Introduction | Biographical Sketch | Scope and Content | Series Description | Inventory

Introduction

The Andrew Brown (A.B.) and Jeanette Hall Family Papers is a rich and varied collection of family history. The papers include correspondence, photographs, financial documents, literary productions, scrapbook materials, legal documents and an audio recording. Also included are several family Bibles and a large collection of postcards. The collection also includes documentation on the Hall Hardware Store in McComb, Ohio; the McComb Philomath Club; and the Presbyterian Church and Woman's Home Missionary Society, McComb, Ohio. The entire collection of family papers, comprising thirteen linear feet, spans the years 1833-1992.

The collection was donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Dr. William Heinlen Hall, in October 1992. Literary and property rights have been dedicated to the public and duplication is permitted for the purpose of preservation and scholarly research. A listing of all correspondence is included in the printed register. The collection was arranged and the finding aid prepared by Susan K. Irwin. This project was completed in February 1994.

Biographical Sketch

The Hall Family Papers include materials from several families which fall mostly within the early part of the 1900's. Several genealogy charts are included, which will also help with identifying family members mentioned in the correspondence. The two primary families in the collection are the A. B. Hall and Jeanette Heinlen families. Also included through marriage are the Steen and Walker families. The following family sketches were made available by Dr. W. H. Hall.

Andrew Brown Hall was born in Cario, West Virginia on November 3, 1886 to William and Edith Hall. As a youth he was employed at the age of twelve by the Oil Well Supply Company. He was later associated with his father and brother in the hardware business. He graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1906 with a seminary degree and was later a member of the Emeritus Club of that College. As a student he specialized in Latin and German and served for some time as an assistant instructor in German. Always interested in athletics, he was also a member of the varsity football and baseball teams.

A. B. Hall married Jeanette Heinlen on January 15, 1908 and they moved to McComb, Ohio in 1911 where he and his brother, and only sibling, Burl M. Hall, operated a hardware store for 50 years until their retirement on November 1, 1962. Brown, also known as "Dutch ", was very involved in the town of McComb. He served as a member of the McComb School Board during the years of planning that preceded the construction of the present school building in 1924. Through his work with his wife he was a strong supporter of the McComb Public Library. He was a charter member of the McComb Rotary Club and the Shady Acres Golf Association. He was a life long member of the Presbyterian Church having come to this naturally from a long line of Scotch ancestors. For nearly 30 years he served as treasurer of the McComb Presbyterian Church. Jeanette Hall was also involved in the church as well as the McComb Library, Philomath Club and Missionary Society.

Brown and Jeanette provided a congenial home for many of Jeanette's ten brothers and sisters. During different years Edward, Florence and Helen each lived with them. Brown and Jeanette had one son, William Heinlen Hall who became a Professor of Chemistry and taught at Bowling Green State University. Heinlen Hall married Mildred Walker, daughter of John W. Walker and Lena (Rosenworth) Walker who had arrived in McComb in 1912. Heinlen and Mildred established their home in Bowling Green, Ohio and raised their two sons John Brown Hall and James Walker Hall.

Jeanette Heinlen Hall's family was large and well traveled. Her father and mother, Reuben Heinlen and Laura Meyer Heinlen, were both born and raised in Ohio. They were married in Ada, Ohio on May 26, 1886. Reuben was a student at Ohio Northern where he had just completed the third year of their Classical Program when he married. Reuben and Laura lived in Ada, then moved to Bucyrus where five children were born: Jeanette (1887), Laura Mae (1890), Helen (1892), Edward Clinton (1894), and Florence (1896). In 1899 they moved to Waverly, Ohio and during that year another daughter, Mary, was born. In 1901, they moved to Cairo, West Virginia and the following children were born: Carl (1901), Martha (1904), and Wallace (1906). In 1907 they returned briefly to Ada, Ohio before establishing themselves in nearby Jackson Center where George was born in 1909. Their family was then complete. The family moved at least nine times during the remainder of their long and stable married life. The following is a list of the localities in which they lived and the year of initial residence: Ada, Ohio (1886); Bucyrus, Ohio (1888); Waverly, Ohio (1899); Cairo, West Virginia (1901); Ada, Ohio and then Jackson Center, Ohio (1907); Wichita Falls, Texas (1910); Great Bend, Kansas (1911); Harrison, Arkansas and then Flat Rock, Arkansas (1911); Harrison, Arkansas (1915); Wirt, Oklahoma (1916); Ranger, Texas (1919); Gideon, Missouri (1921?) and, Fayetteville, Arkansas (1926). R.E. had several jobs as well. These included working for the Handle Works in Bucyrus, Ohio; membership in the Ohio National Guard; ticket agent and auditor for the Cairo & Kanawaha Railroad Company; manager of oil well sites for the American Crude Oil Company; manager of the Mountain State Feed Company; Mayor of Cario, West Virginia; a railroad agent; owner of a Grocery store and farm; and superintendent of oil fields for Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company.

Reuben and Laura spent their last few years living for varying periods with their children. They had lived briefly with their oldest daughter Jeanette and Brown Hall in McComb, Ohio when Reuben died in New Mexico while on a family vacation in August of 1938. Laura died in McComb, following a fall in 1947. Each of the ten children married and each had only one spouse. Florence married Lester M. Ridenour of McComb and they lived in Findlay and Mansfield, Ohio where they raised a son, George Meyer. Helen married W. J. Steen, who immigrated to this country in 1919 from Great Britain and who worked as a grocer. For other marriages and relationships see the Genealogy charts following this sketch.

A. B. Hall Family
A. B. Hall, Jr.
Ellen Rutherford (1822-1895)
William Hall (1853-1927)
Edith Martin (1862-1952)
A. B. Hall (1886-1966) Burl Hall (1883-1973)
Jeanette Heinlen (1888-1966) Genevieve (1882-1920)
Ella Griswold (1893- )

William Heinlen Hall (1910- )
Mildred Walker (1910-1982)
(John and James) William Keith Hall Virginia Ann
Gladys (Burl) Richard Householder

Names in ( ) are children, included when possible.

Jeanette Heinlen Family

Samuel Heinlen (1832-1911)
Margaret Kiess (1834-1917)

Reuben Edward Heinlen (1863-1938)
Laura Meyer (1865-1947)

Jeanette Heinlen (1888-1966) - m - A. B. Hall (1886-1966) (W.H. Hall)
Laura Mae Heinlen (1890-1971) - m - Floyd Marty (Merlin, Margaret)
Helen Heinlen (1892-1967) - m - W. J. Steen (Helen)
Edward Heinlen (1894-1950) - m - Sue (Helen Ruth, John Meyer)
Florence Heinlen (1896-1969) - m - Lester Ridenour (George)
Mary Heinlen (1899-) - m - Lynn Griswold (Eunice)
Carl Heinlen (1901-1963) - m - Blanche (Jim, Norma Jean)
Martha Heinlen (1904-) - m - Norman Dunscomb (Nancy)
Wallace Heinlen (1906-) - m - Evelyn (Douglas, Laura, Virginia)
George Heinlen (1909-) - m - Helen (Patti)

Names in ( ) are children, included when possible.

Walker Family
J. W. Walker (? - 1957)
Lena Rosenworth (1876-1969)

Vaughn R. Walker - m - Catherine (Vaughn)
Jack M. Walker - m - Jane (John, James)
Mildred Walker (1910-1982) - m - W. Heinlen Hall (1910-) (John, James)

Scope and Content

The Hall Family Papers contain an abundance of information in many different forms including photographs, scrapbook materials, a large collection of postcards dating back to the early 1900's, school papers from A. B. and Heinlen Hall, literary productions, legal documents which outline the deeds and wills of several important family members, printed materials such as certificates, invitations and programs, and most importantly, correspondence.

The correspondence includes several important blocks of time. There is the correspondence between A. B. Hall and his parents and friends while at college; letters between Jeanette and A. B. before their marriage; letters from Jeanette's brother Edward while serving in World War I; letters to Jeanette from members of her family as they made their many moves throughout the country; and typical correspondence between family members which help define family relationships. The correspondence also serves to define the time in which it was written.

The postcards, while they may not offer much in the way of written information about the families, they do offer information about the times, and many are photographic reminders of several locations in Ohio, including Ada, McComb, and Jackson Center, as well as other places throughout the country. Many of the postcards date back to the early 1900's and offer us social commentary on the times as well. Though not all of the correspondence offers important or interesting information the very existence of it demonstrates that this form of communication was most important.

The photographs compliment the correspondence as they let us visualize the authors. Some of the more interesting photographs include those of Edward Heinlen during his service in World War I, snapshots of A. B. Hall's friends during college and several of him working for Hall Hardware as a painter and clerk. Many of the photographs are of family members and help to identify relationships, as well as put a face to a name. They also express how tightly intertwined these families were with one another. The photographs also include many from McComb, Ohio, and some from Cairo, West Virginia. Because of the large amount of photographic materials, a list identifying each photograph has been made in order to advance the progress of a researcher looking only for certain types of photographs.

Included in this collection are papers by A. B. and Heinlen Hall written during college, report cards from school, notebooks and notes from college and high school, and lab reports from college, and Heinlen Hall's notebooks from his years at Ohio State University. These papers may serve of interest to those studying education, or those who want to gain an impression of the personalities of the writers. Some of the notes and reports may be difficult to read, but general information can be ascertained.

Many of the legal documents are difficult and confusing to read and may require close study in order to ascertain their relationship to the collection's families. Also included in this series are birth and death certificates, naturalization papers, marriage licenses, mortgage papers, stock certificates, and estate papers. The financial documents include receipts from A. B. and Heinlen Hall from college, as well as other family member's miscellaneous receipts.

Scrapbook materials include Heinlen Hall's scrapbooks from his years in college, newspaper clippings related to the family, the place cards from Jeanette and A. B.'s wedding, baby books, autograph books from the late 1800's, notebooks, and postcard albums which contain a wide variety of postcards, some with correspondence.

There is a great deal of printed material in this collection as well. Some of this includes certificates and awards from various family members, pamphlets on historical, scientific, and religious subjects, as well as travel and advertising. Although these may not relate directly to the families they do give examples of advertising, etc., of the time. Also included are invitations and announcements, a ration book from the 1940's, football programs, yearbooks and newspapers, and several memorial books. The yearbooks are those of A. B. and Heinlen Hall. Several books are also included as well as several plays, in which J. W. Walker was involved and which there are photographs as well. Lastly, there are Bibles from Jeanette's family (Keifer (Kaifer), which are in German and contain some family information. Three bibles, two prayer books and one book of hymns are included. There are also floor plans and architectural notes from Heinlen Hall's home in Bowling Green, Ohio.

One audio recording is included in this collection. It is an interview by Heinlen Hall with Janet Powell, a friend of the Hall family. The interview gives some information about family relationships, and about where the Hall's and Heinlen's lived in Cairo, West Virginia.

Last, this collection also contains some business and organizational records. Correspondence, financial reports, ledgers and legal documents are included in the Hall Hardware Collection. The records are dated from 1911 to 1975 and document the activities of this small-town family-owned store. The Presbyterian Church and Woman's Missionary Society Collections documents the history of this church, located in McComb, Ohio, as well as the activities of the women of the Church. The records, dating from 1912-1963, include minutes, correspondence, reports, pamphlets and programs. The activities of the McComb Philomath Club, a literary club, also are documented in this collection. Yearbooks, papers (mostly written by Jeanette Hall), newsclippings and programs are included and dated from 1923-1967.

This collection certainly spans a large amount of time with varying degrees of completeness. It all serves to express the close relationships within a family. It also creates an impression through the photographs, personal mementos and correspondence of what life was like at that time, how people dressed, where they lived, and how they expressed themselves. This collection offers an exceptionally complete history of not only the Hall and Heinlen families, but also of the early part of the 20th century.

Series Description

PROCEEDINGS

MEMBERSHIP MATERIALS
1906-1952.
Includes Church membership certificates, lists of members of seminary class (1906), Hydro collator users (J.W. Walker) and Chemistry staff (1933-1934), membership cards from various lodges, by-laws from Knights of Pythias (1935) King Solomon's Lodge (1931), and codebook (1907).

CORRESPONDENCE

HALL FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE
1903-1992.
Includes correspondence between A. B. Hall and his parents during his college years, letters between A. B. and Jeanette before their marriage, letters from Jeanette's brother Edward during WWI as well as other family correspondence.

POSTCARDS
1905-1969
A large collection of many different types of postcards which show various locations, family members, and express the artistic style of the times.

REPORTS

SCHOOL GRADE REPORTS
1905-1906; 1916-1928
Includes report cards from college and grade school from A. B. and Heinlen Hall.

LITERARY PRODUCTIONS

SPEECHES
1906-1951
Speeches and toasts, as related to the schooling of Heinlen Hall.

MANUSCRIPTS
1903-1905, n.d.
Papers written for college by A. B. Hall. Included are papers on history and Latin and several notebooks which contain much of the same material.

NOTEBOOKS.
1928-1929; 1931-1935; 1950
Notebooks from Heinlen Hall's high school years, including notes on science, history and the Bible. Also included are lab reports from Heinlen's college years, mostly concerning scientific subjects. Also included are architectural notes from Heinlen Hall.

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

MISCELLANEOUS LEGAL DOCUMENTS.
1876-1966.
Includes birth and death certificates, passport and naturalization papers for W. J. Steen. Witness certificates, drivers license for A. B. Hall, employment service card and discharge certificate for Edward and Heinlen, and affidavits concerning James Walker.

ABSTRACTS OF TITLE
1833, 1949
Abstracts of title for land in the village of McComb and the city of Bowling Green.

DEEDS
1867-1953
Various deeds for plots of land in the village of McComb, Ohio.

ESTATE PAPERS
1951-1976; 1953-1967
Includes the estate inventories and wills of A. B. Hall and W. J. Steen.

MARRIAGE LICENSES
1886; 1908
Includes licenses of Reuben and Laura Heinlen and A. B. and Jeanette Hall.

MORTGAGE PAPERS
1887, 1950, 1962, 1973
Deeds for land in McComb and Bowling Green, Ohio.

FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS

LEDGERS
1902
Contains small amount of information on orders for food from A. B. Hall.

BANK BOOKS
1889, 1918, 1921
Records of A. B. and Heinlen Hall during their college years.

RECEIPTS
1922-1929, 1928-1931, 1966-1967, 1925, 1926
Includes receipts of expenses from clothing to rent from A. B. and Heinlen Hall and payment for work by R. E. Heinlen.

STOCKS
1917
Stock certificates from J. W. Walker for Dana Industrial Realty Company and the Servia Elevator Company.

TAX RETURNS
1944-1964
Scattered returns for A.B. & Heinlen Hall and also the business of Hall and Hall

SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIALS

SCRAPBOOKS
1928-1937, 1890-1930, 1905-1908
Includes scrapbooks from Heinlen Hall, Lena Walker and A. B. Hall, all in varying degrees of completeness.

NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
1904-1968
Consists of clippings containing family members, including A. B. Hall's retirement from the hardware business, death notices and other events.

MEMENTOS
1908, 1917, 1910, 1914
Includes baby books from Heinlen Hall, a birthday book, a poem from the Hall family home, the placecards and news account from A. B. and Jeanette Hall's wedding, and a flag from Edward Heinlen, from his service in WWI.

AUTOGRAPH BOOKS
1886-1888, 1872-1930
Books from Edith Hall and Lena Walker containing signatures and sayings from friends.

POSTCARD ALBUMS
(1903-1920), 1905-1915
Albums belonging to Hattie Martin and Edith Hall containing different types of postcards, some with correspondence.

PRINTED MATERIAL

CERTIFICATES/AWARDS
1906-1967
Included are diplomas from A. B. and Heinlen Hall, a Knights of Columbus certificate for W. J. Steen, and a certificate of Scottish Ancestry for J. W. Walker.

PAMPHLETS
1908-1971
Includes pamphlets on science, history, travel and Wesleyan College.

FLYERS
1906-1917
Includes information on religion and advertisements for various products and flyers on how to knit clothing for soldiers during WWI. Also included are advertising postcards.

INVITATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
1904-1963
Includes birth announcements and invitations to weddings, including A. B. and Jeanette Hall's, and commencement invitations mostly to High School graduations.

RATION BOOK
(1941-1945)
Ration book issued to A. B. Hall containing ration stamps and tokens.

PROGRAMS
1904-1964
Includes football programs from Wesleyan University and Ohio State, McComb High School programs, Ohio State University programs, BGSU programs, Muskingum programs, church service programs, and theater programs for sports and special events.

NEWSLETTERS
1905-1908, 1917, 1925, 1928, 1956
Included are "The Pharos" from Wesleyan University.

NEWSPAPERS
1919-1931
Included are Stars and Stripes (1919), Watch on the Rhine, The AMARDOL News, The Pioneer, and The Black and Magneta (Muskingum College).

MEMORIALS
1947, 1966, 1969, 1938-1971
Memorials for various people including Laura Heinlen, Jeanette Hall, A. B. Hall, and Lena Walker.

YEARBOOKS
1905-1910, 1930-1932
Includes the Murmurmontis from Wesleyan University (A. B. Hall) and the Muscoljvan from Muskingum College (Heinlen Hall).

BOOKS
1900, 1910, 1959-1960
Includes Flowers in the Holy Land, a collection of pressed flowers, several plays participated in by J. W. Walker, a history of West Virginia, and a book by George Ridenour.

BIBLES
1811, 1842, 1854, (1832-1839)
Three German Bibles from the Keifer (Kaifer) family with writing in front covers, possibly family genealogies, and three prayer and hymnal books also in German.

HOUSE FLOOR PLANS
(1950)
One blueprint and several floor plan drawings of Heinlen Hall's home in Bowling Green.

AUDIO RECORDINGS

AUDIO CASSETTE
1975
Taped interview by Heinlen Hall with Janet Powell, a friend of the Hall family from West Virginia.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS

PHOTOGRAPHS
c. 1800s, 1906-1970's
(most dates unknown)
Included are snapshots and portraits of most members of the Hall family including the Steen, Walker and other relatives by marriage. Some tintypes are included but unidentified. About two-thirds of the photographs are identified. The early photographs are in albums.

OTHER

HALL HARDWARE
1911-1975
Arranged by type of record and then chronologically
Includes correspondence, financial documents and legal documents.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/WOMEN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY
1912-1963
Arranged by type of record and then chronologically
Includes minutes, correspondence, reports, pamphlets and programs.

MCCOMB PHILOMATH CLUB
1923-1967
Arranged by type of record series and then chronologically
Includes yearbooks, literary papers, newsclippings and programs.

Note to Correspondence

A.B. Hall = "Dutch", "Brown"
Jeanette - "Net"
William Heinlen Hall = "Heinlen", "Heinie"
Aunt Rose = Rose (Martin) McKeehan

All women are identified by married name.

Manuscripts by Subject | Family Collections | Family Collections | MS 608 Inventory