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William Moses Welch papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ax 173

Scope and Contents note

The William Moses Welch Papers consist of the diaries of Welch and the letters of he and his family. Most of the material is fairly personal, some of the most informative reflects on the family’s doings in the world of agriculture, religion, and business.

Series I, the William Moses Welch Diaries, contains two diaries from 1858 and 1872. In the earlier diary, Welch describes his daily events, predominately work and religion related, and he expostulates on his personal religious ideas and growth. The latter diary consists of strictly descriptive notes describing the day’s events.

Series II, Correspondence, consists of the outgoing and incoming correspondence of members of the Welch family, organized by date, from 1892 to 1919. The letters consist of correspondence between family, friends, and associates, and are addressed from all over the United States. Most of the letters were written and received by Eldred and Lulu Welch. There are many letters written by William from his farm in Indiana and many written from all over Oregon. Eldred’s friends Burton and Addie wrote letters from Fresno, Los Angeles, Washington state, and North Dakota. The Mayor of Portland sent Eldred a letter, written May 7th, 1915, regarding his interest in movie censorship. Eldred received a couple of reports from a Chinese missionary, one concerning a furlough voyage from October 5th, 1916, and the other a report from Canton Christian College from March 25th, 1913.

Dates

  • 1858-1919

Creator

Conditions Governing Access note

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Conditions Governing Use note

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical/Historical note

William Moses Welch (1837–1914) was a Methodist minister in Hillsboro, Indiana. He and his wife Mary (?–1931) were farmers. The Welches raised chickens, potatoes, raspberries, and blackberries, and had an orchard. One of their sons, Raymond, lived on the farm with them. Another son, Eldred, lived in Portland, Oregon, where he worked as a clerk for a railroad. His wife’s name was Lulu. He was the president of the Men’s Brotherhood of the Central Methodist Episcopal Church.

Extent

0.75 linear feet (2 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

William Moses Welch (1837-1914) was a Methodist clergyman, serving congregations in the Midwest and the West. The collection consists of diaries, and letters to his son, Eldred. There are also letters from Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Duncan, missionaries at Canton Christian College, Canton, China, 1914-1917.

Arrangement note

Collection is organized into the following series: Series I. William Moses Welch DiariesSeries II. Correspondence

Processing Information

Collection processed by staff.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

Title
Guide to the William Moses Welch Papers
Status
Complete Description
Author
Finding aid prepared by Matt Kimlinger and Aaron Poor
Date
2006
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA