Finding aid for the Alfred Mewett Papers
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Title: |
Alfred Mewett Papers |
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Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722
http://www.wrhs.org
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Creator: |
Mewett, Alfred |
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Dates: |
1736-1955 |
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Quantity: |
9.20 linear feet (15 containers) |
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Abstract: |
Alfred Mewett was the registrar of the Cleveland School of Art (1925-1943) and dean of the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute
of Cleveland, Ohio (1930-1953). The collection consists of correspondence, diaries, account books, deeds, newspaper clippings,
and other papers reflecting Mewett's interest in the local history and early settlements of the area around Gates Mills, Ohio,
in the Western Reserve. The bulk of the collection consists of notes and articles written by Mewett on many historical subjects,
including genealogical notes and accounts of interviews with and recollections of old settlers.
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Identification: |
MS 3124 |
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Location: |
closed stacks |
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Language: |
The records are in English |
Biography of Alfred Mewett
Alfred Mewett was born in Streatham, England, on November 9, 1895, and moved to Bedford and Cleveland, Ohio, in 1912. He enrolled
as a pupil at the Cleveland School of Art and became a promising sculptor. From 1914-1918 he served in the Canadian Army and
in the Royal Air Force during World War I. He returned to Cleveland after the war and taught at the Cleveland School of Art
in the 1920s. He served as the registrar of the school from 1925-1943, including a stint as Acting Director of the school
from 1930-1931. From 1930-1953, Mewett also served as dean of the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute in Cleveland. He died
on June 29, 1955, in Cleveland.
Mewett was interested in the history of 19th century Mayfield Township, particularly Gates Mills and Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
He researched this history extensively, and accumulated letters, diaries, and other family papers of early residents.
Scope and Content
The Alfred Mewett Papers, 1736-1955 and undated, consist of correspondence, diaries, account books, deeds, newspaper clippings,
and other papers reflecting Mewett's interest in the local history and early settlements of the area around Gates Mills, Ohio,
in the Western Reserve. The bulk of the collection consists of notes and articles written by Mewett on many historical subjects,
including genealogical notes and accounts of interviews with and recollections of old settlers. There is also a large collection
of original material relating to local families, and the papers include a number of diaries, account books, and other personal
records, giving a day-by-day picture of the life led by early settlers in the Western Reserve of Ohio. Several diaries kept
by men from this area serving in the American Civil War are included. Groups of family letters and papers include early eighteenth
century deeds relating to land in New England and correspondence of families divided between Connecticut and the Western Reserve
in the early days of westward expansion. The collection also includes newspaper clippings and typed extracts from local newspapers
relating to village life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history and development of Gates Mills, Ohio, and the area immediately
surrounding it, including Chagrin Falls, Mayfield, and Cleveland. Those interested in the daily lives of early settlers, church
and religious history, education and cultural development, business and entrepreneurship, and participation in the American
Civil War will find this collection useful. Families represented in the collection include Allen, Gates, Greenwalt, Lockemer,
Rudd, Sharpe, Sorter, and Talbot. St. John's Church of Cleveland, Ohio, was one of Mewett's great interests, and there is
a copy of the vestry books and other historical material concerning the growth of the church and its congregation.
Statement of Arrangement
The collection is arranged in eleven series.
Series I: Correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Series II: Miscellaneous Notes Made by Alfred Mewett on Historical and Genealogical Matters has been retained in original
order.
Series III: Lists is arranged by document type and then chronologically.
Series IV: Original Papers of Nineteenth Century Residents of Mayfield, Ohio, and the Surrounding Area is arranged by subject.
Series V: Papers of the Residents of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and the Surrounding Area is arranged by document type and then
chronologically.
Series VI: Genealogical and Biographical Material Collected by Alfred Mewett is arranged alphabetically by last name.
Series VII: Typescripts of Sketches and Articles is arranged by subject.
Series VIII: St. John's Historic Episcopal Church, Cleveland, Ohio, is arranged by document type.
Series IX: Historical Sketches, Articles, and Extracts Relating to the History of Cleveland and Mayfield, Ohio is arranged
by subject.
Series X: Maps, Photographs, and Printed Miscellanea is arranged by document type.
Series XI: Newspaper Clippings is arranged by subject.
Restrictions on Access
None.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects:
Allen family.
Cuyahoga County (Ohio) -- History.
Gates Mills (Ohio) -- History.
Gates Mills Milling Company.
Gates family.
Greenwalt family.
Kirtland, J. P. (Jared Potter), 1793-1877.
Lockemer family.
Presbyterian Church (Mayfield, Ohio)
Rudd family.
Sharp family.
Sorter family.
St. John's Episcopal Church (Cleveland, Ohio)
Talbot family.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.
Preferred Citation
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3124 Alfred Mewett Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Acquisition Information
Estate of Alfred Mewett, 1955.
Processing Information
Processed by Carole E. Fryer in 1962.
Detailed Description of The Collection
Series I: Correspondence, 1929-1955
Box 1 / Folder 1
Correspondence received and sent, 1929-1955
Series II: Miscellaneous Notes Made by Alfred Mewett on Historical and Genealogical Matters, undated
Box 1 / Volume 1-9
Miscellaneous notes made by Alfred Mewett on historical and genealogical matters, in long-hand and short-hand form, undated
Box 2 / Folder 1-4
Miscellaneous notes made by Alfred Mewett on historical and genealogical matters, in long-hand and short-hand form, undated
Series III: Lists, 1820-1880; undated
Box 2 / Folder 5-7
United States Federal Census, Township of Mayfield (typescripts, handwritten copies with notes, and photostats), 1820
Box 2 / Folder 8
Inscriptions and lists of names from the following cemeteries: Willoughby Centre, Smith Farm, Waite Hill, Wilson's Mills,
Chagrin Falls, Hill Cemetery, Bentleyville, and Woodland. These are not complete cemetery records, but refer only to specific
families or groups, undated
Box 2 / Folder 8
List of Mayfield women before 1840, .
Box 2 / Folder 8
Political register of Mayfield voters, 1863
Box 2 / Folder 8
Lists of Civil War soldiers from Mayfield, undated
Box 2 / Folder 8
Miscellaneous lists of Mayfield inhabitants, undated
Series IV: Original Papers of Nineteenth Century Residents of Mayfield, Ohio, and the Surrounding Area, 1830-1953
Box 3 / Folder 1
Account book of Peleg Sherman of Adams, Massachusetts and Wilson's Mills, Ohio, 1814-1841
Box 3 / Folder 2
Account book of Almon Wakeman, 1833-1871
Box 3 / Folder 2
Account book of Nathan Wakeman, 1842-1849
Box 3 / Folder 2
Account books of E. W. Heath, 1830-1834
Box 3 / Folder 3
Mayfield Township, Ohio, Board of Education, school sub-district no. 5, teacher's daily register, 1868-1873
Box 3 / Folder 3
Mayfield Township, Ohio, Board of Education, school sub-district no. 2 at Wilson's Mills, clerk's book, 1847-1893
Box 3 / Folder 3
Chagrin Falls Township, Ohio, Board of Education, school district no. 3 at Chagrin Falls, clerk's book, 1858-1893
Box 3 / Folder 4
Gates Mills Milling Company, ledger and day book, 1901-1903
Box 3 / Folder 5
Dr. A. L. Dille of Gates Mills, day book, 1834-1839
Box 4 / Folder 1
Alfred Hollister, justice docket for Bainbridge, Geauga County, Ohio, 1853-1860
Box 4 / Folder 1
Unidentified church account book, 1908-1922
Box 4 / Folder 2
Mayfield Lyceum for the promotion of the sciences and arts and useful knowledge, minutes, constitution, and lists of members, 1845
Box 4 / Folder 2
Gates Mills Improvement Society, papers including annual reports, photostat copies of application blanks, lists of members,
and miscellaneous notifications, 1908-1953
Box 4 / Folder 3
Thomas Bradley of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, recipe book, 1853
Box 4 / Folder 3
Mary Allen of Chagrin Falls, diary, with index and genealogy, 1859
Box 4 / Folder 4
Aunt Sarah Lander, diary written in Illinois, 1860
Box 4 / Folder 4
George Sherman of Gates Mills, Ohio, diary, 1871-1881
Box 4 / Folder 5
E. A. Spaldwin of Willoughby and Chester, Ohio, diary (Civil War diary), 1862
Box 4 / Folder 5
Albert A. Champlin of Willoughby, Ohio, Civil War diaries, 1863-1865
Box 4 / Folder 5
Unidentified diary written in England, 1892
Box 4 / Folder 6
Day record of events in the environs of Gates Mills, Ohio, relating to births, deaths, marriages, and weather, 1857-1865
Box 4 / Folder 7
A. J. Duncan, blank diary with part of a letter to his parents and folded copies of Canton, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh newspapers, 1862
Series V: Papers of the Residents of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and the Surrounding Area, 1736-1912; undated
Box 5 / Folder 1
Letters of the Abner T. Allen family, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 1834-1851
Box 5 / Folder 2
Letters of the Judd family of Massillon, Ohio, 1855-1869
Box 5 / Folder 3-4
Letters of the Eliza Greenwalt family of Massillon, Ohio (mainly from her children to Mrs. Eliza Greenwalt), 1886-1912
Box 5 / Folder 5
Incomplete or undated letters belonging to the Allen, Judd, and Greenwalt papers, undated
Box 5 / Folder 6
Group of deeds, letters, and other material (list included in the folder), 1736-1851
Box 5 / Folder 7
Deeds of the S. Prentiss Baldwin, Russell D. Knapp, Frederick W. Stark, and J. Leuty families (list included in the folder), 1898-1900
Box 6 / Folder 1
Simon Field family of Mayfield, Ohio, warranty deed and promise to pay, 1842
Box 6 / Folder 1
Letters written to Mrs. Belle Gary, Gates Mills, Ohio, 1852-1853
Box 6 / Folder 2
Frank Lockemer family of South Euclid, Ohio, receipts, warranty deed, bank book, and insurance policies, 1886-1912
Box 6 / Folder 3
Letters from Jared Potter Kirtland to his cousin, Lizzie S. Potter, written chiefly from Cleveland, Ohio, 1866-1873
Box 6 / Folder 4
Horace Rudd family of Mayfield, Ohio: family papers including the commissions of Horace Rudd in the Militia of Massachussetts
and the Regiment of Infantry of New York, 1811
Box 6 / Folder 4
Horace Rudd family of Mayfield, Ohio: family papers including correspondence of A. T. Rudd and Alfred Mewett covering personal
reminiscences of life in Mayfield, Ohio, and family history, 1951-1954
Box 6 / Folder 4
Horace Rudd family of Mayfield, Ohio: family papers including accounts of talks with A. T. Rudd, 1953
Box 6 / Folder 4
Horace Rudd family of Mayfield, Ohio: family papers including series of photostatic copies of Rudd family miscellanea, including
a small sketch map, receipts, certificates, and bills, 1808-1941
Box 6 / Folder 5
Horace Rudd family of Mayfield, Ohio: family papers including copies of "The Rudd Papers," including minutes of the Presbyterian
Church in Mayfield, Ohio, 1839-1860
Box 6 / Folder 5
Horace Rudd family of Mayfield, Ohio: family papers including notes on the Rudd family, memorandum book of Horace Rudd, with
daily record, family history, and copies of letters, and other material, 1853-1861
Box 6 / Folder 6
Sharpe and Talbot families of Mayfield, Ohio, letters of Mr. and Mrs. O. H. Sharpe, of Willoughby, Ohio, 1879
Box 6 / Folder 6
Sharpe and Talbot families of Mayfield, Ohio, obituaries of Mrs. Margaret Brown Talbot and Robert Talbot and a group of receipts
and other miscellanea, undated
Box 6 / Folder 7
Andrew Sherman family of Gates Mills, Ohio, typescript copies of the wills of Andrew and Jennie Sherman and related correspondence, dates vary
Box 6 / Folder 8
Harry Sorter family, deeds, plan for an orchard, notifications for a meeting of the Willooughby Lodge, will of Harry Sorter,
insurance policies, and tax receipts, 1842-1907
Box 6 / Folder 9
John C. Steel family of Mayfield Township, Ohio, receipts, certificate to purchase cemetery lot, certificates of church membership,
land purchase agreement, veterinary recipes written by J. Steel, Sr. for his son, school reports, teacher's certificate, and
other papers, 1875-1899
Series VI: Genealogical and Biographical Material Collected by Alfred Mewett, 1751-1953; undated
Box 7 / Folder 1
Frank Battles of Charden, Ohio, interviews, 1943-1945
Box 7 / Folder 1
Christian Cackler family of Kent, Portage County, Ohio, newspaper clippings, printed list of births and deaths, and autograph
and remembrance book of Miss Hattie Owen of Franklin, Ohio, 1791-1878
Box 7 / Folder 1
Henry Covert and Mrs. Wayne Covert: interview with Henry Covert by S. Prentiss Baldwin (1905), talk with Mrs. Wayne Covert
(Ruth Sheffield, 1951); and a typed copy of the Covert law suit (1880), 1880-1951
Box 7 / Folder 2
Abijah L. Dille, miscellaneous information about the Dille family, with notes sent by Dr. Dille of Cleveland, Ohio, to Alfred
Mewett, undated
Box 7 / Folder 2
Orson Gary, talk at Middlefield, Ohio, 1944
Box 7 / Folder 2
Holsey Gates, "Holsey Gates" by Dr. W. O Jenks, statement of title to land in Gates Mills, petition for partition in the court
of Common Pleas - Emery v. the heirs and descendants of Holsey Gates, and other miscellaneous information and genealogical
notes, 1927
Box 7 / Folder 2
George Gilmore, talks at Mayfield Centre, dates vary
Box 7 / Folder 2
Hillyard family, information including typed extracts from newspapers, 1889-1902
Box 7 / Folder 2
Mrs. Henrietta Hollis, interview at Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 1943-1944
Box 7 / Folder 3
Lindon Jenks family, correspondence between Dr. Jenks and Alfred Mewett giving personal reminiscences of his life in Gates
Mills, Ohio, 1943-1944
Box 7 / Folder 3
Lindon Jenks family, a series of typed sketches of life in Gates Mills by Dr. Jenks, reminiscences and letters from other
members of the Jenks family and copies of letters, 1857
Box 7 / Folder 3
Lindon Jenks family, notes made by Dr. Jenks concerning Gates Mills residents and accounts of talks with him, 1943-1944
Box 7 / Folder 4
Henry Knapp, interview by S. Prentiss Baldwin and copies of the title to the Knapp property at Gates Mills, 1904-1905
Box 7 / Folder 4
Mrs. Lora Larash, talk with Mrs. Larash (Lora Sorter), 1948
Box 7 / Folder 4
Elmer Leigh of Willoughby, Ohio, talk, 1943
Box 7 / Folder 4
D. E. Leuty, notes on the Leuty family, with genealogical information taken from the Isaac Leuty Bible and an inventory of
goods of the Isaac Leuty and Company, 1946
Box 7 / Folder 4
Mapes family, genealogy compiled by the Media Research Bureau, Washington, undated
Box 7 / Folder 5
Dr. T. M. Moore, interview and correspondence of Alfred Mewett concerning the Moore family, 1943
Box 7 / Folder 5
Noyes family, material extracted from Cleveland, Ohio, city directories, 1853-1937
Box 7 / Folder 5
Phelps family of Chagrin Falls, correspondence between Roscoe Phelps and Alfred Mewett giving personal reminiscences of life
in Chagrin Falls, 1950-1953
Box 7 / Folder 5
Phelps family of Chagrin Falls, motes extracted from the diary of J. E. Phelps relating to the Mayfield area, 1861-1863
Box 7 / Folder 5
Phelps family of Chagrin Falls, notes by R. Phelps on "Our Hawkins Family in America," "The Descendants of Rufus and Abigail
(Allen) Mapes," and "Descendants of Deacon Richard Butler, who came to America in 1833", undated
Box 7 / Folder 5
General Benjamin Pritchard, biographical sketch and genealogical material relating to the Pritchard family, formerly of Nelson
Township, Ohio, undated
Box 7 / Folder 5
Chester A. Russell, notes, 1947
Box 7 / Folder 5
Ralph Russell, typescript copy of part of the diary of Ralph Russell (founder of the North Union Shaker Society at Warrensville,
Ohio, in 1822), and genealogical material relating to the Russell family, 1866
Box 7 / Folder 5
Ralph Russell, correspondence of Alfred Mewett concerning this family, dates vary
Box 7 / Folder 6
W. P. Sherman, talk at Willoughby, 1943
Box 7 / Folder 6
Dr. Steel of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, talks and reminiscences, 1943
Box 7 / Folder 6
Miranda and Carvil Treadway, typescript copy of their divorce suit in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, court, 1881
Box 7 / Folder 6
Nelson and Buell Willson, biographical sketch of Nelson Willson, genealogical notes on the Willson family of Gates Mills,
Ohio, and certificate of Civil War service of Buell Willson, undated
Box 7 / Folder 6
Mrs. Perry Worrallo, talk, 1943
Box 7 / Folder 7
Series of brief biographical sketches of Gates Mills, Mayfield, and Chagrin Falls, Ohio, residents: E. D. Battles; L. D.
Battles; Luther Battles; Orlin T. Battles; A. R. Bennett; George A. Bennett; W. Brainerd; Henry Covert; James Covert; Charles
Gates; James H. Gates; Reuben Gates; Oscar Jacobs; A. C. Keesler; S. W. Knapp; Robert Law; Samuel Mapes; Herman J. Miller;
Thomas M. Moore, M.D.; Truman Richardson; Henry W. Russell; Andrew J. Sherman; C. N. Sorter; Hon. Harry Sorter; Warren A.
Thorp; Myron H. Willson; and Richard Worts, undated
Series VII: Typescripts of Sketches and Articles, 1874-1946; undated
Box 8 / Folder 1
Photostatic copies of "Chagrin Valley Tales" by Alfred Mewett published in the Chagrin Falls Exponent, nos. 1-34, 1946
Box 8 / Folder 2
Typescripts and newspaper clippings of the "Chagrin Valley Tales" and correspondence relating to Tale no. 2, 1946
Box 8 / Folder 3
Typescripts of most of the articles in "Historical Sketches of the Village of Gates Mills," published by the Gates Mills Community
Club, 1943
Box 8 / Folder 3
Historical address by Nellie Sherman, undated
Box 8 / Folder 3
Early days in Mayfield Township - 1805-1850, by Alfred Mewett, undated
Box 8 / Folder 3
Organization and incorporation of the village of Gates Mills, Ohio, by F. R. Walker; Gates Mills from 1908-1940, by William
H. Henderson; Post Office records; The Gates Mills village shoemaker and his shop, by Dr. W. O. Jenks; The biggest bass ever
caught in the Chagrin River, by Dr. W. O. Jenks; The Cleveland and Eastern Railway, by O. F. Gary; Acquiring the right of
way, by Harrisson B. McGraw; In Memoriam - Samuel Prentiss Baldwin, by S. Charles Kendeigh; Brief history of the Friends'
work at Wilson's Mills, by Lydia S. Brantingham; The story of the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club, by M. C. Harvey; First Hunt members;
Polo comes to Gates Mills, by T. H. White; Letter from Geroge W. Brown; The Old Livery, by Belle Gary; and Remaking a village,
by S. Prentiss Baldwin, undated
Box 8 / Folder 4
Typescript of "History of Chagrin Falls" by Ct. T. Blakelee, with index, 1874
Series VIII: St. John's Historic Episcopal Church, Cleveland, Ohio, 1836-1953; undated
Box 9 / Folder 1-2
Typescript copies of the vestry books, 1836-1929
Box 9 / Folder 3
Handwritten copy of the first parish register, 1835-1847
Box 9 / Folder 4
Sketches, notes, and letters relating to the history of the church, including "Notes on the History of St. John's Church,
Cleveland," by the Rev. Ransom M. Church, rector, published in the parish magazine, 1909-1910
Box 9 / Folder 5
Miscellaneous material relating to the church, including newspaper clippings of gale damage (1953), old guide books, correspondence,
and other papers, dates vary
Series IX: Historical Sketches, Articles, and Extracts Relating to the History of Cleveland and Mayfield, Ohio, 1842-1945; unhdated
Box 10 / Folder 1
Russell's Corners, 1850
Box 10 / Folder 1
Cleveland hears Perry's guns, undated
Box 10 / Folder 1
A night in Euclid, Ohio, in October, 1812, by Q. F. Atkins, 1856
Box 10 / Folder 1
Chapter XXI - Forty-First Infantry, from an unknown work, undated
Box 10 / Folder 2
Pioneer Women of Mayfield, 1800-1850, undated
Box 10 / Folder 2
A sketch of the first settlement of Mayfield Township, written by Mayfield people, 1858
Box 10 / Folder 2
Post offices in Mayfield Township - material supplied from the National Archives, 1951
Box 10 / Folder 2
Mayfield Academy - a historical account, including organization, list of members, accounts of meetings, etc., 1856-1876, undated
Box 10 / Folder 2
The Mayfield parricide (murder of Ezra Carpenter by his son, Isaac), 1866
Box 10 / Folder 3
Extract on Chagrin Falls from "Historical Collection of Ohio," by Henry Howe, 1847
Box 10 / Folder 3
Description of Chagrin Falls in 1850 by James Ryder, 1850
Box 10 / Folder 4
Description of Gates Mills in 1874 from the Chagrin Falls Exponent, 1874
Box 10 / Folder 4
History of Gates Mills by Henry Gates, 1905
Box 10 / Folder 4
"Historical Society Corner - old and modern Gates Mills exhibit notes on the history of Wilson's Mills", undated
Box 10 / Folder 5
St. Christopher's by the River, Gates Mills: outline of the history of the church, and a newspaper clipping of an article
on St. Christopher's by Grace Goulder, 1944
Box 10 / Folder 6
Chagrin River Road, Gates Mills, by Alfred Mewett, 1943
Box 10 / Folder 6
Newspaper clippings and official reports covering the controversy over the rebuilding of the River Road, 1944-1945
Box 10 / Folder 6
The rediscovery of Carpenter Road by Alfred Mewett, 1943
Box 10 / Folder 6
The state road in Mayfield Township a century ago - the story of a highway and the people living on it, undated
Box 10 / Folder 7
The Gates Mills tornado, newspaper extracts, 1842
Box 10 / Folder 7
The great drought of 1845, undated
Box 10 / Folder 7
March snow, by Alfred Mewett, 1944
Box 10 / Folder 7
Spring weather by Alfred Mewett, 1944
Box 10 / Folder 8-9
Alfred Mewett's file of "Extracts re: cities, etc. . . of Ohio,, undated
Series X: Maps, Photographs, and Printed Miscellanea, undated
Box 11 / Folder 1
Sketches, blueprints, photostatic copies, tracings, and printed maps of Gates Mills, Chagrin Falls, and environs, and small
scale maps of part of Ohio east of Cleveland; some of the maps have handwritten notes showing former buildings, old family
houses and other data, undated
Box 11 / Folder 2
Small scale maps and plans of counties and townships in the Western Reserve, some photostatic maps and typed notes on points
of interest, undated
Box 11 / Folder 3
Photographs of local people and places (removed to the WRHS photograph and print collection), undated
Box 11 / Folder 4
Miscellaneous printed material and oddments including circulars, tickets, and programs, dates vary
Series XI: Newspaper Clippings, 1874-1953
Box 12-15
Newspaper clippings and extracts, Chagrin Valley Tales; Gates Mills News; Chagrin Falls Exponent; and Willoughby Independent, 1874-1953