ROY BAILEY NIENHAUSER:

An Inventory of His Family Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

Expand/CollapseOVERVIEW

Creator: Nienhauser, Roy B. (Roy Bailey), 1887-1975, creator.
Title:Roy B. Nienhauser and family papers.
Dates:1828-1995 (bulk 1870s-1975).
Language:Materials in English.
Abstract: Correspondence, diaries, photographs, and other papers of Saint Paul insurance executive and World War I veteran Roy B. Nienhauser and other members of the Nienhauser family, and members of the related Bailey, Sproat, and Crippen famlies. Includes letters received by and information about Robert Bailey, who served in the Civil War with the 11th Minnesota Infantry.
Quantity:3.9 cubic feet (4 boxes and 1 oversize folder in 1 partial box).
Location: See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

Expand/CollapseBIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Roy Bailey Nienhauser was born in Saint Paul August 2, 1887, the son of Charles Phillip and Lillie (Bailey) Nienhauser. He was a graduate of Central High School, Saint Paul (1906), the University of Minnesota (1910), and the St. Paul College of Law (1911). In 1918-1919 he served with Company F, 54th Pioneer Infantry, American Expeditionary Forces, in France and Germany. He was a long-time employee and executive of the R. M. Neely Company, Saint Paul insurance brokers; president of the Insurance Federation of Minnesota, Minnesota Underwriters Association, and Minnesota Association of Insurance Agents; active in the Shriners, including serving as Potentate of the Osman Temple in Saint Paul (1952), and in the Freemasons (Summit Lodge 163). His father, Charles P. Nienhauser, was department manager for the Saint Paul dry goods firm of Lindeke, Warner & Sons. In 1936 he married Catherine Soutar Campbell (1897-1985); he died in Saint Paul, January 21, 1975.


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Expand/CollapseSCOPE AND CONTENTS

Materials relate to Nienhauser, his parents Lillie (Bailey) and Charles P. Nienhauser, his wife Catherine (Campbell), Lillie's sisters Eva (Crippen) and Ella/Ellen (Sproat) and her niece Emma (Nute), and other family members. They pertain primarily to family movements and activities, but also include Roy's letters to his parents during his employment in Saskatoon with a local affiliate of the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (1912-1913); his correspondence with his mother during his World War I service in France and Germany (1918-1919); his files as Potentate of the Osman Temple (1952); and some family financial matters. Also includes data on Robert Bailey's service and death (1865, 1880) with the 11th Minnesota Infantry during the Civil War.


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Expand/CollapseADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Roy B. Nienhauser and family papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 17,080

Processing Information:

Catalog ID number: 990085140850104294


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DETAILED DESCRIPTION

LocationBox
142.K.15.5B1Genealogical notes, undated, 1878-1921.
Includes information about the Bailey, Sproat, and related families.
Bailey family papers:
Miscellaneous papers, 1828-1995.
Includes family memorabilia; death notices and obituaries; marriage certificate of Morgan L. Sproat and Eleanor E. Bailey (1858); a few letters to Lillie Bailey (Nienhauser) with family information.
Civil War letters, 1865, 1880.
Letter to Robert Bailey, 11th Minnesota Infantry, from his brother, giving Goodhue Center, Minnesota, news (1865); and three regarding Robert's death (1865) and his re-interment in Nashville National Cemetery (1880).
Bailey family correspondence, 1868-1888.
Mainly letters from Eleanor (McKean) Bailey, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, to her daughter Eleanor Sproat.
Bailey family deeds and mortgages, 1859-1880.
Eleanor E. Bailey pension, 1880-1891.
Sproat family papers, 1862-1903.
Includes a letter to Morgan Sproat from a friend describing the Battle of Murfreesboro (July 1862); letters to Ella Sproat from her sister Chloe Judkins; school (Cottage Grove) memorabilia of the Sproats' daughter Emma; letters to her from her father; Eleanor E. (Ella) Sproat's handwritten will (1903); and other family miscellany.
Marriage, Lillie P. Bailey and Charles P. Nienhauser, October 1886.
Lillie B. Nienhauser miscellaneous correspondence, 1881-1922.
Charles P. and Lillie Nienhauser correspondence, 1884-1910.
Lillie B. Nienhauser correspondence with her sisters and their families, 1886-1920. 6 folders.
Primarily letters from Lillie to her sister Ellen (Ella) Sproat and Ellen's daughter Emma (Sproat) Nute, with some letters from them. There are a few letters of Morgan L. Sproat prior to his death in 1894, a few of Lillie's sister Eva Crippen, and letters from Lillie jointly to Ellen Sproat and Wallace Nute following Emma's death in 1903.
Roy B. Nienhauser correspondence with relatives, 1889-1905. 2 folders.
Roy's correspondence as a boy with his aunts Ellen (Sproat) and Eva (Crippen) and with Emma Nute (who signs herself Aunt Emma although she is his cousin), and two letters (1905) from Wallace Nute.
Roy B. Nienhauser school papers:
Van Buren School, Class of 1902, undated and 1902.
St. Paul Central High School, Class of 1906, 1904-1907.
Includes class constitution; Senior Review (1906), with Nienhauser mentioned in several places and including information and a photograph of each class member; announcement and program for commencement ceremonies; congratulatory letters; and debate notes. Nienhauser was elected class president in 1906 and was active on the school debate team.
University of Minnesota, 1907-1910.
Includes faculty and student list (1907-1908); membership card, class list, and note, Gamma Tau fraternity; letter from Nienhauser to Ralph Crippen (November 1906); a few programs of the University Glee and Mandolin Club, in which Roy played first bass.
St. Paul College of Law, 1911.
Charles P. Nienhauser correspondence with Lillie and Roy, June 1900.
James M. Smith letters to Roy B. Nienhauser, 1900-1904.
He writes from Penzance, Cornwall, England, where he is visiting with his mother and sister.
Lillie B. Nienhauser correspondence with Charles and Roy, July-August 1903.
Letters to Roy B. Nienhauser from friends, 1904-1905.
Roy B. Nienhauser correspondence with parents:
May 1906.
Charles and Lillie are staying at the Avery Hotel, Mt. Clemens, Michigan.
June 1906-1908.
Primarily in January 1907, when Roy is in northwestern Minnesota and Fargo, North Dakota, and in December 1907-January 1908, when he is in northwestern Minnesota, Fargo, and Winnipeg, on concert tours with the University of Minnesota Glee and Mandolin Club.
LocationBox
142.K.15.6F2 1910-1911.
Primarily during October, 1911, when Roy is in various cities in central Canada.
1912-August 1913. 5 folders.
The bulk of the correspondence begins in November, 1912, by which time Roy is in Saskatoon as special agent with Butler, Byers Bros. & Codere, Ltd., local agents for the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company. The letters end with two telegrams from his mother informing him of his father's emergency operation.
Charles P. Nienhauser death, August 1913.
News articles on Charles' emergency operation for intestinal trouble; obituaries; a few letters.
Roy B. Nienhauser World War I service:
Service papers, 1918-1919.
Includes draft board notices; request for deferral (as the sole support of his mother); order of induction (July 1918); rosters and billet lists; pay record; appointment as sergeant (September 1918); a request for a 3-day furlough to Paris; photograph in uniform (January 1919); discharge paper (July 1919); and miscellany.
Memorabilia, 1918-1920.
Liberty Loan and U.S. Food Administration window cards; message to the troops from General John J. Pershing (February 1919); a few postcards with Nienhauser's notes on verso; American Army of Occupation hymnal; a few programs for prayer services and First Engineers entertainments; poem on his homecoming by Aunt Thea; letters and menus for 54th Pioneer Infantry dinners (1919-1920).
Correspondence, Roy B. and Lillie Nienhauser, July 1918-July 1919. 5 folders.
Roy describes life at Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina; his service in the Meuse Argonne campaign (September-November 1918), where his unit assisted the army engineers in repairing roads and bridges; and his service in Germany (St. Sebastian, Coblenz and vicinity) as part of the Army of Occupation (January-May 1919), during which he gives details about his sightseeing trips. His mother writes letters of love and support, and gives home, family, neighborhood, and personal business news.
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1918-1919.
Photograph album, 1918-1919.
Snapshots and postcard-stock photographs of soldiers, citizens, street scenes and buildings, and military activities. Many are not identified, but appear to have been taken largely in Germany. Some are of, or include, Roy Nienhauser, and a few include his comments. At the back of the volume are a few pages of photographs and postcards from earlier years, including the Nienhauser home at 951 Lincoln Avenue, Saint Paul, and several from the Mt. Clemens resort (1906).
Correspondence, Roy B. and Lillie Nienhauser, 1920-1922.
Lillie P. Nienhauser will and death, 1921-1922.
LocationBox
142.K.15.7B3Roy B. Nienhauser papers:
Correspondence and miscellany, 1907-1935.
Includes Roy's postcards to R. M. Neely Co. staff during a trip to Europe (1929).
Automobile accident, March-April 1928.
Wills, 1929-1935.
Investments, 1917-1932.
Income tax returns, 1922-1934.
Roy B. and Catherine Nienhauser papers:
Catherine Campbell correspondence, 1918-1936.
Correspondence, 1928-1936. 2 folders.
Marriage, October-November 1936.
Correspondence, 1938-1981.
Includes a letter enclosing summons and complaint in Elizabeth M. Campbell vs. Eastman Kodak Co., suing for damages in an auto accident (1941).
Income tax returns, 1935-1941.
Finances and investments, 1950s-1970s. 1 volume.
Funeral services, 1975-1985.
Includes Roy's obituary, funeral service book, certificate of appreciation for his Armed Forces service, announcement of gift to House of Hope Church from his estate (1975), and a memorial service card for Catherine (1985).
Roy B. Nienhauser insurance career:
Letters and memorabilia, 1908-1944.
Includes two employment-related letters from the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (1908, 1912); personalized program and newspaper coverage, dedication of Samuel Appleton Building, Boston (1926); program and miscellany from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners convention in Saint Paul (1936); announcement of Roy's presidency of the Minnesota Underwriters Association (1944); and business and membership cards.
Publications, 1921-1954.
Lions' tales introducing Nienhauser (April 25, 1921); The Employers' Pioneer, with a cover photograph, message from, and brief biography of Nienhauser (November 1930); directory of delegates, 43rd annual convention, National Association of Insurance Agents (1938); program, 25th anniversary, Insurance Federation of Minnesota, including Nienhauser as chairman of its finance committee (1939); Northwest Insurance (February 1954), with cover photograph and article on Nienhauser.
The Owl insurance industry journal, 1930-1931.
Retirement, 1960.
Roy B. Nienhauser memberships:
Shrine, Osman Temple, 1918-1975 (bulk 1952). 5 folders.
Includes correspondence, circular letters, meeting minutes, publications, and miscellany (mainly 1952), when Nienhauser served as Illustrious Potentate of the Osman Temple, and Roy's membership certificate (1918).
Freemasons, Summit Lodge 163, 1915-1974.
Includes lodge bulletins and membership lists (mainly 1915-1920); a certificate of appreciation to Roy (1974); 75th anniversary program (1960); and A history of Summit Lodge No. 163, A.F. & A.M. (1918).
Good Golfers Club, 1934-1935.
LocationBox
142.K.15.8F4 Miscellaneous family papers:
Campbell family miscellany, 1930-1936.
Automobile purchase documents (1930); Canadian liquor sale permit to C. S. Campbell, with price list (1932); obituary of Ernest W. Campbell (1933).
Nienhauser family miscellany, 1900-1982.
Horoscope and forecast for R. B. Nienhauser from The Occult Oracle (1930, possibly sent as an advertisement); family Christmas cards; Roy's University Club membership materials (circa 1927-1934); his passport; a humorous poem to "Charlie" (C. P. Nienhauser?); a satirical objection to the New Deal; an agreement (1900) by which the American District Telegraph Company of St. Paul (F. A. Nienhauser, secretary) transfers all of its lines and property (enumerated in the agreement) to the American District Telegraph Company of Minnesota; satisfaction of mortgage by Roy as administrator of estate of James B. Goss (1952); other miscellany.
Charles P. Nienhauser deeds, etc., 1889-1910.
Deeds, bills of sale, subscription lists, and other property-related documents of Charles P. and Lillie P. Nienhauser.
Nienhauser family receipts, 1880s-1922.
Estate of Julius E. Nienhauser, 1914-1917.
An order in the estate of Julius E. Nienhauser, dividing his Washington peach orchard equally between his brother F. A. Nienhauser, his sister Caroline Wolterstorff, and his nephew R. B. Nienhauser; orchard maintenance contract with Otto A. Schultz; correspondence and financial records relating to the orchard and other distributed property.
Nienhauser family memorabilia, 1875-1961.
Typescript poem, Doings of the Watermelon Club (undated); membership certificate, Emma Sproat, Minnesota Sunday School Temperance League (1875); Model Steam Laundry ad featuring Roy as winner of its giveaway bicycle (1893); program for Helen Hayes in Victoria Regina, annotated by Catherine (1938); memorabilia from Roy and Catherine's 1961 cruise on R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth; Roy's appointment as Saint Paul Winter Carnival Protector of Protectors Un¬mitigated (1952) and membership certificate in the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose International (1961); certificate of appreciation to the Boys Choir, Bates Ave. M. E. Church (undated).
Nienhauser and Sproat family investments, 1854-1925.
Stock certificates and insurance policies.
Edward E. Schuette estate, 1927-1928.
Correspondence and statements regarding distribution of the estate. Roy B. Nienhauser was one of the heirs.
Joseph C. Youness bankruptcy, 1925-1927.
Correspondence, receipts, and miscellany. Chester L. Caldwell, who appears to have been a Nienhauser relative or associate, was Youness' attorney.
Photographs:
Family photographs, undated.
Includes photographs of Bailey, Sproat, Nute, and Nienhauser family members, many unidentified; Saint Paul residence of C. P. Nienhauser; pencil sketch of R. B. Nienhauser.
Yellowstone Park, 1916.
Volumes:
Lillie P. Bailey autograph book, 1870s-1880s. 1 volume.
Catherine Campbell diaries, 1935-1936. 2 volumes.
Roy B. Nienhauser diary, 1929, 1936. 1 volume.
Ocean voyage to, and travel in, France, Germany, British Isles (1929); honeymoon trip through the eastern United States (October-November 1936).
Roy B. Nienhauser diaries, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1952, 1962, 1964. 6 volumes.
Roy B. Nienhauser travel diaries, 1955-1967. 7 volumes.
Southeastern United States and Cuba (March-April 1955), Florida (March-April 1956, March-April 1957), West Coast (June 1957), Caribbean (March-April 1958), Canada (August-September 1958), Wisconsin and Michigan (September 1959), British Isles, Germany, Sweden (July-September 1961), Florida (February-March 1963, March-April 1964), Europe (August-October 1964, accompanied by a Holland-America Line passenger list), Florida (February-April 1966, February-April 1967).
[0.2 cubic feet empty, letter-size]
LocationFolder
142.C.5.51Bailey family photograph, circa 1890.
The young man in front on the right is Roy Bailey Nienhauser; his mother Lillie is on the far left; the man is presumably his father; and the elderly woman is presumably Lillie's mother. The other older women are presumably Lillie's sisters; the young woman in front is unknown.

Expand/CollapseCATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:
Insurance.
World War, 1914-1918.
Persons:
Bailey, Robert, -1865.
Nienhauser, Catherine, 1897-1985, author.
Nienhauser, Charles P., 1861-1913, author.
Nienhauser, Lillie, 1859-1922, author.
Bailey family.
Crippen family.
Nienhauser family.
Sproat family.
Organizations:
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America. Osman Temple (Saint Paul, Minn.).
Insurance Federation of Minnesota.
St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company.
United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces.
United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 11th (1864-1865).
United States. Army. Pioneer Infantry Regiment, 54th.
Places:
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Document Types:
Diaries.
Photographs.

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