The Lytle Family Papers Collection

Virginius Cornick Hall devoted his life to historical research, collecting unique and unusual items and documenting his family chronology. In the last few years of Virginius’ life, we have had the pleasure of getting to know Virginius through a mutual friend Allen Bernard.  As we spent time with Virginius, we came to the understanding that the papers and documents that he had collected throughout his life, such as correspondences with his mother, research on the history of Cincinnati, and numerous other unique documents, would be an outstanding addition to our Special Collections department and a great place to advance the scholarship that Virginius had worked on throughout his retirement.

The forthcoming collection is to be titled the Lytle Family Papers and is currently an unprocessed collection of approximately 49lf. The collection consists of the life’s work of several Lytle family members over nearly three centuries, leading to Virginius Cornick Hall, the latest in the line of Lytle family historians. Hall, his mother, and his grandfather all meticulously trace their ancestry back to Captain William Lytle and General William Haines Lytle. Captain William Lytle was an early surveyor, a prominent Cincinnatian, and the namesake of Cincinnati’s Lytle Park. General William Haines Lytle was a politician in Ohio, a renowned poet, and a military officer in the United States Army during both the Mexican–American War and American Civil War, where he was killed in action as a brigadier general. The Lytle Family Papers document the lives and literary works of members of Lytle’s descendants in the McGuire, Lytle, Livingood, Foster, Hall, Jackson, and Ragdale families while also offering intensive histories of the many places which Hall called home, including Cincinnati, Murray Bay in Quebec, and Richmond, Virginia.

In the oral history below, Hall shares in his own words some of his stories and experiences from his life, giving context and color to many of the documents included in the collection. Hall shares insights from his time at the Groton School in Massachusetts, Princeton University, and the University of Michigan, all of which shaped his interests in history, collection-keeping, and librarianship. He also explains several of the projects which dominated both his life and, subsequently, the Lytle Family Papers: the “Cincinnati Views” project comprised Hall’s attempt to document the changing urban landscape of Cincinnati through art (especially prints), while the “Fruits and Nuts” project consisted of Hall writing mini-biographies of people that he found to be particularly eccentric. Thus, while the Lytle Family Papers strongly focus on the history of the Lytle family, they also provide a one-of-a-kind perspective on the manners and customs of the nineteenth through the twenty-first centuries. We look forward to processing this collection and making these unique holdings available to researchers for various potential outcomes.

Written by Callie Martindale & Amber Bales

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Happy Birthday, Walter!

Photo of Walter Havighurst sitting at desk.
Photo of Walter Havighurst at his desk.
Photo of Walter Havighurst. Courtesy of Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives.

The Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives has been the home for primary sources for 50 years. Our materials have helped our researchers answer their questions or have taken their research on a path that led to more than what they imagined. While many recognize us for our exhibitions, classes, and research materials, the question is asked quite regularly: “Who was Walter Havighurst?” In celebration of our serving for 50 years as a tribute to him, we would like to highlight Walter Havighurst on what would have been his 121st birthday.

Walter Edwin Havighurst was born on November 28, 1901, in Appleton, Wisconsin. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver and his bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology in 1924 and 1926, respectively. He also studied at Kings College at the University of London during the Winter of 1926 and Spring of 1927. In 1927, his brother Robert Havighurst, who was a chemistry professor at Miami University at the time, encouraged Walter to come to Miami for a visit. He became attracted to Miami University’s campus as it reminded him of his home in Wisconsin. Upon completing his Master’s degree from Columbia University in 1928, he applied for a position at Miami University and was appointed as Head Resident of the former Fisher Hall dormitory and an English professor teaching creative writing and American literature. It was during this first year of teaching that he met his wife, then Marion Boyd, when they were assigned to the same departmental office. They were married on December 29, 1930.

After a forty-one-year career at Miami, Havighurst retired from teaching at Miami University in 1969. During this time, he accomplished the following:

  • Won 4 awards (one of which he was awarded 3 times)
  • Received honorary membership to Phi Beta Kappa
  • Received 4 honorary doctorate degrees
  • Wrote 29 books (3 of which were with his wife, Marion Boyd Havighurst), 22 articles, 45 short stories, and over 300 book reviews
  • Complied works for 7 anthologies
  • Contributed chapters to 5 works

After retiring, Havighurst completed 5 additional works. While this is only a portion of his accomplishments, he touched the hearts of many students during his tenure. (One of which will be featured next month!) Quite a few former students of his would attend a number of our lectures about his life and his areas of interest and would speak about their experiences with him. He was known as Mr. Miami. He knew many details about Miami University and its history. In 1958, Havighurst published The Miami Years: 1809-1959, a book to celebrate Miami University’s sesquicentennial and recount its history until that time. Labeled as a retirement year project, Havighurst updated the book and changed the title to The Miami Years: 1809-1969 to provide 4 additional chapters to highlight the events and changes on and around campus from 1960-69.

Havighurst passed away on February 3, 1994. His memory is still cherished by those he touched. Dr. Phillip Shriver said it best in his tribute to Havighurst:

“As we remember this remarkable man who lived for so long among us and who set our souls humming with the music of his words, it seems only right that he be included with the Bishops, the Scotts, the McGuffesys, and those other great men and women of Miami history whose names will always be at home on the wide spreading campus. Yes, spring will soon be on hand, the earth will warm anew, and the rebud will bloom again among the white sycamore trucks along the Talawanda. And when they do, Walter, we will think of you.”

Excerpt from “A Tribute to Walter Havighurst” by Philip R. Shriver, 1994.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

As one year ends and another begins, November has been reserved as the time when we reflect on what we are thankful for. Here at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives are beyond thankful. We are grateful for the partnership that Miami University and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, or Myaamia in the Tribe’s heritage language, have and the knowledge that has been given through it. For the past 50 years, the Miami University community has been privileged with having panels, speeches, and exhibitions featuring not only Myaamia culture and history but Tribal citizens themselves.

Advertisement for the exhibition titled "Sine Time Immemorial... The Place of the Miamis"

Our current exhibition, titled “Since Time Immemorial… The Place of the Miamis”, features this partnership and the history of the Myaamia people. The content of this exhibition is divided into seven parts covering historical events from the late 1600s to the present. The items curated for this exhibition are a few items from collections housed at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives. On October 21st, the Miami University community was invited to meet with staff from the Myaamia Center to talk about a number of the materials on display and their importance in the history of the Myaamia people. On November 9th at 1:30 pm in Room 320 at King Library, members of the Miami Tribe will share the Coming Out Story, the oldest story the Myaamia people have for themselves. An exhibition tour and light refreshments will follow the storytelling program.

November 14th will mark 20 years since we began housing the Myaamia Collection. The Collection was established as a repository that represents the cultural and historical perspective of the Miami Nation. This would include but is not limited to various historical documents, family correspondence, and photographs. One of our most viewed materials from the Myaamia Collection is the Luke Scheer Papers. Although Scheer was not a citizen of the Miami Nation, he was interested in the Myaamia people as he grew up in Huntington County, Indiana. This county has a historical and contemporary Myaamia presence. This allowed him to attend several Myaamia-centric events during his childhood. As an adult, he became interested in Myaamia history and genealogy. Many of the papers included in this collection are correspondence between Luke Scheer and some Tribal citizens regarding their Myaamia ancestry.

While Miami University celebrates the Myaamia people and their culture and history, we have collections that contain general information on many other Native American tribes and their heritage. Our first collection donated to us with this focus was the Ferdinand Bach Collection of Native American Materials. As described by Ferdinand Bach III, the donor of this collection, “a major focus of this collection is on the Old Northwest Territory and the Woodland cultures of the Native Americans of that region.” 

Fine arts can be expressions of culture. The Native American Women Playwright Archive is just that. This archive is a collection of original materials by Native women playwrights of the Americas. It includes manuscripts and plays as well as production materials such as programs, posters, flyers, photographs, correspondence, articles, and audio-visual materials. The collection features the works of various Native American women playwrights, including Diane Glancy, Judy Lee Oliva, Hortensia and Elvira Colorado, Victoria Kneubuhl, and many others. Many of the plays found in the archive are unpublished and available only in manuscript form. This is quite the opportunity for our researchers to view one-of-a-kind materials that allow them to see Native American cultures and histories artistically compared to the many books we have containing research or personal accounts of Native Americans and their respective cultures. We are honored to be the repository for Spiderwoman Theater, the country’s longest-running women’s performance group.

50 years of partnership is such an important milestone. It demonstrates the dedication and commitment that both the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University have to a common goal of neepwaantiinki, “learning from each other”. The Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives will continue to be a space of learning and research about all cultures for all cultures. To view any of the above-mentioned collections or our other collections, feel free to visit us Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Appointments are very much appreciated but are not required. 

Ohio Archives Month Comes to a Close

Thank you to all who attended our second lecture last week!

We are partnering with the Miami University Alumni Association to present
our final lectures next week for Ohio Archives Month.

Image of E.W. Scripps. Courtesy of Miami University Alumni Association.

Our lecture on Monday, Oct. 24th at noon will be given by Suzanne R. Kunkel, former Executive Director of Scripps Gerontology Center, and is titled “The E.W. Scripps Legacy – 100 Years of Research Excellence” and will cover the 100-year history of The Scripps Foundation on campus. We welcome in-person and virtual attendance as this lecture will be conducted in a hybrid format. This lecture will be held in King Library in room 320. Registration is required for our virtual attendees. Please register at: https://alumlc.org/miamioh/23121

Image of Rick Ludwin. Courtesy of Miami University Alumni Association.

Our lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 26th at noon will be given by Candace Pine, Rare Books and Manuscripts Librarian for Miami University. Her lecture is titled “From Studio 14 to Seinfeld – Rick Ludwin’s Journey from Miami University to NBC”. Registration is required as this is a virtual presentation. Please register here to attend:  https://alumlc.org/miamioh/22835

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Annual Ohio Archives Month Lectures Continues


Flyer for second Ohio Archives Month lecture. Courtesy of Shawn Vanness, Miami University Libraries Communications.

Thank you to all who attended our first lecture last week! The panelists shared helpful information and answered many questions from our attendees.

Our second lecture, “Archiving Oxford’s WWII History” featuring Brad Spurlock, Manager of Smith Library of Regional History & Cummins Local History Room, is on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 12 PM EST. We welcome in-person and virtual attendance as this lecture will be conducted in a hybrid format. This lecture will be held in King Library in room 320. Registration is required for our virtual attendees. Please register at: http://bit.ly/archiving-history.

Mark your calendars for October 24, 2022, for our third lecture, “Miami Presents: 100 Years of Research Excellence” featuring Suzanne R. Kunkel, Executive Director of Scripps Gerontology Center for Miami University. Our fourth lecture, “Miami Presents: From Studio 14 to Seinfeld” features Candace Pine, Rare Books and Manuscripts Librarian for Miami University, is set for October 26, 2022. Registration and location information will be provided during the week of October 17, 2022, for these lectures.

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Annual Ohio Archives Month Lectures Return

Caption: Flyer for first Ohio Archives Month lecture.
Flyer for first Ohio Archives Month lecture. Courtesy of Shawn Vanness, Miami University Libraries Communications.

Happy Ohio Archives Month!

To celebrate, the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives are happy to announce that we have a series of four lectures planned for October.

Our first lecture, “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Electronic Records Day Webinar”, will be presented by Lori Ashley and Robin Heise. Lori is a Representative for Preservica, a company that provides software to organizations, companies, and government bodies to preserve their digital documents. Robin is the Ohio Records Manager and Archivist for Greene County, where they house over 30 types of records from newsletters to reports. In the age of materials being digitally born and digitized, libraries and archives have been researching digital preservation methods and tools. Pari J. Swift, the University Records Manager for The Ohio State University, will be moderating this discussion. Please join us on Monday, October 10, 2022, at noon EST when Lori and Robin discuss how to not only manage these digital files but to also preserve them for years to come. For more information on this topic, feel free to view a blog post on Preservica’s website which can be found here: https://preservica.com/blog/document-management-vs-digital-preservation.
Please register at: http://bit.ly/here-today-gone-tomorrow. Registration is required to attend.

Our following lecture, “Archiving Oxford’s WWII History” featuring Brad Spurlock, Manager of Smith Library of Regional History & Cummins Local History Room, is on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at noon EST. We welcome in-person and virtual attendance as this lecture will be conducted in a hybrid format. This lecture will be held in King Library in room 320. Registration is required for our virtual attendees. Please register at: http://bit.ly/archiving-history. More information will be provided during the week of October 10, 2022.

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