Totten Family Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection contains four series, arranged by Totten family member. Within each series, the papers are arranged chronologically. Note, in pencil on many of the letters, are notes made by Bessie Totten describing the family relation and contents.
Series I: Chelnissa Totten Papers, 1880-1944, is the second largest segment of the Totten Family Papers. Correspondence is particularly heavy during the World War II years of 1940-1944. This collection contains correspondence mainly in the form of personal letters and postcards. There are some pictures, but very little business correspondence. Included is an autograph book from 1879-1881.
Series II: Alice Ladley Totten Papers, 1865-1934, is the third largest segment of the Totten Family Papers. Correspondence is most frequent during the 1900 to 1904 time period. The nature of the collection comprises mostly of personal letters. Alice Ladley is the mother of Bessie L. Totten, whose papers are in Series IV. There is one undated file at the end of the Alice Ladley Totten Papers.
Series III: Jonathan H. Totten, William Emerson Totten and Martha Totten Papers, 1811-1916, is the smallest series of the entire collection. The individual files of Jonathan H. Totten (Bessie’s grandfather) contain personal and business correspondence dating 1835-1864. The files of William Emerson Totten (Bessie’s father) contain personal correspondence dating 1865-1884. The file of Martha Totten contains personal letters dating 1863-1866. Of note in this series is the ciphering book of Jonathan H. Totten dated 1816. Included in this series are three folders of genealogical notes and early family papers spanning 1811-1916. These folders contain correspondence from various family members and family friends, and contain some of the earliest family history in the collection.
Series IV: Bessie L. Totten Papers, 1883-1962, makes up the bulk of the Totten Family Papers. Correspondence is especially plentiful for the years 1923, 1936, 1941, and 1962. This series contains correspondence in the form of business letters and personal letters, with some postcards and pictures. Bessie is the daughter of William Emerson Totten and Alice Ladley Totten. There are three undated files in the back of the Bessie L. Totten collection.
Dates
- Creation: 1811-1962
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1910-1962
Creator
- Totten family (Family)
Conditions Governing Access
There are no donor-imposed restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
The Totten family as represented in this collection centers on Bessie L. Totten, who was born in 1876 and died in 1963. Bessie was the daughter of Dr. W. Emerson and Alice Ladley Totten. She attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, graduating in 1900, before becoming Assistant Librarian at Antioch, where she would spend her entire career. Bessie founded the Antiochiana collection of historical records and artifacts in 1905, and witnessed the collection grow over her years with the library. In 1941, Bessie retired, but assumed the title of Curator of Antiochiana, which she held until her death in 1963.
In the 1900 United States Census, Bessie is listed as living with her Aunt and Uncle, William and Mary Carr in Yellow Springs. Bessie’s adult cousins were also living in the household at the time. They were Catherine L. Carr, Alice G. Carr, and Oscar E. Carr.
Alice Ladley Totten was the mother of Bessie Totten. Alice was born in 1846, the daughter of Derostus and Catherine Ladley. As a young woman Alice too, had attended Antioch College. She was a resident of Yellow Springs and Springfield, Ohio. Alice married Dr. William Emerson Totten in 1872, and in 1876 Bessie was born. Later in life, Alice made her home with Bessie. Alice Ladley Totten died on September 26, 1933 in Xenia, Ohio.
Dr. William Emerson Totten’s father was Jonathan Howell Totten (born 1809 in Maryland), and his mother was Mary Greer (born 1820). William Emerson’s siblings were Martha Jane Totten (known as Mittie) born in July 1845, and Chelnissa Totten (known as Nissa) born December 28, 1848. Martha and Chelnissa were Bessie Totten’s aunts.
Martha Totten married Edward Bretney and had a daughter, Beatrice, and a son, Bernard.
Chelnissa Totten, lived in Springfield, Ohio on Limestone Street. Later correspondence dated 1909 shows her residence as Lebanon, Kentucky. Nissa lived the majority of her life in Asheville, North Carolina. The correspondence also indicates that she remained single throughout her lifetime. Chelnissa Selina Totten died August 16, 1944 in Lebanon, Kentucky.
Extent
4 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Consists primarily of correspondence of three generations of the Totten Family in Springfield, Ohio, and Yellow Springs, Ohio, from the early 19th through the 20th century.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 4 series as follows:
- Series I:
- Chelnissa Totten Papers, 1880-1944
- Series II:
- Alice Ladley Totten Papers, 1865-1934
- Series III
- Jonathan H. Totten, William Emerson Totten, Martha Totten Papers, 1811-1916
- Series IV
- Bessie L. Totten Papers, 1883-1962
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Totten Family Papers were accessioned into Wright State University’s Special Collections and Archives in March 1982. They were donated by the Totten family’s cousins, Corrine Odiorne Pelzl, Eva Odiorne Sullivan, and Ken Odiorne.
Subject
- Tuten family (Family)
- Totten family -- Manuscripts (Family)
- Totten, Bessie L., 1876-1963 (Person)
- Totten, Alice Ladley, 1846-1933 (Person)
- Totten, Chelnissa, 1848-1944 (Person)
- Totten, Martha, 1845- (Person)
- Totten, William Emerson (Person)
- Totten, Jonathan H., 1809- (Person)
- Antioch College -- History (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
- Title
- Guide to the Totten Family Papers (MS-137)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Barry McCarty
- Date
- 1984 June
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Revision Statements
- 2018 August: This collection was processed by Barry McCarty in June 1984. Finding aid updated according to DACS standards by Allie Edmonds and Toni Vanden Bos.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092
library-archives@wright.edu
