DeMoss Family Lyric Bards records
Scope and Contents note
The correspondence consists of approximately thirty letters and cards, arranged chronologically, dating from 1888 - 1937.
The journals chronicle the family's musical tours (1872 to 1932), and they are generally weak from a narrative point of view. Little is noted other than towns, expenses and the evening grosses. However, the journals dated 1888-1889, 1893, and 1897 are exceptions, describing tours and travels more fully. Account books are included with the journals because they often contain information about performance sites and dates.
Manuscripts are divided into music, drama and poetry. They are generally incomplete and fragmentary.
The testimonials are mostly transcribed into notebooks from letters and newspaper articles, and are dated 1878-1893. The dates written on the covers of the notebooks do not always correspond to the dates written inside. Also included is one file of original and copied letters.
The published material largely consists of music and includes scrapbooks, individual songs, and a newspaper titled, "The Home", from 1906.
The publicity series contains concert programs (1890-1926), concert tickets, contracts, and financial material.
Memorabilia includes books, tickets, programs, maps, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings and other mementos.
There is also an oversize series that contains music manuscripts, a testimonial scrapbook, a DeMoss Family sign, and published music.
Photographs include prints of the family and individual members posed for portraits as well as performing, and printer's cuts.
Dates
- Creation: 1872-1942
Conditions Governing Access note
Collection is open to the public.
Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.
Conditions Governing Use note
Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Archival material may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws and other regulations.
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g. a cause of action for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Oregon assumes no responsibility.
If a researcher finds sensitive personal information in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.
Biographical/Historical note
The DeMoss Family Lyric Bards began their career of musical touring, which lasted more than 35 years, in 1872. James M. DeMoss, a United Brethren minister, his wife Elizabeth (Bonebrake) DeMoss, and their five children devoted themselves to musical performance.
The DeMoss children - Henry, George, Lizzie, Minnie, and May - were added to the troupe as they became old enough to perform. Lizzie's son Herschel became, at age four, old enough to conduct a few numbers. The children were trained by their parents and were also educated at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
The DeMoss family's first tours were confined to Oregon, traveling from town to town by covered wagon; later they toured the United States, Canada, and Europe. All of the family members composed songs which they performed, and played instruments. Their specialty was playing forty to fifty different instruments in an evening's entertainment.
Popular family entertainers and very well received, the family was commissioned by World's Fair organizers to write state songs for the World Columbian Exposition in 1893. The last original member of the DeMoss Lyric Bards, Lizzie DeMoss Davis, died in 1941.
Extent
5.5 linear feet (13 containers, 1 folder, 1 package)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The DeMoss Family Lyric Bards was a family of traveling musicians whose members included James M. DeMoss, a United Brethren minister, his wife Elizabeth (Bonebrake) DeMoss, and their five children, began performing in 1872 and lasted thirty-five years. The collection contains journals, engagement books, contracts, correspondence, manuscript music, published works, testimonials, programs, handbills, photographs, clippings, and mementos of travel.
Arrangement note
Collection is organized into the following series: Correspondence, Journals, Manuscripts, Testimonials, Published Material, Publicity, Memorabilia and Photographs.
Material within this collection is minimally arranged. Any arrangement is either derived from the records' creators or custodians or from staff at the time of initial processing. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.
Other Finding Aids note
Paper finding aid with additional information is available in Special Collections & University Archives.
Physical Description
8 clamshell boxes, 1 folder; 3 photoboxes, 1 oversize portfolio
Processing Information note
Collection processed by Molly Taylor, 1984; and Tanya Parlet, 2013.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal organization and rehousing.
Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.
- Title
- Guide to the DeMoss Family Lyric Bards Records Coll 070
- Status
- 7 Revise Marc
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Finding aid prepared by University of Oregon Libraries, Archivists' Toolkit Project Team and Tanya Parlet.
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the Pine State University Archives Repository