Ijams Family Papers
This collection consists of photos and documents which provide insight into the private lives and conservation interests of the Ijams family, primarily from the 1920s to the 1960s. In addition to many family photos, there is a folder of photos belonging to Della Yoe (Alice Yoe Ijams' sister) and taken by photographer Edouard Exline of individuals in the Great Smoky Mountains to document mountain culture and traditions. Also included are many of the newsletters that a young Josephine Ijams published weekly for several years documenting family news and events, reports of animal deaths, and the current weather.
Many of the family photographs document H.P., Alice, and their four daughters during their childhood and teenage years. In addition to the family photos, including one of Joseph Ijams Jr. from 1840, there are several images of the Ijams family home, both before and after the second story was added. Also available are photographs of local animals and birds, Girl Scout outings, and activities of the East Tennessee Ornithological Society in the 1940s.
Dates
- 1840-1993 August 29, undated
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.5 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection consists of photos and documents which provide insight into the private lives and conservation interests of the Ijams family, primarily from the 1920s to the 1960s. In addition to many family photos, there is a folder of photos belonging to Della Yoe (Alice Yoe Ijams' sister) and taken by photographer Edouard Exline of individuals in the Great Smoky Mountains to document mountain culture and traditions. Also included are many of the newsletters that a young Josephine Ijams published weekly for several years documenting family news and events, reports of animal deaths, and the current weather.
Biographical/Historical Note
Harry Pearle Ijams was born on July 19, 1876 in Knox County, Tennessee to Joseph H. and Mary (Aiken) Ijams. He married Alice Yoe in 1905 and together they had four daughters, Elizabeth (b. 1909), Josephine, Mary (1916-1932), and Martha (1918-2004). Ijams was a commercial artist and avid naturalist who bought and developed the homestead in south Knoxville that eventually became Ijams Nature Center. H.P., as he was known, died on June 12, 1954.
H.P.'s wife, Alice Fay Yoe Ijams, was born on August 20, 1880 in Jefferson County, Tennessee to John Williams and Eliza Yoe. She was a commercial horticulturist who started and supported local garden clubs, was active in the Girl Scouts, and developed the homestead alongside her husband that became Ijams Nature Center. She died on October 19, 1964.
Della Daisy Yoe was born on September 20, 1874 in Jefferson County, Tennessee to John Williams and Eliza Yoe and was Alice Yoe Ijams' sister. She worked for the Federal Writers’ Project and her interviews were published in 1939 as part of These Are Our Lives and other books. She died on December 24, 1963.
Josephine Ijams Kern was born in Knox County, Tennessee to H.P. and Alice (Yoe) Ijams, one of their four daughters. As a child she published a weekly newsletter, after graduating from the University of Tennessee she worked for the Knoxville News-Sentinel and Standard Knitting Mill. Throughout her life she was a conservation advocate, working for state parks in general and House Mountain State Park in particular. She married Albert George Kern in 1949 and together they had at least two children, George and Martha. She died in 1990.
Martha Ijams was born on June 13, 1918 in Knox County, Tennessee to H.P. and Alice (Yoe) Ijams, one of their four daughters. She married Dr. Frank Smith Lovingood in 1943. They had at least one daughter, Mary Lovingood Gallant. Martha died on April 11, 2004.
Acquisition Note
These materials were donated by Mary Gallant, and George and Martha Kern through Paul James of the Ijams Nature Center in 2013.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository