Guide to the Garard-Getter Family Collection

Biography of Biography or History

Jesse Edgar Garard was born March 12, 1879, at Bachman (near Brookville), Montgomery County, Ohio, a son of William and Esther (Dyson) Garard. He married Catharine D. Getter on October 21, 1903, in Montgomery County, Ohio. Catharine "Katie" D. Getter was born January 24, 1882, in Miamisburg, Ohio, to Clement and Catharine (Miller) Getter. Jesse and Catharine Garard had two daughters: Wilma (1905-1950) and Mae (1907-1984).

The Garard family resided at 1529 E. Second Street in Dayton, Ohio, near what is now known as the Huffman Historic District. Jesse's primary occupation was as a machinist, though he also worked as a repairman and blacksmith at different times. He worked for Stoddard and later for the City Machine and Tool Company. Jesse belonged to the St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church (now St. Paul United Methodist Church) at 101 Huffman Avenue, as well as to the Eagles.

On November 3, 1928, Jesse Garard died at age 49 at Miami Valley Hospital, after an illness of about a week. Cause of death was septicemia. He was buried November 6 at Parish Cemetery in Arlington (near his birthplace of Bachman).

Catharine Garard and her daughters moved about a mile southeast to 209 S. Findlay Street. After an illness of about 9 months, Catharine died at home from uterine cancer on July 18, 1932, at the age of 50. She was buried next to her husband on July 21, 1932.

The elder daughter Wilma Hyacinth Garard was born January 27, 1905, in Dayton, Ohio. She was a school teacher in Dayton city schools. She died unmarried at age 44 on January 1, 1950, in Dayton, and is also buried at Parish Cemetery.

The younger daughter Mae "Major" Garard was born May 30, 1907, probably also in Dayton. Prior to her marriage, she worked in various clerical positions, including as a "multigraph operator" at the Fyr-Fyter Company in Dayton. Mae also played saxophone. About 1930, Mae married Elmer G. Miller (1904-1986). Elmer was a pattern maker at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Mae and Elmer do not appear to have had any children. Mae died June 30, 1984, at age 77, in Dayton, Ohio. Mae and Elmer are also buried in Parish Cemetery.

Scope and Content

The collection centers on the immediate family of Jesse and Catharine (Getter) Garard and their two daughters Wilma and Mae (nicknamed "Major," as evidenced by many of the photographs), as well as extended family and friends. Items marked "Daddy" appear to refer to Jesse Garard, and "Mother" is Catharine "Katie" Garard.

The collection consists primarily of the personal photographs of a Dayton, Ohio family in the early 20th century. A few items date to as early as about 1890 and as late as 1955, but the bulk of the materials date from about 1920 to 1935. The majority of the collection consists of photographs mounted to scrapbook pages (and well-labeled), but there are loose photographs (of varying degrees of identification) and a couple of negatives as well. Some of the photographs double as postcards, with messages on the backs. Subjects include leisure activities, travel, and family reunions.

Leisure activities depicted include hunting, boating, camping, swimming, sports, and playing music. Sports team photos include the St. Paul M. E. Church basketball team (circa 1910s?) and the Moraine City Bowling Team (1937-1938). The theme of music appears many times, including photos of "Daddy" and other relatives playing instruments at a reunion; Mae playing saxophone in both the Harmony Flyers band (1928) and in Louise Henning's All-Girl Orchestra (1936); and photos of the St. Paul's orchestra (presumably also St. Paul M. E. Church). A few other items of interest include a group photo of the "Fyr-Fyter Gang," presumably employees of Dayton's Fyr-Fyter Co. (manufacturers of fire extinguishers), where Mae worked in 1930; a group photo of what appears to be an 8th grade graduation class from Huffman School (undated).

Documentation of the family's travels around Ohio and beyond include photos of sights and activities at Coney Island (Cincinnati) and its "Princess" steamer boat; Washington, D.C. (including the Capitol building), 1932; Akron, Ohio (including Goodyear hangar), 1938; Mansfield, Ohio (including Boys' Reformatory), 1938; Ft. Loramie, Ohio; and Zane Caverns in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Campgrounds at an unidentified location (or locations) are also present. Other locations mentioned but not necessarily pictured include Lima, Ohio; Indian Lake, Ohio; Asbury Park, New Jersey; Muncie, Indiana; McCabe Park (Dayton); and the Dayton Soldiers' Home. Automobiles appear frequently in the photographs as well.

The last three locations hosted Garard family reunions, which appear to have been held fairly regularly every year or two from at least 1918 to 1928, in both Indiana and Ohio. The reunion was held more than once at the Dayton Soldiers' Home or at nearby McCabe Park.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.

Two items larger than 8.5 inches by 11 inches have been removed to oversize storage. (A reference photocopy of each item has been placed in the appropriate folder along with a Document Removed form.)

Subject Terms

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

Persons:

Organizations/Corporations:

Family Names:

Places:

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Preferred Citation

[Description of item, Date, Box #, Folder #], MS-668, Garard-Getter Family Collection, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries, by an unidentified donor in March 2015.

Processing Information

The scrapbook was received unbound, with no cover, and has been housed in sleeve pages inside a ring binder box. All non-oversize (smaller than 8.5” x 11”) items are also in this binder box.

Other Finding Aid

The finding aid is available on the Special Collections & Archives, Wright State University Libraries web site at
https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/1093.