Derostus F. Ladley Papers

These papers show signs that they might have been curated, with some records possibly discarded, before coming into procession of the archive. Many have the word “save” written on the back, presumably by Bessie Totten, Ladley’s granddaughter and College Librarian at Antioch for 41 years in the beginning of the 20th century.

Series I, Personal Letters between Derostus and Catherine Ladley, 1836-1856, contain some of the letters written between Derostus and his wife, Catherine, while Derostus traveled on church business. The following trips are documented: Ladley's trip to Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York in 1836; Derostus' stay in Cincinnati in 1837 while Catherine remained in Hebron; Catherine's visit with her family in the Welsh Hills in 1839; Derostus' trip to Virginia in 1842; and Derostus' trip to visit family and friends in Virginia in 1856.

Series II, Letters to Derostus and Catherine Ladley from Family, 1828-1867, contains family letters which are annotated in pencil by Bessie Totten, Ladley's granddaughter, describing the relationship of the correspondent to her grandparents and, sometimes, the content of the letter. The first entry in this file is a family tree prepared by Bessie Totten.

Correspondents and references include: • Catherine Griffith Ladley's family • Ann Rogers Griffith • William R. Griffith, Catherine's parents • Mary Rogers Whitney, Catherine's aunt (mother's sister) • Hannah Whitney, Catherine's cousin (Mary Whitney's daughter) • Ann Griffith Buckland, Catherine's sister • William Griffith, Catherine's brother • Thomas Griffith, Catherine's nephew (William Griffith's son) • John Griffith, Catherine's brother • Esther Rogers, Catherine's aunt (mother's sister) • Derostus Ladley's family • Thomas Ladley, Derostus’ Father • Elizabeth Ladley, Derostus’ Mother • George W. Ladley, Derostus' brother • Hannah Ladley, Derostus' sister-in-law (George W. Ladley’s wife) • George Ladley, Derostus' nephew • Ann Ladley Rodman, Derostus' sister • William Rodman, Derostus' brother-in-law (Ann Ladley Rodman’s husband) • Mary Rodman Holmes, Derostus' niece (Ann & William's daughter) • Rachel Ladley Martin, Derostus' sister • Joe Martin, Derostus' brother-in-law (Rachel Ladley Martin’s husband) • Joel Martin, Derostus' nephew (son of Rachel & Joe Martin) • Mary Martin Hall, Derostus' niece (daughter of Rachel & Joe Martin) • Phebe Ladley, Derostus' cousin

Both the Griffith and Ladley families were mainly engaged in farming as an occupation, and the letters are interesting as a chronicle of the affairs of working people during this period. They wrote mostly of health problems, the weather, and church meetings.

There are only a few letters to Catherine after Derostus’ death in 1858. Of note, is a letter to Catherine from her son Oscar, while he served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Series III, Derostus Ladley Professional Licenses and Commendations, 1828-1857, contains certificates and notices documenting Ladley's career as a clergyman. Included is his ordination letter (dated May 1, 1836), licenses granted to Ladley by various institutions authorizing him to perform marriages, and letters of commendation from churches Ladley had served. Series IV, Sermons and Sermon Notes, 1821-1855, begins with a Hymn for the Fourth of July, written, according to Bessie Totten's annotation in 1821, when Derostus was 15 years old. Some of his earlier sermons are completely written in finished form, but the bulk of this material is in note form and is undated. Many sermons, post 1852 are dated and contain admonishment of Antioch College.

Series V, Financial Records, 1834-1859, is divided into three files. Personal financial records includes a receipt for a burial plot, a deed to three lots in Hebron, receipt for sale of one house, proposal for the building of another house, two insurance policies, Ladley's scholarship from Antioch College, and receipts for Derostus Ladley's coffin and funeral expenses. Church collections, contains papers and ledgers documenting income from donation visits. Also included are collection records for subscriptions to The Palladium sold by Ladley. There are also records of accounts kept for room and board collected from Antioch students staying at the Ladley residence. Church payments and receipts are mostly written to Derostus Ladley documenting his payments to the Ohio Book Association (OBA) for the "Book Concern", the binding of hymn books, and donations made to various causes, including Antioch College.

Series VI, Letters of Introduction, 1840-1856, primarily contain letters of introduction for people who moved to Yellow Springs and joined the First Christian of Yellow Springs. Many of these names later appear in the controversy between the First Christian Church and Antioch College. Notably in absence are letters of introduction for parishioners who joined the church and later sided with Antioch, including Horace Mann.

Series VII, Letters to Derostus Ladley Concerning Church Affairs, 1835-1860. Folders 1 through 3 (1835-1847) contain descriptions of the affairs of various Christian and Unitarian churches throughout the country. These letters contain references to theological disputes. There are descriptions of revivals including Elder Isaac Walters ill-fated Temperance Crusade in New Orleans. The pastors and parishioners of various churches kept Ladley informed of the power struggles within their churches and the comings and goings of members.

Folders 4 and 5 (1848-1850), contain the first references to the proposed Antioch College. Judge Mills, J.R. Freese of the Christian Book Concern, and Elder Badger all were interested in having a large printing press built at Antioch College, and they wrote to Ladley soliciting his help in having Yellow Springs chosen as the site of the new school and printing press. Folder 6 (1851-1852) contains many letters of inquiry about the job prospects in Yellow Springs and the cost and availability of land. There are also several letters of introduction given to Ladley by the children of his friends and acquaintances as they arrived in Yellow Springs to attend college. Several letters document competition for jobs at the college.

Folder 7 (1853-1855) documents the continuing struggle for control of Antioch and the increasing financial problems of the school. Correspondents voice specific complaints against Horace Mann, Amos Dean, and Eli Fay as they commend Ladley.

Folder 8 (1856-1860) relates mainly to Antioch matters and describe Ladley's attempt to disassociate the Christian church from Antioch College and the struggle for the control of the First Christian Church in Yellow Springs. This folder contains copies of several letters Ladley wrote to others concerning the Antioch controversy. Also included are documents supporting the purchase of the church building and the dissolution of the First Christian Church and creation of the Second Christian Church.

Series VIII, Diaries, 1842-1852, contains three diaries. Diary l, 1842-1844, describes travels on circuit. Diary 2, 1852, includes a lengthy and emotional description of the illness and death of son, Derostus Jr. at age 9. Diary 3, 1852, describes the trip to the Miami Conference in September of 1852. The last 2 pages of this diary appear to have been cut from the book. Series IX, Miscellaneous, contains copies of verses and articles written by Ladley and published in religious publications, an obituary for Derostus Jr., Ladley's calling cards, a short article from The Palladium describing Ladley as being near death (1855), and various paper scraps containing names, addresses and assorted notations.