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Colman and Pierce families papers, 1872-1990

Overview of the Collection

Collector
Colman family ; ; Pierce family
Title
Colman and Pierce families papers
Dates
1872-1990 (inclusive)
1900-1950 (bulk)
Quantity
5 boxes, (1.91 cubic feet)
Collection Number
2007.39 (accession)
Summary
Photographs, albums, and ephemera related to the Colman and Pierce families of West Seattle, as well as oral histories and photocopies compiled while researching family history
Repository
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library

P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public by appointment.

Languages
English.
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Biographical Note

The Colman and Pierce families were among the earliest settlers of the Fauntleroy neighborhood in West Seattle, and were very active in area’s development. Laurence and Ida Colman were the first members of the family to settle in Fauntleroy and were particularly involved in the community, along with their children. Laurence’s father, James M. Colman, was born in Scotland in 1832 and came to the U.S. in 1854, arriving in Seattle in 1861. He was involved in the timber, mill, and shipping industries. In 1872, once he was well established in Seattle, he brought his family from Wisconsin to live with him. He and his wife Agnes had two sons, Laurence (born in 1859) and George.

Laurence and James became intrigued with Fauntleroy in 1906 while looking for a place to build a summer cottage for the family; they bought 17 acres of land there that year, which would become the Colman-Pierce property “Laurentide.” Following James’s death in late 1906, Laurence built a home on the property and moved there with his wife, Ida, and their children Agnes, Kenneth, Katharine and Isabel in 1907. Laurence’s concern for youth development led him to set up vocational and carpentry classes for local boys; he and Ida were also involved with Sunday school programs at Fauntleroy Community Church. In 1914 he built a camp on his Horsehead Bay property and began taking local children there in the summer of 1915. Also in 1914, Laurence was one of the founders of the Fauntleroy YMCA Community Center, which became a formal YMCA branch in 1924. The Horsehead Bay camp later became the YMCA’s Camp Colman (the Colman family also donated the property for the YMCA’s Camp Orkila on Orcas Island).

Laurence and Ida’s daughter Isabel, born in Seattle in 1902, attended Oberlin College and the University of Washington and received a B.S. in Math and an M.S. in Chemistry before marrying Lawrence Pierce in 1929. Pierce came to Seattle from Massachusetts in 1926 and worked for various companies including Puget Sound Power and Light and the J.M. Colman Company. Lawrence and Isabel lived in Fauntleroy except for four years while Lawrence served as the first State Treasurer of the Unemployment Compensation Division. Back in Fauntleroy, Isabel served on the boards of a number of community and charitable organizations, including the YWCA, the Ruth School for Girls, and the Women’s University Club. The Pierces had five children, including John Pierce who still lives in Fauntleroy with his wife Leilia.

(Adapted from Fauntleroy Legacy by Roy W. Morse and E. Richard Brown)

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Content Description

This collection contains family papers, photographs and albums kept by members of the Colman and Pierce families. The photographs and albums depict family members, homes, and scenery. The papers include clippings, flyers, wedding invitations, and programs. In addition to these family documents, the collection also includes materials assembled from the two families' collections by a group researching Fauntleroy’s history, as well as oral history interviews conducted by another group researching the Colman and Pierce families.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format by clicking on the camera icons in the inventory below.

Restrictions on Use

The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum 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

Colman and Pierce families papers, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged into five series:

  • Photographs
  • Photograph albums
  • Research materials
  • Books
  • Ephemera

Location of Collection

3a.4.4

Acquisition Information

Gift of John and Leilia Pierce, June 6, 2007.

Processing Note

Processed by Madeleine Mundt.

Two binders of research materials assembled by E. Richard Brown were disassembled for preservation purposes. Original materials were removed from the binders and placed with other original family documents and clippings in an attempt to restore perceived original order. Photocopies were kept in the order created by Brown and placed in folders with other research materials.

Separated Materials

These materials are part of a donation that also included a number of artifacts. These artifacts are cataloged and stored separately by MOHAI's Collections Department.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

  • Photographs, circa 1890s-1948

    86 photographs

    Items 1 through 30 are negatives; viewing prints are available for five of these. Items .31 through .78 are original prints.

  • Photograph albums, circa 1887-1900

    • Description: .127: “Among the Islands” photograph album
      13 photographs

      Images of small steamship Latona and individuals boating and camping.

      Dates: 1887
      Container: Box/Folder 3/1
      Location: Photograph albums, circa 1887-1900
    • Description: .128: Family album
      36 photographs

      Images of family members enjoying outdoor recreational activities.

      Dates: 1900
      Container: Box/Folder 3/2
      Location: Photograph albums, circa 1887-1900
    • Description: .129: Album
      14 photographs

      Images of people hiking and scenic views.

      Dates: circa 1900
      Container: Box/Folder 3/3
      Location: Photograph albums, circa 1887-1900

  • Research materials, 1913-1988

    Photocopied original materials and oral histories assembled by Roy W. Morse and E. Richard Brown, Judy Boynton and Marge Sacre. Binders compiled by E. Richard Brown

    • Description: .130: Colman family tree

      2 copies

      Dates: undated
      Container: Box/Folder 4/1
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .83 : Article on Colman recognition dinner
      Dates: 1979
      Container: Box/Folder 4/2
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .84 : Articles related to James Murray Colman
      8 articles
      Dates: 1913-1984
      Container: Box/Folder 4/3-10
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .85 : Articles and photographs related to Laurence Colman
      6 articles and 5 photographs
      Dates: 1914-1982
      Container: Box/Folder 4/11-21
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .86 : Reproductions of hand-colored postcards of Colman Dock
      Dates: undated
      Container: Box/Folder 4/22
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .87 : Article on the Colman Building
      Dates: 1971
      Container: Box/Folder 4/23
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .88 : Articles related to Kenneth Burwell Colman

      4 articles and 1 reproduced newspaper photograph

      Dates: 1942-1982
      Container: Box/Folder 4/24-28
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .89 : Article and documents related to Isabel Susan Colman-Pierce

      Wedding guest lists and 1 article.

      Dates: 1929-1982
      Container: Box/Folder 4/29-31
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .90 : YMCA description of the Isabel Colman Pierce award
      Dates: 1988
      Container: Box/Folder 4/32
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .91 : Materials related to Lawrence Jonathan Pierce

      Resume and article

      Dates: 1976
      Container: Box/Folder 4/33-34
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .92 : Photograph of boys diving
      Dates: undated
      Container: Box/Folder 4/35
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .93 : Photocopies of newspaper clippings
      16 photocopies
      Dates: 1934-1985
      Container: Box/Folder 4/36
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .94 : “The Colman Family” binder

      Divided into 11 sections: The Colman Family; James M. Colman, Laurence J. Colman; George A. Colman; Kenneth B. Colman; Isabel Colman Pierce, Lawrence J. Pierce; John H. Pierce M.D.; Katherine Colman Triangle; Newspaper Articles; and the Seabeck Story.

      Dates: 1986
      Container: Box/Folder 4
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988
    • Description: .95 : “Memories of Laurence J. Colman” binder

      Transcripts of oral history interviews, conducted by Judy Boynton, with individuals reminiscing about Laurence J. Colman. Includes transcripts of interviews with Dr. Warren E. Calvin (March 1968); Joshua Green (April 1968); Ruth and Robert Hamlin (March 1969); and Walter Wyckoff (April 1969).

      Dates: 1968-1969
      Container: Box/Folder 4
      Location: Research materials, 1913-1988

  • Books,

    • Description: .96: Laurence J. Colman’s monogrammed dictionary

      Leather cover embossed with image titled “Pacific Creosoting Company Plant”

      Dates: 1929
      Container: Box/Folder 5/1
      Location: Books,
    • Description: .97: Reminiscences and Reflections,1900-1990 by Lawrence J. Pierce

      Autographed

      Dates: 1990
      Container: Box/Folder 5/2
      Location: Books,
    • Description: .98: Laurence Colman and Ida Burwell wedding book
      Dates: 1892
      Container: Box/Folder 5/3
      Location: Books,
    • Description: .99: Account book
      Dates: 1872-1873
      Container: Box/Folder 5/4
      Location: Books,

  • Ephemera,

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Colman, Ida Burwell, 1863-1947
  • Colman, Kenneth Burwell, 1896-1982
  • Colman family--Archives
  • Colman, Laurence James, 1859-1935
  • Pierce family--Archives
  • Pierce, Isabel Colman, 1902-1982
  • Pierce, Lawrence J., 1900-

Geographical Names

  • Fauntleroy (Seattle, Wash.) (subject )
  • West Seattle (Seattle, Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photograph albums
  • Photographic prints

Finding aid prepared by Madeline Mundt
2009

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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