Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
George Benson Kuykendall Papers, 1881-1931
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Kuykendall, George Benson, 1843-1931.
- Title
- George Benson Kuykendall Papers
- Dates
- 1881-1931 (inclusive)18811931
- Quantity
- 10 Linear feet of shelf space, (20 Boxes)
- Collection Number
- Cage 60 (collection)
- Summary
- Correspondence, reminiscences, addresses, essays, notes, drafts, clippings and photographs of a pioneer physician, local historian, and genealogist, George Benson Kuykendall.
- Repository
-
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open and available for research use.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
George Benson Kuykendall was born in Indiana in 1843 and emigrated to Oregon with is parents in 1852. He graduated from the Willamette University Medical School in 1872 and began his first medical practice as Agency Physician on the Yakima Indian Reservation at Fort Simcoe, Washington. In 1883 he left the Indian Agency and established an independent practice at Pomeroy, Washington, where he remained until his retirement in 1920. He died at Portland, Oregon, in 1939.
While at Fort Simcoe, Kuykendall began collecting Indian legends and stories. In later years this project was to be expanded into an effort at collecting local history and reminiscences. Some of Kuykendall’s historical and ethnological writing can be found in The West Shore (1887) and the Oregon Historical Quarterly (1918). Although Kuykendall continued to collect some local and personal history until the mid-1920s, about 1905 the main object of his research became a genealogy and history of the Kuykendall Family in North American. The family history proved to be a large project and ultimately it involved 15 years of research and considerable travel. Eventually, Kuykendall was able to trace his ancestors to New York in 1650 and was able to establish the connections between the Kuykendalls, Coykendalls, Kirkendalls and other variant names. The results were published in 1919 in the "History of the Kuykendall Family since its Settlement in Dutch New York in 1646, With Genealogy as Found in Early Dutch Church Records, State and Government Documents, Together With Sketches of Colonial Times, Old Log Cabin Days, Indian Wars, Pioneers Hardships, Social Customs, Dress and Mode of Living of the Early Forefathers" (Portland, Ore.: Kilham Stationery and Printing Company, 1919).
Not satisfied with a simple genealogy, Kuykendall attempted to make the family history more completed by interspersing American social history in such a way as to provide the backdrop for the lives of the various generation of Kuykendalls. His effort, however, were not very successful and the result was an unconnected section of the book filled with several chapters of social history, some of it of rather legendary nature. Additionally the book contained long passages consisting of quotations of letters which Kuykendall received in response to inquiries for information. As he neither transferred the information from the letters to a narrative nor completed the attempted at social history, the book appears to have been published before it was complete, with large portions of it appearing more like notes than a completed text. Disregarding the literary merit of the volume, it does contain considerable information about many plain Americans over a span of 250 years. Moreover, while it may not be the best of the lot, it is exemplary of the products coming out of the wave of genealogical activity in the United States in the early years of the 20th Century.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The greater portion of the papers of George B. Kuykendall consist of notes, drafts, correspondence and photographs used in the preparation, publication, sale and distribution of the Kuykendall Family history. Additionally the collection contains Kuykendall’s personal correspondence for the years 1903-1918. Also among his personal papers are several diaries which the chiefly concerned with travel, circa 1900-1914. The collection also contains drafts of approximately 200 essays, speeches or articles on religious, civic, moral and historical topics. Among the historical essays are several reminiscences of Kuykendall’s personal experiences in Oregon and Washington.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Preferred Citation
[Item description]
George Benson Kuykendall Papers, 1881-1931 (Cage 60)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The papers are arranged in three series: Personal papers; Essays, speeches and compositions; and Kuykendall family history.
Acquisition Information
The papers of George Benson Kuykendall were donated to the Washington State University Library in 1949 by his son, Judge Elgin V. Kuykendall.
Separated Materials
Garfield County Pioneer Association Records, 1909-1948 (Cage 66)
Related Materials
Elgin Victor Kuykendall Papers, 1892-1956 (Cage 59)
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1. Personal PapersReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box | ||
1 | Certificates, diplomas, medical
licenses 8 items.
|
1872-1905 |
1 | Mortgages, notes, account
books 100 items.
|
1890-1925 |
1 | Clipping scrapbooks re: G. B. Kuykendall,
family members and close associates. Many are obituaries. 5 items.
|
1885-1927 |
1 | Diaries and journals of eastern trips for
medical training or family history research 10 items.
|
1903-1914 |
2 | Personal correspondence 500 items.
|
1903-1922 |
3 | Personal correspondence 500 items.
|
1923-1931 |
Series 2. Essays, Speeches and CompositionsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description |
---|---|
Box | |
4 | History of the Methodist Episcopal Church
of Pomeray. 1 draft
|
4 | M. E. Church history notes and
correspondence, circa 1910 250 items.
|
4 | Photographs used for M. E. Church
history. 30 items.
|
4 | Religious essays and speeches. 60 items.
|
5 | Civic, scientific and moral essays and
speeches. 100 items.
|
5 | History essays, 1900-1925 |
5 | The Pioneers’ Retrospect
(poetry) |
5 | Death of the Wisham Chief’s
daughter |
5 | Notes on Enoch’s Secrets of the
Pacific |
5 | Soft Breezes of Oregon
(poetry) |
5 | Some recollections of Southern Oregon
experiences |
5 | Addresses to the Garfield County Pioneer
Association, 1911-1920 |
5 | Pioneer reminiscences of other days in
Garfield County |
5 | Fort Simcoe recollections |
5 | Incidents Occurring in Medical Practice at
Fort Simcoe |
5 | Reminiscences of Pioneer Medical
Practice |
5 | Epidemic of Eubro-Spinal Meningitis in
1888 |
5 | Pioneer Medical Experiences |
5 | Bedbug Experiences |
5 | Reminiscences of Home Life |
5 | Trip From Fort Simcoe to San
Francisco |
5 | Reminiscences of Early Days at the Old
Umpqua Academy |
5 | Teaching the Indian Children by Means of
Charts and Pictures |
5 | Indian Customs and Legends (3
vols.) |
5 | Indian Cemetery at Cascades |
5 | Indian Subjects to write upon |
5 | Copy of Letter Written to Rev. T. F.
Royal, together with other reminiscences, 1905 February 13. |
Series 3. Kuykendall Family HistoryReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Family history research, letters received,
circa 1907-1918 |
||
Box | ||
6 | Alabama-Illinois 500 items.
|
|
7 | Indiana-North Carolina 500 items.
|
|
8 | New-York-Tennessee 500 items.
|
|
9 | Texas-Wyoming 500 items.
|
|
Box | ||
10 | Family history research and sale, letters
sent 1913-1916 500 items.
|
|
11 | Family history research and sale, letters
sent 1916-1919 500 items.
|
|
Typescript transcripts of letters received
re: family history, including some original letters and notes,
1907-1918 |
||
Box | ||
12 | Alabama-Pennsylvania 500 items.
|
|
13 | Tennessee-Wyoming 400 items.
|
|
Box | ||
13 | Clippings re: family history 250 items.
|
|
14-15 | Notes and drafts for family
history 1000 items.
|
1910-1918 |
15 | Engravings from family history
illustrations, with notes on captions. 100 items.
|
|
Photoprints and negatives collected for
family history (plus contact prints, 12-80), circa 1850-1914 |
||
Box | ||
16 | Scenes, mostly New York and West
Virginia. 100 items.
|
|
16 | Eastern members of Kuykendall
Family 150 items.
|
|
17 | Midwestern (including West Virginia)
members of Kuykendall Family 100 items.
|
|
17 | Southern members of Kuykendall
Family 100 items.
|
|
17 | Western members of Kuykendall
Family 100 items.
|
|
17 | Unidentified members of Kuykendall
Family 75 items.
|
|
17 | Photographs of George B.
Kuykendall 25 items.
|
|
17 | Photographs of Umpqua Academy,
1856 8 items.
|
|
Box | ||
18 | Correspondence re: Kuykendalls in
WWI. 200 items.
|
|
18 | Mailing lists. 7 items.
|
|
19 | Testimonial letters re: family history,
1919-1920 100 items.
|
|
19 | Letters received re: sale and distribution
of family history, 1919-1925 350 items.
|
|
20 | Genealogical charts.
(oversize) 50 items.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Frontier and pioneer life -- Washington (State) -- Garfield County.
- Overland journeys to the Pacific.
- Physicians -- Washington (State) -- Pomeroy -- Correspondence.
Personal Names
- Kuykendall, George Benson, 1843-1931 -- Archives.
Corporate Names
- United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Yakima Agency.
Family Names
- Kuykendall family -- Archives.
Geographical Names
- Pomeroy (Wash.) -- History.