Elwood Haynes biography
Collection — Folder: S0660
Identifier: S0660
Scope and Contents
This collection includes typed copies of biographies about Elwood Haynes, written by his daughter Bernice Haynes Hillis in Indiana, ranging from 1912 to 1927.
Dates
- 1912-1927
Creator
- Hillis, Bernice Haynes, 1896-1976 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
Elwood Haynes was born October 14, 1857, to Jacob March and Hilinda (Haines) Haynes in Portland, Indiana. He attended school at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, and at Johns Hopkins University, studying chemistry and biology. After teaching school in Indiana for a few years, Haynes joined the Portland Natural Gas and Oil Company during the state's gas boom. In 1892, he moved to Kokomo, Indiana, and began work on an automobile after watching his horse struggle to navigate inadequate rural roads. The first successful test of his invention, which is considered either the first or the second American automobile, was on July 4, 1894 outside Kokomo. A life-long inventor, Haynes also created a type of stainless steel as well as other alloys. He married Bertha B. Lanterman on October 21, 1887, and they had two children: Bernice (1892-1976) and March (1896-1965). Haynes died April 13, 1925 in Kokomo.
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Bernice Haynes was born on December 17, 1892, to Elwood and Bertha Haynes. She had one brother. Haynes married Glen Raymond Hillis on November 10, 1920 in Howard County, Indiana, and they had four children. Hillis died on June 26, 1976 and was buried in the Kokomo Memorial Park in Kokomo, Indiana.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes." 1920 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes." Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes Hillis." 1940 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes Hillis." U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Findagrave.com. "Bernice Haynes Hillis." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 29, 2014. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45532074/bernice-hillis.
Findagrave.com. "Elwood Haynes." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9374147/elwood-haynes.
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Bernice Haynes was born on December 17, 1892, to Elwood and Bertha Haynes. She had one brother. Haynes married Glen Raymond Hillis on November 10, 1920 in Howard County, Indiana, and they had four children. Hillis died on June 26, 1976 and was buried in the Kokomo Memorial Park in Kokomo, Indiana.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes." 1920 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes." Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes Hillis." 1940 United States Federal Census. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com
Ancestry.com. "Bernice Haynes Hillis." U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Findagrave.com. "Bernice Haynes Hillis." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 29, 2014. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45532074/bernice-hillis.
Findagrave.com. "Elwood Haynes." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9374147/elwood-haynes.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder )
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2014/05/29 by Edythe Huffman. EAD finding aid created 2014/05/29 by Edythe Huffman. EAD finding aid revised 2025/09/09 by Brittany Kropf.
Creator
- Hillis, Bernice Haynes, 1896-1976 (Person)
- Title
- Elwood Haynes biography
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
