Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Oral history interview with Mary M. Whittier and Nora I. Jordan
Date(s)
- 1980-10-07 (Creation)
Extent
0.1 cubic feet; 1 audiocassette (50 min., 10 sec.) + 1 photograph (color)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Mary Maclay Whittier, nee Mary Gibson Maclay, was born in Downs, Kansas, in 1887. Her family moved to Columbia City, Oregon, in 1890, when she was 3 years old. In 1919, she and Edwin James Beaton were married. She later remarried to Charles Raymond Whittier. She taught seventh and eighth grades in many cities across Oregon. She died in 1982.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Nora Isabella Jordan, nee Maclay, was born in Columbia City, Oregon in 1895. Her sister was Mary Maclay Whittier, nee Mary Gibson Maclay. Jordan died in 1991.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This oral history interview with sisters Mary M. Whittier and Nora I. Jordan was conducted by Elizabeth Patapoff on October 7, 1980. In this interview, Whittier and Jordan discuss their family background and early life in Columbia City, Oregon, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Whittier's memories of the 1894 flood. They talk about the family of Lucinda Caples and Dr. Charles Caples, and about the rivalry between Columbia City and St. Helens. Whittier speaks about her teaching career, and about changes in technology. Jordan discusses the construction of railroad lines in the Columbia City area, and boating on the Columbia River. Whittier closes the interview by talking about her experience with appendicitis.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the estates of Mary M. Whittier, Nora I. Jordan, and Elizabeth Patapoff. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright - http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Elizabeth Patapoff, most likely in the 1980s or 1990s.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
An additional interview with Mary M. Whittier, SR 3277, is held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Mary M. Whittier and Nora I. Jordan, by Elizabeth Patapoff, SR 3278, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
General note
Summary (4 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.
Sources used
Archivist's note
Sarah Stroman
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Patapoff, Elizabeth (Contributor)
- Caples, Charles G. (Charles Green), 1832-1906 (Subject)
- Caples, Lucinda M. (Lucinda Margaret), 1836-1916 (Subject)