MS 151 - Bertha M. Carter Papers - Hood/Pargellis Families
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| Title | MS 151 - Bertha M. Carter Papers - Hood/Pargellis Families |
|---|---|
| Subject | Civil War |
| Introduction | The Bertha M. Carter Papers were donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Mrs. Bertha Carter in July 1980. Additional donations were made in September 1985 and August 1991. The Papers are divided into three main family collections; the Hood family, the Pargellis family, and the Carter family. The Pargellis and Carter families are related, but there are no direct ties between them and the Hood family. All the families lived and farmed in the Hull Prairie area of Wood County, Ohio. Alexander Pargellis inherited the Hood family papers when the last Hood family member, John Hood, died in 1905. Mrs. Carter is the granddaughter of Robert Pargellis. The Hood family papers date inclusively from 1818-1911 and includes correspondence, diaries, legal and financial papers, all documenting the farming and business interests of the Hood family. The Pargellis family papers date inclusively from 1819-1943 and includes extensive correspondence, legal and financial papers, photographs and printed items. These papers include some church records, organizational records, and township records maintained by the Hood or Pargellis family members, who usually were founding members of the organizations or township officials. The Carter family papers date from around 1900 through 1945, primarily dealing with the activities of J. Richard Carter, brother of Earnest W. Carter, who married Bertha Carter. No restrictions exist on the research use of these papers. The Collection was processed by Ira Daly, graduate assistant, in 1981, and the register prepared by Ann Bowers, Assistant Director and University Archivist, in 1985, with additions by Marilyn Levinson, Curator of Manuscripts, in 1991. |
| Biographical Sketch | Henry Hood and his wife, Elizabeth (Douglas) Hood, emigrated from Edinburgh, Scotland to the United States, in 1832, and directly settled at Hull Prairie, Wood County, Ohio. The Hood's had seven children: James, George, Henry, William, Thomas, Jane, and John. All died without heirs; thus the family papers were inherited by Alexander Pargellis upon the death of John Hood in 1905. Henry Hood and his children successfully developed and farmed land in Hull Prairie and also assisted in the development of the area, specifically the local school and the appropriately named, Hood Presbyterian Church. Andrew Pargellis, Sr. was a stationer in Glasgow, Scotland at the time he decided to bring his family to the United States in 1843. Andrew, his wife, Elizabeth (Wright) Pargellis, and children also settled in the vicinity of Hull Prairie, Wood County, Ohio. The couple had seven children: Alexander, Andrew Jr., Duncan, who died as a child, Oswald, Margaret, Robert, and another who died in infancy. Robert married Emily Crook and one of their daughters, Margaret, married Leslie F. Robertson. One of the children of Margaret and Leslie is Bertha Carter. The Pargellis family farmed in the Hull Prairie area and assisted in the development of Middleton Township schools, churches, and local organizations. Richard Carter, one of nine children of Reuben and Bennett Carter, was born in Kent, England in 1816. After a brief career as a sailor, Richard Carter and his wife Nancy also settled in the Hull Prairie area of Wood County, arriving in the area around 1845, along with a brother, Edward. The Carter Family consisted of children Bennett C., Franklin F., Darius B., Samuel F., Caroline H., Lovina, Nancy T., George R., and Mabel. Samuel F. was married to Mary Fox Carter. Among their children were sons John Richard and Earnest W. (who married Bertha Carter). |
| Scope and Content | The Bertha M. Carter Papers are subdivided into three categories: the papers of the Hood Family, the papers of the Pargellis Family, and the Carter Family papers. Included with the collection are manuscript and public records documenting the activities of these three families. The Hood Family Papers present a sketchy portrait of two generations of one family. The correspondence (1836-1867) largely pertains to the European trip of George Hood and farm business. Of interest are the travel journals; one maintained by Henry Hood in 1832 and he searched for an area in which to settle, and the others maintained by George Hood as he traveled throughout Europe, Egypt, and parts of Africa. Also of interest are diaries (1882-1904) maintained probably by John Hood, which document daily weather conditions. Also included in the papers are legal documents such as land records and citizenship papers, and account books and ledger sheets document the farming interests. The Pargellis Family Papers are much more extensive, especially the correspondence, which dates from 1827-1938. The correspondence is arranged by the name of the person receiving the letters and then by the name of the correspondent. This correspondence generally details family events and the farm business in Wood County. Of interest is correspondence to Andrew Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth, documenting their preparation for their trip to the United States and their settling in Wood County. Correspondence to Alexander (Co. K, 49th O.V.I.) and Robert (Co. C, 21st O.V.I.) documents their military service during the Civil War. Later correspondence to Alexander and Margaret describes their business dealings in Florida, where they owned grapefruit and orange groves. A few diary entries also document Andrew Sr.'s trip to the United States and the Civil War experience of Co. H, First Ohio Militia of Middleton Township. Legal documents include citizenship papers, land records, and Civil War pension and discharge papers. The account books document the stationer business of Andrew Sr. while in Scotland and also the farm business in Hull Prairie. The section of Pargellis Papers also includes public records and manuscript items which document the Pargellis and Hood family members' participation in the development of Middleton Township, Hull Prairie, and Wood County, Ohio. Middleton Township school records and account books date from 1842-1885. The records of the Hood Presbyterian Church, 1860-1907, reflect the interest and monetary assistance of Henry Hood, Sr. Various agricultural and educational organizations are reflective of the interests of both the Hood and Pargellis families and include the McKinley Club, the Garfield Club, Temperance Unions, the Lyceum, and the Grange. Printed material, newsclippings, and photographs complete the Pargellis Family Papers. The Carter Family Papers form the final component of the collection. Representing two generations of the Carter Family, the material spans the period from the early 1900's through 1945. The bulk of the collection concerns the life and activities of John Richard Carter, an electrical engineer, who worked for the Isthmian Canal Commission at Gatun, Canal Zone, and served during World War I with Co. F, 37th Engineers. His correspondence includes a series of letters written from Gatun during 1914, describing work testing new water power houses for the Canal and general life in the tropics. During military service, he sent numerous postcards depicting army life at Camp Sheridan, near Montgomery, Alabama, as well as scenes around Europe. Returning to the United States in 1919, Carter died aboard ship, two days before landing. Several items in the collection, including an obituary, card of thanks, and newsclipping, reflect the tragic end of his life. The remaining items are connected to Earnest W. Carter, the other son of Samuel Carter. Also serving in Europe during the war, his papers include a series of postcards, a family photograph album, and an article about the oil and gas industry in Wood County. |
| Series Description | HOOD FAMILY PAPERS HOOD FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE HOOD FAMILY HISTORY SERMON/SPEECH TRAVEL JOURNALS WEATHER DIARIES LAND RECORDS CITIZENSHIP PAPERS LEGAL PAPERS-MISCELLANEOUS ACCOUNT BOOKS ACCOUNT SHEETS RECEIPTS PARGELLIS FAMILY PAPERS PARGELLIS FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION DIARIES WILL MISCELLANEOUS LEGAL DOCUMENTS ACCOUNT BOOKS/SHEETS RECEIPTS-PARGELLIS FAMILY ASSESSMENT LIST-MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIALS NEWSCLIPPINGS ESSAYS GENEALOGIES MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS CITIZENSHIP PAPERS MILITARY PAPERS CERTIFICATES LAND RECORDS PRINTED MATERIAL - PARGELLIS FAMILY POSTCARDS LITHOGRAPHS PHOTOGRAPH ALBUMS/PHOTOGRAPHS MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP RECORDS HOOD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH METHODIST CHURCH MCKINLEY CLUB MIDDLETON LYCEUM MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP FARMERS CLUB MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP GARFIELD CLUB HULL PRAIRIE ASSOCIATION #2274 HUSBANDS OF INDUSTRY HULL PRAIRIE #746 GRANGE WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF HOOD CHURCH WOOD COUNTY FARMERS MUTUAL PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION YOUNG MEN'S TEMPERANCE UNION OF HOOD CHURCH CARTER FAMILY PAPERS CORRESPONDENCE - EARNEST W. CARTER CORRESPONDENCE - J. RICHARD CARTER CORRESPONDENCE - CONDOLENCE LETTERS CORRESPONDENCE - ANNE ROBERTSON CORRESPONDENCE - MISCELLANEOUS MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS HANNAH E. BASHARE ESTATE PAPERS SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIALS NEWSCLIPPINGS ARTICLES ARTICLES BROADSIDE CALENDARS CERTIFICATES PAMPHLETS PAMPHLETS PAMPHLETS POSTCARDS PHOTOGRAPHS - LOOSE PHOTOGRAPH ALBUMS PHOTOGRAPHS - PANORAMAS AND OVERSIZE |
| Inventory | Box 1: Hood Family Correspondence Folder
Box 2: Hood Family Literary Productions, Legal Documents Folder
Box 3: Hood Family Financial Documents, Folder
Box 4: Pargellis Family Correspondence FolderCorrespondence to Andrew Pargellis, Sr.
Box 5: Correspondence to Andrew, Jr. and Margaret Pargellis, Robert Pargellis Folder
Box 6: Correspondence Folder
Box 7: Pargellis Family Literary Productions, Legal Documents Folder
Box 8: Pargellis Family Financial Documents Folder
Box 9: Pargellis Family Financial Documents, Scrapbook Materials, Printed Material, Photographs Folder
Box 10: Pargellis Family Photographs Folder
Box 11: Pargellis Family Local Government Records, Manuscript Material FolderLocal Government Records
Box 12: Carter Family Correspondence, Literary Productions, Legal Documents, Scrapbook Material, Printed Material, Photographs Folder
Oversize Material
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