Ketcham-Piercy family collection, 1830-1995, bulk 1854-1946
A Guide to their papers at the Indiana University Archives
Electronic finding aid encoded by Ryan K. Lee
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Ketcham, John, 1782-1865.
Ketcham, John Lewis, 1810-1869.
Ketcham, John Henry, 1832-1922.
Ketcham, Charles B., 1859-1885.
Piercy, Mary Ketcham, 1865-1940.
Piercy, Joseph William, 1866-1943.
Piercy, Josephine Ketcham.
Ketcham family.
Piercy family.
TitleKetcham-Piercy family collection, 1830-1995, bulk 1854-1946
Collection No.
C240
Extent
1.9 cubic feet (6 boxes)
Language
Materials are in English.
Abstract
The Ketcham and Piercy families were
prominent in Indiana politics, journalism, and education during the 19th and 20th
centuries. This collection consists of
photographs, correspondence, journals, diaries, publications, speeches, legal
documents, genealogical materials, and academic regalia from the Ketcham and Piercy
families. Family members represented in this collection include: Colonel John Ketcham, John
Lewis Ketcham, Reverend John H. Ketcham, Martha S. Ketcham,
Charles B. Ketcham, Mary Ketcham Piercy, her husband, journalist and Indiana University faculty member Joseph W. Piercy,
and Indiana University faculty member Josephine K.
Piercy.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Advance notice is required.
Biographical Note
Colonel John Ketcham (1782-1865):
John Ketcham was born in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1782. As a young child, he and his
family settled in Shelby County, Kentucky. Ketcham married Elizabeth Pearcy in 1803,
with whom he would eventually have twelve children. In 1811 he moved his family to
present-day Jackson County, Indiana, where Ketcham established a fort with three
other families. During the War of 1812, Ketcham served as First Sergeant in a
company of mounted rangers for the US Army for two years. He gained great celebrity
for his dealings with the Native Americans, and his first-hand account of these
conflicts were published in Rev. T. M. Hopkins’s Reminiscences of Col. John Ketcham
in 1866. Due to his status as a war hero, territorial governor William Henry
Harrison appointed Ketcham as a county judge in Jackson County, Indiana, a position
he held from 1816 to 1817.
In 1818 John and Elizabeth Ketcham relocated their family to the newly founded town
of Bloomington, Indiana, and built the first mill in Monroe County near present-day
Clear Creek. John Ketcham became a prominent citizen of Bloomington as was
demonstrated by his instrumental role in the construction of the first court house
in Monroe County (1819) and his serving as one of the first trustees of the
fledgling Indiana Seminary, predecessor to Indiana University, from 1821-1825. In
1822, Ketcham became colonel of the Twentieth Regiment of the Indiana state militia.
John L. Ketcham (1810-1869) :
John Lewis Ketcham was born in 1810 in Shelby County, Kentucky, and was the fifth
child of Col. John Ketcham and Elizabeth Pearcy Ketcham. He married Jane Merrill in
Marion County, Indiana, in 1836 and had 9 children. After graduating from Indiana
College, he went to Indianapolis as secretary to Noah Noble, who was governor of
Indiana from 1831 to 1837. He also studied law with Judge Isaac Blackford, one of
Indiana’s pioneer judges. He served as Justice of the Peace in Indianapolis from
1830 to 1842. John L. Ketcham died in 1869.
Reverend John H. Ketcham (1832-1922):
John Henry Ketcham, the second child of Daniel Ketcham and Mary Worley and grandson
of John Ketcham (1782-1865), was born on Dec. 28, 1832 in Clear Creek, Indiana. He
married Martha Stark, and they had two children. Ketcham graduated from Indiana
University in 1854 and became a Methodist minister. He spent 45 total years in
active service in the ministry: 28 years in regular pastoral work and 17 years as a
presiding elder. He began as a minister of the California Street Methodist church in
Indianapolis. He died in 1922 in Indianapolis.
Charles B. Ketcham (1859-1885):
Charles B. Ketcham was the son of John H. Ketcham (1832-1922) and Mary Stark Ketcham. He was born in 1859 in
Indianapolis. He began his career in journalism as a member of the staff at the
Indianapolis Star, and worked his way up to a
position in Washington, D.C. at the Associated Press. Charles Ketcham worked in
Washington for only three years until his sudden death in 1885. He is buried in
Evansville, Indiana.
Mary "Daisy" Ketcham Piercy was born in 1865 to
Rev. John H. Ketcham and Martha Stark Ketcham. She married Joseph W. Piercy in 1892, and
they had one daughter, Josephine. They lived in a home at 708 Ballantine Rd. in
Bloomington, Indiana while Joseph was director of and a professor in IU’s Journalism
Department. Mary K. Piercy died in 1940 at the age of 74.
Joseph William "Will" Piercy was born in Cloverdale, Indiana, in 1866 to Joseph William Piercy (Sr.) and Margaret (Brown)
Piercy. He received an
A.B. from DePauw University in 1889. Piercy began his journalism career as a
reporter for the
Indianapolis Sentinel in 1887, and
also spent part of his career working for the Kansas City Times and the Indianapolis
News. In 1892 he married Mary "Daisy" Ketcham and
they had one daughter. Piercy left his position as editor for The
Indianapolis News to become a professor at the University of
Washington in Seattle. Piercy only worked there for a year before being called back
to IU to be the first director of Journalism in 1911. He would serve as both
director of and professor in the Journalism Department until 1938. In addition,
Joseph W. Piercy was also one of the founders of the American Association of
Teachers of Journalism and served as president of that organization in 1924. He held
membership in many other prestigious associations for journalism and academics, such
as the National Association for Teachers of Advertising, the Indiana Daily Press
Association, and the American Association of University Professors. He died in 1943
in Indianapolis at the age of 77.
Josephine Ketcham Piercy was born Sept. 27, 1895 in Indianapolis. She was the only
child of Joseph William and Mary Ketcham Piercy. Josephine Piercy received her A.B.
from Indiana University in 1918, and an A.M. from IU in 1919. She also received an
A.M. from Columbia University in 1922. After graduation she began a long career at
Indiana University as an English professor. She was an instructor from 1926-1940, an
assistant professor from 1940-1950, an associate professor from 1950-1964, and
became the first woman in the English Department to receive full professor status in
1964, a position she held until her retirement in 1966. During her years as an
instructor, Josephine Piercy took some time off from teaching to earn her PhD in
English studying colonial literature at Yale University. She was awarded her PhD in
1937. While at IU, Josephine Piercy served on several departmental and university
committees, but she is best known for her seminar courses during the 1940’s and
1950’s entitled
"Round Table for Student Writing,"
where she taught students how to write poetry, and
"Colonial American Literature."
Piercy was herself an accomplished
author. She published several books including
Studies in
Literary Types in Seventeenth-Century America
(1939),
Modern Writers at Work (1940), and the biographical
study
Anne Bradstreet (1966). Josephine K. Piercy
passed away in Bloomington in 1995 at the age of 99.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into eight series, one for each of the following Ketcham-Piercy family members: Col. John Ketcham,
John L.
Ketcham, Rev. John H. Ketcham, Martha S. Ketcham, Charles B.
Ketcham; Mary K. Piercy, Joseph W. Piercy, and Josephine K. Piercy.
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Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries'
online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by
searching the catalog using these terms.
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-
Names
-
Ketcham
family --Archives.
-
Piercy
family --Archives.
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Ketcham family.
-
Percy family.
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Ketcham,
John, 1782-1865 --Correspondence.
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Ketcham,
John, 1782-1865 --Archives.
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Ketcham,
John Lewis, 1810-1869 --Archives.
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Ketcham,
John Henry, 1832-1922 --Correspondence.
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Ketcham,
John Henry, 1832-1922 --Archives.
-
Ketcham,
Charles B., 1859-1885 --Correspondence.
-
Ketcham,
Charles B., 1859-1885 --Archives.
-
Piercy,
Mary Ketcham, 1865-1940 --Diaries.
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Piercy,
Mary Ketcham, 1865-1940 --Archives.
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Piercy,
Joseph William, 1866-1943 --Correspondence.
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Piercy,
Joseph William, 1866-1943 --Archives.
-
Piercy,
Josephine Ketcham --Correspondence.
-
Piercy,
Josephine Ketcham --Diaries.
-
Piercy,
Josephine Ketcham --Archives.
-
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Scope and Content Note
The Ketcham-Piercy family collection spans 1830-1995 and includes materials such as
correspondence, manuscripts, journals and diaries, publications, speeches, legal
documents, academic documents, genealogical documents, and other materials created
by or about members of the Ketcham and Piercy families of Indiana. The bulk of the
collection pertains to former Indiana University faculty Joseph W. Piercy
(1866-1943) and Josephine K. Piercy (1895-1995). Other family members represented in
the collection include Colonel John Ketcham, John Lewis Ketcham, Reverend John H.
Ketcham, Martha S. Ketcham, Charles B. Ketcham, and Mary Ketcham Piercy. Items of
note include Martha S. Ketcham and Mary K. Piercy's diaries, which are contained in a single volume and span the years 1858-1867
and 1885-1891; Mary K. Piercy and Joseph W. Piercy's
wedding book (1892), Mary K. Piercy's gardening journal(1922-1944), Joseph W. Piercy's short fiction manuscripts, and Josephine
K. Piercy's travel journal (1952-1954).
Separated Material
Photographs and all oversized material have been pulled from this collection and
filed separately. Please ask staff for more details.
Related Material
Related photographs may be available in the Indiana University
Archives Photograph Collection.
The
Piercy Manuscript Collection in the
Lilly Library consists of
the letters Josephine K. Piercy received from various authors in the 1920’s in
response to her requests for comments on the subject of writing. Piercy collected
the letters and published them in 1930 as a textbook entitled
Modern Writers at Work. Authors who responded included Ernest
Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Virginia Woolf.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Transferred from Wylie House Museum, 1995, Accessions 95/031 and 7044.
Usage RestrictionsThe donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University.
For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Ketcham-Piercy family collection, Collection C240, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing InformationProcessed by Ryan K. Lee.
Completed in 2004.
Collection was reorganized into series by family member (formerly series by material type) by Elizabeth Peters, April 2017.
Container List
Series:
Box 1
Col. John Ketcham, 1860-1869
To Mr. Campbell, concerning petitions that are circulating
(partial letter), circa
1860s
![[image]](images/image_icon.gif)
View item(s)
Hopkins, Rev. T. M. "Reminiscences of Col. John
Ketcham of Monroe County, Indiana,"
1866
View item(s)
Series:
Box 1
John L. Ketcham, 1830-1869
Marshall, Rev. Charles H. A Discourse on the Life and
Character of John L. Ketcham, Esq. Indianapolis: s.n.,
1869 .
View item(s)
Series:
Box 1
Rev. John H. Ketcham, 1854-1913
Indiana University commencement program, 1854
(2 copies)
View item(s)
Indiana University commencement address, 1854
View item(s)
The handwritten address is titled "The Harmony of Nature: the Graduating Address of John H. Ketcham to the Twenty-fifth annual
commencement of the University of Indiana."
"True Friendship: a sermon delivered before the Knights of Pythias, in the Sullivan M. E. Church, on Sunday, January 9"
,
circa 1881
View item(s)
A sermon to the Knights of Pythias.
Sermons and Discourses of Rev. John H. Ketcham, undated
(bound volume)
View item(s)
Processing note
Loose items were removed from the volume and placed in a separate folder.
Loose items from Sermons and Discourses of Rev. John H. Ketcham, undated
View item(s)
William Lowe Bryan to Rev. John H. Ketcham, June 23,
1913
View item(s)
Series:
Box 1
Martha S. Ketcham, 1858-1933
Notebook, 1858-circa
1872
View item(s)
Includes genealogical information.
Diary, Martha S. Ketcham and Mary K. Piercy, 1858-1867 ,1885-1891
View item(s)
Scope and Content
One volume containing two diaries. The first thirty-six pages contain Martha's diary. Topics include taking
care of a dying sister, her faith, the Civil War, visiting friends, and
her family. Entries are fairly short and inconsistent, and the majority
of the entries are very religious in nature. Some writing has faded. Mary's section is forty pages long and covers
such topics as her brother's death, daily life, courting, going out with
friends, the Symposiac club, parties, and brief mention of falling in
love. Entries are sporadic and vary in length. Some pages are cut, and
two other pages contains pressed leaves and an attached piece of
paper.
"Mrs. J. H. Ketcham [Martha S. Ketcham]: an appreciation"
,
1933
View item(s)
Series:
Box 1
Charles Ketcham, 1885 , 1937
Letter to Mary Ketcham, 1 January 1885 , reproduced
in the
Indianapolis Star,
1 January 1937
View item(s)
Series:
Mary K. Piercy, 1858-1943
Related Material
Mary K. Piercy's diary (1885-1891) is contained in the same volume as that of her mother, Martha S. Ketcham. The diary and
its contents are described in the "Martha S. Ketcham" series.
Box 5
Mary K. and Joseph W. Piercy wedding book, 1892
View item(s)
Scope and Content
Contains signatures, a photograph, a list of presents, and pressed
flowers. Some newspaper clippings (some copied and some original) and
other ephemera also present.
Processing note
Loose items were removed from the book and placed in a separate folder.
Box 4
Building Contract, Joseph W. and Mary K. Piercy, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 25, 1908
Box 1
Engagement book, 1912-1935
Box 2
French notebook, undated
Gardening journal, 1922-1944
Scope and Content
Includes a note (presumably) from Josephine concerning her mother's
death. Josephine seems to have continued the journal. Contains pressed
flowers.
Processing note
Loose items were removed from the journal and placed in a separate folder.
Loose items from gardening journal, 1922-1943
Travel books, Europe and North America, circa 1929-1930
Scope and Content
Contains brief descriptions of trips, including dates and costs. The file also contains
loose items from various trips.
Box 4
Power of Attorney, 1939
Series:
Joseph W. Piercy, 1863-1944
Related Material
The Mary K. and Joseph W. Piercy wedding book and a building contract (1908) for the Piercy home in Indianapolis are located
in the "Mary K. Piercy" series.
Box 4
Warranty Deed, Putnam County, Indiana: John H. Piercy to
Joseph W. Piercy (Sr.), 1863
Box 2
Students’ Army Training Corps Certificate, 1918
General correspondence, 1926-1940 and undated
Funeral, 1943
"Words of
Appreciation" from faculty of Indiana University,
1944
"Anchorage,"
undated
"'Brother' Stephen and 'Sister' Ruth,"
undated
"A Cattleboy’s Pluck,"
undated
"The Claim of His Heels,"
undated
"The Final Furrow,"
undated
'Gin-ral' Grant’s Family
Carriage,
undated
"The History of Mr. Tip,"
undated
Box 3
"Oklahoma, or The End of the Land,"
undated
A dramatization of J. W. Piercy's manuscript
"The End of the Land"
/ written by Mary Jane Mitchell.
"Saved by a Coyote,"
undated
"Subliminal,"
undated
"Teddy Challenged by a Mystery,"
undated
Series:
Josephine K. Piercy, 1910-1995
Box 3
Postcards of schools, circa 1906, 1909
Irvington School graduation program, 1910
Notebook, circa 1911-1934
Western College "Senior Day"
Program, 1915
Kappa Alpha Theta initiation certificate, 1917
Indiana University commencement programs, 1918, 1919
Phi Beta Kappa, 1919
Ask Staff
A. B. diploma, Indiana University, 1918
(oversize)
A. M. diploma, Indiana University, 1919
(oversize)
Box 3
Letters of Recommendation, 1919-1920
Columbia University, 1922
Ask Staff
A. M. diploma, Columbia University, 1922
(oversize)
Box 3
General correspondence, 1930-1944
Yale University, 1937
Ask Staff
PhD diploma, Yale University, 1937
(oversize)
Box 6
Graduation hood, Yale University, 1937
Box 3
The National Spiritualist , vol. 22 no.
255, March 1,
1940 .
Ration stamps, 1942-1945
Travel book, 1952-1954
"Michael Wigglesworth as Poet,"
circa 1966
Box 4
"The Diary of
Mr. Wigglesworth,"
Proceedings of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts (1946), circa 1960s
(annotated photocopy)
Diploma, "Two Thousand Women of Achievement", 1969
Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Service Award medal,
1975
IU Current Broadway Theatre Tour, 1975
Ketcham family genealogy, undated
