Elton B. Hill papers

Record Group

Identifier: UA-17.67

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the collection contains material relating to the issues that interested Hill most as a teacher and researcher. He taught a number of courses on farm appraisal and agricultural finance, and his reference material appears here. Land tenure, especially the legal and moral implications of father-son partnerships and farm ownership transfers, were of special interest to him.

In addition to this, there is also a scrapbook and some memorabilia from his college days at M.A.C. (Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University). The remainder of the collection is made up of items from the Department of Agricultural Economics, including material used in the teaching of several agricultural economics and farm management courses at Michigan State University.

Also included are photographs of Agriculture Economics Department staff, Farm Department Staff, Cooperative Extension, Farmer's Week, people, state farm management tours, farm machinery. There also image of campus including laying of the library corner stone, buildings and scenes, 1913 football team, 1914 Glee Club, and the Varsity Club circa 1914. Some of the photographs in the collection appear to have been used by Hill for publications or a book he wrote.

Dates

Creation: 1862 - 1972

Creator

Hill, Elton B. (Elton Brainard), 1894-1980 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Elton B. Hill was born May 22, 1894, on a farm in Genesee County, near Davison, Michigan. He died December 12, 1980. He received a B.S. from Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University) in 1915, a master of agriculture degree in 1922, and an M.S. degree from Cornell University in 1927.

Hill was an agricultural instructor at Menominee County Agricultural School from 1915 to 1916. From 1916 to 1918 he served as a county agricultural agent for Menominee County, and from 1918 to 1920 he was an agriculturist with Menominee River Sugar Company in Menominee, Michigan. On September 1, 1920, he was appointed Assistant to the Dean of Agriculture and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station at Michigan State College.

He served in this capacity until 1928 when he was appointed professor and head of the newly established Farm Management Department. He held this position until 1948 when the farm management curriculum was incorporated into the newly formed Agricultural Economics Department.

Hill spent the summers of 1933 and 1937 in Europe. In 1938 he took a one year leave of absence to serve as acting head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Puerto Rico. He was chosen as a district director of the Farm Credit Administration of St. Paul, Minnesota in 1951 or 1952. He retired in July 1964.

Hill wrote numerous bulletins and professional journal articles, and coauthored the Farm Management Manual and Principles of Farm Management. He was chairman of an editorial committee to work on a dictionary of agriculture, and was involved in writing a history of the agricultural economics department at Michigan State University. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Delta Kappa, Alpha Zeta, and Sigma Chi Fraternity. He also belonged to the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, the International Conference of Agricultural Economists, the Lions Club, and the Masons.

Extent

9 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Series Listing

(1) AGRICULTURAL FINANCE. 1934-1963

This series deals primarily with the methods and problems involved in obtaining capital with which to farm. Some folders look at the various lending institutions and their policies toward agricultural loans. Others have material on credit management and proper use of credit.

(2) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS. 1862-1972

Consists of personnel records, research efforts, and historical information pertaining to the department. Contains one subseries entitled "Course Material." The subseries contains information on several farm management and agricultural economics courses. Most of the material is background material for the courses, lecture notes, and some student work.

(3) FARM APPRAISAL. 1925-1964

This series contains information on methods used in evaluating real estate institutions such as the Institute of Farm Brokers and the Michigan Real Estate Association.

(4) FARMING, PROFITABILITY STUDIES. 1914-1917

The bulk of this series is made up of data collected in an attempt to compare farms on a profitability basis. Some additional data is included on income determination, and for many farms a written statement of the assessor's opinion of the farm is included as a description of the farm.

(5) LEGAL ISSUES. 1938-1971

This series is a loose compilation of material generally related to the legalities of farming. Topics such as estate planning, operating agreements, family farm transfers, farm partnerships and corporations, trespass, wills, and insurance are included here.

(6) LAND TENURE. 1939-1970

This series is made up of 3 subseries. The first subseries contains primarily the minutes of the North Central Regional Land Tenure Committee, from 1941-1949. The second subseries contains such information as minutes and subcommittee material from the North Central Land Tenure Research Committee, spanning approximately 1939-1970. The third subseries consists of reports and seminar material related to general land tenure issues, including two folders of land tenure bibliographies.

(7) MISCELLANEOUS. 1871-1964

Included here is information on these topics: Cheboygan County Reports (a farm study similar to the profitability studies); Radio Lecture Material (used in live broad- casts on WKAR); Farm Histories; Farm Surveys; info on Michigan Agriculture; some scrapbook items from Hill's youth; Agricultural Publications; and, a Miscellaneous file. The container listing is self-explanatory for most material.

(8) PHOTOGRAPHS

Legal Status

Donor(s) have transferred any applicable copyright to Michigan State University but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright was not transferred. Copyright restrictions may apply. Property Rights: Michigan State University.