Goforth Collection
Title
Goforth Collection
Subject
Goforth, Helen Boomer, 1877-1971
Teacher
Description
The Goforth Collection contains images of Helen Boomer Goforth and her family. Helen Cecile Boomer Goforth was born May 31, 1877, one of four children born to George Bollman Boomer, a teacher, and Martha Jane “Mattie” Boomer of Buncombe, in Johnson County in southern Illinois. She had one sister, Nola, and two brothers, Cincinnatus (“Nat”) and Simeon (“Sim”). Helen attended the Southern Illinois Normal University at Carbondale, Illinois (later SIU). Goforth worked as as a teacher in Tonica and Westfield, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado.
She married James Gill Goforth of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, formerly of Buncombe, in 1909. They moved to Denver, Colorado in 1911 or 1912. They had two children, Millicent Helen (1913-1963) and Nola Elena (1917- ). James Gill Goforth was a teacher in Illinois and Arkansas, a traveling salesman in Texas, and a laborer and stationary engineer at the Ft. Smith & Western Railroad in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.
The finding aid for the Helen Boomer Goforth Papers, 1855-1942 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum may be found at http://alplm-cdi.com/chroniclingillinois/items/show/253.
Photographs in this collection include images of Helen Boomer Goforth and the Boomer and Goforth families.
She married James Gill Goforth of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, formerly of Buncombe, in 1909. They moved to Denver, Colorado in 1911 or 1912. They had two children, Millicent Helen (1913-1963) and Nola Elena (1917- ). James Gill Goforth was a teacher in Illinois and Arkansas, a traveling salesman in Texas, and a laborer and stationary engineer at the Ft. Smith & Western Railroad in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.
The finding aid for the Helen Boomer Goforth Papers, 1855-1942 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum may be found at http://alplm-cdi.com/chroniclingillinois/items/show/253.
Photographs in this collection include images of Helen Boomer Goforth and the Boomer and Goforth families.
Collection Items
Cincinnatus Boomer
Cincinnatus "Nat" Boomer of Buncombe, Johnson County, sits for a portrait. Cincinnatus is the brother of Helen Boomer Goforth. On verso: "Zetetic."
Whitaker Family
The Whitaker Family in Vienna, Illinois, poses for an outdoor portrait. On verso: "Only 2 left Martha and Geneva."
Boomer Family
George Bollman Boomer, Martha Jane "Mattie" Boomer, Nola Boomer Leonard, Simeon "Sim" Boomer, and George Leonard sit on the porch of the Boomer family home in Buncombe.
Greenville College, Class of 1910
Freshman and sophomore portraits of a female student at Greenville College. The woman photographed is likely one of Helen Boomer Goforth's daughters.
Female Students
Two portraits of a female student taken in Whittier, California, represent a student in their junior and senior years. The person featured in the photographs is likely one of Helen Boomer Goforth's daughters.
Nola Leonard
Nola Boomer Leonard, sister of Helen Boomer Goforth, sits for a portrait wearing a dark dress and glasses. On verso: "A teacher in Vienna, Illinois."
Garrett Biblical Institute
A view shows the church-like building of the Garrett Biblical Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston. The school, founded in 1853, was the first Methodist seminary in the Midwest.
Fell Hall
An exterior view features Fell Hall at Illinois State University in Normal. Originally build as a residence hall in 1918, the university closed the building in 1989 for renovations, reopening it in 1992 as an academic and administrative building.On…
Cyclone Destruction
A man, two women, and two children walk among the rubble of buildings destroyed after a cyclone passed through Murphysboro. On verso: "The people are strangers - none of us."
Collection Tree
- Illinois Photographic Collection
- Goforth Collection