J. Allen Gilbert Papers, circa 1888-1990
Table of Contents
- Overview of the Collection
-
Historical Note
- Content Description
- Use of the Collection
- Administrative Information
-
Detailed Description of the Collection
- Correspondence--San Francisco trip, July-August 1926
- Correspondence--London trip, September 1926
- Correspondence--London and Scotland trips, October 1926
- Correspondence--London, Paris & Zurich trips, November-December 1926
- Correspondence, 1928-1929
- Correspondence, 1930-1939
- Postcards from cross-country trips & Portland, Or., 1926, 1935-1939
- Correspondence, 1940-1947
- Correspondence, undated
- Correspondence--J. Allen Gilbert, 1922, 1931
- Correspondence--Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, 1926-1967
- Correspondence--J. Allen Gilbert & Abbie M. Plum, 1936-1937
- Correspondence--J. Allen Gilbert, 1921-1947
- Correspondence, 1939-1948
- Correspondence--Dorothea Gilbert, circa 1929-1956
- Professional writings--Dorothea Gilbert, circa 1937-1945
- Correspondence and obituaries--Florence Gilbert, 1904-1917
- Writings--Florence Gilbert, circa 1910
- Correspondence--Jacob G. Zerwekh, 1941
- Correspondence--fragments, circa 1925-1945
- Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert, circa 1897-1921
- Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert, circa 1910-1938
- Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert, circa 1910-1920
- Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert, circa 1920
- Manuscript, "The Curse of Intellect" by J. Allen Gilbert, 1934
- Book, True and False Sex Alarms by J. Allen Gilbert, 1916
- Newspaper clippings, circa 1926-1956
- Degrees and academia, 1889, 1897-1898
- Ephemera, circa 1888-1967
- Poems, undated
- Cosmopolitan Magazine article clippings, circa 1985-1990
- Gilbert family genealogy by J. Allen Gilbert, circa 1910
- Names and Subjects
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Gilbert, J. Allen (1867-1948)
- Title
- J. Allen Gilbert Papers
- Dates
- circa 1888-1990 (inclusive)
- Quantity
- 1.5 linear feet (3 document cases and 1 scroll)
- Collection Number
- Mss 2987
- Summary
- J. Allen Gilbert (1867-1948) was a medical doctor and physiology professor. The papers consist of correspondence (1926-1948) from Gilbert to his daughter Dorothea Gilbert. The correspondence also includes brother Jess B. Gilbert, father-in-law Jacob G. Zerwekh, Abbie Plum, Nan Britton, and various friends and acquaintances. The collection contains photocopies of Gilbert's correspondence with Dr. Carl Gustav Jung and related materials (1926-1967), and photocopies of a few letters between Gilbert and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1922). The material includes several of Gilbert's published and unpublished articles for professional journals (circa 1897-1938), an unpublished manuscript "The Curse of Intellect" (1934), and a copy of his book, True and False Sex Alarms (1916). A Gilbert family genealogy (circa 1910) and ephemera are contained in the collection.
- Repository
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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
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English, German
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical Note
J. Allen Gilbert (April 5, 1867-April 18, 1948) was a medical doctor and physiology professor who resided in Portland, Or. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, Gilbert attended several schools, including the Union Biblical Seminary and Yale University. He attained his medical degree in 1901. In 1901, after Gilbert married Florence A. Zerwekh, the couple relocated to Portland, Or., where he started his career as a Professor of Physiology at the Dental School of North Pacific College (later the University of Oregon Dental School). Their daughter, Dorothea, was born in 1906. Florence Gilbert died on December 17, 1917, which prompted her husband to undertake a worldwide search for her spirit. However, after seven years he called off the quest, declaring it a failure. Gilbert and his daughter wrote extensively to each other from the 1920s to the 1940s. He corresponded with various individuals during his lifetime, including Dr. Carl Gustav Jung and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Content Description
Materials consist of correspondence (1926-1948) from J. Allen Gilbert to his daughter Dorothea Gilbert. Letters document Gilbert's professional and personal relationships and provide details about his travels around North America and Europe. Other correspondents include brother Jess B. Gilbert, father-in-law Jacob G. Zerwekh, Abbie Plum, Nan Britton, and various friends and acquaintances. The collection contains photocopies of Gilbert's correspondence with Dr. Carl Gustav Jung and related materials (1926-1967), and photocopies of a few letters between Gilbert and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1922). Gilbert's correspondence with Dorothea addresses many topics, including medical techniques, psychology in social work, personal relationships, and family affairs. Letters also contain Gilbert's opinions on sociology, philosophy, spiritualism, public welfare, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and racism in the South. The material reflects his somewhat volatile relationships with Dorothea, other family members, and friends. The collection includes several of Gilbert's published and unpublished articles for professional journals (circa 1897-1938), and an unpublished manuscript "The Curse of Intellect" (1934). Gilbert's articles address the topics of psychology, human values in education, spiritualism, and treatment of homosexuality. A copy of Gilbert's book, True and False Sex Alarms (1916), a Gilbert family genealogy (circa 1910), and ephemera are included in the collection.
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. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any publication use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
J. Allen Gilbert Papers, Mss 2987, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative Information
Arrangement
The correspondence and professional writings are arranged chronologically in folders.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Dr. Frederick E. Ellis, 1995 and 1998 (Accession numbers 22443 and 23770).
Processing Note
Papers were originally received in two donations and assigned two manuscript numbers, Mss2987 and Mss2987-1. Materials have been consolidated under manuscript number Mss2987. The correspondence in folders 2/5, 2/6 and 2/7, and the book True and False Sex Alarms were originally designated as Mss2987-1.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Description: Correspondence--San Francisco trip
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert and Eugene C. and Evelyn L. Horton
Dates: July-August 1926Container: Box/Folder 1/1 -
Description: Correspondence--London trip
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: September 1926Container: Box/Folder 1/2-4 -
Description: Correspondence--London and Scotland trips
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: October 1926Container: Box/Folder 1/5-7 -
Description: Correspondence--London, Paris & Zurich trips
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: November-December 1926Container: Box/Folder 1/8 -
Description: Correspondence
J. Allen Gilbert and Annie L. Sears to Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: 1928-1929Container: Box/Folder 1/9 -
Description: Correspondence
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: 1930-1939Container: Box/Folder 1/10 -
Description: Postcards from cross-country trips & Portland, Or.
J. Allen Gilbert and Annie L. Sears to Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: 1926; 1935-1939Container: Box/Folder 1/11 -
Description: Correspondence
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: 1940-1947Container: Box/Folder 1/12 -
Description: Correspondence
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert and Eugene C. and Evelyn L. Horton
Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 1/13 -
Description: Correspondence--J. Allen Gilbert
Photocopies of correspondence with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr. Charles Clark Sweet of Sing Sing Prison
Dates: 1922; 1931Container: Box/Folder 2/1 -
Description: Correspondence--Dr. Carl Gustav Jung
Photocopies of correspondence between J. Allen Gilbert and Jung.
Correspondence between Dorothea Gilbert and Dr. Gerhard Adler.
Dates: 1926-1967Container: Box/Folder 2/2 -
Description: Correspondence--J. Allen Gilbert & Abbie M. PlumDates: 1936-1937Container: Box/Folder 2/3
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Description: Correspondence--J. Allen Gilbert
H. Godwin Baynes, Nan Britton, Katherine L. Bush, Ruth Gilbert (?), Eleanor Gile, Arthur Stanley Riggs, Mr. Skiff, publishing company representatives, and others
Dates: 1921-1947Container: Box/Folder 2/4 -
Description: Correspondence
J. Allen Gilbert to Dorothea Gilbert, Jess B. Gilbert, Mr. and Mrs. Skiff, Jacob G. Zerwekh, and others. Jess B. Gilbert to J. Allen Gilbert. Jacob G. Zerwekh to J. Allen Gilbert and unidentified niece.
Dates: 1939-1948Container: Box/Folder 2/5-7 -
Description: Correspondence--Dorothea Gilbert
Harriet Bartlett, Harry S. Bressler, Annie L. Sears, and others.
Photographs of Dorothea, house, and nurse with baby.
Dates: circa 1929-1956Container: Box/Folder 2/8 -
Description: Professional writings--Dorothea Gilbert
"The Dilemma of Social Work" and notes
Dates: circa 1937-1945Container: Box/Folder 2/9 -
Description: Correspondence and obituaries--Florence Gilbert
Florence Gilbert to Annie L. Sears
Dates: 1904-1917Container: Box/Folder 2/10 -
Description: Writings--Florence Gilbert
"Spiritual Development of the Child in the Home" and notes
Dates: circa 1910Container: Box/Folder 2/11 -
Description: Correspondence--Jacob G. Zerwekh
Zerwekh, father of Florence Gilbert, to J. Allen & Dorothea Gilbert
Dates: 1941Container: Box/Folder 2/12 -
Description: Correspondence--fragmentsDates: circa 1925-1945Container: Box/Folder 2/13
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Description: Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert
Articles in University of Iowa Studies in Psychology. Reprints of articles from American Medicine, Medical Record, Medical Sentinel, and unidentified journals.
Dates: circa 1897-1921Container: Box/Folder 2/14 -
Description: Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert
Article in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, draft of preface and first chapter for unidentified manuscript, and fragments of articles.
Dates: circa 1910-1938Container: Box/Folder 2/15 -
Description: Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert
Manuscripts of articles, "The Discouragements of Social Work" and "Am I a Church Member?"
Dates: circa 1910-1920Container: Box/Folder 2/16 -
Description: Professional writings--J. Allen Gilbert
Reprint of article from the Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, "Homo-sexuality and its Treatment," in which Gilbert describes his treatment of Alberta Lucille Hart/Dr. Alan L. Hart. Photocopy of manuscript of article, "Human Values in the Public School."
Dates: circa 1920Container: Box/Folder 3/1 -
Description: Manuscript, "The Curse of Intellect" by J. Allen Gilbert
Preface by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung
Dates: 1934Container: Box/Folder 3/2 -
Description: Book, True and False Sex Alarms by J. Allen GilbertDates: 1916Container: Box/Folder 3/3
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Description: Newspaper clippings
Article about Dorothea Gilbert and editorials
Dates: circa 1926-1956Container: Box/Folder 3/4 -
Description: Degrees and academia
Otterbein University, Almae Universitatis Lipsiensis, and Univerfität Leipzig
Dates: 1889; 1897-1898Container: Box/Folder 3/5 -
Description: Ephemera
Materials include London tour map, photograph of Dorothea Gilbert and others at party, and photograph of child
Dates: circa 1888-1967Container: Box/Folder 3/6 -
Description: Poems
Poems by M. H. Wallace and unidentified
Dates: undatedContainer: Box/Folder 3/7 -
Description: Cosmopolitan Magazine article clippings
"How Does One Really Touch a Man?" and "Money & Marriage"
Dates: circa 1985-1990Container: Box/Folder 3/8 -
Description: Gilbert family genealogy by J. Allen Gilbert
Data recorded on scroll.
Dates: circa 1910Container: Scroll
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Clinical health psychology--Oregon--Portland.
- Educational psychology.
- Physicians--Oregon--Portland--Correspondence.
- Psychiatric social work--Oregon--Portland.
- Psychoanalysis and homosexuality.
- Public welfare--Oregon--Portland.
- Racism--Southern States.
- Sex instruction--Oregon--Portland.
- Southern States--Race relations.
- Spiritualism--Oregon--Portland.
Personal Names
- Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930--Correspondence.
- Gilbert, Dorothea---Correspondence.
- Gilbert, J. Allen (Joshua Allen), 1867-1948--Correspondence. (creator)
- Gilbert, Jess B.--Correspondence.
- Jung, C. G. (Carl Gustav), 1875-1961---Correspondence.
- Plum, Abbie---Correspondence.
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945.
Corporate Names
- University of Oregon. Dental School.
Family Names
- Gilbert Family.
Form or Genre Terms
- Articles.
- Genealogies.
- Letters.
