Oral history interview with Barbara Elliott Davies

Collection

Identifier: SR 9372

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Barbara Elliott Davies was conducted by Charles Digregorio at Davies’ home in Portland, Oregon, on July 18, 1976, as part of the oral history program at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

In this interview, Davies discusses the life of her father, Thompson Coit Elliott (1862-1943), a former executive director of the Oregon Historical Society. She also talks about her grandfather, John Euclid Elliott (1829-1888), and his role in the development of Walla Walla, Washington. She discusses her work for Oregon Historical Quarterly, the journal of the Oregon Historical Society; and talks about working with her father to acquire collections for the historical society, particularly the Protestant Ladder.

Dates

1976 July 18

Creator

Davies, Barbara Elliott, 1902-1981 (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Barbara Elliott Davies. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

Barbara Elliott Davies, nee Barbara Coit Elliott, was born in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1902. She attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1924, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Whitman College. That same year, she moved to Portland. In 1930, she and David Lloyd Davies were married; they later had two children. She worked as a secretary for the Oregon Historical Society, served as president of the Portland Town Club, and served on the boards of the Fruit and Flower Day Nursery, the Visiting Nurses Association, and the Portland Garden Club. She died in 1981.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Davies in her interview; obituary published in The Oregonian on March 2, 1981.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (43 min., 47 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Barbara Elliott Davies conducted by Charles Digregorio on July 18, 1976. Davies discusses the life and work of her father, Thomas Coit Elliott, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, and of her grandfather, John Euclid Elliott, in the development of Walla Walla, Washington.

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

A collection of Davies family photographs and papers, Coll 525, and Thomas Coit Elliott's papers, Mss 231, are also held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related Materials

The Protestant Ladder discussed by Davies in this interview is part of the Henry Harmon Spalding family papers, Mss 1201, and is viewable online at https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/protestant-ladder.