Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey Papers, 1813-1999

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hearsey, Herbert R., 1910-
Title
Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey Papers
Dates
1813-1999 (inclusive)
1928-1998 (bulk)
Quantity
1.2 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0061hearsey (collection)
Summary
The Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey papers document the careers and lives of two librarians and active community figures in Bellingham, Washington.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey were longtime residents of Bellingham, Washington. Both were librarians, involved in the Bellingham Power Squadron, and had an active role in the community.

Herbert Hearsey was born November 27, 1910. His first experience in the library predated his education, working as a page at the Cambridge Public Library from 1923-1928 and from in 1927-1937 at the Harvard College Library. Between 1931-1935, Herb attended Tufts College and continued to work at Harvard. From 1937-1941, with the exception of a brief return to Harvard, Herb pursued graduate study at the school of Library Science at the University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana. Here he met Laura Beth Davis, who was also studying to be a librarian and they were married in 1938. Laura Beth Davis Hearsey was born August 9, 1908 in Neosho, Missouri. In September, 1926, Laura attended Cottey College in Nevada for girls, where she worked for two hours a day in the college library to reduce the cost of tuition and board. She transferred to Howard Payne College to complete her degree, working concurrently at her former high school in Neosho as a teacher for a series of terms. Finishing college, Laura Beth continued to work at both the Neosho Junior high school and her former high school for an additional six years teaching English and social studies.

In 1941, after Herb and Laura Beth were married, they moved to Bellingham, Washington where Herb worked until 1974 as both Reference Librarian and Head of Circulation at Western Washington State College. Laura Beth continued to work as both a librarian and teacher in the Bellingham public school system. Herb, being an avid boater served as the first Commander and founder of the Bellingham Power Squadron in 1958. Laura Beth was also an active member of the Bellingham Power Squadron. In addition to her extensive writings of family history, Laura Beth kept detailed records for the Power Squadron. Laura Beth was also known for her role as leader of the Women’s Study Club in Bellingham. This group of women met to discuss a variety of books and issues from 1942-1997. Herb was a prolific writer, whose memoirs comprise Boating in my Life: forty years & five boats in the Puget Sound, the San Juans, Canadian waterways & southeastern Alaska (2001), and Recollections of Herbert R. Hearsey: An Autobiographical Account (2003).

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey papers are a small collection documenting the careers and personal life of a Bellingham, Washington family, with the bulk of the materials spanning from 1928-1999. Both Herb and Laura Beth were librarians, with Herb serving as both the acting director of Western Washington University’s library, as well as its special collections.

Laura Beth Hearsey’s papers include diaries, academic yearbooks, photographs, clippings and scrapbooks pertaining to her personal and professional life. Her papers contain extensive information regarding her family genealogy, including photographs and unpublished histories of the Vandiver and Davis families. The collection includes a 1962 navigational log book reflecting Laura Beth Hearsey’s membership in the Bellingham Power Squadron. Laura Beth’s papers also document her role and interest in the activities of the Study Club, a Bellingham women’s group. The collection includes a Study Club minute book dated 1949-1969, and an eponymous club history written by Laura Beth in 1997.

Herb Hearsey’s papers include degree certificates, and academic writings including his 1935 Master’s Thesis “Reading Ability at Tuft’s College”, as well as clippings and articles relating to library and campus affairs at Western Washington State College. The collection also contains the Hearsey’s financial records dated 1942-1993.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey Papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey papers are organized in accordance with the following series and subseries arrangement:

  • Series I: Laura Beth Hearsey Papers 1925-1999.
    • Sub-Series1: Biographical 1925-1999
    • Sub-Series 2: Family Genealogy 1813-1996
    • Sub-Series 3: Public Life 1949-1997
  • Series II: Herb Hearsey Papers 1935-1998
  • Series III: Herb and Laura Beth Hearsey Financial Papers 1942-1996

Acquisition Information

Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey donated their papers to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 1998.

Processing Note

The Herbert and Laura Beth Hearsey papers received some preliminary processing and preservation work upon the collection’s arrival to the center. In 2005, Jason Kaltenbacher completed its processing and developed the finding aid.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Bibliography

Hearsey, Herbert R. Recollections of Herbert R. Hearsey : an autobiographical account. Bellingham, Wash.: H.R. Hearsey, 2003. Hearsey, Herbert R. Boating in my life : forty years & five boats in the Puget Sound, the San Juans, Canadian waterways & southeastern Alaska. Bellingham, Wash. : H.R. Hearsey, 2001

Related Materials

An additional collection of Herb Hearsey's, titled the "Herbert R. Hearsey Papers, 1910-2003," is housed at the University of Illinois Archives.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series I:  Laura Beth Hearsey Papers , 1813-1999 Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Subseries 1 : Biographical Materials
1925-1999
Box/Folder
1/1
Diaries
1926-1932
1/2
High School Yearbooks
1925-1926
1/3
College Annuals
1927
1/4
College Annuals
1931
1/5
Certificates
1938 June 13, ; 1973 June 7
1/6
Photographs
1973 January -May
1/7
Clippings and Printed Material
circa 1973, ; 1999 June
Subseries 2 : Family Genealogy
1813-1996
Box/Folder
1/8
Clippings and Printed Material
circa 1878-1996
1/9
Correspondence
1813-1934, ; undated
Davis Family
1878-1999
Box/Folder
1/10
Unpublished Family History
1995
1/11
Unpublished Family History
1995
1/12
Photographs
circa 1878-1999
1/13
Photographs
circa 1893-1991
Vandiver Family
circa 1880s-1996
Box/Folder
1/14
Unpublished Family History
1996
1/15
Photographs
circa 1880s
1/16
Garland Mahan's Diary of a Wagon Train Trip West in 1864
1864
Subseries 3 : Public Life
1949-1997
Box/Folder
1/17
Power Squadron
1962 December 5
1/18
Study Club
1949-1997
1/19
Study Club
1979-1989
1/20
Scrapbook (unbound)
circa 1973

Series II:  Herb Hearsey Papers , 1935-1998 Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/21
Certificates
1938 June 13, ; 1941 June 9
1/22
Academic and Professional Writings
1935-1971
2/1
Harvey, Howard O. S.B.M. Young: Private to Lieutenant General (includes letter to H.R. Hearsey)
1995
2/2
Clippings and Printed Material
1956-1998

Series III:  Herb and Laura Beth Financial Papers , 1942-1993 Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/3
Financial Records
1942-1948
2/4
Financial Records
1948-1955
2/5
Financial Records
1956-1961, ; 1968-1977
2/6
Financial Records
1978-1982
2/7
Financial Records
1983-1993

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Boats and boating -- Washington (State) -- Bellingham -- History -- Sources.
  • Librarians -- Washington (State) -- Bellingham --History -- Sources.
  • Motorboats -- Societies, etc. -- Washington (State) -- Bellingham -- History -- Sources.
  • Women -- Societies and clubs --Washington (State) -- Bellingham -- History -- Sources.

Personal Names

  • Hearsey, Herbert R., --1910- --Archives
  • Hearsey, Laura Beth --1908-1999.

Corporate Names

  • Bellingham Power Squadron (Bellingham, Wash.) -- History --Sources.
  • Study Club (Bellingham, Wash.) -- History --Sources.
  • Western Washington University --Libraries-- History --Sources.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Hearsey, Herbert R., --1910 --Reading Ability at Tuft's College. (creator)
    • Hearsey, Laura Beth --1908-1999 -- Study Club, 1942-1997. (creator)
    • Hearsey, Laura Beth --1908-1999. (creator)