Elliott Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: WCMss-483

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Elliott family papers, which date from approximately 1820 to 1960, consist of letters, portraits, personal belongings, newspaper clippings, glass plate negatives, business and personal correspondence, financial records, maps, welfare documents, postcards, memorials, journals, receipts, books, ledgers, programs, and obituaries. Also included are some of T.C. Elliott’s writings, including books, drafts, and notes. Notably, the collection also contains materials that document the activities of the Elliott family women, including Anna Baker Elliott, and their daughters. Through correspondence, scrapbooks, and ephemera, the collection provides insight into the lives of women from a prominent local family from the late 19th to early 20th century.

Dates

Creation: circa 1820-1960

Creator

Elliott family (Family)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Biographical Note

Thompson Coit “T.C.” Elliott was born in 1862 in Newington, Connecticut. After receiving an education from Amherst College in Massachusetts, Elliott traveled to Walla Walla, Washington. He married Anna Baker in 1890, the daughter of Dorsey Syng Baker, a prominent Walla Walla businessman and banker. They had six children: Mary, Dorothy, Dorsey, Thompson, Romie, and Anna.

Anna Elliott was born January 19, 1870, and she attended Whitman Seminary and the Boston Latin School in Massachusetts. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Walla Walla, and the Narcissa Prentiss Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She also donated the land upon which the public library stands to the city of Walla Walla. She died on September 17, 1942.

T.C. Elliott worked as an investment banker, but he was also a prolific historian, writing extensively on Pacific Northwest history for a variety of historical journals. Additionally, he was a board member of the Oregon Historical Society and the Washington State Historical Society, as well as an active member of the American Historical Society and the Royal Historical Society. He was treasurer of Whitman College from 1895 to 1900. He died in 1943 at the age of 80.

Extent

12.42 Linear Feet (11 record cartons, 2 flat boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection, which dates from approximately 1820 to 1960, consists of letters, portraits, and personal papers from the Elliott family.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by Fay Orton, and Mr. and Mrs. J. H. V. Davies between 1973 and 1979. The accession numbers are retro-0116, retro-0251, and retro-0283.