Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
Calendar for October term, 1878
Image not available
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Image not available
Rare Books
351990
Image not available
Rare Books
17520
Image not available
Manuscripts
The majority of the collection consists of the correspondence of the Eldred J. Simkins family and their close relatives. Subjects discussed include the California Gold Rush and life in Mariposa County, Calif., during the 1850s and 1870s; the Civil War in Charleston, S.C., from a confederate soldier's point of view; life in South Carolina and Florida after the Civil War; and life in Austin and Corsicana, Texas, during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection also contains some photographs, including tintypes, of various members of the Simkins family. Of note in the collection is Edward Henry Trescot's descriptions of his ocean voyage around Cape Horn to California in 1849 abord the "Thomas Bennet" and his descriptions of life in Mariposa County, California. The Civil War correspondence in the collection is primarily between Eldred J. Simkins and his future wife, Eliza Josephine Trescot Simkins. The collection contains letters from both Eldred and Eliza. Eldred describes his station with the South Carolina Artillery and fighting for the confederacy. The letters also discuss the hardships of civilian life in South Carolina during the Civil War. The family correspondence also reflects plantation life in the Beaufort District of South Carolina and Madison County, Florida. Eldred J. Simkins also practiced law with his brother, William Stewart Simkins, in Texas, and there are also materials by William in the colection.
mssSIM