MS-92 The Wallace Family Papers

Scope and Content Note

Series I William C. Hadley Papers

The William C. Hadley Papers contain correspondence and a few documents related to the Hadley Family. William Clark Hadley was the husband of Sarah (Sallie) Smith, sister of Mary Narcissus Smith (Mrs. Joseph Collins Wallace). The correspondence and documents cover the years 1855-1903. The letters are exchanges between William Hadley, his wife Sarah, their children Minnie and Eugene, Elizabeth Smith (Sarah's mother), and Mary Smith (Sarah's sister). Subjects discussed include family health and activities, financial matters, William Hadley's trip to Philadelphia in 1868, descriptions of San Francisco and Los Angeles around the turn of the century, and politics. Documents include a list of Hadley's letters and a land sale notice for William Hadley's estate (W.C. Hadley's grandfather). Of special interest are letters written by Minnie Hadley to her parents after she left home and moved to California about 1885.

Series II Joseph W. Smith/Elizabeth Churchman Sweet Papers

This series contains the papers of Reverend Joseph Wilson Smith and his wife, Elizabeth Churchman Sweet. Rev. Smith was a circuit preacher for the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Church. These papers consist of correspondence and documents, such as land papers, wills, indentures and financial records covering the years 1850 - 1888. There are a few documents related to James and Sarah Smith, Joseph's parents, and also to Benjamin and Mary Ann Sweet, Elizabeth's parents. Subjects covered in the correspondence include family, financial obligations and agreements and religion. Joseph and Elizabeth Smith were the parents of Mary Narcissus Smith (Mrs. Joseph Collins Wallace) and Sarah Smith Hadley (Mrs. William Clark Hadley).

Series III Reuben Wallace Papers

The correspondence and financial documents of Reuben Wallace make up Series III and cover the years 1798 - 1893. Reuben Wallace was the first generation of Wallaces to settle in Champaign/Clark County at the beginning of the nineteenth century. He served as a justice of the peace and as a state legislator. His papers contain letters to and from family and friends, wills and receipts of his father, Thomas Wallace, financial records, indentures, wills, deeds and also the Minutes of the Quarterly Conference, Troy Circuit, Methodist Episcopal Church from 1839, of which he was an active member. Subjects covered in the correspondence include family, religion, legislative business, financial matters and farming. Reuben Wallace was the father of Joseph Collins Wallace.

Series IV Joseph Collins Wallace Papers

The Joseph Collins Wallace Papers contain correspondence and related documents covering the years 1852-1903. Joseph C. Wallace was the second generation of Wallaces to continue farming the land originally purchased by Reuben Wallace. His papers contain letters from family and friends, financial records and deeds. Joseph C. Wallace and Mary Narcissus Smith Wallace were the parents of William Clark Wallace. Subjects covered in the letters include family and financial matters. Of specific interest are letters written by William Clark Wallace to his parents while in Florida between 1883-1884, before he settled down and married.

Series V William Clark Wallace Papers

The William Clark Wallace Papers cover the years 1884-1939 and consist of correspondence from and to family and friends and other documents, such as his marriage announcement to Grace Wise, financial records, a land survey and deeds. William Clark Wallace and Grace Wallace were the parents of Donald McKinney Wallace. The letters discuss such subjects as family, farm activities and the deaths of Mary N. Wallace (W.C. Wallace's mother), Sarah Hadley (Mary N. Wallace's sister), Grace Wallace, (W.C. Wallace's wife), and Fred Wallace (W.C. Wallace's brother). Items of interest include a small collection of letters from Will to Grace during the few months preceding their marriage, April to June, 1896, several letters from family and friends in California from 1887-1890, and a few letters from Fred Wallace from Camp Bushnell, Florida, where he served during the Spanish American War, 1898.

Series VI William Wise/Martha Mckinney Wise Papers

The Wise/McKinney Papers consist of correspondence and other documents such as estate papers, report cards and school essays dating from 1861-1930. William Wise and Martha McKinney Wise were the parents of Grace Wise Wallace, wife of W.C. Wallace, and a son, Roscoe Wise. The correspondence contains letters to William and Martha Wise from family and friends. Of special significance in this series is a collection of letters written to "Mattie", Martha McKinney, by her cousin, William M. McKinney, 15th Regiment, 21st. Brigade, 6th Division, Army of the Ohio, during the Civil War. These letters cover the period 1861-1863.

Series VII. Donald Mckinney Wallace/Milly Bell Kiblinger Wallace Papers

Series VII. contains the papers of Donald McKinney Wallace and Milly Kiblinger Wallace. This series fills five boxes. The papers consist of an extensive collection of correspondence, school records from Clark County and Ohio State University, marriage and death records, and stories and memories recorded by Milly Wallace. This series covers the years 1892-1989. Subjects discussed in the correspondence include family, health, farming and school. Of special interest in this series are the following exchanges of correspondence: letters between Don and Dick Wallace and their parents when they were attending Ohio State University, 1916-1921; letters between Don Wallace and his parents during his service during World War I, 1918-1919; and letters between Don and Milly Wallace, before and during their marriage, 1934-1947.

Series VIII. Kiblinger/Parcells Papers

This series consists of correspondence and additional documents related to Milly Kiblinger, her parents, John Kiblinger and Mamie Parcells Kiblinger and other ancestors. It covers the years 1783-1963. It contains correspondence, a militia record, indentures and deeds, copies of wills, school, marriage, and death records, and a yearbook and scrapbook from Milly's days at the State Normal School, Valley City, North Dakota.

Series IX. Diaries And Journals

Series IX contains diaries and journals from the Smith and Wallace families. The earliest diary is that of Reverend Joseph Smith, which dates from 1828 to 1832. Most of the diaries were written by William Clark Wallace and cover the years 1884, 1892-1922. The diaries discuss family and farm life in Clark County. In addition to the Smith diary are others of special interest. One is a diary written by W.C. Wallace as a young man when he worked his way around Florida in 1884. There are also diaries written by Donald Wallace during World War I, 1918; by Dick Wallace at Ohio State University, 1918; and by Milly Wallace while on a trip to China, 1978.

Series X. Genealogy

This series contains the results of years of genealogical research by Milly Wallace on the Wallace and Kiblinger families and related lines. Over fifty family names are represented. These files fill four boxes and contain genealogical charts, family trees, copies of vital statistics, data work sheets, family group sheets, and information from secondary sources such as county histories. There are also files containing correspondence on various families which were exchanged between Milly Wallace and numerous relatives. These family files are rich with facts, but also contain narrative or memories of people, incidents and events which bring these families to life.

Series XI. Schools

This series contains documents related to schools that Wallace family members and their relatives attended in Clark and Greene Counties. Schools represented in these files are Olive Branch High School, Bethel Township High School, New Carlisle High School and Springfield High School in Clark County, and a special district of Beavercreek Township Schools in Greene County. Documents included are manuals, courses of study, commencement announcements and programs, graduation announcements and alumni annuals and invitations. These materials date from 1883-1965.

Series XII. Newspaper Clippings

The newspaper clippings which make up this series cover the years 1890-1980. Included are: obituaries, wedding announcements, school news, human interest stories, articles on historic events in Clark County and on the history of Oberon, North Dakota, where Milly was born, and a file on the death of Fred Wallace, editor of the Coshocton Tribune, which includes the newspaper's history. The obituary file contains an alphabetical list of names.

Series XIII. Photographs And Photograph Albums

This series is divided into three subseries: A - Photographs (families and miscellaneous), B - Photograph albums, and C - Daguerreotypes, Tintypes, Cabinets and Ambrotypes. Subseries A contains four boxes of photos arranged by family name and then subject, such as schools, homes, Ohio State, Don Wallace, Milly Wallace, World War I, honeymoon trip, John Kiblinger - sheepherding in Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and Fort Totten Indians. While there are numerous unlabeled photos, the majority of the hundreds of photos in this series are labeled and dated. Subseries B consists of four boxes containing eight photograph albums. These albums contain mostly cabinet prints of various family members. All date to roughly 1880-1930, although there are some earlier and later photos. Again, most are labeled. Subseries C contains twelve separate images, which are daguerreotypes, tintypes, cabinets, and ambrotypes, in various cases. Eight of these are identified; none of the twelve are precisely dated.

Series XIV. Oversize Photos And Documents

This series contains both photographs and documents of too large a size to be placed with the previous records series. Subseries A - Photographs, includes photos of the Kiblinger home place in Clark County, ca. 1895-1900, and a street view of Oberon, North Dakota, ca, 1900. Also included are views of William and Martha Wise's Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary, November 27, 1916, and the 1915 graduating class of Olive Branch High School, of which Donald McKinney Wallace was a member. Subseries B - Documents, contains a January 24, 1846, issue of the Ohio Temperance Organ, signed by Reuben Wallace, Grace Wise's high school diploma (1888), a sale bill for John Kiblinger, and various school certificates for Milly Kiblinger. The time span for this series is 1846-1916.

Series XV. Miscellaneous Documents

This series contains a variety of items, such as a history of the First Methodist Church in Medway, toll gate receipts, memorials, an historical address by Maj. Gen. J. Warren Keifer at a Brigade Reunion (1888), miscellaneous estate papers, pamphlets, programs, almanacs, religious notes and bulletins, and fragments of undated or unsigned correspondence. These materials cover the years 1803-1980.

Series XVI. Oversize Files - Map Case

This series contains large items placed in the oversize collection or map cases, Location 1, File 9. They include Methodist Religious Periodicals or newspapers dating from 1846-1896. These papers are: the St. Louis Christian Advocate and the Western Christian Advocate. Two are signed by Reuben Wallace on the front page. There is one photograph in this series, that of the Army Training Corps, Ohio Mechanical Institute, Companies E and S, taken in Cincinnati, Ohio, November, 1918. This was Donald McKinney Wallace's unit during his World War I service.

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