Finding aid for the James A. Garfield Family Papers, Series II


Title:
James A. Garfield Family Papers, Series II
Repository:
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722
http://www.wrhs.org
Creator:
Garfield, James A. Family
Dates:
1871-1937
Quantity:
0.21 linear feet (1 container and 1 oversize folder)
Abstract:
James Abram Garfield was the twentieth president of the United States. He grew up in Orange, Ohio, graduated from Williams College in 1856, became president of Hiram College in Portage County, Ohio, and was a lay minister of the Disciples of Christ Church. He was elected to the Ohio Senate, and in 1858, married Lucretia Rudolph. Garfield served in the Civil War, as a lieutenant-colonel of the 42nd Ohio regiment. He was a major general when he resigned in 1863 to take a seat in the United States House of Representatives, where he served for 17 years. Nominated in 1880 as a compromise Republican presidential candidate, his campaign was conducted from Lawnfield, his Mentor, Ohio, home. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, and died September 19. He was survived by his widow, Lucretia Garfield, and by his children; Mary, who married his former secretary, Joseph Stanley-Brown, Irvin McDowell, Harry Augustus, who became president of Williams College, James Rudolph, a Cleveland attorney, Republican politician and member of Theodore Roosevelt's cabinet, and Abram, a Cleveland architect. The collection consists of correspondence, a quit claim deed, memoirs, certificates of appointments, stock certificates, and genealogical charts. The collection is of interest to students of the Garfield, Rudolph, and Newell families. Certificates of appointment of James Rudolph Garfield signed by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover are included. Helen Newell Garfield, daughter of John and Julia Poore Hills Newell and wife of James Rudolph Garfield, compiled her family's genealogy. Her mother's recollections of the Chicago Fire of 1871 are also included. An unsigned copy of a 1937 quit claim deed transferring Lawnfield to the Western Reserve Historical Society is included. Of interest is a tally sheet made at the telephone of "Uncle Joe" Davidson's general store, Burlington, Ohio, during the 1880 Republican National Convention. Other correspondents include Phillip Holland and W.H. Clapp. A letter of recommendation for Joseph Rudolph, brother-in-law of President Garfield, for service in the Spanish-American War is included, as is a letter signed in 1880 by President Garfield regarding a life insurance policy.
Identification:
MS 4579
Location:
closed stacks
Language:
The records are in English

Biography of the James A. Garfield Family

The James A. Garfield Family lived at Lawnfield, a farm in Mentor, Ohio, purchased in 1876. James Abram Garfield (1831-1881) was the twentieth president of the United States. He grew up in Orange, Ohio, graduated from Williams College in 1856, became president of Hiram College in Portage County, and was a lay minister of the Disciples of Christ Church. He was elected to the Ohio Senate, and in 1858 married Lucretia Rudolph (1831-1918). He volunteered when the Civil War broke out, was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 42nd Ohio regiment, and served with distinction in the western campaigns. He was a major general when he resigned in 1863 to take his seat in the House of Representatives where he served for 17 years. Nominated in 1880 as a compromise candidate to heal the divisions within the Republican Party, he ran his successful presidential campaign from the front porch of the Lawnfield home. His brief term was spent initiating civil service reforms and reconciling party factions. He was shot on July 2, 1881, while preparing to leave for a trip to Williams College, died on September 19, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. His children who survived him were Mary, who married the president's former secretary, Joseph Stanley-Brown, Irvin McDowell, Harry Augustus, who became president of Williams College, James Rudolph, a Cleveland attorney, Republican politician and member of Theodore Roosevelt's cabinet, and Abram, a Cleveland architect.


click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for President James A. Garfield

Scope and Content

The James A. Garfield Family Papers, Series II, 1871-1937, consist of correspondence, deed, memoirs, appointments, and genealogy.

This collection is of interest to students of the Garfield, Rudolph, and Newell families. Certificates of appointment signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, who named James R. Garfield to the United States Civil Service Commission (1902), Commissioner of Corporations (1904), and Secretary of the Interior (1907, and by President Herbert Hoover, who appointed him to the Commission on Conservation and Administration of the Public Domain (1930) and the Perry Victory Memorial Committee (1932), are included in this collection. Helen Newell Garfield, the daughter of John Newell, president of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, compiled a family genealogy, which is included here, along with her mother's narrative of her experience in the great Chicago fire. Joseph Rudolph, Lucretia's brother, was a Civil War veteran and helped her run the Lawnfield farm. A letter recommending him for service in the Spanish American War is included here. A letter signed by President Garfield in 1880 regarding a life insurance policy is also included.

Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged by document type, and then chronologically.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material: Related Material

The researcher should also consult MS 4575 James A. Garfield Family Papers.


Separated Material: Separated Material

Photographs, prints, and portraits have been removed to the photograph and print collection.


Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Garfield family.
Garfield, Helen Newell, 1866-1930.
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881.
Garfield, James Rudolph, 1865-1950.
Garfield, Lucretia Rudolph, 1832-1918.
James A. Garfield National Historic Site (Mentor, Ohio)
Newell family.
Presidents -- United States -- Family.
Rudolph family.
Rudolph, Joseph.
Western Reserve Historical Society

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4579 James A. Garfield Family Papers, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Rudolph H. Garfield, 1984.

Processing Information

Processed by Ann B. Ameling in 1991.


Detailed Description of The Collection



James A. Garfield Family Papers, Series II, 1871-1937

Box 1 / Folder 1
Genealogy chart, ten generations of the family of Helen Newell Garfield, undated




Box 1 / Folder 2
Letter, (TLS) Phillip Holland to James R. Garfield, January 11, 1935, enclosing letter (ALS) signed by James A. Garfield, acknowledging receipt of life insurance policy, October 25, 1880, pasted on the back of a photograph of James A. Garfield, 1935




Box 1 / Folder 3
Letter (ALS), W. H. Clapp to Joseph Rudolph, April 15, 1898, enclosing letter (TLS) W. H. Clapp to Secretary of War, April 15, 1898, regarding recommendation of Captain Rudolph, 1898




Box 1 / Folder 4
Memoir (holograph in pencil) Mrs. John Newell, narrative of her experience in Chicago fire of 1871, 1897




Box 1 / Folder 5
Quit claim deed (copy, unsigned) transferring Lawnfield to Western Reserve Historical Society, March 23, 1937




Box 1 / Folder 6
Stock certificate, 600 shares Silver King Mining Co., to Lucretia R. Garfield, May 3, 1882




Folder 7
Oversize Folder 1: Appointments signed for James R. Garfield: April 10, 1902 (Theodore Roosevelt and John Hay); February 19, 1903 (Theodore Roosevelt and John Hay); April 19, 1903 (Theodore Roosevelt and John Hay); May 16, 1930 (Herbert Hoover and Henry Stimson); May 17, 1932 (Herbert Hoover and Henry Stimson), 1902




Folder 7
Oversize Folder 1: Tally-sheet, made at the telephone of "Uncle Joe" Davidson's general store, Burlington, Ohio, recorded as each vote came in from the Republican National Convention, 1880