Edward Henry (E. H.) Fairchild papers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of official and personal papers of Berea College's first president, Edward Henry Fairchild. Materials include personal papers, manuscript reminiscences, essays, photographs and printed articles by and about the Fairchild family. Family members represented, in addition to Edward Henry Fairchild, are Edward's wife, Maria B. Fairchild; his brother, James H. Fairchild and sister-in-law, Helen Viets Fairchild; his children, the Rev. Charles Fairchild, Julia Fairchild Hall, Arthur Fairchild, and Eugene Fairchild; nephews David Fairchild and the Rev. Edwin M. Fairchild, nieces Phoebe and Carolyn Haynes, grandchildren Bertha Fairchild Lauder, Henry P. Fairchild, Frederick F. Hall, Walter Fairchild and Edith Fairchild; great granddaughters Grace Hall Ohl and Ruth Lauder. President Fairchild's correspondence is limited to twenty-one letters (1860-1882), of which only seven appear to be original. Included are fragmentary personal and business correspondence of E.H. Fairchild and Frederick F. Hall; typewritten copies of Charles F. Dike's letters to Fairchild concerning Dike's donation of money for the education of black students; and correspondence of other family members.
Photographs in the collecitons include a family album and miscellaneous loose prints, most of which are 19th century. Depicted are family members and the Fairchild home (c. 1894); Berea College students, buildings, and campus scenes (1869-1873, 1891-1894); and several shots taken at sites near Berea. Other materials include printed presidential addresses of Fairchild (inaugural, baccalaureate, etc., 1969-1885), printed college advertisements and circulars (1869-1875), and miscellaneous notes and clippings relating to Fairchild's career.
Dates
- created: 1860-1973
Creator
- Fairchild, Edward Henry -- 1815-1889 (Person)
- Hutchins Library (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College.
Conditions Governing Use
There are no restrictions on the collection other than federal copyright regulations. Permission to publish/reproduce must be requested. Cite all references to the material in this collection.
Biographical or Historical Information
Born in Stockbridge, MA, 29 November 1815, Edward Henry Fairchild grew up in Brownhelm, Ohio,where his parents, Grandison and Nancy Fairchild, had a farm. He and his brother James were half of the first entering class at Oberlin College; he graduated in 1838. At age 21, after lecturing against slavery in Ohio as one of the "Seventy" sent out by Theodore Weld, he was commissioned by the American Anti-slavery Society for a three-month tour of Pennsylvania. At 22 he began teaching a large colored school in Cincinnati. He graduated from Oberlin's Theological Seminary in 1841 and then married Maria Babbit,who at one time had also lived in Brownhelm. The couple had four sons and one daughter: Charles,Henry, Julia, Arthur, and Eugene. Fairchild was ordained in the Congregational Church (after being rejected by the Presbyterians because he supported Oberlin). He served pastorates in Ohio,Pennsylvania, and New York, and continued to lecture against slavery. From 1853-1869 (approximately) he was principal of the Preparatory Department at Oberlin. In 1869 he became the first president of Berea College and served until his death in 1889.
First President of Berea College
Extent
0.80 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
official and personal papers of Berea College's first president, Edward Henry Fairchild.
Arrangement Note
Arrangement of the collection is in series: Series 1: Personal Series; 2: Correspondence; Series 3: Addresses and Sermons; Series 4: Printed Material; Series 5: Miscellaneous; and Series 6: Photographs
Accruals and Additions
Members of the Berea College administration and the Fairchild family donated some materials and records, while others were preserved (as they became available) by College librarians.
Other Descriptive Information
Berea College students, faculty, and staff can access materials through the online Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice: 1490-2007 portal hosted by Adam Matthew Digital.
Processing Information
This edition of the finding aid was generated from one created in 2011. The finding aid and box list were updated in May 2014 by Lori Myers-Steele, Project Archivist. The box list was updated with the aid of Zaven Ruckers, Student Associate Archivist.
Subject
- Fairchild, Edward Henry -- 1815-1889 (Person)
- Berea College (Organization)
- Oberlin College. (Organization)
- American Anti-Slavery Society. (Organization)
- American Missionary Association. (Organization)
- Title
- Edward Henry (E. H.) Fairchild papers Finding Aid
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the Berea College Special Collections and Archives Repository
Hutchins Library
100 Campus Drive
Berea Kentucky 40404 US
859.985.3262
special_collections@berea.edu