Rutherford B. Hayes Collections

(Description ID: 594061)

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

John R. Pease

HAYES-20

Introduction
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content
Inventory

Introduction
The collection of miscellaneous Pease family memorabilia was donated to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center during the 1940's and 1950's by descendants of John R. Pease.

Biographical Sketch
John Rutherford Pease, son of John and Linda Hayes Pease Elliot, was born in Bainbridge, New York in 1804. Linda Hayes Pease Elliot was the sister of President Rutherford B. Hayes' father. Bright, humorous and fond of gambling, Pease was a constant source of amusement and lifelong friend to his much younger cousin, Rutherford B. Hayes. Pease emigrated to Ohio in 1835, becoming a hardware merchant in Fremont. Although an ardent Democrat, Pease refused to run for office, but rather took the position of deputy collector of the port of Lower Sandusky [Fremont, Ohio] from 1841 to 1843. He married Althea Underhill, daughter of David and Laura Underhill of Seneca County, Ohio. Following Althea's death and that of his infant daughter (1844 and 1845 respectively), Pease married Mary Elizabeth Mead at North Adams, Massachusetts in 1848. Pease brought her to Fremont. They became the parents of five children. Like his mother, Pease suffered from tuberculosis, a disease which took his life in 1860.

Scope and Content
The collection consists primarily of Pease memorabilia preserved by the family, including correspondence, financial papers, and legal documents ranging from 1845 to 1937. Photographs of Pease and several family members may be found in the Hayes Albums and the Portrait File. Additional family information appears in the John R. Pease Biographical File and the Hayes Genealogy Binders.

Inventory
Ac. 130, 1125, 1167, 1340.
1/4 linear ft.

Papers, 1845-1858 

Box 1

1. Miscellaneous Hayes-Pease newspaper clippings
2. John R. Pease Correspondence: 1845-1858
3. John R. Pease business and legal papers, inc., Fremont Plank Road stock and vouchers,
    deeds:1846-1852
4. Land grants, railroad stocks
5. Fanny Pease miscellaneous memorabilia and family photographs