Historical News
The Steubenville Herald-Star celebrated
its 150th birthday on June 7.
Founded as the Western Herald by
William Lowry and John Miller, it was
operated for thirty years--from 1815 to
1845--by James Wilson, the paternal
grandfather of President Woodrow Wilson,
and by his son Robert, who
succeeded him. It is the second oldest
newspaper in continuous existence in
Ohio, the oldest being the Chillicothe
Gazette. It is a member of the Brush-
Moore chain.
Earle W. Newton, former editor of American
Heritage and director of
Old Sturbridge Village, has recently
been appointed director of the new
bureau of museums, historic sites, and
properties of the Pennsylvania His-
torical and Museum Commission.
Among the recent acquisitions of the
Rutherford B. Hayes Library is a
collection of materials relating to the
early history of the schools of Sandusky
County. Included in the collection,
which was presented to the library by
Mrs. John M. Dawley a short time before
her death, are school books, photo-
graphs and photo albums, maps,
pamphlets, and the only known daguerreo-
types (about 1860) of the teacher and
pupils of the Dawley School, Ballville.
From the files of an early Fremont
photographer, R. Grob, the picture
division of the library received about
three thousand glass negatives of por-
traits of local people made about 1900
or earlier. The gift was made possible
through the cooperation of Stephen D.
Thomaswick, until recently a com-
mercial photographer of Fremont.
Two valuable manuscript collections have
recently come into the possession
of the library of the Western Reserve
Historical Society. A collection of
William McKinley papers, including war
papers, family letters, photographs,
books, and personal mementoes, was
presented by John Allison Duncan. Of
special interest are over one hundred
letters and telegrams dealing with the
payment of the Walker-McKinley notes
(1893-94), which are included in
the gift. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Main, members
of the society, have presented
the genealogy division with a large
group of typescript and microfilm copies
416
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
of marriage, will, cemetery, and Bible
records and other vital records of
more than twenty Ohio counties.
The annual meeting of the Historical and
Philosophical Society of Ohio,
which will be held on December 3 at the
Cincinnati Art Museum, will
climax the celebration of the 125th
anniversary of the society. Bernhard
Knollenberg will speak on "Causes
and Growth of Colonial Discontent,
1759-1775."
The Historical and Philosophical Society
recently acquired a collection of
Gwynne family papers of approximately
nine hundred items. The collection
contains correspondence of Major David
Gwynne, an army paymaster and
Cincinnati real estate broker, and his
son, Abraham Evan Gwynne, a child
prodigy of Cincinnati legal history.
The Marietta College Library has
recently acquired the Harry P. Fischer
collection of steamboat photographs,
consisting of eleven hundred prints
with the corresponding plates and films.
Fischer, a lifelong (1879-1949)
resident of Marietta, a graduate of
Marietta Academy in 1896, and an
amateur photographer in his youth,
acquired professional status by 1901,
when he opened a studio.
Jessie Hyde Palmer has been appointed
assistant cataloger at the Marietta
College Library.
The Rev. W. Eugene Shiels of Xavier
University, Cincinnati, who is chair-
man of the committee on awards of the
Ohio Academy of History will be
happy to receive suggestions for the
award for the outstanding historical
achievement of a member of the academy
during 1956.
At the University of Akron, George
Knepper has been promoted from
instructor to assistant professor.
Clara G. Roe, who has been acting head
of the history department since
the death of Summerfield Baldwin, became
head of the department in
September of this year. Dr. Roe visited
the Library of Congress, the Penn-
sylvania Historical Society, the
Connecticut Historical Society, and the
Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore
College, in July to complete the
research for a biography of Nathanael
Greene.
The American Jewish Archives published
this year The Future of American
Jewry, a volume by Jacob R. Marcus, director of the archives.
The essay,
HISTORICAL NEWS 417
originally delivered as a lecture at the
Dropsie College for Hebrew and
Cognate Learning by Dr. Marcus on June
2, 1955, was printed with minor
changes.
Richard C. Knopf, historian of the
Anthony Wayne Parkway Board, had
an article, "Crime and Punishment
in the Legion, 1792-1793," published
in the Historical and Philosophical
Society of Ohio Bulletin for July 1956.
Research on the War of 1812, which is
being carried on by the board, is
well under way.
Louis Filler, acting chairman of the
department of history at Antioch
College, served as an analyst at a
conference of the College English Asso-
ciation Institute, held at the
University of Massachusetts on July 6-9. The
theme of the conference was "The
American Humanities in an Industrial
Civilization." Dr. Filler had an
article, "The Interdisciplinary Factor in
American Civilization," in School
and Society for June 9, 1956.
Robert Seager II, who is on sabbatical
leave from Denison University
during the year 1956-57, will be in
Washington, D.C., engaged in research
in American diplomatic and naval
history.
William D. Overman, director of the
Firestone Library and Archives, was
elected in June an honorary member of
the Sociedad Mexicana de Archivistas.
Two promotions in the history department
at Heidelberg College became
effective at the beginning of the
academic year 1956-57: Carl G. Klopfenstein
was raised in rank from associate
professor to professor; Kenneth E. Davison,
from assistant professor to associate
professor.
At Miami Univerity, Ronald E. Shaw,
formerly assistant professor of
social studies in the school of
education, has been made assistant professor
of history in the school of arts and
science.
Dwight L. Smith has been promoted from
assistant to associate professor
in the history department.
Articles published in the past few
months by members of the history
department at Ohio State University
include Eugene H. Roseboom's "Ohio,
Principal Events, 1955," in the American
Annual 1956; Harvey Goldberg's
review article, "The Man Who Knew
Better," in The Nation for March 11,
418
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
1956; and Robert H. Bremner's
"'Scientific Philanthropy,' 1873-93," in the
Social Service Review for June 1956. Dr. Bremner's book, From the Depths:
The Discovery of Poverty in the
United States, was published in
September
by the New York University Press.
A. T. Volwiler of the Ohio University
history department taught during
the past summer at San Francisco State
College.
George Lobdell, who has his doctor's
degree from the University of
Illinois, has joined the staff of the
history department as an assistant professor.
Carl Gustavson received the Ohio Academy
of History certificate of award
for the outstanding achievement by a
member of the academy during 1955.
The award was in recognition of his
volume, A Preface to History. Dr.
Gustavson also was awarded a grant from
the American Philosophical Society.
John F. Cady, chairman of the
department, returned to Ohio University
in June 1956 after a year's leave of
absence. He spent the year in Burma,
where he enjoyed a Fulbright research
grant coupled with one from the
Guggenheim Foundation while writing a
one-volume political history of
modern Burma. The book is being prepared
for publication. Dr. Cady also
contributed a chapter entitled
"Evolving Political Institutions in Southeast
Asia" to the volume, Nationalism
and Progress in Free Asia, edited by Philip
Thayer and published by the Johns
Hopkins Press this year.
Keith D. Churchman, who was for a number
of years a member of the
history faculty at Central State
College, died of leukemia in University
Hospital, Columbus, on July 20. Dr.
Churchman had been seriously ill for
the past three years.
The history and political science
department of Xavier University has added
two new members: John V. Mentag, S.J.,
as instructor and John J. Whealen
as an assistant professor. Both will
teach in the field of American history.
Cecil Cody has been promoted to
assistant professor of history at the
University of Toledo.
Willard A. Smith, associate professor of
history at Toledo, has been
awarded a grant from the Spanish
government for study in Spain on modern
Spanish history with particular
reference to the regime of Primo de Rivera.
Travel funds were granted by the United
States Department of State.