Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Aaron Family Collection, Ms1968-004, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Aaron Family Collection was donated to Newman Library in 1968.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Aaron Family Collection commenced and was completed in June, 2011.

Biographical Note

John Henry Aaron, the third child of Christopher and Laura Giles Aaron, was born on February 11, 1889. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1910 with a degree in applied chemistry. In 1918, Aaron was living in City Point, Virginia, where he married Emily Graves Bland (1890-1957) and was employed as an assistant chief chemist. By 1929, Aaron was living in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1935, he was living in Penns Grove, New Jersey and was working as a chemist for DuPont. John H. Aaron died in Wilmington, Delaware on December 5, 1953. He was buried in Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia.

Jacob Carr Aaron, younger brother of John Henry Aaron, was born in 1894. Aaron attended officer training school at the beginning of World War I and served in the infantry throughout the war. In 1920, he graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in chemical engineering. The census of that year found him living with his parents in Bristol, Virginia and working as a bookkeeper. He married Glenna King in 1921. Still in Bristol in 1935, he was employed as secretary-treasurer of Morley Bros. & Company, a produce distribution business. Aaron later became the company's manager and continued in that position until 1958, when the company dissolved. He later worked as secretary of Hulsey Flooring Service. Jacob C. Aaron died in February, 1971.

Harry Bertram Aaron, another son of Christopher and Laura Giles Aaron, was born in 1895. In 1917, Aaron graduated from the Artillery Training School and as a member of the Artillery Reserve Corps was immediately assigned to duty in France. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1919 with a degree in mining engineering. The 1920 census places him in the Bristol, Virginia home of his parents, with no occupation. The 1930 census shows him still living in the home of his parents and the proprietor of a filling station. Aaron was still in Bristol as of 1935 and was working as a statistical clerk for the National Reemployment Service. He died before 1971.

Scope and Content

This collection contains college memorabilia of John H., Jacob C., and Harry B. Aaron, three brothers from Bristol, Virginia who attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) in the early 20th century. Among the materials included within the collection are printed materials, photographs, textiles, and ephemera.

The collection contains a small, leather calling card case, bearing a VPI insignia. Also included are VPI commencement programs from 1908 and 1909, and a 1909 satirical publication titled "The Horn," poking fun at the school's administration and faculty. Other printed materials in the collection are two calendars, illustrated with photographs of campus scenes.

Also containing photos of campus scenes is an album compiled by Harry B. Aaron while a student at VPI. The album includes pictures of friends and classmates; cadets in formation and on parade; campus buildings; football games against Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute; a track meet against North Carolina A&M; a campus snow battle; the 1919 Virginia Tech baseball team; and the surrounding area (including Brush Mountain and Mountain Lake); as well as Big Creek and Abraham Falls, near Bristol, Virginia.

The collection also contains two pennants, a banner, and a pillowcase, all bearing VPI designs.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by material type.

Separated Material

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Students and alumni
• University History
• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (1896-1944)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Aaron Family Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).