Peter Kerr, prominent Oregon grain exporter, businessman, and civic leader, was born in Newton Stewart, Scotland in 1861, the son of Thomas and Anne Dewar Kerr. After working as a young man in London for the grain exporting firm of Dewar and Webb, owned in part by his uncle, James C. Dewar, he traveled throughout the world as an agent of the company. He finally settled in Portland in 1889, working as a commission agent until 1894, when he partnered with William S. Sibson to form Sibson & Kerr shipping agents. In 1899, he established his own grain exporting business with his brother Thomas Kerr (1865-1926) and Patrick B. Gifford, called Kerr Gifford & Co. The three partners lived in "Cliff Cottage," on the Elk Rock estate on Military Lane in the Dunthorpe area south of Portland (also known as Rivera and Abernethy Heights), where they entertained with golf and tennis parties and chronicled their activities in scrapbooks and photographs.
In 1905, Peter purchased the estate, and in 1916 he built a large house to replace Cliff Cottage. He planted an extensive garden, the design for which he had begun in 1897, and these gardens are now open to the public. The house itself, designed by Ellis Lawrence, became the seat of the Episcopal Diocese in 1958 and is now known as the Bishop's Close. The Kerrs also had a beach house on the Oregon coast at Gearhart, designed by architect Pietro Belluschi in the mid-1940s.
Peter Kerr was married to Laurie King (1877-1959) in 1905, and the couple had two daughters: Anne (1906-2001), married in 1933 to Sir James McDonald, British consul in Oregon; and Jane, who married John W. S. Platt in 1939. Peter Kerr died in 1957 at the age of 95.
Thomas Kerr was married to Mabel Macleay (1876-1973), daughter of prominent Portland businessman Donald Macleay (1834-1897), in 1900. The couple lived at High Hatch on Military Lane in the Dunthorpe area south of Portland. They had three sons: Donald Macleay (1907-1945), Thomas, Jr. (Tommy) (1910-1982), and George A. D. (1914-2004). Mabel Macleay and Laurie King were lifelong friends, and their families, including Mabel's brother Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874) and Laurie's mother, Laura Dodge King, traveled and spent much of their leisure time together.
The collection consists primarily of photographs and diaries pertaining to the families of Peter and Laurie King Kerr and Thomas and Mabel Macleay Kerr, both of Portland, Oregon. The bulk of the photographs were taken at Peter Kerr's Elk Rock estate in Portland and on various family trips. Subjects include Peter and Laurie's two daughters, Anne Kerr McDonald and Jane Kerr Platt, as well as Thomas and Mabel's three sons, Donald, Thomas, and George. Included are photographs from Peter and Laurie King Kerr's honeymoon in Arizona, California, and Mexico; family trips to England and Scotland to visit Peter and Thomas Kerr's father and siblings, as well as to Gearhart and Ecola on the Oregon coast; social events, including golf and tennis, at Peter Kerr's Elk Rock estate; and photographs of the grounds and gardens at Elk Rock. Four photograph albums belonging to Anne Kerr McDonald are included. Many of the photographs were probably taken by Peter Kerr; photographs in some of the albums were taken or collected by Anne Kerr McDonald. Other types of photographs included in the collection are ambrotypes, autochromes, cabinet cards, cartes de visite, and tintypes.
Also included are the negatives for most of the prints. File copies of the original photographic negatives were made by Oregon Historical Society staff in 2007 and added to this collection. Not all of the photographs in this collection have original negatives.
Many of Peter Kerr's family and friends are identified on the photographs by their nicknames: "Tom" refers to Peter's brother Thomas (1865-1926), while "Tommy" refers to Tom's son (1910-1982). Peter's brother David (1874-1945) is referred to as "Davie," while Davie's son is called "Dukin" (1918-1941). "George" is Peter's brother George (1867-1918), while "Geordie" is Tom's son George (1814-2004). Peter refers to his brother James as "Jamie" in his diaries.
The diaries and papers include Peter Kerr's diaries from 1876-1894; "The Veracious Chronicles of the Cliff Cottage Club," a scrapbook kept by Peter Kerr with drawings, photographs, clippings, and daily entries from 1897-1905; Peter Kerr's birth certificate; and Peter Kerr's letterpress copybook for 1898-1906. Additional materials include a diary and letters by Mrs. Lucretia Colton, the great-grandmother of Lady Anne Kerr McDonald.
The collection is arranged in three series:
The collection is open to the public. However, the negatives in this collection are stored offsite and are not available for research use. Researchers must instead use the photographic prints that the Oregon Historical Society has made from these negatives. Consult a Reference Librarian for more information,
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.
Kerr family collection, Coll 74, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Library accession no. 26084
File copies of the original photographic negatives in this collection were made by Oregon Historical Society staff in 2007 and added to the collection.
The Oregon Historical Society Research Library also contains the following materials related to this collection:
Peter Kerr correspondence and records, Microfilm 68
Peter and Thomas Kerr family photograph collection, Org. Lot 443
Oral history interviews with Lady Anne Kerr McDonald, SR 1070
Biographical and genealogical information about the Kerr and Macleay families in "Vertical File : Biography - Kerr, Peter" and "Vertical File : Biography - Macleay, Donald."
In addition, artifacts from the Kerr family were donated to the the Artifact Collections of the Oregon Historical Society in 1968.
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.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
The photographs are arranged into six subseries: Portraits; Elk Rock; Gearhart and northern Oregon coast; Family travels; Other photographs; and Negatives.
This series contains photographs of Kerr family members and friends.
This subseries is divided into two groupings (Individual portraits and Group portraits) and arranged alphabetically by subject.
Ching Bwn Yen was the Kerr family's Chinese cook at Cliff Cottage.
"Milly" may also be spelled "Millie."
Includes photographs of Jane's dog, Cree.
Includes cased tintypes and ambrotypes of two unidentified men, an unidentified woman, and an unidentified child.
Includes photographs of Edith Evans Dewar, Patrick B. Gifford, and W. B. Mackay.
See also 2/32.
Includes photographs of J. C. Flanders, P. J. Fransioli, Charles Elliot Ladd (1857-1920), W. B. Mackay, Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874), A. B. Willis, and James McI. Wood.
Includes a photograph of Milly with Louise Flanders.
Includes a photograph of them with Cicero Hunt Lewis (1875-1952).
Includes photographs of Donald Macleay Kerr (1907-1945), Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Walter J. Burns, Pierre DuFlan, Carrie Flanders, Louise Flanders, Patrick B. Gifford, Clementine Lewis Hall, Nan Wood Honeyman (1881-1970), Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874), W. B. Mackay, Sir James McDonald (1899-1989), Alice Sibson, Gordon Voorhies, and C. J. Williamson and spouse.
Includes photographs of Donald Macleay Kerr (1907-1945) and Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982).
Includes a photograph of Andrew Kerr (1869-1951), Anne Dewar Kerr, David Kerr (1874-1945), George Kerr (1867-1918), James Kerr (1860-1934), Jane Chrystal Kerr (b. 1863), Mary Kerr (1872-1952), Peter Kerr (1861-1957), Thomas Kerr, Sr. (1830-1916), and Thomas Kerr (1865-1926). Note that one of the sons is missing from the photograph, but identification of the missing son is uncertain.
Includes photographs of J. Moore and Major Bridges Webb.
Includes photographs of Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982), Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001) and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Andrew Kerr (1869-1951), Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874).
Includes photographs of Patrick B. Gifford, Charles Elliot Ladd (1857-1920), W. B. Mackay, and Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874).
Includes photographs of Andrew Kerr (1869-1951), Edith Evans Dewar Kerr, James Kerr, J. C. Flanders, Patrick B. Gifford, Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874), Alice Sibson, and James McI. Wood.
Includes a photograph of [Mrs.] Ainsworth, [Miss] Failing, Carrie Flanders, Louise Flanders, M. Wills Gilbert, Clementine Lewis Hall, Andrew Kerr (1869-1951), George A. D. Kerr (1914-2004), Katherine D. Kerr, Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982), Cicero Hunt Lewis (1875-1952), Gertrude Gordon McClintock Lewis (d. 1945), Sally Lewis, Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), Sir James McDonald (1899-1989), Neil Malarkey, Sue Malarkey, G. Martin, Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989), and John W. S. Platt.
Includes photographs of Donald Macleay Kerr (1914-2004), Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982), Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Ayer, Patrick B. Gifford, Donald Macleay Kerr (1907-1945), Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874), Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Louise Flanders, Clementine Lewis Hall, Donald Macleay Kerr (1907-1945), Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Peter Kerr (1861-1959), Cicero Hunt Lewis (1875-1952), Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001).
Includes photographs of Donald Macleay Kerr (1907-1945), Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982), and possibly Faber Lewis.
Includes photographs of Gertrude Gordon McClintock Lewis (d. 1945) and Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001).
Includes photographs of Matilda Anderson (nursemaid).
Includes photographs of Donald Macleay Kerr (1907-1945), George A. D. Kerr (1914-2004), Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982).
Includes photographs of Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982).
Includes photographs of Sir James McDonald (1899-1989) and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of David and Nan Wood Honeyman's (1881-1970) daughter, Nancy.
For other photographs Jane Kerr Platt with her sister, Anner Kerr McDonald, dating from 1908-1930, see 3/23-3/27.
The Elk Rock subseries contains photographs of the houses (Cliff Cottage and the mansion) and grounds (including gardens and tennis courts) at the Kerr family's property at Elk Rock. In addition, activities and social events at Elk Rock and the surrounding neighborhood of Military Lane and Elk Rock Island are included.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr's 45hp, 6 cylinder Pierce Great Arrow.
Includes photographs of Peter's daughters and Thomas' sons, plus Clifford A. Nichols, Delia F. Nichols, Emily Nichols, John Randolph Nichols, and Wirt Minor Nichols.
Includes photographs of James C. Dewar, Louise Flanders, Patrick B. Gifford, Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), Alice Sibson, and James McI. Wood.
Elk Rock grounds prior to the construction of the house which became Bishop's Close in 1958 and the demolition of the original house known as Cliff Cottage.
Photographs of Christmas decorations inside Cliff Cottage.
Includes photographs of Patrick B. Gifford, Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Peter Kerr (1861-1957), the sternwheeler "George Burton," and views of the city of Milwaukie from the Willamette River.
Includes photographs of Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989), and a watercolor rendering of the house by the architect Ellis Lawrence.
The house was purchased from Portland architect William M. Whidden. Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus William M. Whidden.
Photographs of the interior of the Elk Rock house.
Includes photographs of Cicero Hunt Lewis (1875-1952) and his house, the Sibson-Corbett house, and William Whidden.
Includes photographs of a Military Lane event.
Includes photographs of dogs Cree, Glinnie, and Nib.
Includes photographs of the Great Garden Party of 1905 and other events. Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Walter Burnes, Pierre DuFlan, Carrie Flanders, J. C. Flanders, Louise Flanders, Patrick B. Gifford, Nan Wood Honeyman (1881-1970), W. B. Mackay, Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874), Patsy Nichols, Gordon Voorhies, C. J. Williamson, Mrs. Williamson, and A. B. Willis.
Includes photographs of Peter's daughters and Thomas's sons.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Carrie Flanders, Patrick B. Gifford, and Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874).
This subseries contains photographs of Kerr family outings to Gearhart and Ecola on the northern Oregon coast. Peter Kerr had a beach house built at Gearhart in the 1940s.
Arranged chronologically.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus members of the Effinger, Failing, and Lewis family, Carrie and Louise Flanders, Clementine Lewis Hall, members of the Lewis family, Major Webb, Ernest Webb, Miss Violet Webb, and Erskine Wood. Includes photographs of Robert Livingstone's "Drumtochty Cottage."
Photographs taken during the summer of 1908. Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Laura Dodge King, Major Webb, Ernest Webb, and Miss Violet Webb.
Photographs taken during the summer of 1909. Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus David Honeyman, Nan Wood Honeyman (1881-1970), Nancy Honeyman, Laura Dodge King.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Laura Dodge King.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Laura Dodge King.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Faber Lewis. Includes photographs of the wreck of the "Peter Iredale."
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members.
Includes photographs of Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959) and Peter Kerr (1861-1957), as well as the of Kerr family beach house in Gearhart, designed by architect Pietro Belluschi in the mid-1940s.
This subseries contains photographs of various travels taken by the Kerr family, many of which included their extended family and friends. Trips include visits to Peter's parents and siblings in England and Scotland, as well as Peter and Laurie Kerr's 1905 honeymoon in California and Mexico. Also included are Anne Kerr McDonald's travel photograph albums, which contain photographs of travels to Europe and various United States locations.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Includes photographs of Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Louise Flanders and Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973). Includes a photograph of the "Potter Art Gallery."
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members and Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874).
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members.
Includes photographs of Constance (Connie) Dewar, Edith Evans Dewar, James C. Dewar, James Evan Dewar, Jean Dewar, Margaret Dewar, and Peter Kerr (1861-1959).
Includes photographs of James C. Dewar, David Kerr (1874-1945), Jack Kerr, James Kerr (1860-1934), James Kerr (Jr.), Jean Kerr, Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Marjorie Kerr, Milly (or Millie) Fraser Kerr, Peter Kerr (1861-1957), Tim Kerr, Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989). Includes photographs of James and Milly (or Millie) Fraser Kerr's residence "Lowick's," Freya Stark's former house.
June and July, 1925. Includes photographs of James C. Dewar, David (Dukin) Kerr (1918-1941), Ada Kerr, Jack Kerr, James Kerr (1860-1934), Jean Kerr, Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Mary Kerr (1872-1952), Milly (or Millie) Fraser Kerr, Patrick Kerr, Peter Kerr (1861-1957), Tim Kerr, Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001), and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Constance Dewar, Dorothy Dewar, Edith Evans Dewar, James C. Dewar, James Evan Dewar, Jean Dewar, Margaret Dewar, and Peter Dewar.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr family members.
Includes photographs of Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959) and Peter Kerr (1861-1957).
Includes photographs of Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001) and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989).
Includes photographs of Louise Flanders, Clementine Lewis Hall, Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Peter Kerr (1861-1957).
Possibly on Erskine Wood's property. Includes photographs of Peter Kerr family members and Gertrude Gordon McClintock Lewis (d. 1945).
Includes photographs of Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959).
Includes photographs of Flora Kerr, George Kerr (1867-1918), James Kerr (1860-1934), Jane Chrystal Kerr (b. 1863), Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Mary Kerr (1872-1952), Milly (or Millie) Fraser Kerr, Peter Kerr (1861-1957), Thomas Kerr, Sr. (1830-1916), Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), and Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001).
Includes photographs of George Kerr (1867-1918), Marjorie Kerr, Jack Kerr, and Thomas Kerr, Sr. (1830-1916).
Includes photographs of Peter and Thomas Kerr siblings and wives and daughters plus James C. Dewar. Includes photographs of "Creeview," Thomas Kerr, Sr.'s retirement house.
Includes photographs of the grave markers of Anne Dewar Kerr (1831-1892), George Kerr (1867-1918), and Thomas Kerr, Sr. (1830-1916).
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr family members plus Ada Kerr, David Kerr (1874-1945), David (Dukin) Kerr (1918-1941), Jack Kerr, James Kerr (1860-1934), Jane Chrystal Kerr (b. 1863), Jean Kerr, Mary Kerr (1872-1952), Milly (or Millie) Fraser Kerr, Patrick Kerr, Tim Kerr.
Includes photographs of Laurie King Kerr (1877-1959), Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), and Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874).
Includes photographs of Gertrude Gordon McClintock Lewis (d. 1945).
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members plus Patrick B. Gifford, Louise Flanders, David C. Lewis, and Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874). See Org. Lot 443 for identification of this location.
Includes photographs of Peter Kerr family members plus Cicero Hunt Lewis (1875-1952), Gertrude Gordon McClintock Lewis (d. 1945), and Mrs. Loak.
Includes photographs of travels in Canada, as well as photographs of Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members, extended family, and friends. Photographs are not labeled.
Includes photographs of Anne Kerr McDonald (1906-2001) and Jane Kerr Platt (1908-1989) on their trips to Cap Martin, France, various locations in Italy, and to Newton Stewart, Scotland in 1929. It appears that they joined some of their cousins -- the children of James Kerr (1860-1934) and Milly (or Millie) Fraser Kerr -- in Italy. Many photographs are labeled.
Includes photographs travels to England, as well as Peter Kerr and Thomas Kerr family members, including extended family. Includes photographs of a "haymow." Photographs are not labeled.
Includes photographs of travels in Switzerland, France, England, Wales, Victoria, B. C., California, Oregon, Guatemala, Washington, D. C., West Virginia, and Bermuda. Some of these photographs may have been acquired without travel to the location indicated. Includes photographs of Elk Rock and early photographs of Anne Kerr McDonald's (1906-2001) daughter, Laurie McDonald (later Meigs) (b. 1934). Most album pages are labeled.
This subseries contains photographs not included within the scope of the other subseries.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Includes photographs of Tom Davis, George Good, Fred V. Holman, Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), Herman Camp Leonard, Ion Lewis, Major McNeill, Dave Nethill (sp?), D. F. Paxton, C. J. Reed, Preston C. Smith, and Count Wilson.
Includes photographs of Patrick B. Gifford, Captain John Grondahl, Andrew Kerr (1869-1951), Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Peter Kerr (1861-1957), Thomas Kerr, Jr. (1910-1982). Includes photographs of the re-christening of the "S. S. Peter Kerr" on March 10, 1923.
Includes photographs of flooded downtown Portland streets and a man diving off the Skidmore Fountain.
Possibly the tent in which Tom Kerr was quarantined when he had typhoid. Includes photographs of Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), and Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874).
Includes a photograph of a grave marker with the initials "PD" and "MD" (possibly the Dewar family) and a colored sketch of Andrew Kerr's (1869-1951) house "Red Top."
Includes photographs of Patrick B. Gifford, Peter Kerr (1861-1957), Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), Richard Koehler, "Uncle Mat" Sibson, and William S. Sibson. May include photographs from Kerr Gifford & Co.
Now spelled "Waverley." Includes photographs of N. E. Ayer, Percy Blyth, Jonathan Bourne, J. Scott Brooke, Patrick B. Gifford, Mabel Macleay Kerr (1876-1973), Thomas Kerr (1865-1926), Roderick Lachlan Macleay (b. 1874), Jules Spadone (sp?), Carl Specher (sp?), F. G. Wheeler, William Whidden, and J. D. Wilcox.
RESTRICTION: Negatives in this collection are stored offsite and may not be used by researchers. Prints have been made from all negatives and are available for researchers in this collection; researchers must use the prints for reference purposes instead of the negatives. Please consult a Reference Librarian for more information.
Negatives were numbered by Oregon Historical Society staff for matching and retrieval purposes. Please note that negative numbers 125, 423, 434-443, and 574 were skipped in the numbering scheme.
Negative number 125 was skipped.
Negative numbers 423 and 434-443 were skipped.
Negative number 574 was skipped.
Lucretia Colton was the great-grandmother of Lady Anne Kerr McDonald. The letter from Helen Schroeder to Lady McDonald, 1958, explains the documents.
Scrapbook and diary kept by Peter Kerr, with drawings, photographs, clippings, and daily entries. Includes an original sketch by Charles Erskine Scott (C. E. S.) Wood (1852-1944).
Includes list of Kerr family artifacts donated to the Oregon Historical Society in 1968 by Lady Anne McDonald.
All items are diaries unless otherwise noted