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Ruth Gill Hammond Papers: Finding Aid
mssHammond papers
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Title: Ruth Gill Hammond Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1916-1987
Collection Number: mssHammond papers
Creator:
Hammond, Ruth Gill.
Extent: 328 pieces in 4 boxes + 2 volumes, 2 binders, 1 oversize folder, and 1 empty box
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of home economics teacher Ruth Gill Hammond (1901-1989), who taught in China, Thailand,
and the United States.
The bulk of the papers consists of correspondence to and from Hammond. Subject matter of the correspondence covers the daily
activities
of Ruth Gill Hammond and others, family matters, business and professional matters,
and brief descriptions of historical events in Siam (Thailand), China, and the
United States.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Ruth Gill Hammond Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Ruth Gill Hammond, November 3, 1987.
Ruth Gill Hammond (1901-1989) was born on May 20, 1901, to William Harrison Gill and
Mary Adelaine Karr Gill in Phoenix, Arizona. William Harrison Gill was an evangelist
missionary who worked among the Native American tribes of the Old Southwest (mainly
Arizona and Nevada) in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ruth Gill Hammond studied at
Oregon State College where she earned her degree in Home Economics. After completing
her degree in Home Economics, she went on to earn her Master’s degree from Columbia.
After completing her education, Ruth taught Home Economics at several different
schools. Schools at which she taught include Anderson Union High School, Buffalo
State Teacher’s College, and Lingnan University in Canton, China. The bulk of her
teaching career (12 years) was spent at Lingnan University. In September of 1932,
Ruth was married to A.R. Hammond, sales manager for McFarland Office Appliance
Company for the territory of Siam (Thailand), and together they had three children:
Barbara Ruth, John William, and Carolyn Louise. Hammond resided in
Bangkok, Thailand, with her husband and children until finally returning to Oregon.
This collection consists of correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, Home Economics
books, and ephemera. The collection is organized chronologically within each
respective category. The bulk of the papers consist of correspondence to and from
Ruth Gill Hammond. Subject matter of the correspondence covers the daily activities
of Ruth Gill Hammond and others, family matters, business and professional matters,
and brief descriptions of historical events in Siam (Thailand), China, and the
United States. Boxes 1 and 2 contain correspondence to and from Ruth’s family,
friends, and professional associates. Bertha (Blount) McFarland and Ava (Milam)
Clark contribute a bulk of the correspondence. Box 3 of the collection contains
notable correspondence between Ruth Gill Hammond and A.R. Hammond which recounts
their relationship and thoughts about one another in great detail. Their
correspondence also provides details of their daily activities and major events in
their lives. Other notable correspondences include letters to and from Ava Bertha
(Milam) Clark or “Auntie Muz,” who was a very close friend to Ruth Gill and A.R.
Hammond. She was also a well-known Home Economics professor and dean at Oregon State
University. The collection also contains a few correspondences noting historical
events in Siam (Thailand), China, and the United States (1932, June 18; 1932, July
2; 1935, Apr. 27; 1935, Nov. 27; 1940, Mar. 18). Other frequent and notable
correspondence names include: Myrtle Viola Candell, Charles Keyser Edmunds, Clara H.
Groesbeck, Lucille Barnard Hanaford, James M. Henry, Faye Kilpatrick, Catherine E.
Reed, Mildred L. Sipp, and M. Ellwood Smith.
The collection also consists of scrapbooks about Ruth Gill Hammond that recounts a
number of different events in her life from her childhood to raising a family of her
own. The scrapbooks contain typed copies of various correspondences written by and
to Ruth Gill Hammond; several photographs of Ruth, the Gill and Hammond family,
China and Lingnan University, Siam (Thailand); and various memorabilia. The
scrapbooks provide a detailed description of the life of Ruth Gill Hammond through
narration and photographs. The Volume 2 scrapbook contains notable information about
William Harrison Gill including an article by Bertha Blount McFarland and copies of
letters written to Ruth from her father. One entire scrapbook is devoted to the
relationship between Ruth Gill Hammond and A.R. Hammond and their wedding (Red
scrapbook with jade circle).
The manuscripts and ephemera include the genealogy papers of Ruth Gill Hammond that
provides research information about the Gill family. Ephemera include various
pamphlets and handwritten notes pertaining to the life of Ruth Gill Hammond and
include a Lingnan University Newsletter, an article by Ruth Gill Hammond on home
management, a brief history of the College of Home Economics at Oregon State
University, the menu aboard the S.S. President Hoover, The William Harrison Gill
Trust pamphlet, and letter envelopes. Also included in the collection are
photographs of Ava Bertha (Milam) Clark and Ruth Gill Hammond as well as old
passports belonging to Ruth Gill Hammond.
The collection also contains two books that were given to Ruth Gill Hammond by Ava
Bertha (Milam) Clark. The books contain handwritten notes on the inside pages by
Ruth and Ava. “The Care and Guidance of Children” contains photographs of Ruth’s
children as book illustrations and examples. “Adventures of a Home Economist” is
authored by Ava Milam Clark and contains a signed note addressed to Ruth.
Arranged in the following order:
- Correspondence (Boxes 1-2)
- Correspondence Between Ruth Gill Hammond and A.R. Hammond (Box 3)
- Manuscripts and Ephemera (Box 4)
- Scrapbooks and Books (6 loose volumes)
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Hammond, Ruth Gill --
Archives.
Ling nan da xue
(Guangzhou, China) -- History.
Oregon State
University. College of Home Economics.
Home economics -- China.
Home economics -- Study and teaching --
China -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Home economics -- Study and teaching --
Oregon.
Home economics -- United States --
History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Home economics -- Biography.
Women -- United States -- History --
20th century.
Bangkok (Thailand) --
History.
Letters (correspondence) China -- 20th
century.
Letters (correspondence) Thailand --
20th century.
Letters (correspondence -- United
States -- 20th century.
Photographs -- 20th century.
Scrapbooks -- 20th century.
Edmunds, Charles K. (Charles Keyser),
b. 1876.