Biographical Note
J.M. (Joseph M.) Nolan was a Corvallis, Oregon, business owner who
operated a general merchandise store known as J.M. Nolan and Son. Nolan
was born in Ireland in 1844 and immigrated to the United States (San
Franciso) in 1872; in the 1870s he moved north to Oregon and established
his first business in Albany. In 1884, he moved to Corvallis and
established a new business. Two of his children, Gertrude and Victor
Nolan, attended Oregon Agricultural College in the 1910s. J.M. Nolan died
in 1917.
Content Description
The J.M. Nolan Photograph Collection consists of three mounted
photographic prints and a duplicate print of one of the images. The images
are individually numbered P053:1 thru P053:3. All three of the original
images include a sticker on the front, "50th Year Nolan's Golden
Anniversary 1884-1934". One of the images depicts several generations of
the McGee Family at their home south of Corvallis. There are 37
individuals in this group portrait.
The other two images show groups of Corvallis school children. One of
the images (P053:2) is dated 1902 and shows the children with teacher,
Jennie Toble, on the school steps. Earl Heckart, Brian McFadden, Gertrude
Nolan, and Lulu Wells are identified in the photo; most of the children
are not identified. The second image (P053:3) is dated 1889 and shows a
group of school children with their teacher outside the Evangelical Church
on the southwest corner of Fourth and Monroe Streets (current site of the
Benton Hotel). Before the Central School was completed in December 1889,
school children attended classes in various churches. Laura Keiser, Helen
Miller, and Victor Nolan are identified; most of the children are not
identifed.