J.B. Grinnell Family Collection

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J.B. Grinnell Family Collection

Collection Title: J.B Grinnell Family Collection

Dates: 1854 –

Quantity: 1 grey document standing box

Arrangement: Seven folders about the life and family of J.B. Grinnell including original letters and documents from the 1800s and early 1900s, newspaper articles, and research conducted by various professors over the years.

Background Note: This collection contains documents related to the life, work, and family of Grinnell town founder Josiah Bushnell Grinnell. The collection includes original documents such as the written correspondence of J.B. Grinnell and his wife Julia Chapin, research into J.B. Grinnell’s role as an abolitionist and part of the Underground Railroad, information about the Grinnell family tree and relatives of J.B. Grinnell, and writings related to Julia Chapin Grinnell and their marriage.

Folder #1 – J.B. Grinnell Biography
• Portrait and Biographical Record of Johnson, Poweshiek and Iowa Counties containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens (1893) – J.B. Grinnell biography
• Newspaper articles from Grinnell Herald-Register (various years)
• Town signage and plaque information
• Remarks at Rededication Ceremony of J.B. Grinnell Marker by John Andelson Professor of Anthropology at Grinnell College (2019)

Folder #2 – J.B. Grinnell Genealogy
• Grinnell Family Association of America Official Newsletter Volume 10 Number 3 (Fall 1998)
• Family Tree of J.B. Grinnell and DVD The Grinnells of America
• Articles from Grinnell Herald-Register about J.B. Grinnell’s relatives
• Letter from J.B. Grinnell’s relatives (2015) to Grinnell Historical Museum Society

Folder #3 – J.B. Grinnell and Julia Chapin Grinnell
• “The Grinnell-Chapin Connection” by William Deminoff Director of College Relations at Grinnell College, published in the Grinnell Herald-Register (1983)
• Article about J.B. Grinnell and Julia Chapin’s 25th wedding anniversary (1978) published in Grinnell Herald-Register
• Newspaper obituaries for Julia Chapin (1907)
• “Julia Ann Chapin Grinnell: The Mother to a Town” ( 2004) Grinnell Herald-Register

Folder #4 – J.B. Grinnell Family
• Newspaper article about Carrie Grinnell’s wedding (1881) Grinnell Herald
• Transcription of Carrie Grinnell Jones’s journal
• Newspaper articles about Mary Grinnell Mears
• Memorial resolution for Eliot Grinnell Mears, professor at Stanford

Folder #5 – Chapin, Iowa
• “The Town of Chapin” Grinnell Herald-Register (1947)
• Franklin County Settlement Timeline – Ghost Towns

Folder #6 – Underground Railroad
• “Two of Grinnell’s founder linked to Underground Railroad” Newspaper article (2010)
• “Grinnell’s Underground Railroad” pamphlet by Grinnell Historical Museum

Folder #7 – Original documents relating to J.B. Grinnell and family
• Original letter from Mrs. Grinnell Sept 25. 1900
• Original letter to J.B. Grinnell from Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Minnesota Railway Sept 20 1872
• Transcription of 1872 letter by Professor Emeritus of History at Grinnell College Dan Kaiser
• J.B. Grinnell signature
• Silver Wedding Anniversary of Hon. J.B. Grinnell and Wife. Presentation Address: Poems and Responses (1877)
• “In Honor of Josiah Bushnell Grinnell” -- Committee formed to erect memorial upon death of J.B. Grinnell (1891)
• Annals of Iowa: A Historical Quarterly (1896) “Josiah Bushnell Grinnell” by Professor L.F. Parker of Iowa College

Folder #8 - Transcription Project
Handwritten letter of J.B. Grinnell from 1864 transcribed by local fifth graders Malia Parker and Elisa Hansen

Flat Files Drawer 1 - Handwritten letter from J.B. Grinnell

Prepared by Liz Cabelli and Veronica Ruse 06/09/22