MS-114
ANNE RAYNER WILSON COLLECTION
INTRODUCTION
The Anne Rayner Wilson Collection was accessioned into the library on 21 November 1995. The collection came to the library as a donation by Mr. Kenneth Moore. The collection consists, in majority, of the writing of Mrs. Wilson, and is a valuable resource for students of the craft of writing for publication.
The collection consists of 39 files contained in one Hollinger box. The materials are generally dated in the 1970s. There are no known restrictions on the use of the materials in this collection.
HISTORY
Anne Rayner Wilson was born 26 June 1896 to John and Margaret Clarkson Rayner. Her maternal grandfather was James St. John Clarkson, a Dayton newspaper editor whose friends included Samuel Clemens and Artemus Ward. Anne’s mother wrote newspaper articles. Her father was a historian and self-taught archaeologist who authored The First Century of Piqua after 10 years of research.
In January 1937, Anne wrote a feature story using materials from her father’s files. The article covered a full page in the Dayton Daily News. Also in 1937 she married Forrest Johnston Wilson. Forrest was a farmer and the couple occupied the farmhouse where he was born at 10111 N. Lockington Rd. As a farm wife, Anne had little time to write. She did author a one-act play and wrote an article for the centennial history of Miami County in 1953. Anne also painted china, a hobby she engaged in for twenty years.
By the 1960s, Anne and Forrest were dividing their time between Piqua and St. Petersburg, Florida. In 1968 Forrest died. After his death Anne enrolled in a creative writing school and remained in attendance for four years. She wrote primarily for children. However, in 1971 she produced a series of ten articles for the Piqua Daily Call, which she called “miniature historical stories.” These are anecdotal sketches of interest to her about the local history of Piqua in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The bulk of this collection consists of the materials dealing with these sketches. Anne died on 18 October 1984.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The Anne Rayner Wilson Collection is divided into 4 series.
Series I – Correspondence
Series II – Writer’s Workshop, Mirror Lake Adult Education Center
Series III – Stories and Articles by Anne Wilson
Series IV – Miscellaneous Items
BOX INVENTORY
SERIES I: CORRESPONDENCE
File 1 – Letters – Business concerning articles in the Piqua Daily Call –
Other business items – 17 July 1971-28 May 1972
File 2 – Letters – personal – 4 October 1971-4 September 1972
SERIES II: WRITER’S WORKSHOP, MIRROR LAKE
ADULT EDUCATION CENTER
File 3 – Letter and flier concerning the workshop – September 1971
File 4 – Writer’s Workshop – syllabus, instruction sheets, assignment sheets
– William Kruger, Instructor
File 5 – List of members of the Mirror Lake Creative Writer’s Workshop –
articles on writing.
SERIES III: STORIES AND ARTICLES BY ANN WILSON
File 6 – “Alas, I Must Go” – article with two page fours, notes, and a
critique of the article.
File 7 – “Researching Why?” – Re Curious Customs by Frederick J. Haskin
File 8 – “Tecumseh – The Day the World Turned Dark” – Miniature
Historical Stories
File 9 – “`Mrs. Scott McKinney’ by Louise W. McKinney” – Miniature
Historical Stories
File 10 – “Reminiscences of Mrs. Rachael Davis at the age of 87 years” –
Miniature Historical Stories
File 11 – “Scalping of Mrs. Martin” – Miniature Historical Stories
File 12 – “Logan the Mingo Chief” – Miniature Historical Stories
File 13 – “Rachel Robinson Johnston” – Miniature Historical Stories
File 14 – “The Moffett’s” – Miniature Historical Stories – with story notes
File 15 – “Se-ke-ta” – Miniature Historical Stories
File 16 – “The Way Station” – a story of the Underground Railroad
File 17 – “Tecumseh and Rebecca” a love story
File 18 – “Winter’s Joys”
File 19 – “Early Folk Sayings on the Farm” – Miniature Historical Stories
File 20 – “The Seasons on a Farm”
File 21 – “Following Item taken from a letter written by Miss Margaret Johnston, Col. John Johnston’s granddaughter” – Miniature Historical Stories
File 22 – “The Moffett Boys” – Stories of Our Borderland
File 23 – “If I Were an Indian”
File 24 – “Manners, Customs, Etc., of the Indians”
File 25 – Articles in the Piqua Daily Call about Col. John Johnston, his
family, and his home, including notes and writings used to
produce the articles.
File 26 – “Soo-Tar’s Dance” – a story with two endings.
File 27 – Series of articles in the Piqua Daily Call about Tecumseh and the
notes and writings used to produce the articles.
File 28 – “Mound Builders” – four articles in the Piqua Daily Call
File 29 – “The Legend of How Piqua Was Named” – Miniature Historical
Stories
File 30 – “Ohio – English or French?” – Miniature Historical Stories – two
articles from the Piqua Daily Call
File 31 – “The Miami-Erie Canal” – Miniature Historical Stories – three
articles from the Piqua Daily Call.
File 32 – Indian Tribes – Miniature Historical Stories – articles in the Piqua
Daily Call on the Miami Indian tribe, the Shawanese, and the
Wyandot Indians.
SERIES IV: MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
File 33 – Other newspaper clipping of interest to Anne Wilson
File 34 – Two articles about Anne Wilson: [1] Piqua Daily Call – 21
September 1971, [2] Dayton Daily News – 10 October 1971
File 35 – “A Resolution of Appreciation and Acceptance” by Piqua City
Commission to Anne Rayner Wilson for the recovery of the
original incorporation papers of the City of Piqua. 21
November 1977
File 36 – Business papers for sales of writings
File 37 – Miscellaneous notes and writings
File 38 – Brochures on the Piqua Historical Area
File 39 – Photograph – Logan Elm, Pickaway County, Ohio – from the title
page of The Logan Elm and the Dunmore War by C.B.
Galbreath