Guide to the Merton and Eleanor Davis History of the Davis and Hall Families
1983

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Table of Contents
  Overview of the Collection
   
  Biographical Note
   
  Content Description
   
Use of the Collection
   
Administrative Information
  Subjects

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Davis, Merton
Title: Merton and Eleanor Davis History of the Davis and Hall Families
Dates: 1983 ( inclusive )
Quantity: 0.04 cubic foot (1 box)
Collection Number: MSS Davis Hall
Summary: This collection consists of the monograph This We Remember, a history of the Davis and Hall families of Union, Oregon; it was written by alumni Merton and Eleanor Davis. In addition to detailing the settlement and history of the two Oregon pioneer families, this monograph also describes Merton and Eleanor's experiences as students at Oregon Agricultural College.
Repository: Oregon State University Libraries
University Archives

121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-4501
Phone: 541-737-2165
Email: archives@oregonstate.edu
Web: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives

Languages: Materials in English. 
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical Note

After graduating from Union High School, Merton Davis attended Oregon Agricultural College from 1915 though 1917, where he studied agriculture and architecture. He was a member of Kappa Sigma. He enlisted in the Navy in 1917 and served in World War I in Naval Aviation in Porto Corsino, Italy. After the war, he returned to North Powder, Oregon.

Eleanor Grace Hall, also from Union, attended OAC from 1915 to 1917; she studied music. When Eleanor was a student, she was a member of the Madrigal Club, which was formed in the fall of 1909 "for the combined purposes of the study of part song and operas and pleasure" (The Orange, 1917, page 75). In 1917, she was the president of the club. She was also a member of the Alpha Chi Omega fraternity.

Having met in college, the two were married on October 9, 1919, when Merton returned from World War I. In 1924, they founded the Texaco Service Station in Union, Oregon. After Merton's father, Alonzo Benjamine Davis, passed away in 1938, the two assumed responsibility for the family ranching business; they sold the station in 1947 and ranched full-time until their retirement in 1967.

Content Description

This collection consists of the monograph This We Remember, which is a history of the Davis and Hall families of Union, Oregon. It was written by OSU alumni Merton and Eleanor Davis. This monograph details the migration of these two Oregon pioneer families in the mid-1800s and follows the families through the 1980s. It includes Merton and Eleanor's experiences as students at Oregon Agricultural College and lists other OSU alumni in the family. This book also documents the development of the town of Union, and includes details of various local businesses and buildings.

Also included is a family tree for both the Hall and Davis families. It is a double-sided item, measuring 34 inches by 22 inches.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access :  

Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation :  

Merton and Eleanor Davis History of the Davis and Hall Families, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative Information

Custodial History :  

This collection was transferred to the Archives by the Alumni Association in 2006.

Subjects

    • Family Names :
    • Davis family
    • Hall family
    • Corporate Names :
    • Oregon Agricultural College--Students.
    • Geographical Names :
    • Corvallis (Or.)
    • Union (Or.)
    • Subject Terms :
    • College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
    • College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
    • Pioneers--Oregon--Union Region.
    • Ranch life--Oregon--Union Region.
    • Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
    • Form or Genre Terms :
    • Family trees
    • Titles within the Collection :
    • This we remember
      • Other Creators :
      • Davis, Eleanor

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      Finding aid prepared by Tiah Edmunson-Morton.
      2007