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Size | 10.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5000 items) |
Abstract | Otho B. Ross was a 1905 graduate of the University of North Carolina; a physician in Charlotte, N.C.; and a lifelong student of philosophy, especially that of Professor Horace Williams. His daughter, Jane Ross Hammer, received an M.A. in philosophy from the University of North Carolina in 1937. Papers documenting the lives of Otho B. Ross, his wife Lucy Harris Ross, and her parents, Eugene and Lena Foust Harris. The Charlotte Philosophy Discussion Group and The Horace Williams Philosophical Society, both founded and sustained by Otho Ross are particularly stongly documented. There also is a collection of material relating to Williams himself, including letters from him, lectures by him, and a 1927 travel diary he kept. Ross's strong ties to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his wife Lucy's long affiliation with her alma mater, Queens College in Charlotte, N.C., are also well documented. Lucy and Otho's courting days and early relationship are documented by substantial correspondence, as are the courtship and marriage of Lucy's parents, Eugene and Lena Foust Harris. Also notable are pocket diaries, with sketches, that Eugene Harris kept as an art student in New York in early 1882, and a book of sketches by Harris including scenes from the University of North Carolina campus, perhaps from the 1890s. Otho Ross's medical career and Lucy Harris Ross's experiences as a music teacher are less well documented. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Lee Dirks and Tim West, March 1990; Jaime Margalotti, April 2004
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Dawne Howard Lucas, January 2022
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Otho Bescent Ross (1884-1982), son of Sarah Rumple and John D. Ross, was a 1905 graduate of the University of North Carolina and a practicing physician in Charlotte until his death at age ninety-eight.
After receiving a master's degree in philosophy from the University of North Carolina in 1906, Ross earned an M.D. degree at the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania and then completed his residency in New York City. He considered becoming a medical missionary in Asia, but decided instead to return to North Carolina and open his practice in Charlotte. On 29 August 1912, Ross married Lucy Harris.
In 1912, Otho B. Ross founded the Charlotte Philosophy Discussion Group, and in 1944 he helped found the Horace Williams Philosophical Society. This latter group, established by former students of Williams, a revered University of North Carolina professor, met annually in Chapel Hill from 1944 through the 1950s, then occasionally until the late 1970s, and assisted in the publication of two books of Williams's philosophical writings.
Lucy Harris Ross (1889-1972), wife of Otho Ross, was the daughter of Eugene Lewis Harris and Laura Valena Foust Harris. Eugene Harris was an 1881 graduate of the University of North Carolina and an artist. Besides serving as general secretary for the YMCA in North Carolina, Harris became registrar of the University of North Carolina in 1894 and remained in that position until his death in 1901. He designed the Old Well, which was constructed under President Edwin A. Alderman, on the University of North Carolina campus.
Lucy Harris was a 1907 graduate of Presbyterian College for Women (later Queen's College) in Charlotte, N.C. After graduation she taught music, for a time at Lees-McRae Institute of Plumtree, N.C. She first met Otho B. Ross in 1906. They were engaged in 1910 and were married in 1912, after Ross finished his medical training. Lucy Harris Ross was active in the Presbyterian Woman's Synod of North Carolina and with her alma mater. Lucy and Otho Ross had three children: Jane Amelia, who studied and taught philosophy, and Laura Eugenia, and Otho, Jr., both of whom earned medical degrees, at the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University respectively.
Jane Ross Hammer was born in Charlotte, N.C., on 9 April 1916. The daughter of Dr. Otho Ross and Lucy Harris Ross, she shared her father's interest in the teachings of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor, Horace Williams. Studying philosophy and political science, Hammer earned an A.B. from the University of North Carolina in 1936 and an M.A. in 1937. After serving as a Kenan Fellow in 1937-1938, she took further graduate coursework at Radcliffe College, while also studying violin at the New England Conservatory. During 1937, she married Phillip Gibbon Hammer, an economist, and eventually had three sons, Phillip Hammer, Jr., Dr. Thomas Ross Hammer, and Michael Levering Hammer.
Philosophy has continued to be one of Hammer's primary interests. From 1946 to 1958, she taught at Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga. During this time, she edited Logic for Living, containing the lectures of Horace Williams. Hammer's broad interest in human rights has led her to advocate racial equality, voting rights, school desegregation, and environmental programs. Throughout her career she has won numerous awards and honors from sources such as the Friends of the United Nations Environmental Programme (FUNEP), Good Housekeeping, the World Who's Who of Women , and the American Biographical Institute. In 1989, she published a book about Richard Cromwell, but has also remained committed to educating people about the work of her mentor, Horace Williams. She has served as the treasurer of the Horace Williams Philosophical Society and helped to publish Williams's Origin of Belief in 1978.
Back to TopThese papers document aspects of the lives of Otho B. Ross, his wife Lucy Harris Ross, her parents Eugene and Lena Foust Harris, and the Rosses' daughter, Jane Ross Hammer. The Charlotte Philosophy Discussion Group and The Horace Williams Philosophical Society, both founded and sustained by Otho Ross are particularly strongly documented. There also is a collection of material relating to Williams himself, including letters from him, lectures by him, and a 1927 travel diary he kept. Ross's strong ties to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his wife Lucy's long affiliation with her alma mater, Queen's College in Charlotte, are also well represented in the collection.
Lucy and Otho Ross's courting days and early relationship are documented by substantial correspondence, and there also is significant correspondence between Lucy's parents, Eugene and Lena Foust Harris, during their courtship and marriage. Also notable are pocket diaries, with sketches, that Eugene Harris kept as an art student in New York in early 1882, and a book of sketches by Harris including scenes from the University of North Carolina campus, perhaps from the 1890s. Otho Ross's medical career and Lucy Harris Ross's experiences as a music teacher are less well documented.
This material was collected by Otho B. Ross and his daughter, Jane Ross Hammer.
Back to TopSee also Additions after March 1990.
Materials collected by Otho B. Ross and Jane Ross Hammer that relate to Henry Horace Williams (1858-1940), professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina. Ross, a student of Williams just after the turn of the century, was a founding member and first secretary of the Horace Williams Philosophical Society, and Ms. Hammer, also a student of Williams, became the Society's treasurer in 1977. These materials cover a broad variety of topics, and in addition to records of the Society, include letters from Williams, book manuscripts, a travel diary of Williams, and a copy of Williams's will.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Arrangement: chronological.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Correspondence, memos, speeches, booklets, drafts, and business records of the Horace Williams Philosophical Society from the files of O. B. Ross, secretary. The Horace Williams Philosophical Society was formed in 1944 by some of Williams's former students to help keep their former professor's ideas and charismatic spirit alive. The Society met regularly during the 1940s and 1950s, but only very sporadically in the '60s and '70s, with official records ending in 1983.
These records center around the annual meeting held in Chapel Hill, the publication by members of several books and articles about Williams, and fund raising. Also included is routine friendly correspondence between Society members. Individuals represented in these materials include Paul Green, Sam Ervin, Judge John J. Parker, Frank Porter Graham, Charles Tillett, Albert Coates, Otho Ross, and Jane Ross Hammer.
Folder 1 |
1941 |
Folder 2 |
1942 |
Folder 3 |
1943 |
Folder 4 |
1944 |
Folder 5 |
1945 |
Folder 6 |
1946 |
Folder 7 |
1947 (See also Subseries 5.2) |
Folder 8 |
1948 |
Folder 9 |
1949 |
Folder 10 |
1950 |
Folder 11 |
1951 |
Folder 12 |
1952 |
Folder 13 |
1953 |
Folder 14 |
1954 |
Folder 15 |
1955-1957 |
Folder 16 |
1958 |
Folder 17 |
1959 |
Folder 18 |
1960-1967 |
Folder 19 |
1968 |
Folder 20 |
1969 |
Folder 21 |
1970 |
Folder 22 |
1971 |
Folder 23 |
1972 |
Folder 24 |
1973 |
Folder 25 |
1974 |
Folder 26 |
1975 |
Folder 27 |
1976 |
Folder 28 |
1977 |
Folder 29 |
1978 |
Folder 30 |
1979 |
Folder 31 |
Undated |
Arrangement: by book, then by type.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Williams's original manuscript and a further draft of Logic for Living, a draft of Origin of Belief, book reviews, correspondence with publishers, and personal letters relating to the books. Both books were published with the assistance of the Horace Williams Philosophical Society, Logic for Living (published 1951), edited by Jane Ross Hammer, and Origin of Belief (1978), edited by William Beidler.
Folder 32 |
Logic for Living Original ms.--"Evolution of Logic" |
Folder 33 |
Logic for Living Edited draft |
Folder 34 |
Logic for Living Other materials |
Folder 35 |
Origin of Belief Draft |
Folder 36 |
Origin of Belief"Preface" drafts |
Folder 37 |
Origin of Belief Publisher's letters |
Folder 38 |
Origin of Belief Press search correspondence |
Folder 39 |
Origin of Belief 1969-1975 |
Folder 40 |
Origin of Belief 1976-1977 |
Folder 41 |
Origin of Belief 1978 |
Folder 42 |
Origin of Belief 1979-1982 |
See also Additions after March 1990.
Materials produced by, or directly pertaining to, Horace Williams. Included are letters (most are to Daniel Lindsay Grant) and writings by Williams, a travel diary, Williams's will, class lectures, and students' notes from his classes, materials relating to a portrait of Williams, a copy of the issue of Reader's Digest containing Otho Ross's 1968 article about Williams, "Horace Williams: Individualist, Teacher, Philosopher" (a booklet about Williams with materials organized and bound by Otho Ross), and various items relating to Robert Watson Winston's Horace Williams: Gadfly of Chapel Hill (1942).
Arrangement: chronological.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Files of Jane Ross Hammer maintained in her capacity as treasurer of the Horace Williams Philosophical Society. These files consist chiefly of correspondence about the publication of Origin of Belief , creation of the Horace Williams Memorial Fund, Ms. Hammer's attempts to gain recognition for her father at the University of North Carolina, and letters relating to the Horace Williams Philosophical Society Memorial Plaque in the Davis Library at UNC-Chapel Hill. Various drafts of a history of the Society are also included.
Folder 64 |
1977 |
Folder 65 |
January-July 1978 |
Folder 66 |
August-December 1978 |
Folder 67 |
1979 |
Folder 68 |
1980-1982 |
Folder 69 |
1983-1987 |
Folder 70 |
Letters to University of North Carolina officials and faculty members about Otho B. Ross and his promotion of the work of Horace Williams, 1982 |
Folder 71 |
Letters, 1987, About HWPS Memorial |
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4377/4 |
Cover for Origin of Belief for display |
See also Additions after March 1990.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by file title.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Correspondence, notebooks, various writings, and other materials produced or collected by Otho B. Ross. Ranging from his early college years to a few years beyond his death, these papers represent the diverse interests of Dr. Ross. Materials in these files include notes and essays by Ross about his personal philosophy, memoirs and other personal writings, and some school related materials from UNC. Some of these files were established during processing.
Folder 72-75
Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75 |
Charlotte Philosophy Discussion Group |
Folder 76 |
Graham, Frank Porter |
Folder 77 |
Medicine, Ross's philosophy of |
Folder 78 |
Memoirs and personal notes |
Folder 79 |
Miller, Dr. T. Grier |
Folder 80 |
Miscellaneous/Other |
Folder 81 |
Philosophy, Ross's ideas about |
Folder 82 |
Recommendation and reference, letters of |
Folder 83-84
Folder 83Folder 84 |
School related items (chiefly UNC) |
Folder 85 |
School related items (other) |
Folder 86 |
Travel notes (chiefly from Mexico and Europe; includes report of meeting with George Santayana in 1948) |
Folder 87 |
World War II ration items |
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence between Otho B. Ross and Lucy Harris before and after their marriage on 29 August 1912. Most of the letters are from the period of their courtship, when Otho lived in Philadelphia and New York while Lucy remained in North Carolina. Much of this correspondence consists of love-letters. Other letters discuss Otho's medical studies and internships or Lucy's teaching positions and travels (before and after their marriage).
Also included are letters to Otho Ross from his mother, Sarah Jane Rumple Ross. These letters report family news and include occasional advice on Otho's life decisions.
Later correspondence includes letters from the Ross's three children (Jane Ross Hammer, Laura Ross Venning, Otho B. Ross, Jr.) from their childhood and college years, and into adulthood. Some letters from close family friends are also included.
Folder 88 |
1900-1907 |
Folder 89-92
Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92 |
1908 |
Folder 93-95
Folder 93Folder 94Folder 95 |
1909 |
Folder 96-102
Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102 |
1910 |
Folder 103-105
Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105 |
1911 |
Folder 106-108
Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108 |
1912 |
Folder 109 |
1913 |
Folder 110 |
1914 |
Folder 111-112
Folder 111Folder 112 |
1915 |
Folder 113 |
1916-1924 |
Folder 114 |
1925 |
Folder 115 |
1926-1932 |
Folder 116 |
1933-1987 and undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly personal and professional correspondence of Otho B. Ross with friends, patients, and professional associates. Included is correspondence before 1910 with officials of the Presbyterian Executive Committee of Foreign Missions about the possibility of Ross becoming a medical missionary.
This correspondence chiefly consists of personal letters from friends and communication about medical equipment, expenses, and particular cases that Ross handled.
Folder 117 |
1905-1907 |
Folder 118 |
1908 |
Folder 119 |
1909 |
Folder 120 |
1910 |
Folder 121 |
1911 |
Folder 122 |
1912 |
Folder 123 |
1913-1914 |
Folder 124 |
1915-1916 |
Folder 125 |
1917 |
Folder 126 |
1918-1925 |
Folder 127 |
1928-1979 |
Folder 128 |
Undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Arrangement: alphabetical by file title.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Files of materials of Lucy Harris Ross containing materials collected by Ross on her cousin, Cosette Foust-Newton; papers on various topics submitted to the Fortnightly Book Club; items about Queen's College (Charlotte, N.C.), of which Lucy Harris Ross was a 1907 graduate; and materials relating to Lucy Ross's affiliation with the Woman's Auxiliary Synod of North Carolina (Presbyterian Church in the United States).
Folder 131 |
Foust-Newton, Cosette, b. 1889 |
Folder 132-133
Folder 132Folder 133 |
Fortnightly Book Club (Charlotte, N.C.) |
Folder 134 |
Queen's College (Charlotte, N.C.) |
Folder 135 |
Women's Auxiliary Synod of North Carolina (Presbyterian Church in the United States) |
Arrangement: by file type.
See also Additions after March 1990.
Scattered correspondence, valentines, and miscellaneous other items. The correspondence is with relatives and friends. It includes letters from Lucy to her sister Eugenia Harris; letters to Lucy from her father, Eugene L. Harris; letters to Lucy from her mother, Laura Valena Foust Harris; and a letter to Lucy from her "Uncle Henry" concerning her upcoming marriage in 1912. These letters chiefly concern routine family affairs and daily activities.
Non-correspondence includes biographical notes about Lucy Harris Ross, miscellaneous family financial information, and newspaper clippings relating to family members and other interests of Lucy Harris Ross.
Folder 136 |
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1898-1947 |
Folder 137 |
Miscellaneous correspondence, undated |
Folder 138 |
Recommendations |
Folder 139 |
Valentines |
Folder 140-141
Folder 140Folder 141 |
Miscellaneous Other Items |
See also Additions after March 1990.
Correspondence, diaries, addresses and essays, clippings, and genealogical information of the Eugene and Lena Harris family. Eugene Lewis Harris (1856-1901) was an 1881 graduate of the University of North Carolina, and became University Registrar in 1894, remaining in that capacity until his death, apparently from tuberculosis. He married Lena (Laura Valena) Foust on 26 July 1882, and they had two children, Eugenia and Lucy. Eugene Harris was an artist, and studied at the Cooper Union in New York City immediately preceding his marriage. He designed the renovated version of the Old Well at the University of North Carolilna, built in 1896.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters between Eugene and Lena Harris dating from 1881 (the year before their marriage) until the time of his death in November 1901. Eugene and Lena were frequently apart due to his study at the Cooper Union in New York City and work-related travels in his position as general secretary for the YMCA in North Carolina and in his brief service with the North Carolina Geological Survey. The majority of the letters are from Eugene to Lena and typically describe his job responsibilities and travel observations. Early correspondence, however, consists of love letters.
There are also a number of letters between the Harrises and their two young daughters, Eugenia and Lucy. Most early letters are between the girls and their father during his travels. (See also P-4377/26.) There are also letters from Lucy to her mother after 1901 relating to her experiences at the Presbyterian College for Women (later Queens College) in Charlotte, and travels to various locations. One letter of note details Lucy's first meeting with her future husband, Otho B. Ross, during a YMCA trip to Tennessee in 1906.
Also included are letters (late 1901 and early 1902) from many different persons writing to express condolences to Lena and discuss business after Eugene's death on 11 November 1901.
Folder 142 |
1881 |
Folder 143 |
1882 |
Folder 144 |
1883-1885 |
Folder 145 |
1887 |
Folder 146 |
1891 |
Folder 147 |
1892-1893 |
Folder 148 |
1896-1898 |
Folder 149 |
1901-1902 |
Folder 150 |
1906-1910 |
Folder 151 |
Undated |
See also Additions after March 1990.
Addresses and essays, poetry (drafts and clippings), family genealogical records, a heavily annotated Bible, and various other materials chiefly collected or created by Eugene Harris. Of interest are school-related materials such as an essay entitled "Art in North Carolina," and Harris's certificate/diploma on having completed a "Thorough and Scientific Course" in "The Science of Penmanship," Chapel Hill, March 1881.
The Bible is inscribed "W. W. Holden. Presented by Sunday School Class, December 25, 1883," and "Loaned E. L. Harris Raleigh, N.C. [June?] 20 '87". (According to Horace W. Raper ( William W. Holden, UNC Press, 1985), Holden attended First Baptist Church, Raleigh, from the early 1870s to 1887.) This Bible is heavily annotated, and tattered and torn from much use. An attendance register for "Bible Training Class" and other items are tipped in.
Folder 155 |
Addresses and Essays by Eugene Harris |
Folder 156 |
Miscellaneous Poetry |
Folder 157 |
Other Materials Relating to Eugene Harris |
Folder 158 |
Miscellaneous Items |
Folder 159 |
Family Genealogical Notes and Clippings |
Folder 160 |
Bible |
See also Additions after March 1990.
Chiefly photographs of members of the Harris and Ross families. Some artwork by Eugene L. Harris is also included. The audio materials are recordings of the third annual Horace Williams Philosophical Society Meeting (1947), chaired by Otho Ross.
See also Additions after March 1990.
A variety of pictures relating to the Harris and Ross families, including portraits, snapshots, postcards, and drawings deriving from travel and various other aspects of their lives. There are also six photographs of Horace Williams. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are black-and-white prints.
Recordings ("Flexograph" disks) made at the third annual meeting of the Horace Williams Philosophical Society, held in June 1947 in Chapel Hill. Among the participants heard on these recordings are Charles Tillett, Nathan Mobley, Phillips Russell, and John Umstead.
An apparently complete transcript of the meeting is available in Subseries 1.1.1, folder 7.
Audiodisc D-4377/1-4
D-4377/1D-4377/2D-4377/3D-4377/4 |
Audio recordings, 1947 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Materials relating to the Horace Williams Philosophical Society, including correspondence between members, lecture reprints, narratives about the Society, and minutes of meetings.
Folder 161 |
Horace Williams Philosophical Society, 1944-1991 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Material relating to the books, Logic for Living and Origin of Belief, published with the help of the Horace Williams Philosophical Society. Items include correspondence, publicity, reviews, and other clippings.
Folder 162 |
Logic for Living, 1946-1953 |
Folder 163 |
Logic for Living, clippings, 1950-1952 |
Folder 164 |
Origin of Belief, 1970-1997 |
Folder 165 |
Logic for Living and Origin of Belief, library holdings, 1980 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Additional items discussing the life and work of Horace Williams, including his manuscript on "A Historical Development of Religion," transcribed notes of his class lectures, items from the Charlotte-based Horace Williams Philosophy Discussion Group, his house, and articles or tributes to him.
Arrangement: chronological.
Items relating to Jane Ross Hammer concerning her education, career, writings, and association with the Horace Williams Philosophical Society. Included are lecture notes, a draft of her thesis, correspondence, articles/speeches, research materials, and financial papers from the Society. The lecture notes were initially bound together; it is not entirely clear if all of the lecture notes were taken by her or if some were older notes that she added to her collection.
Arrangement: chronological.
Some chiefly narrative information about Otho Bescent Ross, discussing his life, Horace Williams, and his meeting with George Santayana.
Folder 206 |
Biographical Material, 1948, 1982 |
Folder 207 |
Memoirs, 1971 |
Folder 208 |
Travel Notes, 1948 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Paper written by Lucy Harris Ross for her Book Club.
Folder 209 |
Treatise on the University of North Carolina, 1942 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Book likely belonging to Lucy Harris Ross.
Folder 210 |
Betts, A. D., Experience of a Confederate Chaplain, 1861-1865 , undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Information about the family's connection to the Old Well at the University of North Carolina and a clipping about the death of E. P. Ross.
Folder 211 |
Family Genealogical Notes and Clippings, 1938 |
Folder 212 |
The Old Well (University of North Carolina), 1977 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Images of Horace Williams, relatives Thomas Coke Hunter and Lucy Harris, and a set of images for Jane Ross Hammer's work on Richard Cromwell.
Image Folder PF-4377/7 |
Horace Williams portraits, circa 1940 |
Image Folder PF-4377/8 |
Thomas Coke Hunter, circa 1835-1840 |
Image Folder PF-4377/9 |
Lucy Harris, 1904 |
Image Folder PF-4377/10 |
Images for Richard Cromwell work (including pictures of Jane Ross Hammer), circa 1980-1990s |
Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4377/1 |
Oversize certificates |