Finding aid for the Karl H. Grismer Papers, 1913-1952

Biography of Karl H. Grismer

Karl H. Grismer was born in Akron, Ohio in 1896. He was the son of Hiram C. Griesmer (1857-1906) and Catherine Spikerman Griesmer (1861-1936); the family dropped the "e" in their last name sometime in the late 1800s. Karl Grismer grew up in Akron with his two sisters, Besse Irene Grismer Miller (1886-1969) and Ruth Berdelle Grismer Marlow (1889-1973). His father died when he was ten years old, so he began working at an early age to help support his family and to fund his education. He graduated from high school in 1912 and from The University of Akron (then the Municipal University of Akron) in 1916. He served in the Army for a very short time during World War I then traveled working odd jobs before returning to Akron. Grismer married Delore Mary Trew (1900-1952) in Akron in 1920. She was also a journalist and at times contributed to his work. They had two children, Kathryn Jane Grismer Dawson (1921-2006) and Peggy Irene Grismer French (1925-1987). In 1921, while waiting for his first daughter to be born, Grismer was offered a job as managing editor for a weekly publication in St. Petersburg, Florida called The Tourist News. He worked there until 1928. During his time at the paper he traveled extensively throughout Florida to acquire material for his column and his books. In 1924, he wrote and published his first book, The History of St. Petersburg, Historical and Biographical (St. Petersburg, FL: Tourist News Publishing Co., 1924). When the Great Depression hit, The Tourist News went out of publication. There were not any jobs available for journalists in Florida, so Grismer decided to return to the Akron area with his family. Times were difficult for the Grismer family and therefore Karl Grismer worked a variety of jobs to feed and provide for his children. It was during this time that he wrote and published The History of Kent, Historical and Biographical (Kent, OH: Courier-Tribune, 1932). However, some of the jobs he performed during this time were far removed from journalism and included serving as a deputy sheriff, selling remembrance advertising for Brown & Bigelow, selling advertisements for the Akron Times Press, and working for Martin L. Davey, a Democratic politician from Kent, Ohio. During the time Grismer worked for Sheriff Jim Flowers as deputy, he influenced the Sheriff to refrain from using harsh tactics against a group of strikers. As a result, some local people branded him a communist because of his compassionate stand for the workers. This label was difficult to overcome and affected his ability to obtain work when Flowers was not re-elected Sherriff. In spite of this black balling by some, Grismer never regretted backing the strikers. He was able to acquire work again in journalism during World War II. In 1945, Grismer's health began to decline and his doctor recommended that he move to a warmer climate, so he finally fulfilled his dream of moving back to Florida. Since then, his health improved rapidly. In 1946, he published The Story of Sarasota: The History of the City and County of Sarasota, Florida (Sarasota, FL: M.E. Russel, 1946). Two years later, he published The Story of St. Petersburg: The History of Lower Pinellas Peninsula and the Sunshine City (St. Petersburg, FL: P.K. Smith, 1948). He followed up in 1949 with The Story of Fort Myers: The History of the Land of the Caloosahatchee and Southwest Florida (St. Petersburg, FL: St. Petersburg Printing Company, 1949) and the following year with Tampa: A History of the City of Tampa and the Tampa Bay Region of Florida (St. Petersburg, FL: St. Petersburg Printing Company, 1949). Grismer was described as a workaholic. He would work all day and late into the night until his books were completed. He loved the research involved with writing history and went to great lengths to ensure that information in his books were completely accurate. In 1952, he was diagnosed with a large tumor in his lung, probably due to his heavy smoking. Although the tumor was removed, Grismer died in March of that year at age 56. His wife, who had a severe heart condition, spent the next five months completing his book, Akron and Summit County (Akron, OH: Summit County Historical Society, 1952). The day after she finished the manuscript and sent it to the printer she went to bed and fell into a comma and passed away. She was 52 years old. Grismer was described by his daughter as "a family man, a devoted husband and a loving, kind, involved father."

Scope and Content

The Karl H. Grismer Papers mostly consist of newspaper clippings that document his life and work, including his many publications on Florida and local history. The papers also include a few of his writings and a selection of his artwork that he drew as a student at The Municipal University of Akron (now The University of Akron) for the university's yearbook, the Tel-Buch. The drawings are not original. Several photographs of Karl Grismer are also included in his papers. The correspondence folder only contains one item.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Indexing Terms

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

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Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Karl H. Grismer Papers, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio.

Detailed Description of The Collection