater and
carried.
MR. JOHNSON: The next item on the
program is
the election of trustees. The terms of three members
of the Board who are selected by the
Society have ex-
pired. Those places will be filled at
your pleasure at
this meeting and the vacancy created by
the death of
296
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
our beloved Dr. Thompson necessitates
election of a
fourth member. It is customary for the
Chairman to
appoint a nominating committee which I
will now pro-
ceed to do. I appoint Mr. Lowry Sater,
Joseph Roof
and Rodney Gragg. While the Committee
is taking
action I will occupy the time in
calling attention to the
afternoon meeting. At one o'clock the
Board of Trus-
tees will meet for the transaction of
such business as
may come before it for the election of
officers of the
Board of Trustees and for election of
staff and em-
ployees for the coming year.
Unfortunately some of
our Board members from out of town have
not been
able to be here this morning. The big
meeting of the
day will be at two o'clock this
afternoon in this room.
The program consists of music which I
am sure those
attending will find delightful. We
shall have a word of
greeting from the Director of the
Society and I am
sure that you will find that those who
attend this after-
noon will thoroughly enjoy the address
by Professor
John W. Oliver entitled "A New
Deal in History." Dr.
Oliver is Head of the Department of
History in the
University of Pittsburgh. He has
rendered a distinct
service in his field and from what I
hear about him he
is a very charming speaker. I hope that
you will all en-
joy the meeting this afternoon. There
will be some gen-
eral discussions, and members and
friends are invited to
linger for a social hour after the
completion of the
formal program. After the election of
Trustees is dis-
posed of the most interesting part of
the morning pro-
gram will follow. There will be two
discussions--brief
and to the point--and those attending
the meeting will
then be invited to comment if they see
fit. Our Secre-
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 297
tary-Librarian will have charge of that
phase of the
program because I want all of you to
see what a splendid
man Dr. Lindley is when he is in
action.
At this time the Nominating Committee
indicated
that a decision had been reached.
MR. SATER: Mr. Chairman, The Committee
takes
pleasure in unanimously recommending
for re-election
Mr. A. C. Johnson, Mr. George Florence
and Mr. A. C.
Spetnagel. We take especial pleasure in
recommending
as a successor to the late Dr. Thompson
the man who
succeeded him as president of Ohio
State University,
Dr. George W. Rightmire. It seems to us
that Dr.
Rightmire is the heir to the place as
the head of this
great institution. With this Society
housed on the
campus we feel quite certain that there
is no one who
could fit into this organization with
more propriety than
Dr. Rightmire. We therefore offer his
name as a suc-
cessor to Dr. Thompson on this Board.
MR. JOHNSON: I wish to thank the
Committee for
the work it has done. As President of
the Society I
feel most keenly the honor the Society
would do itself
in the selection of Dr. Rightmire as
successor to Dr.
Thompson as a member of the Board of
Trustees of
this institution which finds an
increasingly happy spirit
of cooperation from the University at
the present time.
Dr. Rightmire will lend grace, dignity
and honor to this
institution. I seldom have the temerity
to electioneer
in a matter like this but I do feel
that that statement is
due from me in Dr. Rightmire's behalf.
What shall
be done with the report of the
Nominating Committee?
MR. EAGLESON: I move that the report of
the Nomi-
nating Committee be accepted as made,
that the nomi-
298
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
nations be closed and the Secretary of
the Society be
instructed to suspend the rules and
cast a unanimous
vote for each and all of the
nominations made by the
Committee.
This motion was seconded by Mrs. Orson
D. Dryer
and carried unanimously.
MR. JOHNSON: The Secretary of the
Society is in-
structed to cast the vote of the
Society in favor of Mr.
Florence, Mr. Spetnagel, Mr. Johnson,
and Dr. Right-
mire.
DR. LINDLEY: Mr. President, that action
will be
confirmed by the official records in
the minutes of the
Society and each member will be
officially informed of
this action.
MR. JOHNSON: I will now turn the Chair
over to
the Secretary.
DR. LINDLEY:
In making somewhat of a departure
from the usual method of procedure in
the morning ses-
sion of the Annual Meeting the question
naturally arose
as to what matters might claim the
attention of the mem-
bers in the most practical way. We are
all familiar with
the old saying that "Every cloud
has a silver lining."
I think it a great compensation of
nature that this is
true and while we have had a good many
clouds in our
sky, materially and otherwise, in the
last few years, yet
from the historical angle a great deal
of progress has
been made that probably would not have
been made had
it not been for the economic
depression. Much valuable
historical work has been accomplished
through CWA
projects under which many state
historical societies and
libraries have taken advantage of the
opportunity for
carrying on some very practical work
which is of a
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 299
nature that would be difficult to
attract legislation under
normal conditions. In the case of Ohio
very little has
been done because of the fact that when
the program was
first initiated, so many enterprises
were taken up on the
spur of the moment, without thinking
things through
toward more permanent results.
Suggestions were made
to the Society a few weeks ago that it
might be possible
yet to get some work done on the basis
of an allotment
for this year. However, it was found
that all appro-
priations had been allocated and many
projects already
started had been closed before their
completion. So we
must hope for the best for another
year--that we may
be in a better financial condition as a
people; but if pros-
perity does not arrive before next
winter, the chances
are that some sort of a relief program
will be necessary.
Some organizations have been at work on
a constructive
program along these lines, making a
survey of what has
been accomplished in other states, so
that we might be
able to get in on the "ground
floor" if there is a relief
program for the coming winter. There
has been for
some time a nation-wide committee
called The Joint
Committee on Materials for Research.
This Committee
has been particularly active during the
past year in try-
ing to foster enterprises that would
fit into the scheme
already outlined. In order to get unity
and general di-
rection, an executive secretary, Mr. T.
R. Schellenberg,
was chosen, and he is making his
headquarters in our
own State. Mr. Schellenberg first
suggested this pos-
sible survey in Ohio (which was
impossible under
CWA). However, it is quite evident that
sooner or
later, with the growth of appreciation
of historical
archives and documents, our State
Historical Society
300
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
will have to assume the direction of
some sort of an
historical survey and program. The
Library of the
Society already contains the official
State Papers of five
or six of the leading departments of
the State govern-
ment. These are stored and carefully
protected in our
building, and even this protection is
an improvement
over the conditions found in many of
our states. They
contain a mine of historical data. Now
that this valuable
source material has been entrusted to
us, the next step
is to have it organized, classified and
indexed. If the
plans had gone through to utilize
government aid, this
might have been done in good shape. It
is essential that
in addition to state records, county
and muncipal records,
which are also of very great
importance, should be pre-
served. This meeting provided splendid
opportunity to
have this problem presented to members
of the State
Society. We are fortunate in being able
to have Mr.
Schellenberg present today and he will
inform you con-
cerning the plans for such a survey. We
are also for-
tunate in having with us a native son
of Ohio, a graduate
of Ohio State University, a trained historian
who for
the last eight months has been
surveying quite a section
of Pennsylvania in practically working
out these details.
Pennsylvania was the first state in the
Union to take ad-
vantage of CWA enterprises along these
lines. He has
been in immediate touch with that
survey, so that he
knows the practical side of it. It
gives me great pleasure
now to introduce Mr. T. R.
Schellenberg, executive sec-
retary of the Joint Committee on
Materials for Research.
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 301
JOINT COMMITTEE PLANS FOR ARCHIVAL
SURVEYS
By T. R. SCHELLENBERG
It is quite obvious to research students
that in the past thirty
years the amount of printed matter has
increased in geometric
ratio. Today students are literally
engulfed with a mass of ma-
terials, many of which are printed on a
cheap wood-pulp paper
which crumbles to dust after a few
decades, but which reflect
quite accurately the passing moods of
our day. As this printed
matter has increased, a constantly
increasing expenditure for the
collection and preservation of research
materials has become neces-
sary. In fact, libraries must count on
doubling their capacity every
twenty years. And despite the best
efforts of libraries, historical
societies, and other repositories, much
material which would be of
inestimable value to future students of
our period is constantly
being destroyed. In the presence of this
situation, the Social
Science Research Council and the
American Council of Learned
Societies set up a joint committee on
research materials, which
has its headquarters at Cleveland, and
which should study what
is being done to collect and preserve
the evidences of our civili-
zation, as well as what ought to be done
to improve their collection
and preservation.
One phase of Joint Committee activities,
which fortunately
brought the committee in touch with most
historical societies of
the country, including the Ohio State
Archaeological and His-
torical Society, was the attempt to lay
out a plan for a nation-
wide survey of local archival material.
Local archives have been
defined as written or printed books,
papers, or maps, made and
received in pursuance of law by
counties, cities, towns, and villages
in the transaction of public business.
They consist of all the
papers and documents, whether manuscript
or printed, which have
accumulated during the operation of
local governmental units.
Local archives are of great importance
in studying the gov-
ernmental, economic, military, legal,
and social history of any
particular community, which may be taken
as representative of
many other similar communities. In fact,
they contain the largest
available amount of information on local
history, revealing the
302 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
origin and development of the agencies
and functions of local
government, abounding in data concerning
local inhabitants, and
depicting the real life of the people,
since they contain innumerable
items on local conditions.
The value of the local archives for
students of history has
been well stated by Dr. A. R. Newsome,
director of the North
Carolina Historical Commission. In a
pamphlet on The Preserva-
tion of Local Archives, he wrote: "Many local archives, often
regarded as rubbish and discarded or
destroyed because presumed
to be or no current or business use,
assume great historical value.
Election returns permit the drawing of
political maps which
show economic and geographical as well
as party cleavages. Tax
lists show the general scale of
landholding, slaveholding and
wealth. Wills and records of estates
reveal the standard of living
and the extent and kind of house
furnishings, farm implements,
jewelry, and other personal property.
Minute-books record the
proceedings of governmental agencies.
Bills of sale set forth the
prices of slaves and other property.
Court records throw light
on civil and criminal procedure and the
morals of the people.
County and town court minute-books and
the proceedings of
boards of aldermen and commissioners are
replete with details
concerning roads, bridges, streets,
taverns, liquor licenses, jails,
debtors, paupers, orphans, guardians,
petty civil and criminal
cases, etc. School records are rich in
educational history. Local
archives are indispensable to the
reconstruction of the past."
Within recent years the resources of
local archives have been
used by a growing group of trained,
scientific historians, who, have
been conducting research and producing
books and articles in the
field of local history. In order to
uncover and make available for
public officials and for students the
important source materials
which are at present hidden away in
local archives or heedlessly
destroyed, the Joint Committee in
February, 1934, attempted to
secure a nation-wide survey of their
contents.
With unparalleled appropriations
available for emergency
federal relief projects, the Joint
Committee sought to divert at
least a small part of Civil Works funds
to provide work for the
white-collar class. Like that of many
other Civil Works projects,
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 303
the history of the Joint Committee
project for a national survey
of local archives is a tortuous one. In
general, the Pennsylvania
survey, set up as a Civil Works project
by Dr. Curtis W. Gar-
rison, the state archivist, furnished an
example of what might be
accomplished.
Largely under the initiative of
Professor F. S. Philbrick of
the Law School of the University of
Pennsylvania, a plan for a
nation-wide survey of archives was
prepared. The Joint Com-
mittee, once the plan was prepared,
appointed a sub-committee
to present it to the Department of
Interior as a Civil Works
project and to see to its execution. To
avoid confusion, the sub-
committee assumed the high-sounding name
of Commission on
National Archives Survey, with Dr.
Joseph Mayer as chairman.
The plan as presented to the Department
of Interior provided
for both national and state
administrative units, and for 2708
field-workers as the operative unit. The
state surveys were to be
under the direction of state directors,
chosen from among the state
librarians, historians, archivists,
adjutant-generals and other quali-
fied individuals, who could give the
enterprise that scholarly
direction needed to achieve the
scientific results by which alone
it could be justified. The execution of
the plan within the various
states depended upon state initiative,
with surveys being made
only in those states promising active
cooperation. The objectives
of the national survey were the
following: 1. to make known to
public officials and to students the
contents of local archives,
2. to improve the archival practices of
local governmental units,
3. to afford reliable information for a
more careful selection and
preservation of local archives and for
an estimate of future
archive building needs. The results of
the inventory were to be
filed in local offices and libraries, in
the state libraries, in the
Library of Congress, and in the new
National Archives Building.
Shortly after the presentation to the
Department of the In-
terior, of the project for a national
archives survey, Congress
passed appropriations amounting to
$950,000,000 for relief pur-
poses. A last minute amendment, however,
disallowed all new
federal projects. This meant that all
Civil Works projects would
have to be state or local instead of
national in character. The
304 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
possibility still remained that
individuals interested in archival
surveys within the various states could
secure Civil Works appro-
priations for such surveys if other
projects had not already
absorbed all the money. It was therefore
necessary to prepare
quickly suitable plans within the
various states for submittal to the
local or state Civil Works
administrators.
While the plans for a national archives
survey thus proved
abortive, the circularization carried on
by Dr. Mayer awakened a
considerable interest in archival work,
particularly since what was
asked was nothing more than state
cooperation in a national en-
terprise, not state initiation of local
archives surveys. Approxi-
mately three hundred letters and
telegrams indicated that over
half the states would have set up
archives projects, had the federal
project been allowed. The Joint
Committee sought to capitalize
this interest by urging individuals
within the various states to take
the initiative in the matter. Extensive
personal correspondence
was carried on, that for New England
being conducted by F. S.
Philbrick, for the South and Southwest
by A. R. Newsome, for
the Middle West by T. R. Schellenberg,
and for the West by
Lieut.-Col. J. M. Scammell, the latter
being particularly active in
enlisting the cooperation of the state
adjutant-generals. However,
other Civil Works projects had already
absorbed all appropria-
tions for relief in most states. While
projects were presented to
the Civil Works administrators in
several states, reports indicate
that in Wyoming and Alabama a survey is
actually being carried
out, while progress is being made as
regards military records in
Arizona, Colorado, Utah, North Dakota,
and Oklahoma. While
surveys were made in Pennsylvania and
West Virginia, these were
not the result of Joint Committee
activity. In Texas a CWA
project was organized by Mr. J. Evetts
Haley, under which
workers catalogued newspaper files and
copied private manuscript
collections in about fifteen regional
centers of the state. Previous
surveys of county archives had already
been made in Illinois and
California, while in Connecticut the
Record Commissioner makes
annual reports listing the various
records in each town and pro-
bate district with the period covered by
each series of records and
the number of volumes in each series.
However, as a result of the
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 305
circularization and correspondence a
large number of individuals
agreed to take advantage of any further
opportunities for setting
up inventory projects which might
present themselves with new
developments in the federal relief
program. In summarizing the
results of the promotional activities of
the Joint Committee, Dr.
Garrison wrote: "The results at
present, at least, are intangible.
I believe, however, that they will bear
fruit and that you will be
surprised at the seed you have sown. ...
I believe this initial
impulse will have effect in inspiring a
thorough-going survey in
listing the most important records in
the nation within the next
few years."
Temporarily all activity in behalf of
archives surveys in the
various states has thus come to a
standstill. Under the more
restricted federal relief program, which
was instituted following
the dismantling of the Civil Works
program, inventory work can
be done only under great difficulties.
Surveys would have to be
carried out by persons taken from relief
rolls, who would be
allowed to work only a restricted number
of hours so that their
total earnings would not exceed the
amount set by the relief
authorities as a minimum budgetary
requirement for the needs
of a family. This provision would make
it difficult to secure
competent individuals, and if such could
be secured their work
would be interrupted in a manner which
would make satisfactory
results hard to obtain.
Inventory projects may be possible,
however, under new
developments in the federal relief
program. It is therefore essen-
tial to perfect plans beforehand for
projects which will give work
to the sorely neglected white-collar
class, and which, at the same
time, will be productive of good results
in making research ma-
terials available. It is gratifying to
know that Dr. Harlow
Lindley, the secretary-librarian of the
Ohio State Archaeological
and Historical Society, is already
planning for a state-wide survey
of local archives in case it becomes
possible to secure relief appro-
priations for such a project during the
coming winter. The suc-
cess of a state survey depends largely
upon the supervision which
is given it from some strategic point,
and it is fortunate indeed
Vol. XLIII--20
306 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
that the Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical Society has a
definite interest in the preservation
and collection of local records.
If, however, it will be impossible to
secure appropriations
under the federal relief program for a
state-wide archives survey,
it would be highly desirable to have
surveys made of the archival
material within certain of the more
important counties.
If, unfortunately, this too should be
impossible, it would be
wise to plan for the better supervision
of the records within this
State by state action until the time
when these can be listed.
While many of the northeastern states,
like Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, New York and Connecticut, have
public record laws,
which provide for the state regulation
and supervision of the care
of local archives, Ohio has been
peculiarly remiss in looking after
its local material. Improvement can come
only by the enact-
ment of laws by state legislatures.
State legislatures can be made
to see that public archives merit
consideration and legislation only
by the intelligent and systematic
activity of public officials, his-
torical agencies, historians, lawyers,
and interested citizens.
DR. LINDLEY: I am sure that we are all
very grate-
ful to Mr. Schellenberg for the clear
presentation he has
given us in regard to plans and
possibilities. We are
also grateful to this Joint Committee
for making pos-
sible Mr. Schellenberg's visit with us
today. Now
having heard what might be done and
what ought to be
done, I think it fitting that we should
have a presenta-
tion of the subject explaining how it
has been done, with
the idea of possibly applying some of
the methods to our
own case. We have such a representative
in Dr. Wil-
liam D. Overman who has been
supervising in a number
of counties in Pennsylvania the work to
which Mr.
Schellenberg has referred. Dr. Overman
is a native son
of Ohio, a graduate of Ohio State
University, and for
the past three years has been teaching
in Waynesburg
College at Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual Meeting 307 SOME EXPERIENCES IN MAKING A STATE HISTORICAL SURVEY. By W. D. OVERMAN The Historical Survey now in progress in Pennsylvania was started in December, 1933 and is under the direction of the State Archivist. The survey was carried on as a state C.W.A. project until March 29, 1934 and since that time has been continued, with |
|
a greatly reduced quota of workers, as a project under the F.E.R.A. At its inception the director contemplated merely an inven- tory of one class of public records, namely those in the County Court Houses. Historians have recognized the necessity of the preservation of local archives, comprising written or printed books, papers or maps, in fact, all of the public records officially produced and received by the officers of a particular governmental subdi- vision. Official correspondence, letter-books, reports, minute- books, wills, marriage records, vital statistics, deed books, assess- ment rolls, tax lists, court records, election returns, militia lists, and all other such documents constitute local archives. |
308 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
It has been recognized for a long time
that the United States
lags behind Canada and some European
countries in the care and
administration of public archives. I
would like to recommend for
the consideration of the members of this
society a booklet of 16
pages on The Preservation of Local
Archives,1 which was pre-
pared and published in 1932 by the Public
Archives Commission
in Washington under the authority of the
American Historical
Association. Through the circulation of
this booklet and other-
wise, efforts have been made to instruct
and encourage public
officials in the safeguarding of these
valuable records. Custodians
and users generally appreciate the
importance of current local
records for business or administrative
purposes. Large property
interests, the settlement of disputes
over property, and the ad-
ministration of public revenue depend
upon them. But as his-
torical sources, the importance of local
archives is adequately
appreciated except by students of
history. It is true that local
archives have been used by searchers
after biographical and
genealogical information, but within
recent years a new concep-
tion of local history has developed and
a wider kind of research
is in progress which is already
resulting in the production of books
and articles in the fields of national,
state and local history. Local
history has been defined as an account
of the life of the people
of the local area--their social,
economic, political, religious, legal,
institutional and constitutional
development. Local archives con-
tain the largest available amount of
material of significance to
the writer of local history. The
preservation of this material is
indispensable to the reconstruction of the
past, and since docu-
mentary evidence is the basis of
accurate historical composition,
if these written records are not
preserved, there can be no reliable
history.
The unnecessary destruction of archives
in many communities
has made it impossible for them to
preserve their history in a
complete, much less authentic, form.
In view of this situation, the State
Archivist planned a survey
of the County Archives in the State of
Pennsylvania. He pro-
1 The introductory remarks in this paper
relative to the definition and
status of the preservation of local
archives has been taken from this pub-
lication.
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 309
cured the assistance of an historically
minded citizen in each
county who acted as his adviser. The
adviser, often a judge, a
lawyer, or a professor of history, gave
his time gratuitously. He
received instructions from the director
in Harrisburg and his
first step involved the securing of
efficient workers. The manner
of procedure was for the adviser to
contact the National Reem-
ployment Manager in his county, and
together they went over
the cards of the registered unemployed
and selected one, two, or
more workers, depending, of course, upon
the volume of the
county's records.
As soon as the worker was selected, the
County Reemploy-
ment office sent his identification
slips to state C. W. A. headquar-
ters in Harrisburg, and to the Director
of the Historical Survey.
Supplies and detailed instructions for
an inventory of the records
in the County Court House were then
forwarded to, the workers.
The various officers in the county had
been previously notified
that the worker would appear, and were
consequently ready to
cooperate. The adviser, usually a
lawyer, was familiar with the
type of records, and the worker was
instructed to seek his advice
and assistance in any problem which
arose.
The searchers, as these workers in the
Court houses were
designated, were urged to familiarize
themselves with the general
outline of the county's history. They
were expected to ascertain,
for instance, the date of the founding
of the county, in order to
know whether the records found were
complete from the date
of the county's organization. The
searchers were furnished with
sample forms and photostatic copies of
portions of a similar sur-
vey which had been made in Illinois some
years before. Form
sheets were furnished, covering each
office in the Court House,
upon which the workers were to submit
their final reports to
the Director. The essential information
required from each of-
fice was, first: the name of the class
of record, for instance, in
the Recorder of Deeds' Office, there
would be several classes of
records such as: record-books of deeds
and mortgages, bond
books, commission books, charter-books,
plats, surveys, etc.;
secondly: the limiting dates of the
records in a particular class;
if any gaps appeared, they were to be
carefully indicated; thirdly:
the volume or the amount of the record.
If the records were in
310 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
volumes, the searcher noted the number
of volumes followed by
the letter v.; if they were in
file-boxes, the number of such boxes
was followed by the letters f. b.; and
if the records were in
bundles, they were so indicated.
Many of the records were scattered,
since it is a common
practice for transcripts to be made of
much used record-books, and
the originals then stored in an attic, a
basement, or sometimes
destroyed. The workers were careful to
examine original rec-
ords when they were in existence and to
make an indication of
this on the final report form.
At first it was thought that it would be
feasible to have the
workers transcribe vital statistics and
marriage records before
1906 (I might add parenthetically that
since that date they have
been recorded in the State Capital) but
this was not carried out
because the probability of error was too
great even in the tran-
scription of this type of record.
This survey of the County Archives
progressed so well that
by January 1st the scope of the survey
was greatly enlarged, and
included, in addition to the recording
of county archives: munici-
pal and borough records, newspaper
files, manuscripts in deposi-
tories and in private hands, church
records, as well as those of
social and fraternal organizations, and
certain types of business
records.
Obviously, this required a large
increase not only in the num-
ber of workers, but in the number of
supervisors who could di-
rect the work of these investigators,
assign various tasks to them,
keep a careful check on the accuracy of
their work, and advise
them in making their reports to the
Archivist. The State was
divided into ten districts with a
supervisor over each. Under
the new arrangement the supervisor was
chosen first and his
primary task was that of organization.
He supplanted the ad-
viser under the old plan. The supervisor
contacted the Reem-
ployment Managers in his district, which
included from five to
ten counties, and selected his staff of
workers from those avail-
able on the registration list of
unemployed persons in each county.
It was the supervisor's next duty to
furnish each investigator
with a set of mimeographed forms for
each type of record, and
explain in detail, by illustration and
example, the exact procedure
Report of the Forty-eighth Annual
Meeting 311
in collecting and reporting the data
required. The supervisors
were able, in many cases, to get
unemployed persons who were,
by virtue of specialized training in
history or library work, well
fitted for the work. It was the
supervisor's duty to instruct the
investigators in the value to the future
historian of the results of
the survey, and to impress upon them the
necessity for absolute
accuracy in reporting the data thus
acquired.
We were not trying to train these people
in the technique
of historical research, for obviously
their task was not research
but mere tabulation and description of
various materials discov-
ered.
The workers made inventories of
municipal and borough
records exactly as in the case of county
archives. They went
to all newspaper offices, and made
complete inventories of their
files. Each public library, historical
society, or other depository
was visited and all collections of
manuscripts and newspaper files
listed. Thus far, the investigators were
dealing with public or
semi-public records and documents which
were easily accessible.
Church records, and manuscripts in
private possession, such
as collections of correspondence,
business account-books, military
papers, muster-rolls, discharges,
pensions, diaries and genealogical
collections, constituted a type of
investigation which required
more skill on the part of the workers.
The survey has not been
a house-to-house canvas. Workers
interview influential people.
those known to have collections, and
those known to be inter-
ested in history. After these
collections have been listed, the
workers ascertain the names of others
having collections or even
a single piece of historical material.
Thus by a systematic method
of securing the names of collectors or
prospects, workers are
able to list the most important
historical sources in a community.
Many valuable documents have been found
in the hands of per-
sons who had inherited material of
importance to local historians,
but who had little regard for its
historic significance. In some
cases our efforts revealed documents of
outstanding value. I
called on a gentleman in Brownsville,
Pennsylvania, who was the
descendant of Jacob Bowman, a pioneer
settler in that region.
When I asked him whether I could talk to
him about local his-
tory and had assured him that I was not
soliciting his picture
312 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
and seventy-five dollars for a
commercial history, he expressed
himself as being entirely unfamiliar
with and uninterested in his-
tory, saying that according to his
friends he was a crank on music.
I asked him about files of old
newspapers and correspondence.
He was perfectly willing to look for
materials of this nature
which he said he thought might be in an
old desk drawer in the
library. We discovered letters--dozens
of them--some personal,
some political and others of a purely
business nature. There
were old account-books, newspapers and
subscription-lists. He
drew out one subscription-list of the
first public school built in
Brownsville in 1796. This practically
constituted a census of the
Brownsville of that day, since the
number of names was large,
and the subscriptions ranged from ten
pounds sterling to fifteen
shillings, indicating the probability
that even the poorest citizen
made his contribution. Account-books for
The Albany Glass
Works, once located at the mouth of
Redstone Creek on the
Monongahela River, and of the Ohio Paper
Mill, once located
in the Western Reserve, in which his
grandfather had owned a
controlling interest, were also in the
collection. The owner be-
came tremendously interested, and
remarked that he had not re-
alized the importance of these
manuscripts, and as I left him he
settled down in an easy chair to read
the entire collection. He
thanked me for calling his attention to
the records and said that
if I would come back again soon he would
then be able to de-
scribe the contents of the whole so as
to afford a more accurate
description of the materials for our
survey.
A worker discovered (in Westmoreland
County) a rather
lengthy manuscript written by Jeremiah
Lochry, one of Brad-
dock's scouts, describing his
experiences. This document bore
the date 1755. It was in the
hands of a filling-station attendant.
The proprietor of a lunch-room in
Washington, Pennsyl-
vania, who owns and occupies the first
brick house built in that
city, has a magnificent collection of
books and manuscripts which
came down to him from two families of
historic importance.
His own name is William Duane Morgan,
which represents both
families. He has a land-grant from King
George III to Colonel
George Morgan, who was a most important
figure in the colonial
and revolutionary periods. Mr. Morgan
has the original notes
Report
of the Forty-eighth Annual Meeting 313
which
Colonel Morgan kept as Indian Agent at Fort Pitt 1776-
1779,
and other manuscripts of that period bearing the names
of
many historic personages such as Aaron Burr and Benedict
Arnold,
as well as letters from Washington, Jefferson and others.
Much
of this collection was found to be of more importance per-
haps
to the national than to the local historian. There were sev-
eral
volumes of diaries of John Morgan (a brother of Colonel
George
Morgan), who founded the University of Pennsylvania
Medical
School, and some letter-books of later members of the
family
which will be of significance to the local historian. There
were
letters of William Duane, secretary of state under Andrew
Jackson
in 1833, until he differed with Jackson over the bank
question.
There were letter-books of William Duane Morgan,
one
time resident of Newark, Ohio and auditor of State. He
was,
at one time, a part owner of the Cleveand Plain Dealer and
was
owner of the Newark Advocate for a quarter of a century.
In
the sub-basement of the Westmoreland County Court
House
where steam-pipes produce a heat which will certainly des-
sicate
the many valuable records which are stored there, we found
a
large amount of official and non-official material.
There
were account-books revealing many interesting prices,
such
as the following, from the day-book of Benjamin Meason
and
Joseph Worthington, for the years 1796-1799:
2
yards calico 12
shillings
1 pound
butter 10 pence
1
pint whiskey 1
shilling
1
pound coffee 3
shillings, 6 pence
1
yard muslin 3
shillings, 4 pence
Fifteen
years later, in the day-book of Samuel Reed the
following
prices, then in dollars and cents, were noted:
50
spanish cigars 2 cents each
1
yard calico 37
1/2 cents
1
pound tobacco 50
cents
4
pounds sugar $1.00
1
pound coffee 40
cents
1
quart whiskey 18 cents
2 bushels wheat $1.75
314 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
If time permitted, other experiences
could be recited illus-
trative of the general cooperation of
the holders of these docu-
ments, and of the significance of the
finding of these often hith-
erto unknown sources for the writing of
the history of the Com-
monwealth. The widespread enthusiasm for
the project was re-
flected in the many news-items,
editorials, and articles on local
history which appeared, and are
appearing, all over the State.
These inventories will be printed in the
next Series of the
Pennsylvania Archives. It is planned to bring out another volume
of the Archives containing the
reports of depositories, such as
local historical societies, and if
possible, one to include news-
paper collections. With these guides,
the future historian may
readily ascertain the amount and kinds
of material available, and
most important of all, its location. The
undertaking is large,
and is one that few private institutions
or individuals could suc-
cessfully undertake. It is a project
which has given relief to a
type of worker for whom there was little
planning on the part
of the C. W. A. in general, and it has
produced a result which, al-
though seemingly intangible to certain
critics, is actually of great
significance in its stimulation of
interest in history, its encourage-
ment of the preservation of local
history, and the results, in the
form of printed guide books, will be of
obvious and inestimable
value.
DR. LINDLEY: I am grateful for the presentation
of this problem and we still have
twenty minutes. Dr.
Overman has brought with him some
illustrative mate-
rial used in gathering these results.
There is now an
opportunity for questions.
After some announcements the Society
adjourned
until the afternoon session at two
o'clock.
THE REPORT OF THE FORTY-EIGHTH
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE OHIO
STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The forty-eighth Annual Meeting of the
Ohio State
Archaeological and Historical Society
was called to
order by President Arthur C. Johnson,
Sr., on April 24,
1934, with sixty members present.
MR. JOHNSON: This is a business meeting of the
Annual Meeting of the Ohio State
Archaeological and
Historical Society. I promise not to
keep you long this
morning because I know those of you
from a distance
will want to visit the Museum and see
some of the new
exhibits, wander about and have a good
time. The re-
ports of the Director, Secretary, and
Treasurer will
answer any questions that may arise in
your minds. As
to the policy of the Society--I feel
that it has enjoyed
the depression, which has brought its
feet down to the
ground; still, that does not mean that
we should not have
ambitions, material or otherwise, and I
hope that the
coming two years will see the completion
of this build-
ing. Members over the State may do more
to bring this
about than any officials might be able
to do here in Co-
lumbus, possibly the finishing touches
can be put on it
here. There is no reason why it should
not be done. If
we had been alive to the situation
during the time when
the government was assisting in
projects, we might have
accomplished it but it is now too late.
Anyway, I would
283