William Henry Gorrill papers

The William Henry Gorrill Papers are an extremely valuable resource which provide documentation on Wood County, the legal profession, travels through the West, and life on the west coast during the 1850s through the mid 1870s. William Henry was a prolific and witty writer as well as a keen observer of both human nature and the physical environment. Perhaps because of his failing health, he lived each day to the fullest he could and richly documented, through his letters and diaries, all of his activities.

William Henry Gorrill's correspondence comprises the bulk of this collection, with the largest series being his letters to Addie Walker Gorrill, 1865-1874. In these letters he discusses his daily life, political views, court cases, his trip west and settlement in California, the establishment of the Pacific Bridge Company, and his courtship of Addie and subsequent marriage. He also writes extensively and on similar topics to his brother Charles (1870-1872), his sister Jennie (1865-1871), and the wife of his law partner, Sarah Bissell (1869-1873). More scattered correspondence exists between Addie and other family members, and Charles Gorrill with his sisters and brothers.

Located both with the correspondence and in the clipping scrapbooks are the published letters William H. wrote while traveling west in 1869. These letters provide detailed observations of his trip, including various means of transportation he utilized, descriptions of the land, the climate, and the various communities through which he passed, and his views of the settlers, emigrants, and the Indians. Of interest to note is that both his public and private views are available to the researcher through this extensive correspondence.

Adding still more observations and detail to the information located within his letters, are the entries in his diaries, which date from 1867 to 1870, and 1874. Although sometimes difficult to read, his entries provide details similar to those documented in his letters as well as the prices of various commodities. Occasionally he draws pictures in the diaries; especially true within the 1869 diary documenting the trip west.

Also included in this collection are photographs of the Gorrill family and various relatives; scrapbooks in which he kept clippings from local newspapers (mostly poems and humorous items); a few of his legal writings and a July 4, 1865 speech given at Bowling Green, Ohio; and legal papers from his estate as well as that of Lewis Walker.

Photocopies of most of the letters and diaries have been made to enhance the legibility of the writing.