Arrington-Beck Family Papers
Scope and Contents
The family papers consist of photographs, letters, funeral notices, and other memorabilia that cover the two families and their past extended allied families that formerly resided in the geographic areas of Fayette County, West Virginia, and Indiana County, Pennsylvania. These historic materials date from approximately the 1880's to the present.
The collection includes two boxes of family photographs, portraits, and negatives taken between approximately the 1880s and 1990s. The majority of the photographs feature Tom Arrington, Sandra Beck Arrington, and their sons Chris, Scott, and Steve. Sandra Arrington’s parents, Charles Ray Beck and Marion Mears Beck, are also prominently featured in the collection, and kept many photographs of their only daughter and their grandchildren, as well as photographs of their large extended family.
The collection also consists of correspondence, greeting cards, and postcards sent between family members, as well as a series of memorial booklets and remembrances from funeral services. Other materials of interest include Whitter family civil war pension documents from the late 19th century, high school memorabilia from the 1950s, and religious materials and newspaper clippings from Montgomery, Pennsylvania and Beaumont, Texas.
Dates
- Creation: 1880 - 1999
Creator
- Arrington Family (Family)
- Beck Family (Family)
Conditions Governing Access
Some restrictions may apply.
Conditions Governing Use
The Tyrrell Historical Library holds copyright. The researcher must secure permission to publish. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Tyrrell Historical Library. The researcher assumes full responsibility for complying with copyright, literary property rights, and libel laws.
Biographical Note
John Thomas ("Tom") Arrington grew up in Fayette County, West Virginia. While attending high school he met his future wife, Sandra Ray Beck. The couple soon dated and then in 1960 married. Tom Arrington went on to graduate with a chemistry degree from West Virginia University. In 1967, the Arrington family moved to Beaumont, Texas, where Tom assumed a position as chemist with the Goodyear Chemical Plant and then later with the Valspar Paint Plant.
Sandra Ray Beck was born in 1941 as the only child of Marion Mears Beck and Charles “Ray” Beck. The family lived in Smicksburg, Pennsylvania before moving to Montgomery, West Virginia. Charles and Marion Beck were married in 1934 in Dayton, Pennsylvania and eventually followed their daughter Sandra and grandchildren to Beaumont, Texas. The couple was active in the Methodist Church throughout their lives and remained in contact with a large network of extended family members.
Charles Ray Beck was the eldest son of Charles Clarence Beck (1884-1954) and Irene Bush Beck (1888-1972), of Smicksburg, Pennsylvania, who were married in 1907. He had five brothers: Paul, William, Turney, and Ralph “Jake” Beck. He also had one sister, Dorothy Beck Milburn. Paul Beck (1923-1940) tragically died aged 16 in 1940 in a sledding accident. Ralph “Jake” Beck (1926-1978) served in the United States military in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
Extent
5 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
John Thomas ("Tom") Arrington grew up in Fayette County, West Virginia. While attending high school he met his future wife, Sandra Ray Beck. The couple soon dated and then in 1960 married. Tom Arrington went on to graduate with a chemistry degree from West Virginia University. In 1967, the Arrington family moved to Beaumont, Texas, where Tom assumed a position as chemist with the Goodyear Chemical Plant and then later with the Valspar Paint Plant. The family papers consist of photographs, letters, funeral notices, and other memorabilia that cover the two families and their past extended allied families that formerly resided in the geographic areas of Fayette County, West Virginia, and Indiana County, Pennsylvania. These historic materials date from approximately the 1880's to the present.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into seven series. The first series features a large collection of photographs featuring the Arringtons, Becks, Mears, and many other extended families. The next four series focus on the materials of specific families, while the sixth series contains memorials and information about deaths and funerals from all of the families featured in the collection.
Series 1: Photographs, 1880-1999
Series 2: Arrington Family Papers, 1940-1999
Series 3: Beck Family Papers, 1891-1991
Series 4: Mears Family Papers, 1890-1959
Series 5: Whitter Family Papers, 1880-1916
Series 6: Deaths and Memorials, 1940-1977
Series 7: Assorted Materials, 1939-1978
Genre / Form
- Black-and-white negatives
- Black-and-white photographs
- Color photographs
- Correspondence
- Greeting cards
- Newspaper clippings
- Photographs
- Postcards
- Scrapbooks
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Arrington-Beck Family Papers, 1880-1999
- Author
- Jennifer Perritt
- Date
- September 21, 2020
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Tyrrell Historical Library Archives Repository
