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Manuscript Group 403
Papers, 1900-1968
14 cubic feet
The Gerlough Family Papers were donated to the University of Idaho Library by Eleanor Elmendorf in October 2000. They were processed by Erika Kuhlman in 2001.
Margaret E. Lauder Gerlough, the only child of William C. and Emma Briggs Lauder, began her life in Colfax, Washington, on June 10, 1883 (her obituary lists her birth in 1884). The family relocated to Moscow in 1889, where William Lauder established his building supply business. Margaret Lauder attended Moscow public schools and the University of Idaho, where she earned her B.A. degree in music in 1906, and a second bachelor's degree in English the following year. She taught English and coached debate at Goldendale and Palouse, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho public schools, and at Moscow High School from 1909 to 1912. There she met her colleague and future husband, Ludwig Sherman Gerlough. Lauder and Gerlough married on October 16, 1914 in San Diego, and resided in California until 1971. Margaret Gerlough participated in the Methodist Church, the Women's Society of Christian Service, the American Association of University Women, and the California Historical Society. She enjoyed teaching, traveling, writing, and sewing. She died on June 23, 1971, shortly after the couple returned to Moscow.
Ludwig Sherman Gerlough was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on January 16, 1887, the eldest of six children born to a miner and housewife. The Gerlough family relocated to Boise, where Ludwig Gerlough graduated from high school in 1905. Gerlough completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Idaho in 1909, and then taught math and history, and coached football at Moscow High School from 1909 to 1911. After proposing marriage to fellow teacher Margaret Lauder in 1911, Gerlough matriculated at Oxford University, England, as one of the first Rhodes Scholars from the state of Idaho. After Gerlough earned his second bachelor's degree at Oxford in 1914, he returned to the U.S. and married Margaret Lauder. The nuptials took place in San Diego, where the groom had secured a teaching position at San Diego High School. The couple had two children, Daniel Lauder Gerlough (1916-1977), a professor of Transportation Engineering, and Eleanor Gerlough Elmendorf (1920-), a science librarian.
Ludwig Gerlough received his master's degree from Oxford in 1918. He taught at San Diego High School and Lowell High School, a college preparatory school in San Francisco, until his retirement. He participated in the Y.M.C.A., the Beta Theta Phi fraternity, and the American Historical Association. Gerlough enjoyed traveling, theater, and sports. Upon his wife's death, he moved to Minneapolis to live with his son Daniel, who preceded him in death. Ludwig Gerlough died on March 15, 1978.
The Gerlough Family Papers span the years 1900 to 1968. Most of the papers are letters dating from 1911 to 1914. Also included are financial records from the same period, other papers, and photographs.
The letters—many still in their envelopes—were written between Margaret Lauder and Ludwig Gerlough while Gerlough was a student at Oxford University and Lauder taught school at Moscow High School and elsewhere. The letters are about family matters; some also contain discussions of local and national politics, teaching at secondary schools in Idaho and Washington, Gerlough's work at Oxford, his extensive travels in Europe, letters of recommendation written for Lauder, and Gerlough's fraternity correspondence. Other correspondence includes letters written to Lauder and Gerlough from family members and friends.
The financial records consist of Gerlough's checkbook registers from an Oxford bank and bills from various Oxford businesses, dated between 1911 and 1914.
Other papers include unsigned postcards, cards, announcements, maps, and newspaper clippings. Two yearbooks were retained in the collection: Margaret Lauder's 1906 University of Idaho Gem of the Mountains and Eleanor Gerlough's 1935 Madrono yearbook from Palo Alto High School.
Included in the papers were two photograph albums, primarily of Gerlough's days at Oxford, but also many photographs of family and friends. There were also several loose photographs that were stored in acid-free envelopes, and three oversize photographs stored separately.
Special Collections also has an unpublished manuscript written by Ludwig Gerlough about his life at Oxford (MG 5096). Lauder's uncle Wylie Andrew Gifford Lauder (1857-1936) donated his financial records to the University of Idaho Library (MG 210), and her cousin Alma Taylor-Lauder Keeling wrote a family history called The Un-Covered Wagon, A Glimpse of Pioneer Days in Moscow (Day NW F754 M6 K44) also housed in Special Collections.
Since there was no apparent order to the Gerlough Family Papers when received, an order was imposed. The papers were divided by type: correspondence, financial records, photographs, and other papers. The correspondence and financial records were arranged chronologically, with other papers and photographs filed separately.
Several Gem of the Mountains yearbooks were transferred from the collection to Special Collections' yearbook holdings in the stacks. Empty and unattached envelopes were discarded.
| I. Correspondence, 1900-1968 | 1-26 |
| II. Financial records, 1911-1914 | 27 |
| III. Other papers | 27 |
| IV. Photographs | 27 |
| Box | Folder | Description | No. Items |
1 1 Undated 30
2 Undated 7
3 1900-1910 14
4 January - June, 1911 8
5 July 1 - July 20, 1911 12
6 July 21 - July 31, 1911 18
7 August 1 - August 9, 1911 20
8 August 10 - August 20, 1911 17
9 August 20 - August 31, 1911 27
2 10 September 1 - September 19, 1911 22
11 September 20 - September 30, 1911 15
12 October 1 - October 9, 1911 12
13 October 10 - October 20, 1911 19
14 October 21 - October 31, 1911 22
3 15 November 1 - November 10, 1911 24
16 November 12 - November 20, 1911 23
17 November 21 - November 30, 1911 23
18 December 1 - December 12, 1911 30
19 December 13 - December 31, 1911 40
4 20 January 1 - January 15, 1912 25
21 January 16 - January 23, 1912 18
22 January 24 - January 31, 1912 16
23 February 1 - February 14, 1912 23
5 24 February 15 - February 20, 1912 17
25 February 21 - February 29, 1912 13
26 March 1 - March 9, 1912 22
27 March 10 - March 21, 1912 25
28 March 22 - March 31, 1912 21
6 29 April 1 - April 11, 1912 21
30 April 12 - April 20, 1912 18
31 April 20 - April 30, 1912 25
32 May 1 - May 6, 1912 17
33 May 7 - May 13, 1912 12
7 34 May 14 - May 20, 1912 14
35 May 21 - May 31, 1912 21
36 June 1 - June 9, 1912 24
37 June 10 - June 20, 1912 23
38 June 21 - June 27, 1912 17
39 June 28 - June 30, 1912 8
8 40 July 1 - July 10, 1912 22
41 July 11 - July 19, 1912 18
42 July 20 - July 25, 1912 12
43 July 26 - July 31, 1912 15
9 44 August 1 - August 10, 1912 19
45 August 11 - August 15, 1912 13
46 August 16 - August 21, 1912 10
47 August 22 - August 31, 1912 13
48 September 1 - September 5, 1912 18
10 49 September 6 - September 8, 1912 11
50 September 9 - September 16, 1912 20
51 September 17 - September 30, 1912 24
52 October 1 - October 12, 1912 23
53 October 13 - October 21, 1912 16
54 October 22 - October 31, 1912 20
11 55 November 1 - November 7, 1912 17
56 November 8 - November 16, 1912 17
57 November 17 - November 24, 1912 15
58 November 25 - November 30, 1912 15
59 December 1 - December 10, 1912 26
12 60 December 11 - December 20, 1912 25
61 December 21 - December 27, 1912 19
62 December 28 - December 31, 1912 11
63 January 1 - January 12, 1913 22
64 January 13 - January 19, 1913 12
65 January 20 - January 31, 1913 22
13 66 February 1 - February 8, 1913 16
67 February 9 - February 16, 1913 20
68 February 17 - February 28, 1913 21
69 March 1 - March 10, 1913 20
14 70 March 11 - March 20, 1913 19
71 March 21 - March 31, 1913 15
72 April 1 - April 10, 1913 25
73 April 11 - April 22, 1913 26
74 April 23 - April 30, 1913 15
75 May 1 - May 9, 1913 20
15 76 May 10 - May 14, 1913 13
77 May 15 - May 22, 1913 18
78 May 23 - May 25, 1913 11
79 May 26 - May 31, 1913 13
80 June 1 - June 7, 1913 11
16 81 June 8 - June 25, 1913 21
82 July 1913 14
83 August 1 - August 31, 1913 25
84 September 1 - September 9, 1913 16
85 September 10 - September 20, 1913 21
17 86 September 23 - September 30, 1913 14
87 October 1 - October 7, 1913 17
88 October 8 - October 15, 1913 16
89 October 16 - October 25, 1913 22
90 October 26 - October 31, 1913 16
18 91 November 1 - November 9, 1913 19
92 November 10 - November 20, 1913 19
93 November 21 - November 30, 1913 25
94 December 1 - December 10, 1913 20
95 December 11 - December 18, 1913 16
96 December 19 - December 31, 1913 31
97 January 1 - January 10, 1914 23
19 98 January 11 - January 16, 1914 14
99 January 17 - January 25, 1914 12
100 January 26 - January 31, 1914 19
101 February 1 - February 13, 1914 26
102 February 14 - February 24, 1914 25
103 February 25 - February 28, 1914 7
104 March 1 - March 10, 1914 23
20 105 March 11 - March 20, 1914 18
106 March 21 - March 31, 1914 17
107 April 1 - April 18, 1914 30
108 April 19 - April 30, 1914 20
109 May 1 - May 11, 1914 19
110 May 12 - May 19, 1914 11
21 111 May 20 - May 31, 1914 20
112 June 1 - June 15, 1914 20
113 June 16 - June 30, 1914 29
114 July 1 - July 20, 1914 30
115 July 21 - July 31, 1914 10
116 August - September, 1914 29
22 117 October - December, 1914 32
118 January - April, 1915 20
119 May - December, 1915 22
120 January - May, 1916 14
121 June 1 - June 19, 1916 24
122 June 20 - June 29, 1916 10
23 123 July - August, 1916 18
124 September - December, 1916 21
125 January - February, 1917 15
126 March - November, 1917 21
127 January - July, 1918 18
128 August - December 1918, 1919 17
129 1920 - 1921 22
130 1922 - 1924 55
24 131 1925 - 1929 52
132 1931 - October 1933 29
133 November 1933 - December 1933 17
134 January - April, 1934 21
135 May 1934 - July 1937 25
136 August 1937 - 1939 32
25 137 1940 21
138 January - April, 1941 16
139 May - December, 1941 19
140 1942 - 1943 8
141 1944 - June 1947 40
142 July - August, 1947 19
143 January 1948 - December 1949 14
144 1950 - March 1953 42
26 145 April - July, 1953 33
146 August - December, 1953 27
147 1954 - 1956 20
148 1957 - 1968 19
II. Financial Records
27 149 Financial records, 1911 - 1914 30
III. Other papers
150 Announcements, cards, invitations 20
151 Maps, newspapers, booklets 12
152 Postcards 40
153 Newspaper clippings 18
154 Gem of the Mountain yearbook, 1906 1
155 Madrono yearbook, 1935; University of Idaho diploma, 1906; University of Idaho diploma, 1909 3
156 Photo albums 2
157 Photographs 16
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