NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG1663.AM: Elizabeth Caroline (Weaver) Gerrard, 1852-1924
Papers: 1879-1892, 1913
Columbus, Platte County, Neb.: Civic leader, Platte County pioneer
Size: 0.5 cu.ft.; 1 box
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Betty Gerrard was born in Columbus, Ohio, on April 5, 1852. She was the daughter of Michael and Dorothea (Heckman) Weaver. In 1857 her parents migrated to Nebraska and became one of the pioneer families of Columbus and Platte County. On May 31, 1870, Betty married Leander Gerrard, pioneer attorney, banker, and capitalist, and one of the Republican Party leaders in the state. He was president of the Columbus State Bank and was a representative in the Nebraska Legislature in 1871. Leander had been born in England in 1837 and died at Columbus, Nebraska, in 1913.
The Gerrard’s had four children: Clarence L. (1871-1928) was born in Lincoln and followed in his father’s place at the Columbus bank; Ernest A. resided in London, England; Phoebe married James A. Barkley and lived in Lincoln for a time; and Grace who was the first wife of Roscoe Pound, died in Massachusetts in 1928.
Mrs. Gerrard was a charter member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and at different times served as president and treasurer of the Columbus branch. She also was a founder and president of the Woman’s Club of Columbus, a branch of the Nebraska Federation of Women’s Clubs. After her husband’s death, Betty donated the site on which the Columbus public library stands to the city in 1914 as a memorial to her husband. She died at Columbus in February of 1924. (See also History of Platte County, Nebraska by Margaret Curry; Murry & Gee, Culver City, California, 1950.)
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of the papers of the Gerrard family arranged in two series: 1) Correspondence, 1879-1892 and 1913; and 2) Estate of Leander Gerrard, 1913.
The bulk of the collection, Series 1, consists of correspondence from 1879 to 1885. The letters are written to Mr. and Mrs. Gerrard from family members including: Sarah Robley, sister of Leander, and members of the Robley family; Addie E. Strother, sister to Betty; Lucinda B. Weaver of Columbus, Ohio, sister to Betty; Mary Weaver of Denver, sister to Betty; and several nieces and cousins.
Series 2 contains a transcript of case filings in Platte County court concerning the estate of Leander Gerrard, 1913.
Note: This collection has been deacidified. Patrons are required to use the white gloves supplied to reference this collection.
DESCRIPTION
Series 1 – Correspondence, 1879-1892, 1913
Box 1
Folder
-
- 1879-1882
Sarah Robley & J.W. Robley
Addie E. Strother, 1881
- 1879-1882
-
- 1884-1885
Sarah Robley
- 1884-1885
-
- 1887
Lucinda B. Weaver, Columbus, OH
Jennie Osler – cousin
Mary Weaver, Denver, CO
- 1887
-
- 1891-1892
Mary Adeline Horn – Iowa (niece)
Edith Bonesteel & members of Bonesteel family, Denver, CO
- 1891-1892
-
- 1913
Letter from attorney regarding property of Leander Gerrard in Columbus, Nebraska
- 1913
-
- Undated
Sarah Robley & Addie Strother
- Undated
Series 2 – Estate of Leander Gerrard, 1913
Folder
-
- Copy of transcript of filings in County Court of Platte County, 1913
ADDED ENTRIES:
Columbus (Neb.) — History
Gerrard Family
Gerrard, Leander, 1837-1913
Platte County (Neb.) — History
Probate records — Platte County (Neb.)
Weaver Family
05-22-2007 Revised TMM/tmm