This is a finding aid (or, description) of materials available in the La Crosse Public Library Archives. At this time, none of the materials listed below are accessible over the internet.
Contact the Archives to learn more about using these materials.
Guide to the Guilford M. Sr. and Beulah (Arnold) Wiley Family Papers, 1908-1973
MSS 084
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Abstract
- Professional and personal papers of a La Crosse school administrator who later held two-terms in the Wisconsin Assembly as a Republican from Trempealeau County, and personal papers of his family. Materials in the collection include a family history and lineage of both the Wiley and Arnold families, correspondence, photographs, materials from the National Council of Presbyterian Men, newspaper clippings and a scrapbook, materials from Wiley's political career (1949-1954). Also included are real picture postcards depicting the evangelist Reverend Billy Sunday (circa 1908), as well as Beulah Arnold Wiley's diary (1972), and a scrapbook of her time at Rockford (Illinois) College (1907-1908). Related materials associated with Wiley's political career can be found with Beulah (Arnold) Wiley's correspondence to her husband, all in the Guilford M. Wiley Papters at the Wisconsin Historical Society's Area Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Murphy Library. Another collection related to Beulah is the Alexander Ahab Arnold Papers, which are also owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society. This collection includes photographic materials as well as paper documents. Additional resources may also be available at the Garden of Eden Preservation Society headquartered at the Eastside Farm (A. A. Arnold Farmstead) in Galesville, Wisconsin.
- Collection Title
- Guilford M. Sr. and Beulah (Arnold) Wiley Family Papers
- Date of Materials
- 1908-1973
- Creator
- Wiley, Beulah Arnold, 1888-1972
- Creator
- Wiley, Guilford M., 1880-1955
- Call Number
- MSS 084
- Amount
- 1.6 cubic feet
- Physical Description
- 5 archives boxes and 1 flat box
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- La Crosse Public Library Archives
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Guilford M. Sr. and Beulah (Arnold) Wiley Family Papers, MSS 084, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI
Biographical Note
Guilford M. Wiley, Sr. was born on July 10, 1880, in Whiteland, Indiana. He studied at Franklin College in Indiana, Indiana University, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He met and married Beulah Arnold from Galesville, Wisconsin, in 1911. Beulah Arnold Wiley attended Rockford College in Illinois beginning in 1907. Together they had four children: Arnold Wiley, Mary Esther Wiley Runnestrand, Beaulah Bernice Wiley Hodge, and Guilford M. Wiley, Jr.
Wiley Sr. was principal of Central High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from 1921-1926, and then served as superintendent of the La Crosse schools until 1942. Other community involvement included serving as president of the La Crosse Kiwanis Club, as a member of the board of directors of the La Crosse YMCA, and as president and secretary of the Western Wisconsin Teachers' Association. He also served as field secretary for the National Council of Presbyterian Men.
Wiley Sr. became involved in politics and served from 1946-1950 in the Wisconsin State Legislature as a Republican member of the Assembly from Trempealeau County. In 1952, he was an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor. Wiley passed away in 1955 and his widow, Beulah, in 1972.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists primarily of records generated or accumulated during the educational and political (1949-1954) careers of Guilford M. Wiley, Sr. Those materials include correspondence (1931-1933; 1945-1954), scattered issues of the La Crosse Central High Tribune (1922; 1928), miscellaneous materials (circa 1938-1954), materials from the National Council of Presbyterian Men (1943-1954), and loose newspaper clippings grouped by topic (1939-1954). Many of the newspaper clippings pertain to information about the La Crosse School District, although other topics are covered as well.
Materials relating to other members of the Wiley family include a folder of family history and lineage of both the Wiley and Arnold families; photographs of Guilford M. Wiley, Sr. as a young man, photographs and a photo album of him and his wife Beulah (1944-1954), photographs of Wiley relatives, and an additional set of scanned photographs on a compact disk. In addtion, there are some materials which relate to Beulah Arnold Wiley, these include a diary (1972), a scrapbook from her time at Rockford (Illinois) College (1907-1908), and a scrapbook of her La Crosse friends (1942-1972). Lastly, there are some materials relating to Mary Esther Wiley Runnestrand: one photograph (ca. 1970s) and a teacher evaluation (1973).
Other materials include twenty photographic postcards depicting the evangelist Reverend Billy Sunday (1908), an indexed newspaper clipping scrapbook (1938-1939) containing articles pertaining to the La Crosse public schools.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
La Crosse Public Library Archives 2005
800 Main St.La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosselibrary.org
Revision Description
2016
Access to Materials
Materials in this collection are available for patron use.
Acquisitions Information
(Accession no. 2005.044b) Donated by the La Crosse County Historical Society, May 2005; these materials include Wiley Sr. correspondence, scattered issues of the La Crosse Central High Tribune, miscellaneous materials, materials from the National Council of Presbyterian Men and loose newspaper clippings grouped by topic. Many of the newspaper clippings pertained to informaton about the La Crosse School District. (Accession no. 2015.073) Donated by Doug Wiley, Aug. 10, 2015; these materials include family history, family photographs, and materials related to Wiley Sr.'s youth, including some yearbooks. (Accession no. 2016.046) Donated by Besty Hodge Flack, May 24, 2016; these materials include Beulah Arnold Wiley materials of Rockford College 1907-1908 and postcards; a church program and a diary 1972; also a photograph and teacher evaluation of Mary Esther Wiley Runnestrand 1973
Processing Information
Processed by Christine Stolz, 2005; additions processed by Anita Taylor Doering, May 2016 and Hannah L. Weber, October 2016
Related Materials
Related Materials
Related materials associated with Wiley's political career can be found with Beulah (Arnold) Wiley's correspondence to her husband, all in the Guilford M. Wiley Papters at the Wisconsin Historical Society's Area Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Murphy Library. Another collection related to Beulah is the Alexander Ahab Arnold Papers, which are also owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society. This collection includes photographic materials as well as paper documents.
Additional resources may also be available at the Garden of Eden Preservation Society headquartered at the Eastside Farm (A. A. Arnold Farmstead) in Galesville, Wisconsin.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Central High School (La Crosse, Wis.)
- La Crosse (Wis.). Board of Education.
- La Crosse County Historical Society (Wis.).
- Republican Party (Wis.).
Family Name(s)
- Wiley Family
Geographic Name(s)
- Wisconsin--Politics and government
Personal Name(s)
- Flack, Betsy Hodge
- Runnestrand, Mary Esther Wiley, 1918-1983
- Sunday, Billy, 1862-1935
- Wiley, Douglas E.
- Wiley, Guilford M., 1880-1955
Subject(s)
- High school principals--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- Public schools--Wisconsin--La Crosse
- School superintendents--Wisconsin--La Crosse
Collection Inventory
Personal and Family Life |
Box 3 |
Folder 1 |
||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Family history and lineage of the Wiley and Arnold families, |
1 | 1 | ||
|
Biographical information on Guilford M. Wiley, Sr. |
1 | 2 | ||
|
Correspondence, 1942; 1954 |
1 | 3 | ||
|
Galesville centennial, 1954 |
1 | 4 | ||
|
Photographs |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Guilford M. Wiley, Sr. |
1 | 5 | ||
|
Guilford M. Sr., Beulah and children |
1 | 6 | ||
|
Photograph album of G. M. Sr. and Beulah, 1944-1954 |
1 | 7 | ||
|
Wiley relatives |
1 | 8 | ||
|
Compact disk of scanned Wiley photographs by Doug Wiley |
1 | 9 | ||
Publications |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Franklin (Indiana) College, 1899-1900; 1953; 1954 |
1 | 10 | ||
|
Some History of Indiana and Pleasant Township: A Sketch of the Schools of Whiteland and Vicinity by James T. Tracy, 1902 |
1 | 11 | ||
|
Decatur County Pageant, 1916 |
1 | 12 | ||
|
Phi Delta Theta, 1955 |
1 | 13 | ||
|
Religious affiliations |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
National Council of Presbyterian Men, 1943-1954 |
2 | 1 | ||
|
Postcards of Rev. Billy Sunday, circa 1908 |
2 | 2 | ||
|
Miscellaneous, 1910; 1954-1955; 1972 |
2 | 3 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Ephemera, n. d.; 1936-1955 |
2 | 4 | ||
|
Vacation related, 1928; 1953 |
2 | 5 | ||
|
|
||||
Professional Life |
||||
Teaching/School Administration career |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Decatur (Illinois) HIgh School yearbook, 1908 |
3 | 1 | ||
|
Birchwood (Michigan) Summer School, 1911 |
3 | 2 | ||
|
Detroit (Michigan) University School, 1910-1912 |
3 | 3 | ||
|
School District of La Crosse (Wisconsin) Superintendent |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Correspondence, 1931-1933 |
3 | 4 | ||
|
La Crosse Central High Tribune, 1922, 1928 |
3 | 5 | ||
|
Newspaper clippings |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
About G. M. Wiley, Sr. as superintendent, 1927; 1942 |
3 | 6 | ||
|
Alumni, 1939 |
3 | 7 | ||
|
Board of Education, 1939-1940 |
3 | 8 | ||
|
Budget, 1939-1940 |
3 | 9 | ||
|
Building repair and construction, 1939-1940 |
3 | 10 | ||
|
Central High School publicity, 1939-1940 |
3 | 11 | ||
|
Commencements, 1940 |
3 | 12 | ||
|
Dedications, 1940 |
3 | 13 | ||
|
Editorials, 1939-1940 |
3 | 14 | ||
|
Enrollment and attendance, 1939-1940 |
3 | 15 | ||
|
Health, 1940 |
3 | 16 | ||
|
Junior programs, 1939-1940 |
3 | 17 | ||
|
Junior Red Cross, 1939-1940 |
3 | 18 | ||
|
Logan High School publicity, 1939-1940 |
3 | 19 | ||
|
Miscellaneous, 1940, 1947 |
3 | 20 | ||
|
Music, 1940 |
3 | 21 | ||
|
Parent organizations, 1939-1940 |
3 | 22 | ||
|
Safety, 1939-1940 |
3 | 23 | ||
|
School district boundaries, 1939 |
3 | 24 | ||
|
Sports and recreation, 1939-1940 |
3 | 25 | ||
|
Teachers, 1939-1940 |
3 | 26 | ||
|
Tenure, 1939-1940 |
3 | 27 | ||
|
Newspaper clipping scrapbook, 1938-1939 |
3 | 28 | ||
|
Otwell (Indiana) High School |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Correspondence, 1954 |
3 | 28 | ||
|
Foster-Gulles grave history project, 1954 |
3 | 29 | ||
Political career |
||||
|
Correspondence |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
as member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, 1945-1951 |
3 | 30 | ||
|
as candidate for Lt. Governor, 1952 |
3 | 31 | ||
|
Republican Party of Wisconsin related, 1953-1955 |
3 | 32 | ||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
General materials, 1947-1952 |
3 | 33 | ||
|
Newspaper clippings, 1946-1952 |
3 | 34 | ||
|
|
||||
Beulah Arnold Wiley |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Diary, 1972 January-October |
5 | 1 | ||
|
Rockford (Illinois) College materials, 1907-1908 |
5 | 2 | ||
| Box | ||||
|
Scrapbook of La Crosse friends, 1942-1972 |
4 | |||
|
|
||||
Mary Esther Wiley Runnestrand |
||||
| Box | Folder | |||
|
Photograph, ca. 1970s |
3 | 3 | ||
|
Teacher evaluation, 1973 |
3 | 4 | ||
|
|
||||