Collection #
M 0609
OM 0272

MERRILL-GRAYDON FAMILY
PAPERS, 1836–1930 (BULK 1890–1920)

Processed by
Charles Latham
3 March 1992
Updated 26 January 2005

Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269

www.indianahistory.org

Collection INFORMATION

VO9LUME OF COLLECTION: 4 manuscript boxes (1.3 linear feet)

COLLECTION DATES: Inclusive 1836-1930; Bulk 1890-1920

PROVEMNANCE: Evans Woollen III, Indianapolis IN, and Katharine Merrill Woollen Fitts, 19 November 1991, 28 May 1992

RESTRICTIONS: None

RELATED HOLDINGS: Samuel Merrill M 0204; John L. Ketcham M 0173, BV 1035-1046; Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon Papers SC 2222

ACCESSION NUMBERS: 1950.0803, 1953.0502, 1955.0203, 1992.0037, 1992.0534

NOTES: SC 2074, Catharine Merrill, has been transferred to this collection. Unidentified photographs have been transferred to Visual Collections; a number of books to Print Collections; several artifacts to Artifacts.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

This collection contains the papers of two families connected by marriage, and spreads over two generations. This sketch will attempt to place the family members whose papers appear in the collection, but will omit several brothers and sisters whose papers do not.

The first family is that of Samuel Merrill (1791-1855). Born in Peacham, Vermont, he moved first to York, Pennsylvania, then to Vevay, Indiana. He was a man of many talents. He served as state treasurer (1822-1834), as president of the State Bank of Indiana (1834-1844), and as president of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, the first in Indiana (1844-1848). Finally, through owning a bookstore, he became involved in publishing, and founded the firm which eventually became Bobbs-Merrill. By his first wife, Lydia Jane Anderson, he had a number of children, of whom four appear in this collection.

The first was Catharine Merrill (1824-1900). Following in the footsteps of her father who also taught school at times, she started a school for local children and ran it for some years. In 1859-1860 she took her younger siblings on an educational tour of Germany, and wrote a series of travel letters which were published in the Indianapolis Journal. Having gained more formal experience at teaching in a young ladies' school in Cleveland and in another in Crawfordsville, she began teaching at Northwestern Christian University (now Butler), where a chair in English literature was later endowed in her memory. In 1896 she wrote an anonymous history of The Soldier of Indiana in the War of the Union. She was an active member of several clubs, including the Indianapolis Woman's Club and the Contemporary Club. The Catharine Merrill Club, still in existence, was founded in her honor. Her younger sister, Mina Merrill, was associated with her in her early teaching.

Another sister, Julia Dumont Merrill (1826-1912) married Charles Washington Moores (1828-1864), and they had two sons, lawyer and Congressman Merrill Moores (1856-1929), and lawyer Charles Washington Moores II (1862-1923), many of whose letters appear in this collection.

A fourth sister, Mary Merrill (1835-1917) was married in 1857 to William Mordecai Graydon (1825-1903), thereby making the connection with the second family in this collection. He was the son of Alexander Graydon (1791-1868) and Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon (1802-1891). Jane Graydon was the daughter of Mordecai McKinney, and her sister Mary Ann married William Patterson Alexander, an early missionary to the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands. Her family tree also included the Bodine family. Alexander and Jane Graydon lived at first in Harrisburg, where they were energetic members of the anti-slavery movement. In 1843 they moved to Indianapolis.

They were both active in the Second and then the Fourth Presbyterian Church; she served as a nurse during the Civil War, and was a founder of the Home For Friendless Women (now the Indianapolis Retirement Home). One of their children was William Mordecai Graydon, referred to above.

William Mordecai and Mary Merrill Graydon had three daughters whose papers appear in the collection. The first was Katharine Merrill Graydon (1858-1934). She graduated from Butler in 1878, taught Latin and Greek at Hastings College, a newly founded Presbyterian institution in Nebraska, then occupied the Catharine Merrill Chair of English at Butler until she retired in 1930.

The second daughter, Jane (Jennie) Graydon (ca 1865-1957), graduated from Butler in 1887. She also taught for some time at Hastings College, and later at Public School #2 in Indianapolis. She was a founder of the Dramatic Club and an active member of the Indianapolis Woman's Club.

The third daughter, Julia Moores Graydon (1870-1935) graduated from Butler in 1890. She married Alexander Jameson, a dentist. She wrote many papers for the Indianapolis Woman's Club, and also was active in the Family Welfare Society and the Fairview Presbyterian Church. Her activities in the Marion County Tuberculosis Association caused the Jameson Camp to be named for her. Her daughter Lydia was married first to banker Evans Woollen, Jr., and then to Dr. James O. Ritchey; her children Evans Woollen III and Katharine Merrill Woollen Fitts are the donors of this collection.

Sources: Materials in collection
Indiana Scrapbook Collection vol. 5 pp. 59-60
Indiana Biographical Series vol. 11 pp. 109-110, vol. 14 p. 69, vol. 48 p. 118

SCOPE AND CONTENT note

This collection, filling four manuscript boxes and covering the years 1836-1930, consists of correspondence, club papers, a few official documents, clippings, books, and photographs. It is arranged according to correspondent.

In Box 1, Folders 1-7 contain genealogical material on the Alexander, Bodine, Dumont, Graydon, McKinney, and Merrill families. In Folders 8-11 are letters concerning the older members of the McKinney and Graydon families: letters, 1836-1847, to Mary Ann McKinney Alexander from two of her sisters; a letter from Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon while a nurse in the Civil War (see SC 2222), a poem by Ellen McKinney, and a tribute to Emma Graydon Alexander. In Folders 12-14 are incidental papers from the Merrill family, including a family temperance pledge of 1852.

Folders 15-31 contain papers of Catherine Merrill, mainly letters from her longtime friend Mary L. Meek and her letters from Germany in 1859-1860. Folders 32-33 concern Mina Merrill. Folders 34-40 contain papers of Jane Graydon, mainly a series of charming letters from her cousin Charles W. Moores.

In Box 2, Folders 1-15 contain the papers of Katharine Merrill Graydon. These include a few letters, including one from Oliver Wendell Holmes for the dedication of the Hastings College library; several club papers; and partial diaries for 1879 and 1889. The diary for 6 September 1879 mentions talks with two professors at Butler whom she finds "not unfavorable" to opening the college to girls.

In Folders 16-17 of Box 2 are the 1890-1891 journal of Julia Graydon Jameson, and some of her correspondence.

The papers of Julia Graydon Jameson continue in Box 3. In Folders 1-17 are some of her club papers. In Folder 18 is a paper on Early Times in Indianapolis probably by Julia Dumont; in Folder 20 a grammar workbook; in Folder 21 the catalog of Cleveland Female Seminary for 1856-1857; in Folders 22-26, clippings.

A considerable number of identified photographs in Folders 29-43 are stored in Visual Collections (see box and folder listing).

In Box 4 are a number of family-related books (see box and folder listing).

BOX AND FOLDER LISTING

BOX 1: Genealogical; Catharine and Mina Merrill; Jane Graydon
FOLDER

1: Genealogical-- Alexander

2: Genealogical-- Bodine

3: Genealogical-- Dumont

4: Genealogical -- Graydon

5: Genealogical-- Graydon-- "A family retrospect"

6: Genealogical-- Merrill

7: Mary Ann McKinney Alexander--from Rachel McKinney 1836-1847

8: Mary Ann McKinney Alexander--from Jane McKinney Graydon 1836

9: Jane McKinney Graydon to her sister 1861

10: Ellen McKinney-- poem n.d.

11: Emma Graydon Alexander, by Katharine M. Graydon

12: Ketcham family letter 1844 to Priscilla Wilson

13: Rachel V. Potts to "Uncle" 1849

14: Merrill family temperance pledge 1852

15: Catharine Merrill--diplomas 1838, 1839

16: Catharine Merrill--journal 1843

17: Catharine Merrill--from Elizabeth L. Meek-- 1845-1851

18: Catharine Merrill--- 1852-1874

19: Catharine Merrill--from William M. and Mary M. Graydon 1851, nd

20: Catharine Merrill--from Mary Merrill 1852

21: Catharine Merrill--from Hattie E. Beecher 1856

22: Catharine Merrill--to family 1853-1874, nd

23: (OM 0272) Catharine Merrill--passport 1859, D. A. R. diploma 1893

24: Catharine Merrill--letters from Germany 1859-1860

25: Catharine Merrill--newspaper letters from Germany, 1859

26: Catharine Merrill--newspaper letters from Germany, February 1860

27: Catharine Merrill--newspaper letters from Germany, May-November 1860

28: Catharine Merrill--newspaper letters from Germany, 1861, n.d.

29: Catharine Merrill--to Julia Dumont n.d.

30: Catharine Merrill--and John Muir

31: Catharine Merrill--memorials 1900, 1906

32: Catharine Merrill--memorial by James Davie Butler 1900

33: Mina Merrill-- from Mary L. Meek 1903

34: re: Mina Merrill

35: Jane Graydon--to Mary Merrill Graydon

36: Jane Graydon--from Charles W. Moores, 1890

37: Jane Graydon--from Charles W. Moores, 1891

38: Jane Graydon--from Charles W. Moores, 1893-1898

39: Jane Graydon--from Charles W. Moores, 1899-1915

40: Jane Graydon--from Alberta Holford 1903

41: Jane Graydon--to Jameson nieces and nephew 1907-1908

BOX 2: Katharine Merrill Graydon; Julia Graydon Moores
FOLDER

1: Katharine Merrill Graydon--from [Mary Merrill Graydon}

2: Katharine Merrill Graydon--to Janet Moores 1864

3: Katharine Merrill Graydon--to Julia Graydon Jameson [1898]

4: Katharine Merrill Graydon--from Oliver Wendell Holmes 1889

5: Katharine Merrill Graydon--recommendation for emeritus status 1930

6: Katharine Merrill Graydon--"A pioneer tale"

7: Katharine Merrill Graydon--"The man Shakespeare as revealed in his works"

8: Katharine Merrill Graydon--pages 23-40 of incomplete paper

9: Katharine Merrill Graydon--"The child in literature"

10: Katharine Merrill Graydon--"The passing of the picturesque in Indianapolis"

11: Katharine Merrill Graydon--"Scenes from early Indiana life"

12: Katharine Merrill Graydon--Retrospect on Fourth Presbyterian Church; Poem by Scot Butler

13: Katharine Merrill Graydon--Diary 1879

14: Katharine Merrill Graydon--Diary 1889

15: Julia Moores Graydon--Journal 1890-1891

16: Julia Moores Graydon--from family in East 1912

BOX 3: Julia Graydon Jameson; Miscellaneous; Photographs
FOLDER

1: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Ramabai" 1894

2: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Maud Bellington Booth" 1897

3: Julia Graydon Jameson--"The doctor in literature" 1901

4: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Some modern tendencies" 1904

5: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Near the babbling Wye" 1906

6: Julia Graydon Jameson--"The man Lowell" 1908

7: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Modern American poetry" 1914

8: Julia Graydon Jameson--"The divine whisper of today" 1929

9: Julia Graydon Jameson--"The alchemist's touch"

10: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Fashions in heroines"

11: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Galsworthy"

12: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Lincoln in England"

13: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Mark Twain"

14: Julia Graydon Jameson--"The mission of the novel"

15: Julia Graydon Jameson--"Some people that have passed my windows"

16: Julia Graydon Jameson--"This I have read in a book"

17: Julia Graydon Jameson--"What is worth while"

18: J. C. L.--"The right will conquer"

19: [Julia L. Dumont?]--"Early times in Indianapolis"

20: Grammar notebook

21: Catalog of Cleveland Female Seminary 1856-1857

22-26: Clippings

27: Cards

28: Miscellaneous

29: (VC) Catharine Merrill, Mina Merrill

30: (VC) Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon, family rocker

31: (VC) William M. and Mary Merrill Graydon, Ellen Douglass Graydon

32: (VC) Jane Graydon

33: (VC) Katharine Merrill Graydon and her house

34: (VC) Jameson family

35: (VC) Moores family

36: (VC) Graydon and Moores families

37: (VC) Friends-- identified

38: (VC) Friends' babies-- identified

39: (VC) Samuel Merrill house (ca 1822-1865) on Merrill St. west of Meridian

40: (VC) Watercolors--Merrill and Bickford houses, Peacham, Vt.

41: (VC) Watercolors--4 unidentified scenes; Postcards

42: (VC) Postcards--Peacham, Vt.

43: (VC) Postcards--Corydon, Vincennes, Ind.

BOX 4: BOOKS

Catharine Merrill-- The Man Shakespeare

Katharine Merrill Graydon--Butler College in the World War; Thoughts on the service of Homer to humanity

Juvenile Companion ca 1825

The school of good manners--early primer

Thomas Day-- Sandford and Merton New York, 1830

The pageant of Indiana 1916

Indiana Magazine of History September and October 1938--articles on Julia Dumont

Butler Alumni Quarterly April and July 1934, July 1937--articles on Katharine M. Graydon

CATALOGING INFORMATION

For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:

1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/

2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.

3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.

4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0609).

5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.

Collection # M 0609 OM 0272