Frank L. Crone Collection

The bulk of the Frank L. Crone collection resides in Series I: Philippines and Peru, which focuses on the American colonial public education system in the Philippines through 1901-1914. There are also notes on Japanese schools and the American colonial public education system in Peru in the early 1920s, although these are small in comparison to the material covering the Philippines, which includes recounts of travel, teaching, administration, local and Indigenous peoples and cultures, along with some politics, athletics, and health. The bulk of the material are bound collections of Frank L. Crone's diary entries, professional correspondence, articles, reports, memorandums, interviews, and official documents while he progressed from the position of teacher to administrator, and finally American Director of the Board of Education in the Philippines during a 14 year period. Through this material one can obtain a picture of American efforts to instill "progress” in the Philippines through an American public education infrastructure, and highlights American imperialism a decade into colonial rule in the Philippines. Other documents in the collection include Crone’s teaching certificates, awards, and newspaper articles highlighting his tenure as Director of Education in the Philippines and Peru. Photographs include mostly portraits of Tagalog women and men, Philippines urban and rural areas, and monuments, with some photographs of people and places in Japan.

Series II: Genealogy is dedicated to the Crone family narrative spanning 1849-1926. The bound genealogy books include correspondence with family members and historical societies, as well as public and private institutions regarding genealogical information. Included in the books are deeds, wills, death certificates, and photographs of the Crone family. The genealogy collection pertains to the Crone family and expands the lineage to the Beck, Benztz, Coon, Deggen, Dellinger, Dritt, Egner, Fissel, Fry, Hod, Holtziber, King, Keuchle, Nelson, Paulus, Schmidt, Schopler, Sirk, Steel, Stout, Stukey, Switzer, Weaver, Wittenmeyer, Zieggle, and Zimmerman families. Through official records, correspondence, and photographs, Crone traces the family’s European lineage, naturalization, military involvement, and migration in the United States. The Crone family linage concentrated in the states of Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.