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Barker-Adair family papers, 1762-1967

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Barker-Adair family
Title
Barker-Adair family papers
Dates
1762-1967 (inclusive)
1847-1933 (bulk)
Quantity
4.5 cubic feet (10 document cases, 1 oversize folder, 1 reel microfilm)
Collection Number
Mss 1131
Summary
Papers of the families of William Morris Barker (1854-1901), Episcopal bishop of Olympia, Washington; his wife, Laura Adair Barker (1854-1935), who lived in Portland, Oregon, in her later years; George R. and Anna Morris Barker, parents of William M. Barker who lived in Germantown, Pennsylvania; and other family members. Includes extensive diaries of Laura Adair Barker; correspondence of William Morris Barker; correspondence of George R. Barker, mostly related to the Collegiate Institute of Germantown, Pennsylvania; notebooks; and scrapbooks.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

William Morris Barker served as the Episcopal Bishop of Olympia, Washington, from 1894 to until his death in 1901. Born in Pennsylvania in 1854, he was the nephew of Benjamin Wistar Morris (1819-1906), pioneer Oregon churchman and founder of Portland's Bishop Scott Academy and Good Samaritan Hospital. Barker's parents were George R. Barker (1823-1880), principal of the Collegiate Institute of Germantown, Pennsylvania, and Anna Ellis Morris Barker (1827-1909). William Morris Barker was educated at Berkeley Divinity School in Middletown, Connecticut (now part of Yale University), served as the rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Duluth, Minnesota, and in 1893 was appointed Bishop of Western Colorado. The following year he became Missionary Bishop of Olympia, Washington. He suffered from heart disease most of his life and died suddenly in 1901 at the age of 46.

In 1892 William Morris Barker married Laura Pindell Adair (1854-1935). She was a native of Astoria, Oregon and the daughter of pioneers John Adair (1808-1888) and Mary Ann Dickinson Adair (1816-1893). John Adair came to Oregon with his family in 1849 and served as the first U.S. inspector of customs at Astoria. His daughter Laura Pindell Adair Barker moved to Portland after her husband's death in 1901, and there she raised her two daughters in a house at 3407 NW Thurman Street. Her daughter Anna Ellis Barker (1894-1967) married Alfred F. Parker, an insurance agent in Portland, and they lived in the Thurman Street house until 1944.

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Content Description

Most of the materials in the collection relate to William Morris Barker, his parents George R. Barker and Anna Ellis Morris Barker, and his wife Laura Adair Barker. The George R. Barker materials include correspondence and other papers relating to the Collegiate Institute of Germantown, Pennsylvania; and papers regarding his invention of a heating duct system. George's wife, Anna Barker, is represented by a substantial file of correspondence, including many letters written to her husband from Pennsylvania, with local news and family events.

The William Morris Barker materials include letters sent to him, relating primarily to church affairs, and letters to his wife and family. There is a small file of correspondence of Barker's father-in-law, John Adair, including a letter of 1854 from John Withers, written from Yoncalla and describing local and regional conditions. Two diaries of John's wife, Mary Ann Dickinson Adair, date from 1872 and 1883-1884 and provide details of her daily life in Astoria, Oregon. Also included is her short diary, written 1848-1849, describing her voyage from New Orleans to California via Panama. Letters written by Edward Wistar Barker, brother of William Morris Barker, 1880-1893, give a lively narrative of his life and adventures in Duluth, Minnesota. Of particular interest is a large collection of diaries of Laura Adair Barker, dating from 1868 to 1907, and containing well-written entries about her activities and thoughts, some written while she was a student at St. Helen's Hall in Portland. A diary of 1915-1916 contains entries of both Laura Barker and her daughter Anna.

The collection also includes biographical and genealogical information on the Barker, Adair, Morris, Dickinson, and related families, as well a small amounts of material relating to Ellen M. Booth, Samuel Booth, Charles Breck, Mary L. Ferguson, John Guernsey, S. M. Guernsey, Abel Gunn, Anna Holstein, Daniel Hoyt, Mary W. Lourey, Mary Palmer, Sophie G. Putnam, and Mary Rodney.

The microfilm contains Adair family reminiscences, genealogy and letters compiled by Lorna P. Adair Barker.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

A typescript transcription of the short diary of Mary Ann Dickinson Adair, 1848-1849, is available on Microfilm Mss1131, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any publication use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Barker-Adair family papers, Mss1131, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series A: Barker and Morris family papers, 1762-1906
  • Series B: Adair and related family papers, 1848-1967

Acquisition Information

The collection was probably a gift of Anna Ellis Barker Parker.

Related Materials

Photographs of members of the Barker family can be found in file 0085 in the Subject Photo Files, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Location of Originals

Originals of microfilmed materials in private possession.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bishops--Washington (State)--Biography.
  • Clergy--Washington (State)--Biography.
  • Education--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--History.
  • Episcopal Church--United States--History.
  • Voyages to the Pacific coast--Personal narratives.
  • Women--Oregon--Diaries.

Personal Names

  • Adair, John, General, 1808-1888.
  • Adair, Mary Dickinson, 1816-1893.
  • Barker, Anna Morris, 1827-1909--Correspondence. (creator)
  • Barker, Edward Wistar--Correspondence. (creator)
  • Barker, George R., 1823-1880--Correspondence. (creator)
  • Barker, Laura Adair. (creator)
  • Barker, William Morris. (creator)
  • Morris, Benjamin Wistar, 1819-1906.
  • Parker, Anna Barker, 1894-1967. (creator)

Corporate Names

  • Collegiate Institute (Germantown, Philadephia, Pa.)--History.
  • St. Helen's Hall (Portland, Or.)--History.

Family Names

  • Adair family.
  • Barker family.
  • Barker-Adair family.
  • Dickinson family.
  • Morris family.

Geographical Names

  • Astoria (Or.)--History.
  • Duluth (Minn.)--History.
  • Germantown (Philadelphia, Pa.)--History.
  • Olympia (Wash.)--History.
  • Portland (Or.)--History.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries
  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Scrapbooks

Finding aid compiled by Geoffrey B. Wexler
2006

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