The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections The University of Toledo Finding Aid Orrin Earl Miller Letters, 1931-1934 MSS-281 |
Size: .25 linear ft.
Provenance: Received from Fay Loomis on December 26, 2013
Access: Open
Collection Summary: The collection consists of letters written in 1931 and 1934 by Orrin Miller to his wife, as well as 3 photographs of Orrin and his family members including his wife Laura and children Joan (eldest) and Mary Lou (youngest).
Subject(s): Social Life and Customs
Related Collections:
Processing Note:
Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns. Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code. The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.
Completed by: Mark Troknya, July 2014; last updated: Arjun Sabharwal, November 2014
Biographical Sketch
Orrin Earl Miller lived in the early 20th century in Toledo, Ohio. He was born in the Toledo area on September 25, 1901. The Great Depression was so severe that Miller could not find any work in the Toledo area in the 1930s. Miller was in construction most of his life, and after marrying his wife Laura, he traveled extensively throughout the country during the 1930s looking for work to support his family back in Toledo. During his travels he wrote to his wife from many different areas including Ft. Dodge, Iowa; Pampa, Texas; Canton, Kansas; and Sweetgrass, Montana. When he was able to, he went back to Toledo to be with his family which included two daughters, Joan Elizabeth (born February 01, 1931) and Mary Louise (born January 08, 1932). While Miller was away, Laura and their two children lived with his parents Delbert and Gertrude Miller in Toledo, before eventually moving to Luna Pier, Michigan.
In his later life, Orrin and his wife Laura had five more children: Barbara (born October 13, 1934), Fay (born October 28, 1937), Phyllis (born February 11, 1940), Delbert (born November 13, 1942) and Jessica (born May 08, 1946). In his later career, he worked on six bridges on the Ohio Turnpike in West Ohio and Akron bridges. Additionally, he helped build highways 24 and 25 in Michigan.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of letters written by Orrin Earl Miller to his wife Laura during the 1930s while he traveled throughout the country looking for work to support his family. The letters have been chronologically ordered, however the last letter does not have a date attached or a location it was sent to. (Miller’s letters were originally sent to an address in Toledo, Ohio (1931), but his letters from 1934 were sent to Luna Pier, Michigan) The collection also contains 3 photographs; one of his wife Laura in 1930, one of Miller and his daughters, and one of Miller alone.
All original documents and photographs are encapsulated in mylar folders in order to preserve them and prevent further deterioration due to acid migration.
Folder List
Box |
Folder |
Item |
1931 (to Toledo, Ohio) |
||
1 |
1 |
June 24 (Ft. Dodge, Iowa) |
1 |
1 |
July 15 (Des Moines, Iowa) |
1 |
1 |
August 5 (Solon, Iowa) |
1 |
1 |
August 14 (Osceda, Iowa) |
1 |
1 |
August 29 (Pampa, Texas) |
1 |
1 |
September 1 (Pampa, Texas) |
1 |
1 |
September 4 (Canton, Kansas) |
1 |
1 |
September 8 (Canton, Kansas) |
1 |
1 |
September 11 (Canton, Kansas) |
1 |
1 |
September 14 (Preston, Kansas) |
1 |
1 |
September 15 (Preston, Kansas) |
1 |
1 |
September 16 (Preston, Kansas) |
1 |
1 |
September 18 (Peabody, Kansas) |
1934 (to Luna Pier, Michigan) |
||
1 |
1 |
July 11 (Cutbank, Montana) |
1 |
1 |
July 13 (Sweetgrass, Montana) |
Unknown date |
||
1 |
1 |
unknown date/location |
Photographs |
||
1 |
1 |
2 pictures (Laura Miller in 1930/ Orrin Miller and daughters) |
1 |
1 |
1 picture (Orrin Miller) |