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Henry Boyer Longden family papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSD-1881-001

Collection Statement

The collection consists of clippings and other biographical material, correspondence, and subject files. It is especially strong in official university correspondence, 1924-1935, and personal correspondence from 1920-1946. Notable correspondents associated with DePauw are Albert J. Beveridge (1881), George R. Grose, Marie Gustafson (1926; missionary to China), Frank Hall (1879), Bishop Edwin H. Hughes (LL.D. 1908), Bernard McMahon (1915), L. H. Murlin (1891), G. Bromley Oxnam, Edward and Lucy Rector, Guy M. Walker (1890), Roy O. West (1890), G. L. Brengle (1881), Philip Maxwell (1924), and David Lilienthal (1920). Also included are manuscripts of Mary Louise Johnson Longden.

One scrapbook contains poetry, programs for Gobin Memorial Methodist church, DePauw Centennial banquet, , cards and letters, letters, biographical information on Longden and David Lilienthal, H.B. Longden's retirement announcment, and death announcments for Henry B. Longden, President Lemuel Murlin and Samuel R. Brengle.

In addition, there is a scrapbook with brittle pages. It consists of largely of newspaper and other publications clippings on David Lilienthal (class of 1920), HBL retirement announcements, published photographs of campus buildings, a Longden Christmas card from the Longden home, Broad View Farm, an obituary for Grafton Johnson, an article on the arrival of the U. S. Navy V-5 program and a campus map.

Dates

  • 1886 - 1953
  • Majority of material found within 1920 - 1946

Creator

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright interests for this collection have been transferred to DePauw University.

Biographical Sketch

Born in Vevay, Indiana, on September 13, 1860, Henry Boyer Longden was the son of Samuel Longden, an English emigrant and a Methodist minister. He began prepatory school at Indiana Asbury College in 1877 and earned the undergraduate degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1881 and had the intention of studying medicine. Longden could not earn enough money to pursue this ambition during the few months after his graduation. But shortly before school began for the new year, Longden was asked to teach Greek and science in the prepatory department. Later he taught Latin in the College of Liberal Arts and in 1892 was named professor of German language and literature. He began teaching on his 21st birthday in September 1881. In 1884 Longden received a masters degree and in 1925 was granted a doctor of law degree both from DePauw University. During a leave in 1888-1890 and again in 1898, Longden studied at Goettingen and Leipzig universities and later at the University of Berlin, Amherst College and the University of Chicago.

During Dr. Longden's career at DePauw, from 1881 to 1935, he served in many different capacities as tutor, professor of Greek, science, German and Latin, librarian, registrar, vice president, acting president, and director of the Rector Scholarship Foundation. He was well liked in the academic community and was asked to give numerous chapel talks and addresses. Dr. Longden was interested in the progress of education and served on the Indiana State Board of Education for a number of years. Dr. Longden's teaching career at DePauw spanned from 1881-1922, when he assumed the duties of vice president of the university. In 1919, he became secretary of the Rector Scholarship Foundation and was instrumental in guiding the Edward Rector dollars, a total of $3,500,000, to DePauw University. Rector also made provisions for a hall to be built bearing the Longden name.

In July 1886, Henry Longden married Mary Louise Johnson of Greenwood, Indiana. They had two children, Beatrice and Grafton who were born January 1890 while Longden was on sabbatical in Leipzig, Germany. Beatrice died on the trip home from Indianapolis to Greenwood. Grafton (x1913) married Hazel Day (1916). Dr. Henry Boyer Longden died November 8, 1948.

Extent

5.8 Cubic Feet (12 document cases, 2 large flat boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Summary

Collection includes an autobiography, photograph albums of the Confucian Temple, the Imperial City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and Peking Street Scenes containing descriptions and comments by Miss Adams, a diary of her experiences as a prisoner of the Japanese Military and six textbooks written by Miss Adams for Biblical Knowledge courses, published by The Council on Christian Literature for Overseas Chinese.

Provenance

Longden's daughter-in-law, Hazel Day Longden

Related Materials

SEE ALSO: Hazel Day Longden Collection, including scrapbooks on Henry B. London in DC 2600

Title
Henry Boyer Longden family papers Class of 1881
Status
Completed
Author
Wesley Wilson
Date
5/21/2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Description is in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Archives of DePauw University and Indiana United Methodism Repository

Contact:
Roy O. West Library
405 S. Indiana St.
Greencastle Indiana 46135 United States