Gerlough Family

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.

Brief Biography of Eleanor Lauder Gerlough

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.

A Brief Biography of Ludwig Sherman Gerlough

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.

Scope and Content

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.

Arrangement and Description

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.

Series List

I. Correspondence, 1900-1968	1-26
II. Financial records, 1911-1914	27
III. Other papers	27
IV. Photographs	27

Inventory

Gerlough Family Papers, 1900-1968

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

July 2001 / mg403.htm