Frank R. Hill Travel Journal
Collection
Identifier: MSS-4124
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of the journal of various travels of Dr. F. R. Hill of Tacoma, Washington. The trips were taken during the 1920s but the journal itself was not compiled until sometime later. The journal has a wealth of information on many western national parks as well as interesting people Hill met on his travels. Places he visited include: Tuskegee, Alabama; Hot Springs, Arkansas; Big Horn Mineral Springs at Themoplis, Wyoming; Pike's Peak, Colorado; Teton Mountains; the Grand Canyon; and Yellowstone, Glacier, and Sequoia National Parks.
Dates
- circa 1930-1935
Creator
- Hill, Frank R., Dr. (Person)
Biographical / Historical
Frank R. Hill was born in Newport, Ohio, on June 24, 1856. He graduated from Pulte Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1884. He married Abby Williams in December 1888. The couple had one son, Romayne, and three adopted daughters, Ione, Ina, and Eulalie.
The family moved to Tacoma, Washington, in 1900, just as Washington Territory became the forty-second state. Abby was an artist and the rugged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest became some of her favorite subjects. She frequently headed into the wilderness to paint in remote places, usually accompanied by two or more of her children but typically without Frank.
In 1909, Frank suffered a mental breakdown from which he never completely recovered. Abby moved the family to Laguna Beach, California, then a remote, burgeoning artist colony. Frank became a patient at various hospitals and for years Abby cared for him, surrendering artistic time in order to help him recover. When he was released from the hospital in 1924, Abby bought an automobile. This allowed the family to winter in Tucson, Arizona, to travel to the Deep South, and to explore many locations in the West. In 1931, Frank's illness forced him to return to the hospital in southern California, so Abby settled in nearby San Diego to be available whenever he needed her.
After Frank's death in 1938, Abby became bedridden. She died in Laguna Beach in 1943, five years after her husband.
The family moved to Tacoma, Washington, in 1900, just as Washington Territory became the forty-second state. Abby was an artist and the rugged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest became some of her favorite subjects. She frequently headed into the wilderness to paint in remote places, usually accompanied by two or more of her children but typically without Frank.
In 1909, Frank suffered a mental breakdown from which he never completely recovered. Abby moved the family to Laguna Beach, California, then a remote, burgeoning artist colony. Frank became a patient at various hospitals and for years Abby cared for him, surrendering artistic time in order to help him recover. When he was released from the hospital in 1924, Abby bought an automobile. This allowed the family to winter in Tucson, Arizona, to travel to the Deep South, and to explore many locations in the West. In 1931, Frank's illness forced him to return to the hospital in southern California, so Abby settled in nearby San Diego to be available whenever he needed her.
After Frank's death in 1938, Abby became bedridden. She died in Laguna Beach in 1943, five years after her husband.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Overview
Travel journal of this Tacoma, Washington, doctor.
Provenance
purchased from Ben Katz, 2015
General
To provide faster access to our materials, this finding aid was published without formal and final review. Email us at archives@ua.edu if you find mistakes or have suggestions to make this finding aid more useful for your research.
Processed by
Martha Bace, 2015
Creator
- Hill, Frank R., Dr. (Person)
- Hill, Abby Williams (Person)
Source
- M. Benjamin Katz, Fine Books & Manuscripts (Bookseller, Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Frank R. Hill Travel Journal
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- July 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository