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June and Richard Ross Collection

 Collection — Box: 1-7
Identifier: MS-008

Collection Scope and Content Summary

Collection, 1833-1994, bulk 1860-1964, of genealogical and historical materials compiled by June and Richard Ross of Redlands, California. Many of the records provide information concerning individuals of Cornish descent residing in Michigan's Copper Country, while other items are of more historical value. Includes an index to Cornish persons in 1860 in Ontonagon County and declaration of intention records for Keweenaw County from 1904-1914 as well as a 1915 diary excerpt, cemetery listings for the Cliff Mine Cemetery and the St. Joseph's Hospital graveyard, abstracts from The Daily Mining Gazette, and an index to the Keweenaw Historical Society obituaries, among other materials.

Dates

  • 1833-1994
  • Majority of material found within 1860-1964

Access

Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections.

Biography

Richard Albert ("Dick") Ross was born on August 30, 1920, in Wisconsin to Dominic and Anita (Raffone) Viole or Violi. In 1928, Anita married John K. Ross in Waukegan, Illinois, and her children took the Ross surname. Dick graduated from Hyde Park High School in Chicago in 1938.

Lillian June Jennings, born on September 9, 1920, grew up in Houghton and graduated from Houghton High School in 1938. Her mother, Lillian (Nappa) Jennings, was of Nordic extraction, and her father, William Jennings, had an English heritage that would be very important to his daughter later on in her life.

Dick and June met in California, where he had relocated to work for the California State Department of Employment. Following his service in the United States Army, the two married in 1947.

After Dick's retirement in 1975, the Rosses became passionately invested in genealogical research, and they devoted the years from 1977 through 2004 to national and international research trips. Guided primarily by June's background, the couple traveled to Cornwall and the American mining districts that had welcomed Cornish miners, collecting and indexing genealogical data along the way. Their immense research files included vital records, church documents (such as baptismal information), newspapers, immigration and travel data, local directories, and an extensive slate of other published and unpublished materials.

Dick died at age 84 on February 16, 2005. June passed away six years later on August 10, 2011.

Extent

6.35 cubic feet (7 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Collection, 1833-1994, bulk 1860-1964, of genealogical and historical materials compiled by June and Richard Ross of Redlands, California.

Related Materials

Several other collections in the holdings of the Michigan Tech Archives also include genealogical materials compiled by Richard and June Ross:

MS-006, June Ross Cornish American Collection

MS-007, June Ross Marriage Indexes of Cornwall, England

MS-013, Ross Collection of Christening Records of Cornwall, England

Further materials from June and Richard Ross belong to the holdings of the Keweenaw National Historical Park archives. The reading room at this facility is named in their honor.

Processing History

Elizabeth Russell, 10/12/2010 Revised by Emily Schwiebert, 6 Mar 2024

Title
June and Richard Ross Collection
Author
Elizabeth Russell, 12 Oct 2010 Revised by Emily Schwiebert, 6 Mar 2024
Date
6 Mar 2024
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections Repository

Contact:
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton 49931 U.S.A. US