Title: Oren Ernest and Alice Devol Frazee Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1872-1964

Creators:

• Frazee, Oren Ernest, 1880-1960
• Frazee, Alice Devol, 1880-1962

Call Number: La Crosse Mss AY

Quantity: 3.6 cubic feet (7 archives boxes and 1 flat box)

Repository:

Housed at the Special Collections & Area Research Center, Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-La Crosse Murphy Library / La Crosse Area Research Ctr. (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of La Crosse, Wisconsin, biology professor and genealogist Oren Frazee and his wife, Alice Devol Frazee, a genealogist and amateur poet. Included are writings, correspondence, and other records relating to Oren Frazee's career; genealogies of the Frazee, Devol, Montgomery, Badgely, and Arnold families of Indiana and Illinois; records relating to a farm and other family property in Indiana; and papers concerning Alice Frazee's activities with the Campus Dames of La Crosse, 1930-1949. Also in the collection are correspondence, professional papers, and poetry, 1872-1920, of Alice's father, James M. Devol, a railroad inspector.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-lx00ay

Oren Ernest Frazee was born 15 March 1880 in Wabash County, Indiana, the son of John and Susannah Arnold Frazee. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in zoology at the University of Indiana in 1909 and 1912 respectively, and attended Harvard in 1928. After teaching in high schools in Indiana and Illinois, he became chairman of the biology department at State Teachers College, St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1915. In 1920 Frazee moved to the State Teachers College, La Crosse (now the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse), to become the chairman of its biology department. Frazee was privately involved in genealogical research, and became a Fellow of the American Institute of Genealogy. He was a collaborator in Ancestral Lines of the Doniphan, Frazee, Hamilton Families (1928) and fifteen of his manuscripts on related families are at the Institute of American Genealogy in Chicago. He retired in 1950 and died 22 March 1960 in La Crosse.

Oren Frazee married Alice B. Devol in 1912. Born 28 September 1880 in Tray, Illinois, she was the daughter of James M. Devol, a railroad inspector and amateur poet, and Martha Badgely Devol. Alice Devol attended the University of Vincennes, Indiana, 1900-1901, and received an A.B. from Indiana University in 1904. She was a teacher before her marriage. Later she was a very active member of the La Crosse chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was involved in the Campus Dames, a literary society at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Like her husband, Mrs. Frazee was interested in genealogy, and like her father she was an amateur poet. Both of the Frazees were active members of the First Presbyterian Church of La Crosse. They had one daughter, Alice Frazee Ginn, born in 1916. Alice D. Frazee died 22 April 1962 in La Crosse.

The collection consists mainly of correspondence, financial records, and private writings and notebooks, relating primarily to the career activities and writings of Oren and Alice Devol Frazee. Also present is a small amount of genealogical material pertaining to the Frazee, Devol, Montgomery, Badgely and Arnold families of Indiana and Illinois. The papers are arranged in four series: OREN AND ALICE FRAZEE, OREN FRAZEE, ALICE DEVOL FRAZEE, and OTHER FAMILY RECORDS.

In the Financial Records of the OREN AND ALICE FRAZEE series, the Cole Law Firm records, 1930-1949, consist primarily of correspondence relating to problems over the renting of property in Indiana. Farm Management, 1931-1947, pertains to the operation of a farm in Indiana that was owned by the Frazees and run by a farm management firm. Journals, 1912-1960, are monthly accounts of all expenses during that period. In the Peru Trust Company file, 1930, is correspondence relating to settlement of the John Frazee estate. General records of the First Presbyterian Church of La Crosse, 1950-1960, contain notices, publicity material and minutes of annual meetings, 1957, 1959-1960. Wedding Materials, 1912, include an invitation to the Frazee wedding along with lists of guests and gifts.

Booklets (Writings of Others), 1901-1937, in the OREN FRAZEE series, include short writings about people he admired, such as Benjamin Franklin, along with an account of a flood in his hometown in 1937. Miscellaneous Writings, 1934-1947, consist of faculty meeting notes and published recommendations by Frazee for textbooks.

In the ALICE DEVOL FRAZEE series, the Campus Dames of La Crosse folder, 193O-1949, holds notices, clippings, and other papers relating to Mrs. Frazee's involvement in this literary society. Notebooks, circa 1940-1960, are composed of quotations and poetry which Mrs. Frazee admired.

The medical notebook, circa 1872, of James M. Devol in OTHER FAMILY RECORDS, consists of home remedies and is indexed.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Alice Frazee Ginn, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1967.

La Crosse Mss AY	Series: Oren and Alice Frazee
Box   1 Folder   1-10	Personal correspondence, 1912-1962, undated
Box   2 Folder   1	Address books, circa 1941, 1950
	Financial records
Box   2 Folder   2	Cole Law Firm, 1930-1931, 1946, 1949
Box   2 Folder   3	Deeds, 1916, 1920
Box   2 Folder   4	Farm management, 1931-1947
Box   2 Folder   5-6	Journals, 1912-1960
Box   2 Folder   7	Ledger, 1930-1960
Box   2 Folder   8	Peru Trust Company, 1930
	First Congregational Church of La Crosse
Box   3 Folder   1	General, 19501960
Box   3 Folder   2	Bulletins and directories, 1918, 1948-1951, 1956
	Genealogical records
Box   3 Folder   3	Charts and notes, 1920-1960
Box   8 Folder   1	Oversize charts, undated
Box   3 Folder   4	Ancestral Lines of the Doniphan, Frazee, Hamilton Families, 1928
	Other joint notebooks
Box   3 Folder   5	Christmas records, 1928-1957
Box   3 Folder   5	List of visitors, 1927-1939
Box   3 Folder   6	Wedding materials, 1912
Box   8 Folder   2	Wedding license, 1912
	Series: Oren Frazee	⇧
	Biographical
Box   3 Folder   7	Clippings, 1912-1923, 1950-1960
Box   4 Folder   1	Booklets (writings of others), 1901-1908, 1916-1917, 1935-1937
Box   4 Folder   2	Funeral book, 1960
Box   4 Folder   3	Scrapbook items, circa 1960
Box   4 Folder   4	Career records, 1902-1908, 1920, 1924
	Educational records
Box   4 Folder   5	General, 1889-1911, 1927
Box   8 Folder   3	Diplomas, 1909, 1912
	Writings
Box   4 Folder   6	Biology, 1909, 1931, undated
Box   4 Folder   7	Birds, 1928, 1933, 1946, undated
Box   4 Folder   8	Botany, 1911, undated
Box   4 Folder   9	“Character Education,” 1927
Box   4 Folder   10	Education, 1926, 1930, 1935, undated
Box   4 Folder   11	Education-science, 1906, 1919, 1929, 1931, 1934
Box   4 Folder   12	Personal, 1927, undated
Box   4 Folder   13	“Philosophy of Science,” 1937, undated
Box   4 Folder   14	Miscellany, 1934, 1937, 1947
	Series: Alice Devol Frazee	⇧
Box   5 Folder   1	Personal correspondence, 1900
	Biographical
Box   5 Folder   2	Clippings, 1900-1960
Box   5 Folder   2	Funeral book, 1962
Box   5 Folder   4	Campus Dames of La Crosse, 1930-1949
	Daughters of American Revolution, La Crosse
Box   5 Folder   5	Notes, membership information, 1919-1962
Box   5 Folder   6	Draft of Name Index to La Crosse Tribune, 1955
	Educational records
Box   5 Folder   7	General, 1900, 1904
Box   8 Folder   4	Diplomas, 1900, 1904
Box   5 Folder   8	Notebooks, undated
Box   6 Folder   1-2	Notebooks, circa 1940-1960
	Writings
Box   6 Folder   3	General, circa 1940-1960
Box   6 Folder   4	Tributes to fellow DAR members, circa 1940-1960
Box   6 Folder   5	Poetry, 1950-1960
	Series: Other Family Records	⇧
	Alice Frazee Ginn (daughter)
Box   7 Folder   1	Personal correspondence, 1960, 1962-1964
Box   7 Folder   2	Financial records, 1930-1947
Box   7 Folder   3	John Frazee (father of Oren Frazee), deed, 1923
Box   7 Folder   4	Lora Frazee (sister of Oren Frazee), teaching and educational records, 1900-1901
	James M. Devol (father of Alice D. Frazee)
Box   7 Folder   5	Personal correspondence, 1890, 1896-1897, 1901-1902, 1908, 1918
Box   7 Folder   6	Career records, 1874-1920
Box   8 Folder   5	Certificate of entrance into the Lodge, Nobles of Ancient Order, 1915
Box   7 Folder   7	Financial records, 1896-1897, 1900, 1906, 1909, 1916-1918
Box   8 Folder   5	Marriage certificate, 1876
Box   7 Folder   8	Medical notebook, circa 1872
Box   7 Folder   9	Poetry, circa 1890-1912
	Rose Badgely Devol (mother of Alice D. Frazee)
Box   7 Folder   10	General, 1886, 1899, 1918, 1947, 1950
Box   7 Folder   11	Financial records, 1910-1911, 1917-1923, 1927-1930, 1933-1937
	Jennie Devol (sister of Alice D. Frazee)
Box   7 Folder   12	Clippings, grade reports, letter, 1900
Box   8 Folder   5	Public school diploma, 1895
Box   7 Folder   13	Andrew Arnold (grandfather of Oren Frazee), deed, will, 1900, 1903