Title: Ashbaugh family papers Creator: Ashbaugh, E. E. (Enos) and Ashbaugh, Mary Inclusive dates: 1873-1920 Bulk dates: 1901-1911 Extent: 0.75 linear feet Abstract:
The Ashbaugh family papers consist of the incoming correspondence of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Ashbaugh of Brown County, South Dakota, written primarily by their children and other family members in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. The letters provide detailed depictions of daily farming life near Sac City and Terril, Iowa, in the first decade of the 20th century.
Language: The material is in English Repository: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan
909 S. University Ave. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190 Phone: 734-764-2347 Web Site: www.clements.umich.edu
Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.
Preferred Citation
Ashbaugh Family Papers, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan
Enos Ashbaugh of Brown County, South Dakota, and his wife Mary had several children, including Ella, James, Walter, John, Susan, and William. By 1910, Walter and his wife Corena moved to Jackson, Iowa, close to his sister Ella and her husband, Marion Martin. The several members of the Ashbaugh family worked on farms throughout Iowa, though concentrated primarily around Sac City, and maintained a vibrant written connection to each other and to their parents.
The Ashbaugh family papers consist of the incoming correspondence of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Ashbaugh of Brown County, South Dakota, written primarily by their children and other family members in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. The letters, written from a number of Iowa locales, chronicle farm life in the early 20th century, and include detailed descriptions of a number of farming activities as well as news of the family, which remained close despite being somewhat scattered. Many of the Ashbaugh family members planted corn, and the letters reveal a good deal about the intricacies of growing and harvesting in the region. Several later letters in the collection originated from the South Dakota Ashbaughs' grandchildren, who provided delightful updates on their lives, including the games and other leisure pursuits that occupied their time away from school. The collection also includes several documents licensing E. E. Ashbaugh as "an Exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal Church" in Sac City and Fort Dodge, Iowa, from 1885-1889.
