By Finding aid prepared by Tiah Edmunson-Morton.
Title: Merton and Eleanor Davis History of the Davis and Hall Families, 1983
ID: MSS DavisHall
Primary Creator: Davis, Merton
Extent: 0.04 cubic feet. More info below.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
This collection consists of the monograph This We Remember, which is a history of the Davis and Hall families of Union, Oregon. It was written by OSU alumni Merton and Eleanor Davis. This monograph details the migration of these two Oregon pioneer families in the mid-1800s and follows the families through the 1980s. It includes Merton and Eleanor's experiences as students at Oregon Agricultural College and lists other OSU alumni in the family. This book also documents the development of the town of Union, and includes details of various local businesses and buildings.
Also included is a family tree for both the Hall and Davis families. It is a double-sided item, measuring 34 inches by 22 inches.
After graduating from Union High School, Merton Davis attended Oregon Agricultural College from 1915 though 1917, where he studied agriculture and architecture. He was a member of Kappa Sigma. He enlisted in the Navy in 1917 and served in World War I in Naval Aviation in Porto Corsino, Italy. After the war, he returned to North Powder, Oregon.
Eleanor Grace Hall, also from Union, attended OAC from 1915 to 1917; she studied music. When Eleanor was a student, she was a member of the Madrigal Club, which was formed in the fall of 1909 "for the combined purposes of the study of part song and operas and pleasure" (The Orange, 1917, page 75). In 1917, she was the president of the club. She was also a member of the Alpha Chi Omega fraternity.
Having met in college, the two were married on October 9, 1919, when Merton returned from World War I. In 1924, they founded the Texaco Service Station in Union, Oregon. After Merton's father, Alonzo Benjamine Davis, passed away in 1938, the two assumed responsibility for the family ranching business; they sold the station in 1947 and ranched full-time until their retirement in 1967.
More Extent Information: 1 box
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation: Merton and Eleanor Davis History of the Davis and Hall Families, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.
Davis, Merton
Davis, Eleanor
College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Corvallis (Or.)
Davis, Eleanor
Davis, Merton
Davis family
Hall family
Oregon Agricultural College--Students.
Pioneers--Oregon--Union Region.
Ranch life--Oregon--Union Region.
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
This we remember
Union (Or.)
University History
Family trees.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.