W.W. Embree Collection (DeKalb), 1881-1966 | Northern Illinois University

The W.W. Embree Collection (RC 2) also falls into a logical series of record groups defined by Embree’s collecting activities. The first series (boxes one through seven) contains the family’s genealogy, correspondence, diaries, and records books. The Civil War correspondence found in box 6, folder 15 has been removed. A photocopy of the original letters is available for use by researchers. Series two (boxes eight through fifteen) documents through photographs, the streets, businesses, events, and groups of DeKalb from 1900 through the 1950's. The prints and negatives in this series can be used through a comprehensive index prepared by Waite Embree (see Appendix A)

Series three (boxes twenty-six through thirty-seven) also provides photographic documentation; in this group, the photos and negatives are of the Embree family and DeKalb area citizens. Boxes twenty-eight and twenty-nine contain photos of many DeKalb individuals and families which are arranged alphabetically by surname: an index can be found in Appendix B to this inventory.

Finally, the largest--and perhaps most significant--records series in the collection, series four (boxes forty through seventy-three), gives excellent photographic documentation of rail rolling stock in the Midwest during the period 1900-1950. The photographic prints and negatives illustrate various types of engines and are arranged alphabetically by railroad name, then by type of drive wheel configuration. Three indices arranged by railway, location, and general description are available for the prints and negatives. A large volume of printed materials which complements the photos include timetables, guides, promotional brochures, rail magazines, and approximately one hundred volumes on rail history. A former University Archivist added some volumes to this book collection and contributed a great deal of the organization of this whole series.

In keeping with the agreement concerning the donation of the collection to the University the integrity of arrangement by Embree has been respected whenever possible. The original collection contained four clearly identifiable sets of historical records and the inventory at hand details the largest and most significant of these sets of records.

Elmer Embree was born August 6, 1877, at Waverly, Nebraska. His parents died when he was small and he lived with relatives until his graduation from high school in 1896. Shortly afterwards he came to DeKalb and in 1902 he became associated with Frank Mosher of DeKalb in the retail lumber and coal business under the name Mosher and Embree. In 1923 on the death of Mr. Mosher he became sole owner of the firm. In 1936 his sons became partners in the firm under the name of E.E. Embree and Sons. Elmer Embree also owned a citrus grove in Texas and was active in that industry until this death in 1947.

Elmer Embree married Eva Wagner in 1900. Miss Wagner was the daughter of H.H. Wagner, a local dry goods merchant. While not collectors, the Embrees preserved many items of historical interest from both families. Two of Eva’s brothers, Hayden and Elvin Wagner, attended West Point and were involved in American military in Cuba and the Philippine Islands.

Waite Wagner Embree, the eldest of three children born to Elmer and Eva, was born November 27, 1905. After graduating from the University of Illinois, he joined his father and brother, Henry, as a partner in the E.E. Embree and Sons Lumber Yard. Waite’s sister, Nancy, married and now lives in Peoria, Illinois; his brother, Henry, still resides in DeKalb.

Following Elmer Embree’s death in 1947, the lumber yard business dissolved and Waite Embree, after a brief stint as an insurance agent, joined the operating staff at the DeKalb Wurlitzer plant where he worked until his death in a tragic auto accident in 1962. He was survived by his wife, Mattie Welch Embree, and a son, George Daniel, who is living and working in the Netherlands.

As a young man Waite began collecting materials related to Illinois and DeKalb County history. An interest in transportation led him to undertake extensive photography of railroads in and around the DeKalb area and to collect materials important to the study of railroad history. As a long-time member of the DeKalb Kiwanis Club (like his father before him), Waite Embree became accustomed to public speaking. In later years as he became known as a local historian, he began giving lectures on local history to various clubs and school and church groups in the area. The DeKalb Chronicle published various short articles by Mr. Embree and frequently drew on his extensive photograph collection to illustrate articles of historical interest.