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Kyrk family papers, circa 1855-2015

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Kyrk family
Title
Kyrk family papers
Dates
circa 1855-2015 (inclusive)
Quantity
9.6 cubic feet, (17 letter document cases; 1 slim letter document case; 1 flat box (20x24x3); 1 flat box (10x13x3); 1 card file box (9x16x5); 1 card file box (12x9x3); 2 card file boxes (12x9x6); 1 card file box (12x3x5); 1 card file box (12x6x4); 2 boxes (10.5x12.5x6); 1 map folder (30x42))
Collection Number
Coll 489
Summary
Papers and photographs of the Kyrk family and related families. William Wallace Kyrk and Margaret Tennant Kyrk emigrated from Nebraska to Portland, Oregon, in 1889. Members of the Kyrk family lived in Portland, Oregon; Clackamas County, Oregon; Marion County, Oregon; and Pendleton, Oregon.
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

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

In 1889, William Wallace Kyrk and his wife, Margaret Tennant Kyrk, emigrated from Nebraska to Portland, Oregon. Their son, Arthur George Kyrk, worked as a printer pressman for the State of Oregon, and as a farmer in Hubbard, Oregon. He married Gertrude Evira Hansen, the daughter of Danish immigrants, married in 1923. The couple had three sons: Robert J. Kyrk, Warren Kyrk, and Howard Kyrk.

Warren Kyrk served in the 4th Marine Division during World War II. After the war, all three Kyrk brothers raised turkeys until the mid-1950s. After 1954, Robert J. Kyrk, the oldest of the brothers, worked as an insurance adjustor in Pendleton, Oregon; Yakima, Washington; and Weiser, Idaho. Eventually, he retired to Yoder, Oregon. Robert J. Kyrk was married three times: first to Barbara J. Woodford; then to Ruby I. Capps-Parks; and finally to Ethel Rosetta Eyman Mattison.

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Content Description

The bulk of the collection consists of papers and photographs relating to Robert J. Kyrk and his immediate family. The papers include Robert J. Kyrk's appointment books and journals. The collection also includes land records, materials related to turkey farming, papers relating Warren Kyrk's service during World War II, and materials relating to dog shows and to Future Farmers of America, of which Robert J. Kyrk was a member. The collection also contains a large number of photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries. Other individuals and families represented in the collection include Gertrude Kyrk's family, the Hansens; the Mattison family; the Eyman family; and the Widstrand family. The collection includes a genealogy of the Kyrk family and histories of families related to the Kyrk family through marriage.

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Other Descriptive Information

Collection was titled "Kyrk family collection" prior to 2020.

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Use of the Collection

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. 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

Kyrk family papers, Coll 489, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in three series: Series A. Family papers; Series B. Family histories; Series C. Family photographs.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Robert J. Kyrk, Julia C. Kyrk Peterson, and Juliana K. Kyrk, March 2014, with an addition in 2015 (Lib. Acc. 28160).

Separated Materials

A book of sheet music was separated to the Performing Arts collection, Mss 1523, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Preservation Note

Photographs in Box 18, folder 7, and Box 28 are not available for direct access. Portrait of Arthur G. Kyrk requires assistance to view. Contact library staff for assistance.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Jeffrey A. Hayes
2015

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