Lucia S. Fear papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 1550

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the papers and family photographs of Lucia S. Fear of Portland, Oregon. Documents in the collection include: A handwritten account of Fear participating in the Mazamas Mt. Hood climb in July 1894, and a typescript copy of that account; a biographical sketch of Washington Irving by Fear; a daily journal covering the period from August 28, 1882, to November 19, 1882, when Fear worked as a lawyer; two copies of an essay by Fear, titled "A Glance at American Women," about the history of women's accomplishments in the United States; and a partial handwritten draft and typed copy of a speech that Fear delivered at an Oregon Federation of Women's Clubs conference in Corvallis, Oregon. The collection also includes several newspaper clippings about the 1894 Mt. Hood climb, as well as landscape plans by George Otten for Fear's residence at 629 Terrace Road (later 2541 S.W. Vista Avenue) in Portland, Oregon, with a related letter from Otten and cost list for plantings. Photographs in the collection include Fear with family members; unidentified Oregon locations; a cable car in Portland, Oregon; a house, most likely belonging to Fear; and a group portrait of schoolchildren, including Fear's son, Lyle.

Dates

1882-1913

Creator

Fear, Lucia S., 1862-1957 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

Lucia S. Fear, nee Drum, was born in 1862 in Kansas. In the early 1880s, she worked as a lawyer. In 1885, she married William H. Fear (1858-1945); the couple had two children, Lyle (1886-1957) and Lois (1888-1990). The family had moved to Portland, Oregon, by 1890. Fear was a member of the Portland Woman's Club beginning in 1896. She also participated in the Mazamas climb on Mt. Hood in July 1894. Fear died in 1957.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian and Oregon Journal, 1894-1957; vital records on Ancestry.com; Portland city directory for 1890; collection materials.

Extent

0.2 Cubic Feet (3 folders in shared box; 1 oversize folder (20x30))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers and family photographs of Lucia S. Fear (1862-1957). Fear was born in 1862 in Kansas, and worked as a lawyer there in the early 1880s. She and her family later moved to Portland, Oregon, where she participated in the Mazamas climb of Mt. Hood in 1894 and was a member of the Portland Woman's Club.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Lois Fear, June 1959 (Lib. Acc. 8053).

Separated Materials

Some photographs were separated to Photograph collections, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Processing Information

Collection initially processed prior to 2010. In 2023, photographs that shared provenance with the papers were integrated into the collection. Landscape plans and related correspondence had been transferred to Mss 3045 prior to 2010, but were reintegrated into the collection in January 2023 due to shared provenance.