Catching Family Collection

Accession

Identifier: ACC-2025-4

Staff Only

Content Description

A collection of approximately 60 photographs dating from the 1870s-1940s related to the Catching Family of Forest Grove, Oregon. The collection also includes: a funeral card for William M. Catching (d. 1898); a "Rook Bible" (Pacific University student handbook), 1937-8; a graduation announcement, tassel, calling cards of students, and other memorabilia from Forest Grove High School, class of 1944; and clippings related to the Catching family. The Catchings were among the earliest pioneer families to settle in Western Washington County. The family patriarch, Benjamin Holland Catching (1810-1894) and his wife, Lavina Hervey Catching (1815-1860), arrived in Oregon in 1845 and claimed land near what is now Thatcher Park in Forest Grove. Their descendants intermarried with other local families, including the Dixon and Parker families. Several attended Tualatin Academy or Pacific University. The photographs in this collection include images of family members and their houses, as well as photographs of: downtown Forest Grove; Pacific University; the Catching Family's brickyard; balsam harvesting; local landscapes and farms; Forest Grove High School; and other subjects.