Name/Title
AU Harris, Joseph Hastings - 1933-01-07 letter to Oscar Abner LambertEntry/Object ID
1990.1.195Context
January 7, 1933
Dr. Oscar A. Lambert,
Lakeland, Florida.
Dear Cousin and Esteemed Friend:
About a week ago Paul, or oldest son, was at Westerville and had quite a talk with W. O. Lambert. Paul told him that I was working on the genealogical chart and that reminded Otterbein of the fact that back in June, 1931, you had sent him a letter with a lot of material. He sent that material to us.
For some time I have been working just a little upon the chart for the Harris family, including the Works, Dilles, Linscotts, etc. Bertha and I became interested in the Lambert and Embree families. We copied from notes which Malinda Monroe had relative to the Lambert family. I tried to put it in chart form and am enclosing a carbon copy of the chart, which goes back a generation beyond what you have given in your chart.
I enclose also a chart of you material the best I could in the way of typing. We copied your material just as you have it and then in addition, a copy of the chart. I am not certain that it is quite clear unless you use your own charts.
Mr. George C. Lay, Arthur Harris' father-in-law, is writing the life of Arthur at the request of the University of Minnesota. He wrote me for material and I sent him a chart of the Harris family, with a background of the Dille and Linscott, also Embree and Lambert families. He wrote a very kind letter, expressing his appreciation of the material. I shall be glad to forward a copy of this material to him. I should have stated on this chart the sources of my information and shall write it when I send the chart to him.
I enclose not only your letter, but also the letter which Otterbein wrote. Otterbein seems quite sure he can trace the family to General Lambert of Cromwell's army, but I have been unable to find that connection and I think we should be exceedingly careful not to get tradition mixed up with fact. He may be able to prove his statement that the John Lambert referred to in the chart is the grandson of General Lambert, of Cromwell's army.
I do not possess the patience, ability, time nor money to do what ought to be done on this line, but I have been trying to get every scrap of information together the best I could. If all these families made out in some such form as the enclosed and if the present generation will take that and add their own families, it will preserve to succeeding generations the records in some fashion.
I regret that I did not get hold of your material sooner. It is valuable and we appreciate so much getting a copy of it, running back to Robert, born 1599.
Bertha says Edwin M. Stanton was a first cousin to grandmother Lambert. Edwin's father's name was David. He was a strong Quaker and born and reared at Beaufort, North Carolina. Note that you have a David listed, but in the quotation which you make from Grandmother Lambert it appears that that David died early and I do not see any other David where it would be possible for Edwin M. Stanton to be a cousin of Elizabeth Stanton. Possibly I am too dumb.
I shall appreciate keeping in touch with you about anything along this line. I appreciated so much getting the outline of your father's family. We had traced it in part, but I was planning to write you to supply just the information you gave. Note that I did not get your grandchildren on the chart.
Of course you knew of Arthur Harris' death.
I remember the year you taught at the town house and boarded at Jordan's. I have no doubt you had much to do with fashioning the ideals of the lad.
Now for a personal word. I think the last I met you to have a talk was at the Fifth Avenue Church in Columbus. I was there nine years, was elected superintendent of our conference in 1919 and continued ten years in that work, living at Westerville. I was elected president of our Seminary July 1, 1929 for a period of four years. My term expires July 1, 1933. Whether I continue in the work or not depend upon the powers that be. It is a strenuous time financially of all educational institutions, but if our creditors will be a little patient I think we shall pull through all right. Under separate cover I am sending a catalogue and also bulletins which will give you a little idea of our plant. The campus consists of thirty-five acres within the city limits of Dayton and in the choicest residence section.
I shall never cease to be grateful for my contacts with you. Those two years at the town house gave me an entirely new outlook upon life. It was my privilege later to be under I. L. Ellis, at Bartlett, who was very helpful. Then at Ada I was under Senator S. D. Fess, who was a great teacher, also Senator Frank B. Willis in the same school. I did not graduate from Ada, but finished my work at Otterbein College in 1898.
We were married June 30, 1898 and were under appointment to school work in Africa that Fall, but a massacre occurred there to seven of our missionaries, thus breaking our work, so we came to the Seminary in the Fall of 1898 and I completed the work in 1903. Had a pastorate four years at Portsmouth, Ohio, three years at Hillsboro, and then went to Fifth Avenue.
You speak of Bertha editing the materials. I shall let her speak for herself, but she has so much trouble with her eyes that she can do very little of that type of work. I am sure we shall be glad to assist in every way possible and will be glad to cooperate with anyone else who may do the work.
I sent the material we have for the Embree family to Ida. If you happen to be with her perhaps she will remember many items that would be helpful.
I have the printed account of your father's life, funeral, etc. I think someone should write a story the best they can of grandfather and Lambert as far back as we can get the material. That may be done in a very simple way. For the Harris and Work families I used to sit down with Grandmother Harris, born in 1819, and would get her to talking and I would jot down notes, asking her questions. A little later I would go over the same material with her and see if she gave the same report. She died in 1910. I did the same with father Harris. He died in 1921 at the age of 85 years.
I have a little story of my great grandfather and grandmother Richard and Beulah Harris, who were born in Maine. We have all kinds of tradition about his family, that he had brothers and sisters in England, etc., etc., but my father and grandmother were not able to verify that , so I have not had access to genealogies sufficient to know whether it is simply tradition or fact.
Well, enough of this for this time. If you come north, but sure to come into Dayton and call the phone number for Bonebrake Theological Seminary. That number, Randolph 3221, reaches our home as well as the office. Our street number is 1435 Cornell Drive.
Always glad to hear from you. May choice blessings rest upon you.
Sincerely,
JHH:DK
