Ruth Gill Hammond Papers: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Brian Song, September 24, 2010.
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
© 2010
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.


Overview of the Collection

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.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Ruth Gill Hammond Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Gift of Ruth Gill Hammond, November 3, 1987.

Biographical Note

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.

Scope and Content

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.

Arrangement

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)
.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

Subjects

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.

Forms/Genres

Letters (correspondence) China -- 20th century.
Letters (correspondence) Thailand -- 20th century.
Letters (correspondence -- United States -- 20th century.
Photographs -- 20th century.
Scrapbooks -- 20th century.

Additional Contributors

Edmunds, Charles K. (Charles Keyser), b. 1876.


 

Correspondence

Box 1

Correspondence, 1916-1932

Folder 1

1916, Nov. 22. Milam, Mary Louise. 1 letter to Ava (Milam) Clark.

Folder 2

1920. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 1 letter to Eleanor W.

Folder 3

1924, Jan. 7. O’neale, Lila Morris. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 4

1925, Apr. 16. McFarland, Bertha (Blount). 1 letter to Ava (Milam) Clark.

Folder 5

1925-1927. McFarland, Bertha (Blount). 15 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 6

1931-1946. McFarland, Bertha (Blount). 16 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 7

1926, Oct. 12. Knight, Alice. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 8

1926, Oct. 13. Wilson, Ella E. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 9

1927, May-June. Kilpatrick, Faye. 3 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 10

1928, Dec. 27. Hammond, A.R. 1 letter to Edward Campbell and Helen Campbell.

Folder 11

1929, Feb. 20. Clark, Ava (Milam). 1 letter to Olin D. Wannamaker.

Folder 12

[1929]. Dumit, Emile J. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 13

1929, Oct.-Dec. Henry, James M. (Trustees Lingnan University). 2 letters to Ava (Milam) Clark.

Folder 14

1929-1940. Clark, Ava (Milam). 20 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 15

1929-1931. Trustees Lingnan University. 8 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 16

1930, Feb. 25. University of Hawaii. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 17

1930-1932. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 7 letters to Ava (Milam) Clark.

Folder 18

[1930]. Merat, C.K. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond along with 1 photograph of Persian Peacock Throne in the King’s Palace in Persia.

Folder 19

1931, Nov. 28. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 1 letter to “All the Barkleys and Friends.”

Folder 20

1932, Apr. 7. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 1 letter addressed to “Dr. Henry.”

Folder 21

1932, Apr. 8. Henry, James M. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 22

1932, Apr. 11. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 1 letter to Clinton N. Laird, Dean College of Arts and Sciences Lingnan University.

Folder 23

1932, May 26. Winchell, Cora M. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 24

1932, July 12. Costello, George E. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 25

1932, Sep. 25. Hammond, A.R. 1 postcard to Claire Hayward.

Folder 26

1932, Dec. 28. Cotton, Arthur N. 1 telegram to A.R.Hammond and Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 27

1932, Dec. 28. Drechsler, Richard. 1 telegram to A.R. Hammond.

Folder 28

1932, Dec. 28. Gregg, John. 1 telegram to A.R. Hammond and Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 29

1932, Mar.-June. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 12 letters to Bertha (Blount) McFarland.

Folder 30

1932-1936. Hammond, A.R. 4 letters to Ava (Milam) Clark.

Folder 31

[1932]. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 3 incomplete letters to unknown recipient.

Folder 32

1932. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 3 letters to “Mr. O’Brien.”

Box 2

Correspondence, 1933-1985

Folder 1

1933, Mar. 26. Quigg, Alice. 1 letter to A.R. Hammond and Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 2

[1933]. [Unknown author]. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 3

1933-1934. Candell, Myrtle Viola. 6 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 4

1933-1942. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 24 letters to Ava (Milam) Clark.

Folder 5

1933. The Leopold Schepp Foundation. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 6

1933-1935. Reed, Catherine E. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond and A.R. Hammond.

Folder 7

1935, Nov. 27. Hammond, Ruth Gill and Hammond, A.R. 1 letter to Anna Price.

Folder 8

1935, Nov. 27. Hammond, Ruth Gill and Hammond, A.R. 1 letter to Iva Schlatter.

Folder 9

[1935]. Hammond, A.R. 1 letter to [Unknown recipient].

Folder 10

[1935]. Post, Luise. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 11

1936, Jan. 14. Zimmerman, Walter A. 1 letter to A.R. Hammond.

Folder 12

1936, Jan. 18. McFarland, Mary. 1 letter to A.R. Hammond and Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 13

1936, Mar. 2. Campbell, Mary. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 14

1936, Mar. 6. Cooley, Anna M. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 15

1936, Mar. 17. Franklin, Robert O. 1 letter to A.R. Hammond and Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 16

1936, May 4. Sara. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond along with 1 photograph.

Folder 17

1936, June 15. Frances. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 18

1936, Aug. 9. Gillett, Bertha A. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 19

1936, Sep. 16. Duan, Lam. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 20

1936, Oct. 4. Eakin, Gertrude. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond along with 1 envelope with notes.

Folder 21

1936, Nov. Margaret. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 22

1936-1940. Groesbeck, Clara H. 8 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 23

1937, Jan. 8. Hadlock, Janet. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond along with 1 photograph of Eddie Hadlock and son, Frank Owen Hadlock.

Folder 24

1937, Feb. 21. Hanaford, Lucille (Barnard). 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond, A.R. Hammond, and Ava (Milam) Clark.

Folder 25

1937, July 4. Stevenson, Lois. 1 letter to Lucille (Barnard) Hanaford.

Folder 26

1937, Sep. 28. Metcalf, Mabel T. 1 letter to Lucille (Barnard) Hanaford.

Folder 27

1937, Oct. 20. Edmunds, Charles K. (Charles Keyson), b.1876. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 28

1937, Oct. 21. Hanaford, Lucille (Barnard). 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 29

1937-1939. Fall, Helen. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 30

1938, May 25. Smith, M. Ellwood (Oregon State Agricultural College). 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 31

1938, July 29. Dorothy. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 32

1938, Nov. 22. D[avies], Sara. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 33

1939, May 11. Clark, Ava (Milam). 1 letter to A.R. Hammond.

Folder 34

1939, May 15. Smith, Crump. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 35

1940, Sep. 10. Rose, Mary Swartz. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond along with 1 envelope with notes.

Folder 36

1940, Nov. 16. Lucille. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond along with 2 photographs.

Folder 37

[1940]. Hanaford, Lucille (Barnard). 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 38

1940-1946. McFarland, Bertha (Blount). 2 letters to A.R. Hammond.

Folder 39

1941, Feb. 24. Sipp, Mildred L. (State Teachers College). 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 40

1949, Aug. 10. Choi, E. Soon. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 41

1949, Oct. 4. Punyanitya, T. (Damrory-Dharma, Advocates and Solicitors). 1 letter to A.R. Hammond.

Folder 42

1953, Mar. 20. Hartzfield, Freeda O. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 43

1979. Hormann, Bernhard L. 2 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 44

[1985]. Funada, Kenji. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond along with 2 family photographs.

Folder 45

1987, Mar. 16. Gillingham, Ray. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

 

Correspondence Between Ruth Gill Hammond and A.R. Hammond

Box 3

Correspondence Between Ruth Gill Hammond and A.R. Hammond

Folder 1

1932, Apr. 13. Hammond, A.R. 1 oversize letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 2

1932, Apr.-July. Hammond, A.R. 18 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Note

An oversize April 13, 1932, letter is housed separately.
Folder 3

1932, Sep.-1939. Hammond, A.R. 11 letters to Ruth Gill Hammond.

Folder 4

1932, Mar.-June. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 23 letters to A.R. Hammond.

Folder 5

1932, July-1939. Hammond, Ruth Gill. 18 letters to A.R. Hammond.

Oversize folder

1932 April 13 Hammond, A.R. 1 letter to Ruth Gill Hammond.

 

Manuscripts and Ephemera

Box 4

Manuscripts and Ephemera

Folder 1

1932-1968. Ephemera. 17 items.

Folder 2

[Undated]. Ruth Gill Hammond Genealogy Papers. 17 items.

Folder 3

[Undated]. Photographs. 6 items.

Folder 4

[Undated]. Red “Our Letters” Box. 1 item.

 

Scrapbooks and Books

 

Scrapbooks and Books

Volume 1

1932. Ruth Gill Hammond “Her Book” Red Scrapbook containing materials from the time A.R. Hammond came to Canton, China to meet Ruth until the end of their wedding journey in the United States.

Volume 2

1938. “Care and Guidance of Children” Book with handwritten page notes by Ruth Gill Hammond.

Volume 3

1969. “Adventures of a Home Economist” Book with a handwritten note from Ava (Milam) Clark to Ruth Gill Hammond on inside page.

Volume 4

[1987]. Ruth Louise Gill Hammond Scrapbook Volume 1.

Volume 5

[1987]. Ruth Louise Gill Hammond Scrapbook Volume 2.

Box

Empty red box with title "Our Letters: Ruth & A. R."