Collections : [University Archives]

Leo F. Solt, professor emeritus of History and dean of the University Graduate School, taught at the University of Iowa and the University of Massachusetts before joining the Indiana University faculty in 1955. In 1978 he was named dean of the University Graduate School, a position he held until 1987. The collection consists of biographical records, research notes, correspondence, and lecture notes.

Williams taught mathematics at Indiana University for nearly 50 years however, he was best known for his multi-volume work, Lincoln Finds a General, 1949. Williams was also the first commander of the Student Army Training Corps, later to be known as The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) at Indiana University.

The Indiana University Folklore Archives was established in 1956 by Richard M. Dorson of the Indiana University Folklore Institute and grew to comprise 40,000 field collections gathered in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky, before closing in 1990. This collection contains the Folklore Archives' administrative files, special collections of prominent folklorists' research materials, reprints of journal articles, bibliographies, a collection of folksongs, and subject files and index cards on topics that include beliefs, customs, games, jokes, and legends.

Andrew Wylie assumed the position as the first president of Indiana College in 1829, and he died on 11 November 1851 of pneumonia which he developed after accidentally cutting his leg while chopping wood. This collection consists of Andrew Wylie's personal papers, and includes records documenting Wylie's tenure at Jefferson and Washington Colleges; correspondence with family and professional colleagues; Wylie's sermons, lectures, and writings; bills, contracts, and receipts relating primarily to building and maintaining the family residence; and biographical information on Wylie.

David F. Finley was a Monroe County, Indiana, businessman and landowner during the nineteenth century. His papers are organized into six series: Property records; Tax records and appraisments; Receipts; Correspondence; County highway and building records; and Subject files. Information about Finley's Indiana and Kansas properties is most prominent in the collection.

Theophilus A. Wylie was the cousin of Indiana University's first president Andrew Wylie and spent most of his adult life at IU, beginning in 1836,serving as its librarian, professor, vice president, and at one point, its interim president. Collection consists of Wylie's correspondence, diaries, sermons, drawings, and writings.

Collection contains various scrapbooks, publications, yearbooks, reports, and a small amount of correspondence relating to Bloomington, Indiana, and Monroe County.

Before becoming president of Indiana University, Herman B Wells served as an assistant cashier at the National Bank of Lebanon before going on to work for the Indiana Bankers Association, the Indiana Commission for Financial Institutions, and the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions. He was named dean of the Indiana University School of Business administration in 1935 by IU President William Lowe Bryan. In 1937 he was named acting president of the university and president the following year, a position he held until 1962. Upon his retirement, IU created the position of University Chancellor, which Dr. Wells held until his death in 2000. This collection consists of Wells' personal papers and includes papers pertaining to his family and personal finances, his activities in the banking profession, his work in Germany for the United States government after World War II, and to his research and teaching and professional activities as a member of the faculty of Indiana University.

Andrew Wylie assumed the position as the first president of Indiana College in 1829. He died on 11 November 1851 of pneumonia, which he developed after accidentally cutting his leg while chopping wood. The collection is comprised of correspondence files, speeches, and administrative files from Wylie's presidential tenure.

The Wylie family represented in this collection are all family members or descendents of Indiana University's first president, Andrew Wylie. Many of the earliest family members were closely associated with the university themselves. The collection includes correspondence, financial records, newspaper clippings, obituaries, academic records, journals, scrapbooks, drawings, and poetry. In addition to family affairs, the collection includes information about Indiana University and Bloomington, Indiana, including land deeds and a 19th century account book from Bloomington's McCalla store.

Chase C. Mooney was a professor of history at Indiana University. After receiving his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in 1939, Chase Curran Mooney began his teaching career at Brenau College in 1939. In 1946 he joined the history faculty at Indiana University, where he remained until his death in 1973. As a distinguished member of the faculty, Mooney participated in numerous history department committees and successfully worked to bring the Journal of American History to IU in 1963. With research interests focusing upon African Americans, the U.S. Civil War, and the history of the American South, he produced numerous book reviews, articles, and two major monographs, Slavery in Tennessee in 1957 and William H. Crawford, 1772-1834 which was released posthumously in 1974. Mooney's papers contain student files, correspondence, research and manuscripts relating to his publications, including Slavery in Tennessee and William H. Crawford, teaching files, files relating to committees at Indiana University, and subject files all relating primarily to his work as a professor and to his research interests.

Indiana family headed by Robert Owen, who purchased Harmony from the Rappites in Posey County, Indiana, with the intention of establishing a utopian society, New Harmony. Owen's three sons were major players in the introduction of geology, biology, and psychology in Indiana and the United States. Collection includes correspondence, speeches, and publications of Robert Owen and his descendants. Most prominently featured in the collection are Owen's sons David Dale, Richard, and Robert Dale. Some materials are photocopies of manuscripts held by other repositories.

Frank Curry Mathers was a Chemistry Professor at Indiana University from 1907 until his retirement in 1950. This collection consists of materials associated with both the Mathers family and Frank C. Mathers' career as a Professor of Chemistry at I.U. The collection consists of Mathers' work correspondence, notes, journals, chemistry equations and formulas. The collection also contains Mathers family correspondence, photos, skin cancer research, and various family legal documents.

One of the two chief literary societies on campus, the Athenian Society was founded at Indiana University in 1830. Literary societies gave students practice in speaking and writing through regular orations, essays, and debates, as well as filling a social role. Collection consists of minutes, correspondence, publications, addresses, and announcements. The Publication series includes copies of the Athenian, a monthly periodical of writings submitted by members of the Athenian Society that were of "a high literary character," including what the editors considered "chaste and elevated literature." These span December 1845 through November 1846. Most prominent in the collection are the minutes from the weekly meeting of the Society.

William Lowe Bryan was an Indiana University alumnus, professor, and president. This collection includes correspondence, genealogical information, notes, a single journal from 1886, and published and unpublished writings and speeches. Correspondents include family and friends as well as numerous well-known political figures such as Winston Churchill, U.S. Senator Homer Capehart and Eleanor Roosevelt. Frequent correspondents include brother Enoch Albert Bryan, Frank and Sara S. Elliott, Evangeline Lewis, Ruth McNutt, and Herman B Wells.

The Ketcham and Piercy families were prominent in Indiana politics, journalism, and education during the 19th and 20th centuries. This collection consists of photographs, correspondence, journals, diaries, publications, speeches, legal documents, genealogical materials, and academic regalia from the Ketcham and Piercy families. Family members represented in this collection include: Colonel John Ketcham, John Lewis Ketcham, Reverend John H. Ketcham, Martha S. Ketcham, Charles B. Ketcham, Mary Ketcham Piercy, her husband, journalist and Indiana University faculty member Joseph W. Piercy, and Indiana University faculty member Josephine K. Piercy.

Joseph Bradford began acquiring land in Martinsville, Indiana, in the mid-1800s. The Bradford Sand Mining Company was founded by Joseph's son, Perry Bradford, in 1877 in Morgan County, Indiana. The family business was passed on to Albert and John Bradford in the early 1900s. It remained in the family until 1938 when John Bradford deeded 900 acres of the Bradford property to Indiana University. This property is currently known as the Bradford Woods. The Bradford family papers span 1831-1941 and consist of various financial and business records related to their property, as well as documentation of family history and family correspondence. The correspondence primarily dates from 1898 and consists largely of letters written to the Bradfords by Eliza (Bradford) and husband Dr. Grant Monical from Camp George in Georgia and later Cuba where Grant was a Captain in the Spanish-American War.

Indiana family headed by Joseph Kirkman, who served as sheriff of Gibson County for several years. Collection includes correspondence, indentures, receipts, land deeds, and newspaper clippings of Joseph Kirkman, daughter Irene Kirkman Coolidge, and granddaughter Mary Coolidge Kingston. Also included is a series titled Unknown authors, consisting of items of unknown origins but that were deposited with the collection.

The Indiana University Trustees serve as the governing board of the university. Created in 1820, the current Board meets six times per year. Among the Board's powers are their capacity to possess all the real and personal property of the university; to expend the income of the university; and to all bylaws necessary to carry these powers into effect. The minutes in this collection include official acts, resolutions, policies, agreements, and other business pertaining to the governance of Indiana University between 1838-1859 and 1883-2017.

Jacob Ammen (1806-1894) was a professor and military officer for the Union army during the American Civil War. After graduating from West Point and serving in the military, he taught at various institutions of higher education, including Indiana University, where he served as professor and chair of the Mathematics Department from 1840 to 1843. Following his teaching career, he returned to military service after the outbreak of the Civil War, attaining to the rank of Brigadier General. This collection consists of correspondences, personal writings, and military artifacts kept by Ammen throughout his academic and military career from 1835 through 1865.

William Daily was a Methodist minister, and served as president of Indiana University, 1853-1859. The collection includes correspondence, speeches, financial records, administrative records relating to his presidency at Indiana University; most prominent are records relating to charges brought against Daily during his presidency.

General meetings of the Indiana University faculty began in 1835, to discuss the industriousness of its students, calling student rolls, and hearing reports on the work and standing of each of the students. Disciplinary measures, dismissals, and exams for students were also discussed during many of the meetings throughout the nineteenth century. By the 1920s, the faculty had grown to such a point that it was necessary to create a representative body of the faculty, but the faculty as a whole continued to meet with some regularity. Today the faculty body rarely meet, but may be convened by the IU president, the Secretary of the University Faculty Council, or on petition signed by voting faculty members numbering no less than 5% of all voting faculty members.

The Philomathean Society was one of two major literary societies on campus. It was founded in 1831 and was last listed in the university catalogue in 1893. This collection primarily consists of programs for the group's annual Spring Exhibition with a fairly complete run between 1844 and 1886. Also included in the collection is a series of published speeches and one partial constitution.

William Tinsley was an architect from Dublin, Ireland; he is well-known in his profession for designing part of the original Indiana University Bloomington campus. This collection consists of a journal written by William Tinsley and two of his children, Charles and Harvey.

John Robert Cravens was a graduate of Indiana University. This collection includes correspondence and lecture notes from John Robert Cravens' senior year at Indiana University, 1839-1840. He later became a lawyer and one of Indiana's leading statesmen.

The Edgeworthalean Society was a ladies' literary society founded in 1841 by twelve women of Monroe County in Bloomington, Indiana, and was named after the English author, Maria Edgeworth. The goal of the society was to cultivate and improve the minds of the women through recitations, composition arguments, reading, writing, diction, analyzing sentences, and so on. Each meeting a question for debate was posed and roles assigned for the next meeting. The society met on a weekly basis in the Monroe County Female Seminary which was founded for women in 1818. The date of the last recorded meeting minutes was June 14, 1844. There is no indication of why the society ended. The collection consists of one minute book containing the society's constitution, by-laws, and meeting minutes.

This collection consists of the family papers of Indiana University alumni John and Hilda Jay. The collection primarily consists of correspondence between John, Hilda, and family or friends largely spanning 1939-2002; personal files containing educational materials, a journal, and a scrapbook; as well as several home movies from circa 1939-1946.

This collection consists of the family papers of Indiana University professor Cecilia Hennel Hendricks spanning the period from 1839 through 1970. Included are papers relating to the academic careers of Cecilia, Associate Professor of English, and her sister Cora, Professor of Mathematics at Indiana University, as well as manuscripts and writings by both women. Also found in the collection are papers and correspondence of family members: father Joseph B. Hennel, mother Anna M. Thuman Hennel, Cecilia's husband John Hendricks, and sister Edith Hennel Ellis.

Homer Wheeler attended Indiana University from 1844-1846, studying law, literature and theology. His collection contains four letters between Homer and his brother Maro Wheeler. Letters discuss Homer Wheeler's arrival in Bloomington, his involvement with the Philomathean Society, and his job prospects upon graduation.

William Wylie Blair entered Indiana University in 1845. He attended through the 1848 school year, but did not graduate. This small collection consists of six essays written by Blair while he was a student at IU as well as an 1848 letter written to Blair and friend Jonathan Dixon Wylie by former classmate James Strean, who was an IU student at the time of writing.

The Woodburn family first settled in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1830, having relocated from Chester County, South Carolina. This collection consists of personal correspondence and other material of family members of James Albert Woodburn (1856-1943), a professor of history at Indiana University (1890-1924), including his father James Woodburn, wife Caroline Gelston Woodburn, brothers Walter E. and Theophilus Wylie Woodburn, son James Gelston Woodburn, and granddaughter Janet Wiecking. Collection materials date from 1848-1978 and notably include Caroline Gelston Woodburn's letters describing her experiences as a new member of the Bloomington and Indiana University communities in the early 1890s, and a photocopy of James Gelston Woodburn's diary ("My Trip Abroad"), which documents his trip to Europe in 1911-1912.

A prominent family in the Bloomington community, Indiana University purchased land from the Dunn family in order to relocate the university to its current site after the devastating fire of 1883 at the Seminary Square location. Family members represented in this collection include George Grundy Dunn Sr., Moses Fell Dunn, and William McKee Dunn. The collection includes correspondence, writings, deeds and other real estate documents, insurance contracts, miscellaneous receipts, cemetery drawings and plot plans for Dunn Cemetery, located on the I.U. Bloomington campus, and family photos.

Arthur R. Metz was a student at Indiana University from 1904-1909 and one of the first recipients of the IU Distinguished Alumni Service Award. He was a doctor who served in multiple capacities including for hospitals, railroads, the military, corporations, and universities and also was a member of many medical organizations. The collection consists of Metz's family records, school materials, personal and professional correspondence, personal photographs, military and travel materials and photographs, magazine and newspaper clippings, medical and organizational publications, and professional certificates. There are also papers and photographs documenting the Metz Foundation and Metz Suite.

The Indiana University Alumni Association was founded in 1854 as an organization through which graduates could contribute to the pursuit of university interests. Members of the Association held semi-annual meetings, first as the Alumni Association and later in separate branches, including the Alumni Council, established in 1913 (later called the Executive Council). This collection consists primarily of the minutes of the IU Alumni Association, Alumni Council, Executive Council, and Board of Managers meetings spanning 1854-2011.

Sarah Parke Morrison became the first woman admitted to Indiana University in 1867. Collection consists of personal papers of Sarah Parke Morrison in three series: Correspondence, 1897-1913, consisting primarily of outgoing correspondence. Frequent correspondents include former Indiana University President William Lowe Bryan and Registrar John W. Cravens. The correspondence all dates from the years after she left IU and much of it discusses her desire that women become members of the various University boards. Schedules, 1855-1856, consists of a single schedule of a typical day for Morrison at the Western Female College; and Writings, 1911-1912, includes a handwritten account of Morrison's entrance and experience as the first female student at IU and a small pamphlet of Morrison's poetry published in 1912.

William Gering was an associate professor of speech and theater at Indiana University South Bend from 1964 until his retirement in 1988. Beginning with his academic career as a graduate student at Indiana University in the early 1960s, Gering displayed an interest in researching the life and career of David Starr Jordan, Indiana University's President from 1885 to 1891. The collection consists of Gering's research notes and writings on Jordan. The research itself primarily focuses on the period of Jordan's life from his time enrolling as a student at Cornell University in 1869 to his 1891 departure from Indiana to become Stanford University's first President.

W. Edson Richmond was a professor in both English and Folklore, and Acting Director of the Folklore Institute (1981-1982) at Indiana University, Bloomington, from 1945 until 1986. This collection documents Richmond's research and publishing in the area of Norwegian and Scandinavian language and culture as well as other academic activities, such as instruction and academic advising, service on departmental and professional committees, and participation in folklore conferences and professional societies. Types of material present in the collection include published and unpublished articles, research and instruction notes, correspondence, and programs and brochures.

With a history dating back to 1895, the Chemistry library was initially housed in Wylie Hall, however with the completion of the Chemistry building in the 1930s it relocated and remains in that location to this day. The collection consists primarily of administrative files such as handbook, notes and memos.

Cyrus Nutt served as the fifth president of Indiana University from 1860-1875. Nutt died on August 23, 1875, a month after being dismissed by the Board of Trustees. The collection consists of administrative files, correspondence, and writings and addresses.

Judge David D. Banta was an instructor in the School of Law at Indiana University as well as an officer of the Indiana University Board of Trustees. This collection consists of three series and is largely comprised of manuscripts of Banta's history of Indiana University.

The Adelphian Society was established at Indiana University on November 13, 1858, under the name the Erolathian Society. The goal of the literary society was to be a society of religious inquiry at the university, and in their first minutes the organization outlines plans of delivering original orations, essays, and debates on subjects related to Biblical literature. In 1859 the group changed its name to the Adelphian Society. Collection consists of by-laws and meeting minutes.

Avis Tarrant Burke was the wife of Indiana University fine arts professor Robert E. Burke. Avis was active with the IU Extension Division and wrote several articles for its bulletin. Together she and Robert traveled extensively, which served as the subject of articles she wrote for the Bloomington newspaper from 1932-1953. After her husband's death, Avis developed a reputation for her philanthropic work, including her donation of nineteenth-century clothing and eighteenth and nineteenth-century fans to Indiana University, which now comprises a core part of the Elizabeth Sage Costume Collection at IU. The collection consists of correspondence, files on groups and organizations with which Burke was involved, essays, articles, general and travel diaries, as well as a small amount of records from the Tarrant family, including 19th century love letters written to Avis's mother, Avis Booth Tarrant.

Lemuel Moss was Indiana University President 1875-1884. He left amidst a scandal involving himself and a female professor at the university. This small collection consists of correspondence with Rev. and Mrs. J. R. Scott and a poem Moss wrote for his wife in celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary.

Albert L. Kohlmeier was an Indiana University alumnus and professor. Collection is comprised of the papers of Prof. Kohlmeier and family and consists of correspondence, publications, lectures, Lucie Kohlmeier's travel diary from a European trip taken in 1926, and genealogical information about the Kohlmeier family.

John D. Alexander was born on February 6, 1839 in Bloomington, Indiana. He graduated from Indiana University in 1861 and served in the Union Army from 1862-1865. He practiced law in Bedford and Bloomfield, Indiana between 1867 and 1911. He also served as the Prosecuting Attorney of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Judicial Circuits as well as the Greene County Representative in the Indiana General Assembly. The collection consists of letters from the battlefield, family photographs, news clippings, a scrapbook, military artifacts, and notes pertaining to the Dunn and Alexander family history.

Soprano Virginia MacWatters was known not only for her impressive operatic career during which she performed in opera houses throughout the United States, Europe, and South America, but also for her dedication to teaching. In 1957 she joined the voice faculty of the Indiana University School of Music where she remained until her retirement in 1982. She was awarded the prestigious Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award for excellence in teaching in 1979. The collection consists of biographical materials, clippings, programs, teaching files, correspondence, photographs, and scrapbooks.

In 1953, Warren Everett Roberts became the first person to earn a PhD in Folklore in the United States. He taught at Indiana University from 1949-1994 and was one of the founders of the study of American "folklife" and material culture. The collection represents Roberts' research of vernacular architecture and regional survey of material culture and craftsmanship, particularly in southern Indiana. Collection consists of research files, teaching files, photographs, photographic negatives and slides, publications, and correspondence.

Walter Q. Gresham, 1832-1895, was an Indiana lawyer. He also served as a brigadier general in the Civil War, a U.S. District Judge, a U.S. Circuit Court Judge, Postmaster-General, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of State. This collection consists of correspondence from Gresham and about Gresham received by Indiana University from multiple sources, as well as some cards designed to display alongside Gresham's Civil War sword, which was donated to the university by Gresham's family in 1911.

Literary societies cropped up early on American college and university campuses, and were one of the few social outlets available to students. This collection consists entirely of a ledger signed by students vowing to follow the rules and regulations of the Indiana University Trustees and their respective literary societies.

Daniel Kirkwood was an astronomer and professor of mathematics at Indiana University almost continuously from 1856 until 1886. Collection consists of papers of Daniel Kirkwood in two series: Correspondence and Publications. Correspondence, 1864-1895, consists of both incoming and outgoing correspondence. Some noted correspondents are Cyrus Nutt, president of Indiana University 1860-1875, Joseph Swain, IU president, 1893-1902, astronomer Sherburne W. Burnham, and Arthur C. Mellette, governor of the Dakota Territory from 1861-1889. The Publications series, 1864-1891, consists of articles written by Kirkwood. Several of the publications are photocopies of the originals.