NTDMG403.xml Guide to the Gerlough Family Papers1900-1968 Gerlough Family Papers Finding aid prepared by Erika Kuhlman Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives ©2001 Encoded by ArchProteus2003 Finding aid is in English Overview of the Collection University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives MG403 Gerlough Family Gerlough Family Papers 1900-1968 14 cubic feet Correspondence, financial records, other papers, and photographs of a Moscow, Idaho school teacher and an Idaho Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, and other family members. English

Margaret E. Lauder Gerlough, the only child of William C. and Emma Briggs Lauder, began her life in Colfax, Washington, on June 10, 1883 (her obituary lists her birth in 1884). The family relocated to Moscow in 1889, where William Lauder established his building supply business. Margaret Lauder attended Moscow public schools and the University of Idaho, where she earned her B.A. degree in music in 1906, and a second bachelor's degree in English the following year. She taught English and coached debate at Goldendale and Palouse, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho public schools, and at Moscow High School from 1909 to 1912. There she met her colleague and future husband, Ludwig Sherman Gerlough. Lauder and Gerlough married on October 16, 1914 in San Diego, and resided in California until 1971. Margaret Gerlough participated in the Methodist Church, the Women's Society of Christian Service, the American Association of University Women, and the California Historical Society. She enjoyed teaching, traveling, writing, and sewing. She died on June 23, 1971, shortly after the couple returned to Moscow.

Ludwig Sherman Gerlough was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on January 16, 1887, the eldest of six children born to a miner and housewife. The Gerlough family relocated to Boise, where Ludwig Gerlough graduated from high school in 1905. Gerlough completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Idaho in 1909, and then taught math and history, and coached football at Moscow High School from 1909 to 1911. After proposing marriage to fellow teacher Margaret Lauder in 1911, Gerlough matriculated at Oxford University, England, as one of the first Rhodes Scholars from the state of Idaho. After Gerlough earned his second bachelor's degree at Oxford in 1914, he returned to the U.S. and married Margaret Lauder. The nuptials took place in San Diego, where the groom had secured a teaching position at San Diego High School. The couple had two children, Daniel Lauder Gerlough (1916-1977), a professor of Transportation Engineering, and Eleanor Gerlough Elmendorf (1920-), a science librarian.

Ludwig Gerlough received his master's degree from Oxford in 1918. He taught at San Diego High School and Lowell High School, a college preparatory school in San Francisco, until his retirement. He participated in the Y.M.C.A., the Beta Theta Phi fraternity, and the American Historical Association. Gerlough enjoyed traveling, theater, and sports. Upon his wife's death, he moved to Minneapolis to live with his son Daniel, who preceded him in death. Ludwig Gerlough died on March 15, 1978.

The Gerlough Family Papers span the years 1900 to 1968. Most of the papers are letters dating from 1911 to 1914. Also included are financial records from the same period, other papers, and photographs.

The letters—many still in their envelopes—were written between Margaret Lauder and Ludwig Gerlough while Gerlough was a student at Oxford University and Lauder taught school at Moscow High School and elsewhere. The letters are about family matters; some also contain discussions of local and national politics, teaching at secondary schools in Idaho and Washington, Gerlough's work at Oxford, his extensive travels in Europe, letters of recommendation written for Lauder, and Gerlough's fraternity correspondence. Other correspondence includes letters written to Lauder and Gerlough from family members and friends.

The financial records consist of Gerlough's checkbook registers from an Oxford bank and bills from various Oxford businesses, dated between 1911 and 1914.

Other papers include unsigned postcards, cards, announcements, maps, and newspaper clippings. Two yearbooks were retained in the collection: Margaret Lauder's 1906 University of Idaho Gem of the Mountains and Eleanor Gerlough's 1935 Madrono yearbook from Palo Alto High School.

Included in the papers were two photograph albums, primarily of Gerlough's days at Oxford, but also many photographs of family and friends. There were also several loose photographs that were stored in acid-free envelopes, and three oversize photographs stored separately.

Special Collections also has an unpublished manuscript written by Ludwig Gerlough about his life at Oxford (MG 5096). Lauder's uncle Wylie Andrew Gifford Lauder (1857-1936) donated his financial records to the University of Idaho Library (MG 210), and her cousin Alma Taylor-Lauder Keeling wrote a family history called The Un-Covered Wagon, A Glimpse of Pioneer Days in Moscow (Day NW F754 M6 K44) also housed in Special Collections.

Since there was no apparent order to the Gerlough Family Papers when received, an order was imposed. The papers were divided by type: correspondence, financial records, photographs, and other papers. The correspondence and financial records were arranged chronologically, with other papers and photographs filed separately.

Several Gem of the Mountains yearbooks were transferred from the collection to Special Collections' yearbook holdings in the stacks. Empty and unattached envelopes were discarded.

The Gerlough Family Papers were donated to the University of Idaho Library by Eleanor Elmendorf in October 2000.

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Idaho Colleges and Universities International Relations Gerlough, Margaret E. Lauder Gerlough, Ludwig S. University of Oxford -- Students -- History -- Sources Teachers -- Idaho -- Moscow Gerlough Family Detailed Description of the Collection Series I. Correspondence 1900-1968 1/1 Undated 30 items 1/2 Undated 7 items 1/3 1900-1910 14 items 1/4 January - June, 1911 8 items 1/5 July 1 - July 20, 1911 12 items 1/6 July 21 - July 31, 1911 18 items 1/7 August 1 - August 9, 1911 20 items 1/8 August 10 - August 20, 1911 17 items 1/9 August 20 - August 31, 1911 27 items 2/10 September 1 - September 19, 1911 22 items 2/11 September 20 - September 30, 1911 15 items 2/12 October 1 - October 9, 1911 12 items 2/13 October 10 - October 20, 1911 19 items 2/14 October 21 - October 31, 1911 22 items 3/15 November 1 - November 10, 1911 24 items 3/16 November 12 - November 20, 1911 23 items 3/17 November 21 - November 30, 1911 23 items 3/18 December 1 - December 12, 1911 30 items 3/19 December 13 - December 31, 1911 40 items 4/20 January 1 - January 15, 1912 25 items 4/21 January 16 - January 23, 1912 18 items 4/22 January 24 - January 31, 1912 16 items 4/23 February 1 - February 14, 1912 23 items 5/24 February 15 - February 20, 1912 17 items 5/25 February 21 - February 29, 1912 13 items 5/26 March 1 - March 9, 1912 22 items 5/27 March 10 - March 21, 1912 25 items 5/28 March 22 - March 31, 1912 21 items 6/29 April 1 - April 11, 1912 21 items 6/30 April 12 - April 20, 1912 18 items 6/31 April 20 - April 30, 1912 25 items 6/32 May 1 - May 6, 1912 17 items 6/33 May 7 - May 13, 1912 12 items 7/34 May 14 - May 20, 1912 14 items 7/35 May 21 - May 31, 1912 21 items 7/36 June 1 - June 9, 1912 24 items 7/37 June 10 - June 20, 1912 23 items 7/38 June 21 - June 27, 1912 17 items 7/39 June 28 - June 30, 1912 8 items 8/40 July 1 - July 10, 1912 22 items 8/41 July 11 - July 19, 1912 18 items 8/42 July 20 - July 25, 1912 12 items 8/43 July 26 - July 31, 1912 15 items 9/44 August 1 - August 10, 1912 19 items 9/45 August 11 - August 15, 1912 13 items 9/46 August 16 - August 21, 1912 10 items 9/47 August 22 - August 31, 1912 13 items 9/48 September 1 - September 5, 1912 18 items 10/49 September 6 - September 8, 1912 11 items 10/50 September 9 - September 16, 1912 20 items 10/51 September 17 - September 30, 1912 24 items 10/52 October 1 - October 12, 1912 23 items 10/53 October 13 - October 21, 1912 16 items 10/54 October 22 - October 31, 1912 20 items 11/55 November 1 - November 7, 1912 17 items 11/56 November 8 - November 16, 1912 17 items 11/57 November 17 - November 24, 1912 15 items 11/58 November 25 - November 30, 1912 15 items 11/59 December 1 - December 10, 1912 26 items 12/60 December 11 - December 20, 1912 25 items 12/61 December 21 - December 27, 1912 19 items 12/62 December 28 - December 31, 1912 11 items 12/63 January 1 - January 12, 1913 22 items 12/64 January 13 - January 19, 1913 12 items 12/65 January 20 - January 31, 1913 22 items 13/66 February 1 - February 8, 1913 16 items 13/67 February 9 - February 16, 1913 20 items 13/68 February 17 - February 28, 1913 21 items 13/69 March 1 - March 10, 1913 20 items 14/70 March 11 - March 20, 1913 19 items 14/71 March 21 - March 31, 1913 15 items 14/72 April 1 - April 10, 1913 25 items 14/73 April 11 - April 22, 1913 26 items 14/74 April 23 - April 30, 1913 15 items 14/75 May 1 - May 9, 1913 20 items 15/76 May 10 - May 14, 1913 13 items 15/77 May 15 - May 22, 1913 18 items 15/78 May 23 - May 25, 1913 11 items 15/79 May 26 - May 31, 1913 13 items 15/80 June 1 - June 7, 1913 11 items 16/81 June 8 - June 25, 1913 21 items 16/82 July 1913 14 items 16/83 August 1 - August 31, 1913 25 items 16/84 September 1 - September 9, 1913 16 items 16/85 September 10 - September 20, 1913 21 items 17/86 September 23 - September 30, 1913 14 items 17/87 October 1 - October 7, 1913 17 items 17/88 October 8 - October 15, 1913 16 items 17/89 October 16 - October 25, 1913 22 items 17/90 October 26 - October 31, 1913 16 items 18/91 November 1 - November 9, 1913 19 items 18/92 November 10 - November 20, 1913 19 items 18/93 November 21 - November 30, 1913 25 items 18/94 December 1 - December 10, 1913 20 items 18/95 December 11 - December 18, 1913 16 items 18/96 December 19 - December 31, 1913 31 items 18/97 January 1 - January 10, 1914 23 items 19/98 January 11 - January 16, 1914 14 items 19/99 January 17 - January 25, 1914 12 items 19/100 January 26 - January 31, 1914 19 items 19/101 February 1 - February 13, 1914 26 items 19/102 February 14 - February 24, 1914 25 items 19/103 February 25 - February 28, 1914 7 items 19/104 March 1 - March 10, 1914 23 items 20/105 March 11 - March 20, 1914 18 items 20/106 March 21 - March 31, 1914 17 items 20/107 April 1 - April 18, 1914 30 items 20/108 April 19 - April 30, 1914 20 items 20/109 May 1 - May 11, 1914 19 items 20/110 May 12 - May 19, 1914 11 items 21/111 May 20 - May 31, 1914 20 items 21/112 June 1 - June 15, 1914 20 items 21/113 June 16 - June 30, 1914 29 items 21/114 July 1 - July 20, 1914 30 items 21/115 July 21 - July 31, 1914 10 items 21/116 August - September, 1914 29 items 22/117 October - December, 1914 32 items 22/118 January - April, 1915 20 items 22/119 May - December, 1915 22 items 22/120 January - May, 1916 14 items 22/121 June 1 - June 19, 1916 24 items 22/122 June 20 - June 29, 1916 10 items 23/123 July - August, 1916 18 items 23/124 September - December, 1916 21 items 23/125 January - February, 1917 15 items 23/126 March - November, 1917 21 items 23/127 January - July, 1918 18 items 23/128 August - December 1918, 1919 17 items 23/129 1920-1921 22 items 23/130 1922-1924 55 items 24/131 1925-1929 52 items 24/132 1931 - October 1933 29 items 24/133 November 1933 - December 1933 17 items 24/134 January - April, 1934 21 items 24/135 May 1934 - July 1937 25 items 24/136 August 1937 - 1939 32 items 25/137 1940 21 items 25/138 January - April, 1941 16 items 25/139 May - December, 1941 19 items 25/140 1942-1943 8 items 25/141 1944 - June 1947 40 items 25/142 July - August, 1947 19 items 25/143 January 1948 - December 1949 14 items 25/144 1950 - March 1953 42 items 26/145 April - July, 1953 33 items 26/146 August - December, 1953 27 items 26/147 1954-1956 20 items 26/148 1957-1968 19 items Series II. Financial records 1911-1914 27/149 Financial records 1911-1914 30 items Series III. Other papers 27/150 Announcements, cards, invitations 20 items 27/151 Maps, newspapers, booklets 12 items 27/152 Postcards 40 items 27/153 Newspaper clippings 18 items 27/154 Gem of the Mountain yearbook 1906 1 item 27/155 Madrono yearbook, 1935; University of Idaho diploma, 1906; University of Idaho diploma, 1909 3 items Series IV. Photographs 27/156 Photo albums 2 items 27/157 Photographs 16 items