Scott Family papers , circa 1850-2004

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Scott family
Title
Scott Family papers
Dates
circa 1850-2004 (inclusive)
Quantity
5.25 linear feet, (16 containers)
Collection Number
Coll 302
Summary
Charles Leland Scott (1866-1924) was the mayor of Springfield, Oregon; a bank president; and an educator in the Eugene, Oregon area in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Scott Family Papers comprise the personal and professional papers of Charles Leland Scott, the papers of his wife, Mollie Brattain Scott, a schoolteacher, and of the Scott children and other relatives. The collection includes correspondence, journals, diaries, catalogs, account books, deeds and mortgages, certificates, receipts, other family records, bound volumes, and photographs.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Charles ("Charlie") Leland Scott (1866–1924) was born in Channahon, Illinois, to Ben and Mary Scott. He moved with his parents to Sacramento, California and then to Cresswell, Oregon. He received his first Oregon Teaching Certificate in 1885 at the age of eighteen, and began teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in the rural Oregon community of Lynx Hollow. He taught school for the next 15 years, and also served as principal of Central School in Eugene, Oregon. In 1894 he was appointed to the office of Deputy Sheriff of Lane County, a position he held until 1898; he then ran unsuccessfully for the office of Sheriff, and shortly thereafter returned to teaching. Charles Scott met his future wife Mollie Brattain in 1887, when she was also teaching in a one-room schoolhouse outside of Creswell. They married in 1891 and had three children, Paul, Randall, and Ruth. The Scott family made their home first in Eugene and later in Springfield, Oregon. In 1900 Charles Scott began working as a bookkeeper in the First National Bank of Eugene; in 1909 he joined the First National Bank of Springfield as a cashier, and soon rose to become president of the Bank. He served as mayor of Springfield from 1913-1915 and was still working at the Bank when he had an attack of encephalitis lethargica ("sleeping sickness"). He eventually died of this illness at the age of 58. Mollie Scott died in 1955. Of the Scott children, Paul was a financial executive, Randall became a Methodist minister, and Ruth worked as a music critic for the publication Musical America. Randall married Ethel Wakefield, who was a drama coach at University High School in Eugene; their son Leland ("Lee") Howard Scott had three children, Nancy, Sue, and David. Sue Scott became an actor and producer in radio and theater, and has been a cast member with "A Prairie Home Companion" since 1992. A cousin of Charles Scott's, Ruth Randall, was married to J. Sigfrid Edström, a Swedish sportsman and head of the International Olympic Committee in the 1940s and 1950s.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Scott Family Papers consist of correspondence, journals, diaries, catalogs, account books, deeds and mortgages, certificates, receipts, other family records, freestanding volumes, artifacts, and photographs. The primary arrangement of the collection is in series as organized by Leland Howard Scott.

The largest group of correspondence consists of letters between Charles & Mollie Scott from 1887 to 1893, detailing their respective family and professional teaching concerns, personal interests such as music and religion, their courtship and eventual marriage. There is also correspondence between other members of the Scott family, the bulk of which is from 1887 until 1920, and between members of the Scott family and others, from 1889 until 1920. Charles Scott kept detailed journals from 1881 until 1900, with later diaries kept on notecards until 1906. There are also his personal record books as well as two bank books of Mollie Scott's. Other records include teaching certificates for both Charles and Mollie Scott, execution authorizations, genealogical forms and publications from Joel Munsell's Sons, and documents relating to a legal action taken against Charles Scott during his tenure as bank president.

There are smaller subseries of papers relating to Charles and Mollie's children Randall Scott and Ruth Scott Hillstrom. These include papers relating to Randall's service in the U.S. Army during World War I, and Ruth's musical performances during approximately the same period. There is also a series of papers pertaining to the Brattain and Easter families, and one file of correspondence from J. Sigfrid Edström. A series of freestanding volumes includes biographies of both J. Sigfrid and Ruth Randall Edström, and a detailed typescript by Leland Howard Scott entitled At the Turning of the Century: the Experiences of Charles Leland Scott, which is a biography and historical record of Charles Scott, his family, and descendents, based on the material in this collection.

Finally, the photograph series contains personal family photographs, and studio portaits of family members.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bankers--Oregon--Lane County
  • Mayors--Oregon--Springfield
  • Teachers--Oregon--Lane County
  • Women teachers--Oregon--Lane County

Personal Names

  • Scott, Charles Leland, 1866-1924
  • Scott, Charles Leland, 1866-1924
  • Scott, Leland Howard
  • Scott, Mollie, -1955
  • Scott, Mollie, -1955

Family Names

  • Scott family

Geographical Names

  • Eugene (Or.)--History
  • Lane County (Or.)--History--Sources
  • Springfield (Or.)--History--Sources

Form or Genre Terms

  • Account books
  • Catalogs
  • Deeds
  • Diaries
  • Letters
  • Receipts (financial records)