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Eberhart Reunion Association collection

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS 832

Overview

These Eberhart family histories, photographs, genealogical charts, and minutes of the Eberhart Reunion Association document the family history of Joseph Eberhart and his wife Catherine (Kistler) Eberhart, who emigrated from Pennsylvania to Kansas Territory in 1854, becoming early settlers on a Douglas County claim located south of the Lawrence community. Records of the Association chronicle the Pennsylvania German ancestry of the Eberharts and the history of the Eberharts in Kansas.

Dates

  • Creation: 1888 - 1980

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

History of the Eberhart Reunion Association

The Eberhart Reunion Association originated September 12, 1906, when eighty members of the Eberhart family met at a picnic in Lawrence (Douglas County), Kansas. The picnic, organized by Isaiah and Clara Eberhart, was held in honor of Andrew O. Eberhart (1851-1922) and his wife before their return to Pennsylvania after visiting family members in Douglas County.

Since 1906, the Association has convened annual reunions of the Eberhart family and has collected Eberhart family photographs, family histories, and memorabilia which document the lives and descendants of Joseph and Catherine (Kistler) Eberhart, who emigrated from Pennsylvania to Douglas County, Kansas in 1854, settling on a claim south of the Lawrence community. Joseph Eberhart was a descendant of Michael Eberhart, who emigrated from Germany to America in 1727 and settled in Pennsylvania. He and his brother Joseph gave the land which established Lehigh County, Pennsylvania's Great Swamp Church and its cemetery, where Michael and many other Eberhart family members are buried. Douglas County's Stony Point Cemetery, near Vinland, is the burial site of many Eberhart family members who lived in Kansas.

Extent

2.25 Linear Feet (4 boxes + 1 oversize box)

Language of Materials

English

German

Scope and Contents

This collection of the Eberhart Reunion Association contains its record book of minutes from 1939 to 1977, Eberhart family genealogical charts, Eberhart family histories, and many Eberhart family photographs, dating from 1888 to 1976. One Eberhart family history, "Trails of our Pioneers," includes an account of actions by Joseph Eberhart and his son "Louis" [sic] when William Quantrill's band of raiders descended on Lawrence, Kansas, August 20, 1863. The collection includes records of various families related by marriage to the Eberharts, including many photographs. Among these records is a travel account by William L. Hastie, as well as photographs and memorabilia related to the William L. Hastie family. In the collection description are notes which identify known sources from which the Association acquired various documents and photographs.

Physical Location

RH MS 832

Physical Location

RH MS Q204

Physical Location

RH MS-P 832

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, Eberhart Reunion Association, 1988, 1997

Related Materials

Hemphill, Anne E., Eberhart history: 1985 extension, RH D7787, Kansas Collection, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries.

Brown, Ruth Endacott, Stony Point Church and cemetery and historic Hickory Point, RH D6925, Kansas Collection, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries.

Title
Guide to the Eberhart Reunion Association Collection
Subtitle
Eberhart Reunion Association collection
Author
Finding aid prepared by mh, 2006; revised by, cl 2010; Finding aid encoded by mh, 2006
Date
2006
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in English.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/0853242328
Preferred citation
Eberhart Reunion Association Collection, Kansas Collection, RH MS 832, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334