2025-4-9 Guide to the Rendville, Ohio Community Papers, 1856-1987, 2010s, bulk 1883-1980s SPEC.RARE.0339 Finding aid prepared by Audrey Wimbiscus Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2025 March This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2025-06-24T09:42-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Rendville, Ohio Community Papers SPEC.RARE.0339 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 6.43 Cubic feet Bulk, 1883-1989 1856-1987, 2010s, bulk 1883-1980s Rendville, Ohio is a village in Perry County, Ohio that was founded in 1879 by industrialist Colonel William P. Rend as a coal mining town; it was the first racially integrated village in the state of Ohio. The Rendville, Ohio Community Papers date from 1856-1987, 2010s, with the bulk of items dating from 1883-1980s, and consist of materials documenting daily life in Rendville, Ohio and its political and economic scenes, primarily collected by Joseph T. Williams. These materials consist of Rendville community correspondence, photographs, political election ephemera, Rendville clerical papers, and ephemera from Rendville community events, as well as a recorded interview of Williams's grand-nephew describing his great uncle and the contents of this collection. (9) 5" letter document boxes; (2) flat boxes; (2) oversize flat boxes; (1) 5" legal document box; (1) oversize document box; (1) oversize folder English Williams, Joseph T., 1888-1973 Arrangement of Materials

Materials are arranged in chronological order; materials with the same date are further arranged in alphabetical order by topical description of the contents.

 Acquisitions Information

Accession No. RARE.2025.0026: Janis Ivory, 2023 July

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Rendville, Ohio Community Papers, SPEC.RARE.0339, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains a USB flash drive.

 Access to Materials

Computer media may need a use copy produced before access is allowed. The remainder of this collection is available for patron research, but may be used only in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 March; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 March

 Historical Note

Rendville, Ohio is a village in Perry County, Ohio that was founded in 1879 by industrialist Colonel William P. Rend as a coal mining town. It is one of the many "little cities of the black diamonds" in the region, a nickname given to towns created as part of the coal mining speculation boom in the 1800s. Rendville has a history of involvement in the labor movement, as Rend was one of the few mine owners who advocated for miner's rights. It was the first racially integrated village in the state of Ohio, and in 1886 elected the first African American mayor in Ohio, Dr. Isaiah Tuppins; Tuppins was also was the first African American to earn a medical degree in Ohio. As of 2020, it is the smallest incorporated community in Ohio.

The Tyree and Williams families are a local Rendville family who are involved in the history of Rendville. Joseph T. Williams (1888-1973) served the town in many official and unofficial capacities, including as mayor, town clerk, town historian, and town scribe for illiterate community members. Other members of the family include Williams's father B. A. (Burwell A.) Tyree, his mother Christianna Tyree, and siblings Hiram Williams, Walter Sumner Williams, Laura Williams, and Doris (Dollie) Williams Steele. Evalynne Steele Blair is Doris's daughter, and Janis Ivory and Harry Ivory are Laura's grandchildren.

 Scope and Contents

The Rendville, Ohio Community Papers date from 1856-1987, 2010s, with the bulk of items dating from 1883-1980s, and consist of materials compiled to document historical daily life in Rendville, Ohio and its political and economic scenes. The collection contains materials from Rendville community members including correspondence, photographs, political ephemera from local, state, and national elections, photographs, advertisements, African American specific newspapers, songbooks, sheet music, labor movement pamphlets, and ephemera from Rendville community events. Materials were brought together by Joseph T. Williams, with additions from other Tyree/Williams family members. Also included in the collection is a recording of an interview of Williams's grand-nephew Harry Ivory, where he discusses "Uncle Joe" and some of the materials compiled in this community collection.

 Custodial History

The Rendville, Ohio Community Papers were initially donated to the Ohio State University Center for Folklore Studies, where they were arranged and described by Jasper Waugh-Quasebarth under the collection title the Joseph T. Williams Collection. Following discussions between the Center for Folklore Studies, Ohio State University Libraries colleagues from the Research and Education division and the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, and Rendville community members, it was agreed to transfer the community-sourced archive to the Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Library in 2023.

 General Note

This collection contains paper materials that are very fragile and worn due to age, take care when handling. Materials also smell faintly of cigarette smoke.

 Williams (Family : Rendville, Ohio) Williams, Joseph T., 1888-1973 Advertisements African American families--Ohio--Rendville--19th century African American families--Ohio--Rendville--20th century African American fraternal organizations--Ohio African Americans--Social networks--19th century African Americans--Social networks--20th century Black-and-white photographs Communities--Ohio--Rendville--19th century Communities--Ohio--Rendville--20th century Correspondence Financial records Municipal officials and employees--Ohio--Rendville Music books Newspapers Oral histories (literary works) Perry County (Ohio)--History, Local Political fliers Postcards Rendville (Ohio)--Politics and government Rendville (Ohio)--Social life and customs--19th century Rendville (Ohio)--Social life and customs--20th century Sheet music "100 Recreations for Piano" 1 1 1856 "Zundel's New School for Reed Organ" 1 2 1875 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 2 1 1883-1899 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 3 1 1883-1913 Tyree (B. A.) property contracts 2 2 1883-1926 Tyree (B. A.) household receipts 3 2 1884-1927 Williams family sent and received postcards 3 3 1885-1961 Tyree (B. A.) professional and social organizations bylaws, receipts 3 4 1887-1910 Tyree (B. A.) professional organization bylaws, dues receipts 3 5 1887-1921 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 3 8 1888-1936 Rendville community events fliers and programs 3 6 1889, 1917-1942 Williams family collected advertisements 3 7 1889-1951 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 3 9 1889-1914 Tyree (B. A.) invoices received 2 3 1889-1919 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received from family 3 10 1889-1925 Envelope addressed to the village clerk of Rendville 1 3 1890s "Favorite Heart Songs" sheet music 3 11 1890s Gilmore (sic) (Reverand William) portrait photograph 1 4 1890s Unidentified female Rendville resident photograph 4 1 1890s Rendville community photograph album 5 1890s-1930s Williams family postcards 3 12 1890s-1950s "Ninth Annual Report of the Woman's Home Missionary Society" 3 13 1890 Tyree (B. A.) business ledger 2 4-5 1890-1891 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence and agreement with J. S. Sessoms 3 14 1890-1908 Tyree (B. A.) business invoices received 3 15 1890-1911 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 3 16 1890-1929 Tyree (B. A.) business receipts 3 17 1890-1949 "Touch and Technic for Artistic Piano Playing" 1 5 1891 Tyree (B. A.) paystubs 3 18 1891-1910 Tyree (B. A.) business correspondence 6 1 1891-1924 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 6 2 1891-1928 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 6 3 1893-1919 "Niccolo Vaccai Practical Italian Vocal Method" 1 6 1894 "Organ Score Anthem Book" 1 7 1894 Tyree (B. A.) financial ledgers 6 4-5 1894-1900 "Minutes of the 21st Annual Session of the Sunday School Institute" 6 6 1894 July 10-13 Tyree (B. A.) professional organization correspondence, dues receipts 6 7 1895-1911 Tyree (B. A.) business and rent correspondence received 6 8 1895-1916 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received from family 6 9 1895-1926 Tyree (B. A.) business correspondence and invoices 6 10 1895-1928 Tyree (Christianna) correspondence received 6 11 1895-1941 Rendville community correspondence 6 12 1895-1942 Williams family Sunday Creek Coal monthly calendars 6 13 1896-1897 Williams (Joseph T.) clerical typing practice, commercial correspondence received 6 14 1897-1927 Tyree (B. A.) professional organization correspondence, dues receipts 6 15 1899-1921 Tyree (Christianna) correspondence received and sent from family 6 16 1899-1923 "Handel's Messiah - Novello's Edition" sheet music 6 17 1900s "First Steps in Piano-forte Study" 1 8 1900 Tyree (B. A.) tax receipts 6 18 1900-1926 Tyree (B. A.) Knights of Pythias session proceedings, financial ledger 6 19 1901-1905 Rendville community correspondence 6 20 1901-1913 Rednville community correspondence 6 21 1901-1920 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received from family 6 22 1901-1921 Tyree (Christianna) correspondence received from family 6 23 1901-1921 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 6 24 1901-1933, 1962 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received from family 7 1 1901-1935 Sheet music 1 9 1902, 1915-1935 Williams (Joseph T.) clerical typing practice on commercial correspondence 2 6 1902-1971 "The Informer" volume I, number 4 4 2 1902 August Williams family postcards 7 2 1903-1943 Williams (Joseph T.) clerical ledgers 7 3 1904-1911 Tyree (Christianna) correspondence received 7 4 1904-1944 "The Reformer" newspaper 15 1 1905-1906 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 7 5 1905-1926 Williams (Laura) correspondence sent and received 7 6 1906-1907, 1919 Williams family sent and received postcards 7 7 1906-1910 Williams (Laura) correspondence sent 7 8 1906-1918, 1958 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 7 9 1906-1925 Rendville community correspondence 7 10 1906-1933 Williams family postcards 7 11 1906-1948 Local, Ohio, and national political mass mailings 7 12 1906-1951 Tyree (B. A.) legal papers 7 13 1907-1934 Williams family greeting cards received 7 14 1908-1918 Tyree (B. A.) correspondence received 7 15 1908-1927 Rendville community correspondence 7 16 1908-1943 "Standard Compositions for the Piano: Fourth Grade" 1 10 1908 Williams family sent and received postcards 7 17 1909-1910 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 7 18 1909-1919 Tyree (Christianna) correspondence to family 7 19 1909-1921 Steele (Doris Williams) correspondence to family 7 20 1909-1925 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence sent 7 21 1909-1948 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 7 22 1909-1970 "Trifet's Budget Music: The Violin" 1 11 1910s Williams (Joseph T.) shorthand notes 8 1 1910s-1920s, 1960 Ohio and national political fliers 8 2 1910s-1938 Williams family postcards 8 3 1910s-1950s Advertisements, business cards 8 4 1910s-1960s Williams family postcards 8 5 1910s-1987 "Standard Graded Course of Studies for the Piano Forte" 1 12 1910 Sheet music from newspapers 2 7 1910, 1911, 1923 Williams family sent and received postcards 8 6 1910-1921 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence sent to family 8 7 1910-1934 Rendville community correspondence 8 8 1910-1941 Rendville community correspondence 8 9 1910-1943 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 8 10 1910-1943 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence sent to family 8 11 1910-1943 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence sent 8 12 1910-1949 Perry County, Ohio candidate cards 8 13 1910-1962 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 8 14 1910-1962 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence sent to family 8 15 1912-1915 Williams family sent and received postcards 8 16 1912-1916 Williams (Walter Sumner) correspondence sent to family 8 17 1912-1921, 1941 Ohio state political candidate pamphlets 8 18 1912-1941 Steele (Doris Williams) correspondence sent to family 8 19 1912-1943 Perry County, Ohio political candidate cards 8 20 1912-1960 Rendville community correspondence 8 21 1913-1920 Steele (Doris Williams) correspondence sent to family 9 1 1913-1922, 1958 Rendville community correspondence 9 2 1913-1943 Wilberforce University commencement address by Charles Spencer Smith 9 3 1913 June 13 "Journal of Proceedings of the Eighty-third Session of the Ohio Annual Conference of the African M. E. Church" 9 4 1913 September 24-28 Rendville community correspondence 9 5 1914-1929 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received on Rendville residents' records 9 6 1914-1931, 1969 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received from the Ohio State Library 9 7 1915-1923 Rendville newspaper clippings 9 8 1915-1940 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 9 9 1915-1942 Rendville commencement programs 9 10 1915-1949 Williams (Joseph T.) clerical correspondence received 9 11 1915-1963 Williams family sent and received postcards 9 12 1916-1926 Williams (Hiram S.) correspondence to Christianna Tyree, military records 9 13 1916-1927 Williams (Joseph T.) political correspondence received 9 14 1916-1942 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received on Rendville residents' records 9 15 1916-1947 Williams (Joseph T.) clerical papers 9 16 1916-1951 Williams (Joseph T.) membership cards 9 17 1917-1961 Steele (Doris Williams) correspondence sent 9 18 1918 Williams (Joseph T.) shorthand diary 9 19 1918 Steele (Doris Williams) correspondence to family 9 20 1918-1943 "The Cleveland News" newspaper 15 2 1919, 1924 Steele (Doris Williams) correspondence sent to Christianna Tyree 9 21 1919-1925 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 9 22 1919-1938 "Cleveland Advocate" newspaper 15 3 1919 April-November "The Chicago Decider" newspaper 15 4 1919 May 10 "The Messenger" magazine 2 8 1919 October, 1920 September "Cleveland Daily Colored American" volume I, number 22 15 5 1919 November 5 "Aida by Verdi" sheet music 9 23 1920s Mason (Willard) for auditor campaign poster 1 13 1920s "Map of Columbus, Ohio;" Ohio Highway Guide 9 24 1920s "Por la Tercera Internacional" pamphlet 9 25 1920s Song book missing title page 10 1 1920s Rendville pro-levy fliers 2 9 1920s-1930s Perry County, Ohio, and national sample ballots 10 2 1920s-1930s "Annual of the Ohio Baptist Associations" 10 3 1920 Williams family greeting cards received 10 4 1920-1929 Williams family sent and received postcards 10 5 1920-1954 "Cleveland Advocate" newspaper 15 6 1920 January-August "The Half-Century Magazine" 1 14 1920 June "The Times Plain Dealer" volume I, number 42 15 7 1920 June 12 "The Freeman: Illustrated Colored Newspaper" 15 8 1920 July 3 "The Guardian" newspaper 15 9 1920 July 10 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence from Frederick D. McCoy 10 6 1921-1922 Blair (Evalynne Steele) correspondence to family 10 7 1921-1943 Williams (Joseph T.) clerical newspaper clippings 10 8 1921-1943 Ohio, national political ephemera 2 10 1922-1960 Tyree (B. A.) Electropode shoe inserts 10 9-10 1923 Tyree (Christianna) correspondence received 10 11 1923-1947 Williams (Joseph T.) shorthand notes 10 12 1924-1931 "The Dayton Guide" volume I, number 42 15 10 1924 August 2 Rendville community correspondence 10 13 1925-1958 "Negro Press" clippings 2 11 1926-1941 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received 10 14 1926-1947 Ohio Highway Guide: Facts for Motorists 10 15 1927 Advertising pamphlets 10 16 1927-1939 Williams family sent and received postcards 10 17 1927-1941 Williams (Walter Sumner) correspondence to family 12 18 1927-1942 Rendville poll book and tally sheet 4 3 1927 November 8 Hoover (Herbert) campaign fliers 10 19 1928 Rendville poll book and tally sheet 4 4 1928 November 6 "Statutes of the United States of America Passed at the First Session of the Seventy-First Congress" 11 1 1929 Williams (Joseph T.) judicial clerical papers 2 12 1929-1960 Lincoln Motor Company catalog 1 15 1930s The Pre-Publication Society encyclopedia advertisement 1 16 1930s Williams (Laura) and family portrait photograph 1 17 1930s Williams (Laura) with boy and girl photograph 1 18 1930s Ohio political candidate fliers, pamphlets 11 2 1930s-1961 Williams family greeting cards received 11 3 1930-1939 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received from family 11 4 1931-1950 World's Fair Official Guidebook 11 5 1934 "Chicago Daily Tribune" newspaper 15 11 1934 February 12 Blair (Evalynne Steele) correspondence to family 11 6 1936-1961 Rendville community photograph album 14 1940s-1950s Williams family greeting cards received 11 7-8 12 1 1940-1948 Williams family greeting cards received 12 2-3 1941-1948 Williams (Joseph T.) correspondence received from Rendville soldiers 12 4 1942-1958 Williams family greeting cards received 12 5 1944-1971 Steele (Doris Williams) correspondence sent to family 12 6 1945-1947 Bailey (Bernard "Beans") correspondence from Denise Carrette 12 7 1946 Williams family greeting cards received 12 8-9 1950-1959 Gail E. Wallace Funeral Home advertisement calendar 1 1950 June "The Republican Party and the Negro" pamphlet 12 10 1952 "Song Session Community Song Book" 12 11 1953 "Courier" newspaper 4 5 1953 November 21 Money receipt book 13 1 1957 Williams family postcards 13 2 1960s-1980s "The Columbus Dispatch" newspaper 4 6 1960 April 20 Williams family greeting cards received 13 3 1962-1967 "National Geographic volume 124, number 6" 13 4 1963 December "National Geographic volume 125, number 2" 13 5 1964 February "Call and Post: Columbus Edition" 15 12 1965 April-May Tucker (Anna) financial paperwork 13 6-7 1980-1983 "The Town Least Likely" article from "Ohio" magazine 13 8 1986 July Ivory (Harry) interview recording on Joseph T. Williams 13 1 2010s Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements USB flash drive Scope and Contents

Contains an interview recording of Harry Ivory (grand-nephew to Joseph T. Williams, grandson of Laura Williams) describing his "Uncle Joe" and the contents of this collection.