Finding aid for the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve Photographs

History of the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve

The Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve was founded on November 19, 1879 as the Early Settlers Association of Cuyahoga County. The group was formed as a result of the urgings of Hiram M. Addison, an educator, reformer, and sometimes journalist who wanted to keep the history of the pioneer generation alive. Its first president was Harvey Rice, an education reformer and legislator. The Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve at first held annual meetings on July 22, Cleveland's "birthday", when Moses Cleaveland landed at the Cuyahoga River. Beginning in 1902 the annual meeting was moved to September 10 in honor of Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie and is still held around the same time each year. According to the group's website, its mission has not changed significantly since the group's founding, and is to "Inspire greater understanding and interest in the history of Cleveland and the Western Reserve; to preserve the traditions of the Western Reserve; to organize, observe and celebrate the anniversaries of important historical events; to mark places with enduring signs; to further the best interest of Cleveland and the Western Reserve by cooperation with other organizations for the achievement of worthy historical, civic, educational and cultural goals".

The first major project of the organization was the gift of a bronze statue of Moses Cleaveland to the city of Cleveland in 1888. Other statues or monuments that the group has gifted include a bronze copy of the original Oliver Hazard Perry Monument , now located at Fort Huntington Park, and the George Washington statue in Washington Park on the west side of the Federal Building. The group also worked with several other groups on erecting the Harvey Rice statue located on the grounds of the Art Museum in University Circle.

The Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve has participated in many other projects and activities over the years. The group holds a birthday celebration for the city of Cleveland where it bestows the annual Herrick Memorial Award to recognize civic achievement. The Early Settlers have also been involved with Cleveland's centennial, sesquicentennial, super-sesquicentennial, and bicentennial celebrations. In conjunction with the sesquicentennial celebration in 1946, a project to mark "Moses Cleaveland trees," trees believed to be in existence since Cleaveland's 1796 arrival, began and the Early Settlers carried this project forward through Cleveland's super-sesquicentennial and bicentennial. The group also worked to establish a Cleveland Hall of Fame located in City Hall during the super-sesquicentennial celebrations in 1971 and continues to maintain it today.

The Early Settlers Association has taken on various cemetery care projects, including the Erie Street Cemetery and Denison Cemetery, as well as the establishment of a fund to care for Moses Cleaveland's grave in Canterbury, Connecticut. The group has been involved with placing many memorial plaques and historical markers throughout the city, as well as the Four Corner Markers to mark the boundaries of the Western Reserve - the North East near Conneaut, the Southeast near Poland, the Southwest near Willard, and the Northwest near Catawba Street Park, in Catawba, Ohio. The Early Settlers were one of the organizations that contributed to the restoration of the "Spirit of '76" painting in City Hall in 1987. It also participates in History Day, a project started in 1974 at Case Western Reserve University to help promote history education to junior high and high school students. The Early Settlers Association reviews projects that pertain to the Western Reserve area of Ohio and awards cash prizes to the winners.

The Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve also produces publications to detail the work of the organization. The Annals, the official proceedings of the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve, began publication in 1880. The Pioneer, the organization's newsletter, began in 1962 and is published at various times, chronicling activities and events of the organization. The Early Settlers Association has also published other works over the years including A Pictorial History of the Western Reserve by Margaret Manor Butler in conjunction with the Western Reserve Historical Society and Cleveland's Rich Heritage by Clay Herrick.

The organization continues currently under the leadership of President John D. Cimperman. While membership was once contingent upon having lived in the Western Reserve for 25 years and having an ancestral connection to early settlers of the area, it is currently open to all who share the goals of the organization regardless of ancestry or residence.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve

Scope and Content

The Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve Photographs, ca. 1872-2004 and undated, consist of 541 black and white prints, 825 color prints, 253 negatives, 160 slides, and 71 postcards for a total of 1850 images depicting members, activities, events, programs and projects, and views of the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve.

This collection is of value to researchers interested in visual depictions of the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve, its membership, major projects, activities, and history. Initially important as a lineage organization akin to the Daughters of the American Revolution in the late nineteenth century, the collection chronicles, in visual representations, changes in the group's functions, activities, membership, and mission from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century and into the early years of the twenty-first century. Researchers interested more generally in civic and lineage organizations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, both local to the Cleveland, Ohio, area and more broadly throughout United States, may also find this collection of interest.

Anyone interested in genealogical research or visual representations of members of or individuals affiliated with the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve will want to consult Series I: Portraits. Anyone interested specifically in this groups' events, outings, or programs and projects or generally in civic and lineage groups like this throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century will want to consult Series II: Subjects. Anyone interested in views of various monuments and projects that the Early Settlers worked on or various views of the Cleveland, Ohio area throughout the 20th century will want to consult Series III: Views.

More broadly, this collection documents events and commemorations of events that are significant in the history of the Western Reserve and Cleveland, Ohio.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 1623 Early Settlers Association of Cuyahoga County Records; MS 3474 Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve Records; MS 5181 Early Settlers Assocaiton of the Western Reserve Records, Series II; MS 4268 Margaret Manor Butler Papers; and MS 4453 Margaret Manor Butler Papers, Series II.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 603 Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gifts of the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve in 2009 and Benjamin F. Forbes in 2006.

Processing Information

Processed by Hannah Kemp-Severence, Carrie Wimer, and Kari Mariner in 2014.

Detailed Description of The Collection