C Reed Family, Papers, 1894-1996 4065 2.2 linear feet This collection is available at The State Historical Society of Missouri. If you would like more information, please contact us at shsresearch@umsystem.edu. INTRODUCTION This collection includes the agricultural records, diaries, autobiographies, genealogical materials, letters, photographs, military records, and miscellaneous papers of the Reed family of Stanberry, Missouri. DONOR INFORMATION The Reed family papers were donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by Dale Dean Reed on 11 September 1997 (Accession No. 3168). Additions to the papers were made on 21 January 1999 (Accession No. 5755.01) and 16 December 1999 (Accession No. 5755.02). BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Charles Edward Reed was born on July 7, 1906, in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Charles Spencer Reed (1875-1929) and Geda Elizabeth Meek Reed (1888-1981). His parents were divorced on January 7, 1915, and his mother later married Asa Bernard Sterling ( -1962). Evelyn Lucille Goff was born on December 26, 1907, in Darlington, Missouri, to Clyde Goff (1883-1970) and Mable Theodora Theo Lippitt Goff (1884-1951). Charles Edward Reed and Evelyn Lucille Goff were married on September 10, 1927, and had three children: Dolora Jean Reed, born on December 11, 1928, in St. Joseph, Missouri; Dale Dean Reed, born on July 22, 1931, in Fleming, Colorado; and Ted Edward Reed, born on May 24, 1935, in Fleming, Colorado. The family moved back to Missouri in 1940 to farm outside of Stanberry, Missouri, in Gentry County. After retiring from farming in 1965, Charles and Evelyn moved back to Colorado where he began his second career selling real estate. Dolora Reed married William Eugene Elam. Dale Reed married Wilma Jean Higley in 1952, and Ted Reed married Glenda Brandt in 1957. Charles Edward Reed died on August 17, 1985, in Colorado. Evelyn Lucille Goff Reed died on July 26, 1996, in Missouri, and Dale Dean Reed died on November 29, 2010, in Montrose, Colorado. SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The Reed family papers consist of agricultural records, diaries, autobiographies, genealogical materials, letters, photographs, military records, and miscellaneous papers. The papers are arranged into three series: Agricultural Records, Personal Papers, and Miscellaneous Papers. The Agricultural Records series includes yearly account books kept by Charles Edward Reed from 1940 to 1965 for his farm in Gentry County, Missouri, and records kept by Ted Edward Reed from 1949 to 1954 as part of his participation in the local Future Farmers of America. The account books, arranged chronologically, include very detailed records of income and expenses, records of family consumption, and end-of-year financial summaries.
C4065 Reed Family, Papers, 1894-1996 Page 2 The FFA records also include very detailed inventories and financial records, and they document a surprisingly large high school farming program including cows, lambs, and crops. The Personal Papers series includes diaries, autobiographies, genealogical materials, letters, photographs, and military records. The diaries, which belonged to Geda Elizabeth Meek Reed Sterling, date from 1929 to 1977 and focus on daily aspects of rural and domestic life. The three autobiographies (My Story by Evelyn Lucille Goff Reed, What Made Me This Way by Cleo J. Simmons, and Letter to His Grandchildren by Dale Dean Reed) include personal accounts of a wide range of topics, including daily life on a farm, various modes of transportation (including carriages, trains, and automobiles), World War II, the U.S. Air Force, technological advances, and attitudes toward religion. The genealogical materials are comprised of notes on the Reed family, a book on the history of the Whipple family, and a general family history. The notes on the Reed family genealogy include many names and dates and are quite helpful, but some searching may be required to find information relevant to the Reed family in the two books on family history. The letters date from 1894 to 1996 and cover various topics, including family relationships, World War II, and life in rural Missouri. Of particular interest are love letters written between Charles Edward Reed and Evelyn Lucille Goff, letters from Dale Dean Reed regarding his service in the U.S. Air Force, and several letters from 1961 regarding the discovery of petroleum on Charles Edward Reed s farm in Stanberry, Missouri. The photographs are mostly portraits of members of the Reed family, though some photographs offer portrayals of agriculture and agricultural machinery, rural family life, early automobiles, and Stanberry, Missouri. The photos are very well labeled and date from 1906 to 1976. The military records, belonging to Dale Dean Reed, include a 1951 yearbook from the U.S. Military Academy preparatory school at Stewart Air Force Base in New York, official active status records (including his near-appointment to the U.S. Military Academy), official inactive status records, and some unofficial correspondence. Much of the material does not relate directly to Dale Reed s experiences and will consequently be of limited interest to genealogists. The Miscellaneous Papers series includes several different kinds of materials providing insight into the Reed family s daily life and their farming, real estate, and other ventures. The anniversary scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, photographs, and other information relating to the 50th wedding anniversary of Charles Edward and Evelyn Lucille Reed. The following folders include newspaper clippings, announcements, programs, church bulletins, report cards, auction records, and other materials relating to the Reed family. These papers, arranged chronologically, date from 1894 to 1996. The printed histories, also arranged chronologically, are of Gentry County, St. Joseph, and Gower, Missouri. The notebooks include lists, notes on daily life, and addresses. They contain few dates or names and will consequently be of limited use to general historians, though they may be of interest to genealogists.
C4065 Reed Family, Papers, 1894-1996 Page 3 FOLDER LIST Agricultural Records Series f. 1 Account books, 1940-1943 f. 2 Account books, 1944-1946 f. 3 Account books, 1947-1949 f. 4 Account books, 1950-1952 f. 5 Account books, 1953-1954 f. 6 Account books, 1955-1956 f. 7 Account books, 1957-1958 f. 8 Account books, 1959-1960 f. 9 Account books, 1961-1962 f. 10 Account books, 1963-1964 f. 11 Account book, 1965 f. 12 FFA records, Instructions, n.d. f. 13 FFA records, 1949-1951 f. 14 FFA records, 1951-1952 f. 15 FFA records, 1952-1953 f. 16 FFA records, 1953-1954 Personal Papers Series f. 17 Diary, 1929-1933 f. 18 Diary, 1945 f. 19 Diary, 1966 f. 20 Diary, 1967 f. 21 Diary, 1968 f. 22 Diary, 1969 f. 23 Diary, 1970 f. 24 Diary, 1971 f. 25 Diary, 1972 f. 26 Diary, 1973 f. 27 Diary, 1974 f. 28 Diary, 1975 f. 29 Diary, 1976 f. 30 Diary, 1977 f. 31 Memoir, My Story by Evelyn Lucille Goff Reed, 1986 f. 32 Memoir, What Made Me This Way by Cleo J. Simmons, 1989 f. 33 Memoir, Letter to His Grandchildren by Dale Dean Reed, 1995 f. 34 Genealogy, Notes f. 35-38 Genealogy, History of Whipple family f. 39-49 Genealogy, Reed Family history f. 50 Letters, 1890s-1920s f. 51 Letters, 1930s-1950s f. 52 Letters, 1960s-1990s, n.d.
C4065 Reed Family, Papers, 1894-1996 Page 4 f. 53 Photographs Reed family, 1900s-1930s, Mill Dam at Rochester, Mo., 1924 f. 54 Photographs Reed Family, Reed family farm and home, Worth County tornado, 1940s-1970s f. 55 Photographs Reed family, Hosea School in St. Joseph, Mo., Patchin School, Darlington, Mo., Stanberry, Mo. during snow storm, threshing scene f. 56 Military Records, Yearbook from U.S. Military Academy Prep School, 1951 f. 57 Military Records, Active status, 1949-1951 f. 58 Military Records, Inactive status, 1952-1959 f. 59 Wedding anniversary scrapbook, 1977 Miscellaneous Series f. 60 Miscellaneous, 1890s-1940s f. 61 Miscellaneous, 1950s f. 62 Miscellaneous, 1960s f. 63 Miscellaneous, 1970s-1990s f. 64 Miscellaneous, n.d. f. 65-66 Published histories f. 67-69 Notebooks, n.d. INDEX TERMS Subject Folders Image Account books--agriculture, 1940s-1960s 1-16 Agricultural machinery 32, 53-55 y Agricultural machinery 32, 33 Agriculture--Missouri 32, 53-55 y Agriculture--Missouri 1-16, 31-33 Atterberry, Semon Shepherd (1878-1904) 60 Auctions, 1960s 62 Autobiographies 31-33 Automobiles, 1920s 53 y Automobiles, 1920s 31 Bland's Studio, Albany, Missouri 53 y Death--Attitudes toward 33, 50-52 Diaries--Women, 1930s-1970s 17-30 Divorce, 1920s 50 Elam, Dolora Jean Reed (1928- ) 59, 63 y Elam, Dolora Jean Reed (1928- )--SEE ALSO Reed, Dolora Jean (1928- ) Family life--missouri, 1910s-1980s 17-33 Farm life--missouri 31-33, 51 Future Farmers of America--Missouri 12-16, 61
C4065 Reed Family, Papers, 1894-1996 Page 5 Subject Folders Image Goff, Evelyn Lucille (1907-1996) 34, 35, 39, 50 Goff, Evelyn Lucille (1907-1996) 53, 55 y Goff, Evelyn Lucille (1907-1996)--SEE ALSO Reed, Evelyn Lucille Goff (1907-1996) Higley, Wilma Jean (1933-2007) 33, 39, 51 Higley, Wilma Jean (1933-2007)--SEE ALSO Reed, Wilma Jean Higley (1933-2007) Home economics 17-30, 50, 51 Hotel Edwin Long, Rolla, Missouri 64 y Love letters, 1920s 50, 52 Meek, Geda Elizabeth (1888-1981) 34, 35, 39 Meek, Geda Elizabeth (1888-1981)--SEE ALSO Reed, Geda Elizabeth Meek (1888-1981) Methodist Church--Missouri, Skidmore 61 Methodist Church--Missouri, Stanberry 62 Missouri, Gentry County 31-33, 50-52, 61, 62, 64-66 Missouri, Gentry County 54, 55 y Missouri, Gentry County. Courthouse 64 y Missouri, Gower 66 Missouri, St. Joseph 65 Missouri, Stanberry 31, 33, 50, 61 Missouri, Stanberry 54, 55 y Missouri. Highway Department 32 Mt. Zion Church, Gentry County, Missouri 63 Petroleum--Missouri, 1960s 52 Photographers--Missouri, Albany 53 y Reed family 17-31, 33-39, 50-64, 67-69 Reed family--genealogy 31, 34-39 Reed, Charles Edward (1906-1985) 1-11, 17-31, 33-35, 39, 50-52, 59-64 Reed, Charles Edward (1906-1985) 53-55, 59 y Reed, Dale Dean (1931-2010) 18-31, 33-35, 39, 51, 52, 56-58, 60, 61, 63, 64 Reed, Dale Dean (1931-2010) 54, 56, 59 y Reed, Dolora Jean (1928- ) 17-31, 33-35, 50-52, 60, 61, 64 Reed, Dolora Jean (1928- ) 53, 54 y Reed, Dolora Jean (1928- )--SEE ALSO Elam, Dolora Jean Reed (1928- ) Reed, Evelyn Lucille Goff (1907-1996) 17-31, 33, 34, 50-52, 59, 60, 63
C4065 Reed Family, Papers, 1894-1996 Page 6 Subject Folders Image Reed, Evelyn Lucille Goff (1907-1996) 53-55, 59 y Reed, Ted Edward (1935- ) 12-16, 18-31, 33-35, 51, 60, 61, 63 Reed, Ted Edward (1935- ) 54, 59 y Reed, Wilma Jean Higley (1933-2007) 33, 34, 51 Reed, Wilma Jean Higley (1933-2007)--SEE ALSO Higley, Wilma Jean (1933-2007) Religion--Attitudes toward 32, 33, 50, 62 Rural life--missouri 17-33 Rural life--missouri 53-55 y School reports, 1940s 60 Simmons, Cleo J. (1919-2004) 32 Simmons, Zella Mae Russell (1918-1991) 32 Skidmore Methodist Church, Skidmore, Missouri 61 Stanberry Methodist Church, Stanberry, Missouri 62 Sterling, Geda Elizabeth Meek Reed (1888-1981) 17-31, 33, 34, 50, 51, 60, 62, 63 Sterling, Geda Elizabeth Meek Reed (1888-1981) 54, 55, 59 y Telephone, 1940s 31 Texas, La Feria 53 y Tornadoes--Worth County, Missouri, 1947 54 y U.S. Air Force, 1940s-1950s 33, 51, 56-58, 61 U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY 33, 56, 57 Wedding anniversaries, 1970s 59 Weddings, 1920s 50 Whipple family--genealogy 35-38 World War, 1939-1945--Correspondence 51 World War, 1939-1945--Personal accounts 32 World War, 1939-1945--Rationing 60