Collection 2107 - Beryl Stith Papers, 1883-1963
Creator: Stith, B. (Beryl)
Provenance Note: Collection 2107 was donated to Montana State University Special Collections in April, 1975 by Beryl Stith, Bozeman, Montana. An additional brochure, written by Hamilton C. Stith and donated by Merrill G. Burlingame in 1964 was incorporated into this collection. This brochure was formerly assigned collection number 291
Historical Note: John Wesley Stith was born in Kentucky in December, 1853. He moved with his family to Illinois and Wisconsin while growing up, but did not recieve an extensive education. Stith moved to Terry, Montana in the early 1880s before the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway, and became a general merchant and contractor. He eventually became involved in almost every commercial and political aspect of the town, serving as a Justice of the Peace, clerk for the local school board, and a Custer County commissioner. His business interests included real estate, insurance sales, wool buying, construction, and operating a hardware store. Stith and Cornelia Hamilton were married in September, 1888 after a four and one half year engagement. Four children were born into the family; Beryl, Hamilton, Roy and Kenneth. In 1905, Mr. Stith developed ulcers that would eventually end his life on December 27, 1909 in Terry.
Beryl Stith was born in Terry, Montana on February 24, 1893. She was the first graduate of Terry High School and received degrees from the University of Chicago. Beryl returned to Terry where she became a teacher and active in organizations and community projects. In 1963, she researched and wrote a short history of Terry called Terry Does Exist. She used papers and records that she had inherited from her father, and the booklet was reprinted in 1983 during the Terry centennial observance. Stith eventually retired in Bozeman and lived in the Hillcrest retirement home where she published another pamphlet, Childhood Memories of Hillcrest Residents in 1967. Beryl Stith died on March 5, 1976.
Content Description Note: The Beryl Stith papers consists of research and pasteup masters for her book Terry Does Exist and her family's personal and business papers. Included are: fragments of original correspondence from John W. Stith and his wife Cornelia which were mutilated by Beryl Stith when preparing the pasteup for her book; business communications pertaining to Stith's real estate, insurance, and harware operations; Terry school board transactions, Justice of the Peace case documents; Custer County Commissioner correspondence; miscellaneous invoices, receipts, and business letters. Fifty original photographs of Stith family members, friends, and Terry, Montana, some of which were used in Stith's book, are also included.
Contents
Series 1 | Book research and galleys, 1884-1963 |
Series 2 | Stith family papers, 1883-1907 |
Series 3 | Photographs |
Series 1: Book Research and galleys, 1884-1963
Copy pasteup, research papers, and mutilated original documents used by Stith for the publication of Terry Does Exist. The book is divided into three sections; the establishment of the town of Terry and two sections dealing with the Stith family and their place in Terry's history. When assembling her book, Stith took original letters exchanged by her parents and cut them into pieces to use as facsimile illustrations for printing plates. The letter fragments in folder 6 were the result of this practice and are impossible to collate into proper order.
- Box 1
- 1. "Terry Does Exist" booklet
- 2. Hamilton C. Stith stories, mimeograph
- 3. Pasteup for "Terry Does Exist"
- 4. Pasteup for "Terry Does Exist"
- 5. Book Research
- 6. Letter Fragments, J.W. Stith to wife Cornelia
Contents | Special Collections
Series 2: Stith family papers, 1883-1907
The Stith family papers consist of collected business files of John W. and Cornelia Stith's professional careers. Cornelia Stith was Postmistress and Sunday School Teacher in Terry for many years and collected listings of Sunday School books and documents dealing with the delivery of mail. John Stith was a respected business man and public servant during his time in Terry. His school clerk records consist of teacher and maintenance contracts, apportionments, and correspondence from 1883 to 1907. John's time as a Custer County commissioner are represented by constituent correspondence, petitions for road and bridge construction and improvements, commissioner journals, and contracts. Stith's Justice of the Peace (JP) files contain case files for minor civil actions brought before the Terry, Montana court regarding cost recovery suits, witness statements and judgements. One folder of JP papers includes bounty warrants for the killing of coyotes, bobcats, and wolves. Stith's business interests in Terry are represented by the balance of the files in this series. They include: real estate transaction papers; insurance sales and correspondence; shipping bills and invoices for wool buying operations; customer and client correspondence; merchandise orders for Stith's hardware store; bank statements and a selection of cancelled checks.
- Box 1 (cont.)
- 7. Cornelia Stith
- 8. J.W. Stith-miscellaneous public service
- 9. Terry School Clerk-correspondence
- 10. Terry School Clerk-teacher contracts
- 11. Terry School Clerk-reports
- 12. Terry School Clerk-bond elections and schoolhouse construction
- 13. Terry School Clerk-insurance contracts
- 14. Terry School Clerk-miscellaneous receipts
- 15. Terry library records
- Box 2
- 1. County Commissioner papers, 1900
- 2. County Commissioner papers, 1901
- 3. County Commissioner papers, 1902
- 4. County Commissioner papers, 1903
- 5. County Commissioner papers, 1904-1905
- 6. Custer County Affidavit of Foreign Electors 1892-1894
- 7. J.W. Stith Day Book 1883-1892
- 8. Insurance Agent correspondence, 1896-1899
- 9. Insurance Agent correspondence, 1900-1906
- 10. J.W. Stith-business licenses, 1900-1907
- 11. J.W. Stith-insurance policies, 1892-1900
- 12. Justice of the Peace cases 1889
- 13. Justice of the Peace cases 1890
- 14. Justice of the Peace cases 1891-1892
- 15. Justice of the Peace cases 1894-1895
- 16. Justice of the Peace cases 1896
- 17. Justice of the Peace cases 1897-1899
- 18. Justice of the Peace miscellaneous 1890-1903
- 19. Justice of the Peace Bounty Affidavits 1891-1892
- Box 3
- 1. J.W. Stith-Land Ownership
- 2. Terry State Bank 1907
- 3. Memo Books
- 4. Custer County Elections 1896-1902
- 5. Groceries 1896-1906
- 6. Wool 1896-1900
- 7. Wool 1901
- 8. Wool 1902
- 9. Wool 1903-1907
- 10. Hardware business papers, 1888-1894
- 11. Hardware business papers, 1895
- 12. Hardware business papers, 1896
- 13. Hardware business papers, 1896
- 14. Hardware business papers, 1897
- 15. Hardware business papers, 1897
- 16. Hardware business papers, 1897
- 17. Hardware business papers, 1897
- Box 4
- 1. Hardware business papers, 1898
- 2. Hardware business papers, 1898
- 3. Hardware business papers, 1899
- 4. Hardware business papers, 1900
- 5. Hardware business papers, 1900
- 6. Hardware business papers, 1901
- 7. Hardware business papers, 1901
- 8. Hardware business papers, 1902
- 9. Hardware business papers, 1902
- 10. Hardware business papers, 1902
- Box 5
- 1. Hardware business papers, 1903
- 2. Hardware business papers, 1903
- 3. Hardware business papers, 1903
- 4. Hardware business papers, 1903
- 5. Hardware business papers, 1904
- 6. Hardware business papers, 1904
- 7. Hardware business papers, 1904
- 8. Hardware business papers, 1904
- 9. Hardware business papers, 1905
- 10. Hardware business papers, 1905
- 11. Hardware business papers, 1905
- 12. Hardware business papers, 1906
- 13. Personal Checks
Contents | Special Collections
Series 3: Photographs
Photographs of the Stith family and friends, Terry residents, and Terry, Montana. Some of these photographs were used by Beryl Stith in Terry Does Exist. In those cases, the page number in parentheses following the photograph title indicates the location of the image in the book.
- Box 6
- Folder 1. Photographs #1-10
- #1. J.W. Stith, 1907 (pg 6)
- #2. Cornelia Hamilton Stith
- #3. Frank and John Stith
- #4. Jack Stith beside grandfather's fountain 1939 (pg 11)
- #5. "Dream Home" 1905 (pg 8)
- #6. House 1946
- #7. Desk 1946
- #8. Stith home and store
- #9. Stith Hardware
- #10. Stith Hardware 1898
- Folder 2. Photographs #11-20
- #11. Rancher's Supply Company 1908
- #12. Tool House (pg 9)
- #13. Burt Engine and demonstrators
- #14. Terry Section House 1947
- #15. Terry buildings and train
- #16. Terry 1908 in the snow
- #17. Terry, 1907 winter
- #18. Terry Northern Pacific Section House, 1918
- #19. Northern Pacific crew baking bread
- #20. Terry Northern Pacific Section House, 1958
- Folder 3. Photographs #21-28
- #21. Jordan Hotel with guests, (pg 8)
- #22. Scott Hotel with guests, (pg 8)
- #23. Grass Widow's House
- #24. Terry Main Street, (pg 10)
- #25. Terry Main Street 1908, (pg 9)
- #26. Fallon School built by J.W. Stith
- #27. Terry's second school with students
- #28. Terry Depot about 1890; Lillian Holker, Tom Holker, Mabel Joubert, Lillian Miller, Maude Miller, Pauline Joubert, Oliver Ddrilling, Charles Hanson, George (Red) McDonald
- Folder 4. Photographs #29-37
- #29. Cora Conray Bourdette (info on back)
- #30. Mrs. Cartwright and boys on a horse, (pg 7)
- #31. Mr. George Landre
- #32. Mrs. George Landre
- #33. Mr. And Mrs. Frank Zahl
- #34. Mr. And Mrs. C.E. Joubert
- #35. Mrs. W.F. Jordan and Irene (pg 7)
- #36. Terry Social Club program
- #37. Mae Logan 1898
- Folder 5. Photographs #38-45
- #38. Dance Program 1892
- #39. Mr. And Mrs. Doc Zahl
- #40. Billy Whipple-Terry and Fallon
- #41. Mrs. A. Wright
- #42. Mr. A. Wright
- #43. Lord Cameron ranch looking west
- #44. "Scraping an acquaintance In the Northwest" postcard to Cornelia Stith
- #45. Terry's 4th of July picnic 1897 Kempton Lane Grove
- Folder 6. Photographs #46-49
- #46. Wool in sacks on wagon train McLean wool, (pg 9)
- #47. Terry shearing pens, (pg 9)
- #48. Kenneth McLean ranch on O'Fallon Creek
- #49. A Montana sheep camp wagon, Nels and Sam Undem
- Folder 7. Photograph #50
- #50. County Commissioners 1907
Contents | Special Collections
Updated: 3/4/10