Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Kuykendall Family Collection, circa 1850-2005
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Kuykenall Family
- Title
- Kuykendall Family Collection
- Dates
- circa
1850-2005 (inclusive)18502005
circa 1880-1950 (bulk)18801950 - Quantity
- 3.5 cubic feet, (6 document cases, 2 flat boxes)
- Collection Number
- Coll 161
- Summary
- Papers, photographs, ephemera, and genealogical materials of the Kuykendall family of Eugene and Portland, Oregon. Also contains materials of related families, including the Hemenway family of Eugene, and the Hale family of Portland. Includes 1874 diary of John Kuykendall while working on the Klamath Indian reservation; his1876 diary when living in Santa Rosa, California; and papers and photographs of Helene Kuykendall Deadman.
- 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
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
The Kuykendall Family Collection consists primarily of the papers of Dr. William K. Kuykendall, born in Wilbur, Oregon in 1855, the son of John and Malinda (Stark) Kuykendall. John Kuykendall (1820-1895) was born in Indiana and was a carpenter by trade. He brought his family overland to Oregon in 1852, traveling with his brother George. He worked for the Federal Government in various Indian agencies, including the Klamath Agency around 1874. In 1876 he lived for a time in Santa Rosa, California. He and his wife Malinda had nine children and eventually settled in Drain, Oregon, in 1883.
John and Melinda's son William K. Kuykendall, a physician, graduated from the Cooper Medical College, San Francisco. He began his practice in Drain, Oregon in 1878 and continued there until 1888 when he moved to Eugene and practiced there for the next forty-six years. In 1876, he married Mary Ada Alysom with whom he had eight children. In addition to medicine, Dr. Kuykendall was the mayor of Eugene in 1898 when he was elected to the Oregon State Senate where he served for nine years, 1898-1906. As an Oregon State Senator, he introduced the first bill establishing high schools in the state. In 1897, he founded the first hospital in Eugene, and with a group of physicians he founded the Eugene Hospital and Clinic in 1922.
Among the children of William K. and Mary Kuykendall was William Alysom Kuykendall (1877-1960) a druggist in Eugene and later in Portland. In 1898 he married Abigail (Abbie) Hemenway, a member of a large Eugene family. They had two daughers, Jean Alysom Kuykendall (b. 1911), who worked as a nurse in Portland; and Helene Kuykendall Deadman (1899-1998), who graduated from the University of Oregon in 1922 and married William Webster Deadman. Other children of William K. and Mary Kuykendall were: Delmon Vernon (1878 -1952) a judge in Klamath Falls; Sybil (b. 1880) who married Robert Smith, a Portland banker; Nellie (1882-1884); John Eberle (1885-1919) who practiced medicine in Eugene with his father until World War I, when he served in the Ninety First Division and died in France; Mabel (1886-1978), who married to R. Dell McCarty, a grocer in Portland; Robert (1891-1930), a lawyer in Klamath Falls; and Ada (1893-1898). Among the family of Abigail Hemenway Kuykendall was her sister Ida, who married Frank B. Hale, who worked for the water department of the City of Portland.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Kuykendall Family Collection includes correspondence, photographs, and ephemera from several branches of the family. The bulk of the materials relate to Dr. William K. Kuykendall, his son William Alysom Kuykendall, and William A. Kuykendall's daughter Helene Kuykendall Deadman. Also prominent in the collection are photographs and papers related to the Hemenway family. Of note is a transcript of an 1874 diary of John Kuykendall, written while working on the Klamath Indian reservation; and his original 1876 diary, written while living in Santa Rosa, California. There are also photographs of the Kuykendall house and property in Santa Rosa. There is a set of photographs relating to the Bull Run Dam, circa 1927, collected by Frank B. Hale, who worked for the Portland water bureau. Helen Kuykendall Deadman's materials include photographs and memorabilia from her years at the University of Oregon in Eugene, 1918-1922. There is also a set of photographs taken of soldiers departing Eugene for service in World War I, 1917. Also among the photographs is a set of cabinet cards of family members dating from the late 19th century. Among the family ephemera is a broadside in German, 1918, stating the allied peace terms at the conclusion of World War I. This was probably collected by John Eberle Kuykendall during his service in France.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
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 prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
Kuykendall Family Collection, Coll 161, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is divided between papers and photographs, although the "Family history notebook" contains photographs in addition to letters, clippings, and genealogies. The collection contains the following series:
- Series A: Family history materials, 1860-1898
- Series B: Papers of individual family members, 1874-1982
- Series C: Photographs, 1870-2005
- Series D: Books, circa 1850-1881
Custodial History
Most of the materials in the collection were passed down from Helene Kuykendall Deadman to her son William Webster Deadman, and hence to the Hale family, who donated them to the Oregon Historical Society.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 2006, Library Accession 26074.
Separated Materials
Artifacts belonging to the collection are housed in the Artifacts Collection of the Oregon Historical Society. These include: 8 linens, 1 quilt, 1 coverlet, lace and clothing items, 1 rose plate, 2 doll dresses, 1 medicine box, 1 glass tube, 2 trunks from the Oregon Trail in 1852, 1 bottle of log cabin sarsparilla, 1 snuff box, 1 cup from the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, 1 ticket to the Exposition, and World War I insignia.
Photographic negatives (both cellulose and glass) are stored in photographic negative storage area, Oregon Historical Society; daguerreotype, possibly of John and Melinda Kuykendall, stored in daguerreotype storage area, Oregon Historical Society.
Six additional pictures of members of the Kuykendall family can be found in Org. Lot 238, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series A: Family history materials, circa 1860-1998Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Genealogy of the Kuykendall family |
undated |
| 1/2-1/4 | Family history notebook
Includes genealogies, photographs, ephemera, letters, and
clippings. Photographs of Kuykendall house in Santa Rosa, California, circa
1876, included.
|
circa 1860-1998 |
| 1/5 | Ephemera and general materials |
circa 1898-1980 |
| 1/6 | Clippings |
circa 1902-1934 |
Series B: Papers of individual family members, 1874-1982Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 8/4 | Certificates |
circa 1900-1925 |
Helen Kuykendall Deadman |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/1 | Certificates and ephemera |
circa 1899-1945 |
| 2/2 | Correspondence |
circa 1910-1977 |
| 2/3 | Clippings |
circa 1899-1976 |
| 2/4 | Composition and scrapbook |
circa 1900-1920 |
| 7/1 | Drawings and prints
Possibly the work of Helene K. Deadman
|
circa 1925-1930 |
| 8/1 | Drawings (2) and commercial print |
circa 1928 |
| 2/5 | University of Oregon materials
See also additional University of Oregon materials in
"Photographs" series
|
1896-1982 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/6 | John Kuykendall diary from Klamath Agency (typed
transcript) |
1874 |
| 2/7 | John Kuykendall diary, Santa Rosa, Calif.
(original) |
1876 |
| 8/5 | Plans of house, West 10th Street, Eugene |
undated |
| 2/8 | William K. Kuykendall--Clippings, photographs,
ephemera |
circa 1902-1935 |
| 2/9 | William K. Kuykendall--Correspondence |
1884-1919 |
| 2/10 | William Alysom Kuykendall and Abigail Hemenway
Kuykendall--Correspondence and ephemera |
1898-1960 |
Series C: Photographs, circa 1850-2005Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
General family photographs |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 8/3 | Hemenway family group |
circa 1891 |
| 3/1-3/2 | Kuykendall Family photograph album (mostly
cabinet photographs)
Removed from original album, with corresponding page
numbers written on backs of photographs. Includes one later image, of Helene
Kuykendall, taken around 1900. Original album in box 6.
|
circa 1870-1890; 1900 |
| 3/3-3/4 | Kuykendall family album--Original
photographs
Pictures were removed from original album, which was
badly deteriorated at time of acquisition. Original order of photographs was
recorded in photocopies prior to disassembly.
|
circa 1870-1960 |
| 3/5 | Kuykendall family album--Photocopies of original
order of images |
circa 1870-1960 |
Photographs of individual family members |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/6 | Abigail Hemenway Kuykendall |
circa 1890-1898 |
| 3/7 | Frank Hale--Photographs of Bull Run Dam
construction and related images |
circa 1927 |
Helen Kuykendall Deadman photographs |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/1 | General photographs |
circa 1904-1937 |
| 4/2 | Photograph album |
circa 1910-1915 |
| 4/3 | Helene Deadman and her son Webster at the
Taj Majal |
1984 |
| 4/4 | University of Oregon photographs |
circa 1918-1922 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/5 | Ida Hemenway (possibly) |
circa 1890 |
| 4/6 | Jean Alysom Kuykendall |
circa 1912-1914 |
| Daguerreoptype storage | John and Melinda Kuykendall
(possibly) |
circa 1850 |
| 4/7 | Mabel Kuykendall McCarty |
circa 1910 |
| 4/8 | William Webster Deadman |
circa 1940-1955 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 8/2 | Oversize photographs
Includes: William A. Kuykendall with high school team, 1895;
William A. Kuykendall in university group, circa 1900; Abigail Hemenway (?) in
graduation gown; group photographs from Eugene Public Shools, class of 1894;
Harold Gordon Brumfield; Frances Hemenway Brumfield; Helene and Webster
Deadman.
|
circa 1891-1928 |
Other photographs |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/9 | Artifacts (some donated to the Oregon Historical
Society) |
circa 2005 |
| 4/10 | Females, identified
Includes: Sybil Kuykendall Smith, Mary Ada Kuykendall,
Hazel Kuykendall, and Frances Hemenway Brumfield.
|
circa 1890-1930 |
| 4/11 | Females, unidentified |
circa 1880-1940 |
| 4/12 | Groups of people
Includes image of four generations: William K. and
William A. Kuykendall, Helene Kuykendall Deadman, and William Webster Deadman,
circa 1933
|
circa 1895-1933 |
| 4/13 | Houses and landscapes
Includes family cabin at Triangle Lake
|
circa 1880-1930 |
| 4/14 | Males, identified
Includes William K. and William A. Kuykendall, Chester
Hemenway and his family, and group portrait of William K. Kuykendall with his
four sons.
|
circa 1880-1950 |
| 4/15 | Males, unidentified |
circa 1900-1940 |
| 4/16 | Postcards |
circa 1920-1980 |
| 4/17 | Soldiers leaving Eugene, Oregon, for service in
World War I |
1917 |
Series D: Books, circa 1850-1870, undatedReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/1 | Family bible (no genealogy included) |
1881 |
| 5/2 | English reader |
undated |
| 5/3 |
Fifth reader
|
undated |
| 5/4 |
Murray's English
reader
|
circa 1850 |
| 6/1 | Original cabinet card album (photos removed--see
series "Photographs" above) |
circa 1870 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Physicians--Oregon--Eugene.
- World War, 1914-1918--Oregon--Eugene--Photographs.
Personal Names
- Kuykendall, William Alysom--Archives.
- Kuykendall, William Alysom--Photographs.
- Kuykendall, William K., b. 1855--Archives.
- Kuykendall, William K., b. 1855--Photographs.
Corporate Names
- University of Oregon.
Family Names
- Hale family.
- Kuykendall family--Photographs (creator)
- Kuykendall family.
Geographical Names
- Bull Run River Watershed (Or.)--Photographs.
- Drain (Or.)--Biography.
- Eugene (Or.)--Biography.
- Eugene (Or.)--Photographs.
- Klamath Indian Reservation (Or.)
- Santa Rosa (Calif.)--History.
- Santa Rosa (Calif.)--Photographs.
Form or Genre Terms
- Cabinet photographs.
- Photographs.
- Scrapbooks.
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Deadman, Helene Kuykendall--Archives. (creator)
- Deadman, Helene Kuykendall--Photographs. (creator)
- Hale, Frank B. (creator)
Family Names
- Hemenway family. (creator)
Finding aid prepared by Geoffrey
B. Wexler; collection processed by Grace Hawes
2010
