| Quantity: | 9 boxes (3 cubic ft.) |
|---|---|
| Access: | Open to research |
| Acquisition: | Gift of Priscilla and Edward Coates, November 2008. |
| Administrative Note: | Certain 3-dimensional objects were transferred to the New York State Museum (See list below of items removed from the collection.) |
| Processed By: | Christine Alexander, Student Assistant, State University of New York at Albany, July 2009 |
Julia Orissa Wells, born August 8, 1895, in Utica, N.Y., was a graduate of the nursing program of the Memorial Hospital of Albany, N.Y., and resided in California for the last 32 years of her life. Julia maintained family photographs and scrapbooks of family history of the Bailey and Wells families of Utica. She was the daughter of Janet (Nettie) Bailey Wells and Edward Hyde Wells. Her grandfather, E. (Elijah) Prentiss Bailey, 1834-1913, edited and published the Utica Observer for many years, and her uncle, Prentiss Bailey, was a manager of the newspaper. Her father was a lawyer in Utica and later in Albany, specializing in railroad law. Julia, known as Judy to her friends and family, died February 8, 1963, in Newport Beach, Rhode Island, and was buried near family in Utica.
Julia was the executor of the estate of Nina Legge Wharton, a good friend from California who originally was from Binghamton, N.Y. Mrs. Wharton was born October 26, 1892, in Binghamton, and died September 24, 1957, in Corona Del Mar, California. Julia and Nina jointly owned a house for two years in Corona Del Mar. The collection contains papers from the probate of Mrs. Wharton's estate, as well as a few letters and narratives written during and about World War I by Nina's husband, N. (Nathan) Earl Wharton, whom Nina married on October 30, 1920, in Cleveland Ohio. Mr. Wharton, who was born March 23, 1886, in Boston and died in April 1950 in San Marino, California, had served as a lieutenant and engineer of construction in the U.S. Navy during World War I. He was a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and prepared the genealogical charts in the collection.
These papers consist of family history materials of the Bailey and Wells families of Utica, N.Y., including family photographs, a family history scrapbook and a genealogical chart held by Julia Orissa Wells, together with her collection of View-Master reels (wheel-type transparencies) from the "7 Wonders of the World" series, a View-Master stereoviewer, home movies from the late 1940s to early 1950s, an electric stereoscopic slide viewer, stereoscopic transparency slides, snapshots from 1916 to 1962, printed materials, certificates, and a small amount of correspondence concerning the funeral of Julia O. Wells. The family history scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, telegrams, certificates, tickets, invitations, obituaries, booklets, and a school essay.
In addition to the papers relating to Julia and her family, the collection includes papers from Julia's service as executrix for the estate of her friend, Nina L. Wharton, including probate forms and correspondence, tax returns, and an inventory of the assets, as well as World War I correspondence of Nina's husband, N. (Nathan) Earl Wharton, a narrative of his experiences during the war, and two genealogical charts he prepared of Nina Wharton's family.
Below is a list of items received with the collection that have been removed from the collection.
| Item | Transfer Location |
|---|---|
| Flash attachment (1 item) Kodak Brownie Flasholder for Brownie Flash Six-20 |
New York State Museum |
| Flash attachment (1 item) Kodalite Flasholder with Lumaclad Reflector, for Brownie Hawkey Flashmodel, Brownie Bull's-Eye and Kodak Duaflex III Cameras |
New York State Museum |
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Genealogical Table, 1937 | ||
| EL | Rolled | Genealogical chart, 1937, of the family tree of Julia Orissa Wells (Bailey and Wells families of Utica, N.Y.) on blueprint paper, compiled by N. Earl Wharton – stored rolled |
| Scrapbooks | ||
| 1 | 1 | Scrapbook of family history, undated, containing newspaper clippings, correspondence, telegrams, tickets, obituaries, booklets, concerning Julia Wells and her ancestors in the Bailey and Wells families (in bag labeled "Historical, Utica, N.Y. (Julia O. Wells' Background)") |
| 1 | 2 | Bailey family materials, 1857-1933, including marriage and death certificates, obituaries, programs, correspondence and newspaper photographs, that had been tipped into the scrapbook of family history in Box 1, Folder 1 (11 items) |
| 1 | 3 | Wells family materials, 1851-1924, including certificates, correspondence, telegrams, narratives, bill of undertaker, and promotional notice for railroad law publication by Edward H. Wells, that had been tipped into the scrapbook of family history in Box 1, Folder 1 (32 items) |
| 1 | 4 | Julia O. Wells materials, 1900-1939, including certificates, invitations, programs, a school essay, a letter to "Papa," and a small leather card holder, that had been tipped into the scrapbook of family history in Box 1, Folder 1 (17 items) |
| 1 | 5 | Newspaper clippings, 1896-1939 and undated, that had been tipped into the scrapbook of family history in Box 1, Folder 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Memorial scrapbook, 1961, for funeral of Bessie Capron, aunt of Julia O. Wells |
| Photographs: Albums | ||
| 2 | 2 | Photograph album, ca. 1918, containing pictures of nurses |
| 2 | 3 | Photos that had been tipped into the ca. 1918 photo album above in Box 2, Folder 2 (11 snapshots, 1 portrait, 1 negative) |
| 2 | 4 | Photograph album, 1925, of trip to Europe by Julia O. Wells, her mother, and Florence S. |
| 3 | 1 | Photograph album, 1931-1935, showing where Julia had lived in California, trip through Panama Canal and scenes from California. Includes photo of Nina Wharton. |
| 3 | 2 | Photograph album, 1934, of trip to Northwest, U.S.A. |
| 3 | 3 | Photos that had been tipped into the 1934 Northwest photo album above in Box 3, Folder 2 (19 snapshots) |
| Photographs: Portraits | ||
| 4 | 1 | Bailey children: Prentiss, Lansing, Bessie and Nettie (future mother of Julia Wells), undated (cabinet card) Photographer: Walter C. North, Utica, N.Y. |
| 4 | 2 | Bessie C. Bailey (future aunt of Julia Wells)
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| 4 | 3 | Prentiss Bailey (uncle of Julia Wells), 1937 |
| 4 | 4 | Edward H. Wells (father of Julia Wells), undated |
| 4 | 5 | Janet (Nettie) Bailey Wells (mother of Julia Wells)
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| 4 | 6 | Julia O. Wells
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| 4 | 7 | Unlabeled family photo, appears to be family portrait of Nettie and Edward Wells (parents of Julia Wells) and their children, Julia Wells and Edward H. Wells, Jr. Photographer: Walter C. North, Utica, N.Y. |
| 4 | 8 | Unlabeled infant (cabinet card) Photographer: Harris & Greene, Utica, N.Y. |
| 4 | 9 | Unlabeled young child and dog (cabinet card) E.E. Conrad, Binghamton, N.Y. |
| 4 | 10 | Unlabeled child holding dog (print mounted on card) |
| 4 | 11 | Unlabeled view of house with 3 women (print mounted on card) |
| 4 | 12 | Photo of doll bride and groom (print mounted on card) |
| Photographs: Snapshots | ||
| 4 | 13 | Snapshots labeled with surnames, 1924-1962 and undated:
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| 4 | 14 | Snapshots of family and friends, 1941-1949 |
| 4 | 15 | Snapshots of family and friends, 1950-1953 |
| 4 | 16 | Snapshots of family and friends, 1955-1959 |
| 4 | 17 | Snapshots of family and friends, 1960-1962 |
| 4 | 18 | Snapshots of family and friends, undated (black and white) |
| 4 | 19 | Snapshots of family and friends, undated (color) |
| 5 | 1 | Snapshot of the Bailey cemetery monument, likely in Utica, N.Y., undated |
| 5 | 2 | Snapshots of ranch, 1942, likely Monte Vista Ranch, Wickenburg, Arizona |
| 5 | 3 | Snapshots of house and grounds,1941-1942 (black and white) |
| 5 | 4 | Snapshots of house and grounds, 1945-1949 (faded color) |
| 5 | 5 | Snapshots of house and grounds, 1952-1959 (many faded color) |
| 5 | 6 | Snapshots of house and grounds, undated (most black and white) |
| 5 | 7 | Snapshots of dogs, undated (black and white) |
| 5 | 8 | Snapshots of scenes, undated (black and white) |
| 5 | 9 | Souvenir picture postcards and greeting cards of British Columbia, Arizona, California and unlabeled |
| 5 | 10 | Negatives |
| Printed Materials | ||
| 5 | 11 |
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| Stereoscopic Viewers and Transparencies | ||
| 6 | 1 | Stereoviewer (wheel type): Sawyer's View-Master (in original box) |
| 6 | 2 | Transparencies (wheel type): 64 reels from the "7 More Wonders of the World" series:
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| 7 | 1 | Stereoscope (electric): Kodaslide Stereoviewer II (in original box) |
| 7 | 2 | Transparencies: Kodak rectangular stereoscopic transparency slides (color), in original Kodak processing boxes (sized for use in Kodaslide Stereoviewer above)
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| 7 | 3 | Box of 15 slides, marked "Corona del Mar," and addressed to Mrs. Earl Wharton, one slide dated 1955 [California] |
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| 7 | 7 |
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| 7 | 8 |
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| 7 | 9 |
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| Home Movies, 1947-1952 | ||
| 8 | 1 | Home movies (11 items)
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| 8 | 2 |
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| 8 | 3 |
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| 8 | 4 |
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| 8 | 5 |
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| 8 | 6 |
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| 8 | 7 |
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| 8 | 8 |
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| 8 | 11 |
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| Certificates | ||
| EL1 | 1 | Graduation and registered nurse license certificates of Julia Wells, 1914-1918 (3 items) – see Extra Large folder below |
| Funeral papers concerning death of Julia Wells, 1963 | ||
| 9 | 1 | Funeral papers
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| 9 | 2 | Funeral papers continued from above
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| Box | Folder | Description |
| Probate Papers for Estate of Nina L. Wharton | ||
| 9 | 3 | Probate papers for the estate of Nina L. Wharton
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| 9 | 4 | Tax returns for estate of Nina Wharton
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| 9 | 5 | Letters and invoices concerning probate of Nina L. Wharton estate
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| Genealogical tables for family of Nina L. Wharton | ||
| EL | Rolled | Genealogical chart, 1921, of the family tree of Nina Legge Wharton, compiled by N. Earl Wharton - stored rolled (see Extra Large section below) |
| EL | Rolled | Genealogical chart, undated, of the family of Nina Legge Wharton, compiled by N. Earl Wharton - stored rolled (see Extra Large section below) |
| World War I correspondence and papers of husband, N. Earl Wharton, 1917-1921 | ||
| 9 | 6 | Letters from N. Earl Wharton to family, 1917 (7 items) |
| 9 | 7 | Letters from N. Earl Wharton to family, 1918 (14 items) |
| 9 | 8 | Letters from N. Earl Wharton to family, 1919 and undated (12 items) |
| 9 | 9 | Memoranda from N. Earl Wharton, 1920-1921, regarding continuation of war risk insurance and order for victory medal (5 items) |
| 9 | 10 | Military orders and military pass for N. Earl Wharton, 1919-1920 (7 items) |
| 9 | 11 | Military report and cover memorandum to Chief of Naval Operations, 1919, with suggestions for a proposed International Bureau of Communications for the League of Nations |
| 9 | 12 | Narrative of N. Earl Wharton's experiences in 1918 while accompanying the President from Paris to Rome |
| 9 | 13 | Newspaper clipping, undated, of lyrics for "Hurrah for Baffin's Bay" |