Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
A travers le Nord-Ouest canadien de Montréal aux Montagnes Rocheuses : notes de voyage
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Rare Books
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Image not available
Manuscripts
The majority of the collection consists of letters sent by Montgomery Meigs to his parents, Montgomery Cunningham Meigs and Louisa Rodgers Meigs, and his sister, Louisa Rodgers Meigs Forbes (known as Loulie), while he was working as a surveyor and engineer on the Northern Pacific Railroad in Minnesota and the Dakota and Montana Territories from 1870-1873. The correspondence begins in May 1870, when Meigs was traveling by rail to Minnesota by way of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and continues with his impressions of St. Paul and his visit to Saint Anthony Falls, including a description of an 1869 bridge collapse there. In June 1870 he accompanied a surveying party to the Old Crow Wing area, where he wrote of Ojibwa Indians, the particulars of running a railroad line, his hunting of prairie chickens, and conflicts between homesteaders and the railroad. In September Meigs went on an expedition through the Detroit Woods, running a line from the Oak Lake area toward Georgetown, Minnesota. During this time Meigs wrote of camp life and the progress of the railroad line, before he was sent back to St. Paul and later the new railroad headquarters in Brainerd. In April 1871 Meigs accompanied new chief engineer Thomas Lafayette Rosser to the Dakota Territory. Although they made some progress past Fort Rice, Meigs wrote that by June the threat of Sioux attacks had forced them to turn back. In the fall of 1871 Meigs went on the Whistler Expedition to the Yellowstone River, and in April 1872 he was made a resident engineer for the railroad line heading east. His letters frequently mention his difficulties with his new position, including his continual conflicts with the contractors and the slowness of his party's work (Meigs blamed a shortage of men and supplies for their lack of progress). By the end of May he was considering leaving the railroad, and in September 1872 wrote extensively of the Northern Pacific's ongoing economic and management issues. In a December 1872 letter sent from Fargo, Meigs wrote to his parents that "the N.P.R.R. appears to be hard up...[and] they have so disbanded the fine engineer corps we had and were so proud of that I scarcely care whether I stay or go." But in June 1873 Meigs still held his position, and was preparing to serve as chief of party for another Yellowstone Expedition, this one accompanied by the 7th Cavalry ("Custer's Cavalry...present a fine appearance on the march," Meigs wrote admiringly). In September they had established themselves at Camp Thorne in the Montana Territory, and Meigs' final letter of the trip, dated September 9, 1873, was written shortly after he had explored the Musselshell Valley. Meigs' next letter was written in August 1874, when he was in Rock Island, Illinois, waiting to go on an expedition up the Mississippi River. He had apparently left the railroad and was employed in making leisurely surveys to estimate the cost of deepening the channel. His final letter was written on May 17, 1875, and in it he wrote to his father that "I think I may someday work into the place of U.S. Civ. Engr." Individuals Meigs met, worked with, or wrote of throughout his correspondence include Walter Atwood Burleigh, George Washington Cass, Ignatius Donnelly, Thomas Lafayette Rosser, and General Ira Spaulding. Also included in the collection are original sketches made by Meigs during his expeditions; typescripts of his letters, some with extended accounts, made by Meigs in 1929; and miscellaneous Meigs family ephemera.
HM 78232.
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Manuscripts
The majority of the collection consists of letters sent by Montgomery Meigs to his parents, Montgomery Cunningham Meigs and Louisa Rodgers Meigs, and his sister, Louisa Rodgers Meigs Forbes (known as Loulie), while he was working as a surveyor and engineer on the Northern Pacific Railroad in Minnesota and the Dakota and Montana Territories from 1870-1873. The correspondence begins in May 1870, when Meigs was traveling by rail to Minnesota by way of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and continues with his impressions of St. Paul and his visit to Saint Anthony Falls, including a description of an 1869 bridge collapse there. In June 1870 he accompanied a surveying party to the Old Crow Wing area, where he wrote of Ojibwa Indians, the particulars of running a railroad line, his hunting of prairie chickens, and conflicts between homesteaders and the railroad. In September Meigs went on an expedition through the Detroit Woods, running a line from the Oak Lake area toward Georgetown, Minnesota. During this time Meigs wrote of camp life and the progress of the railroad line, before he was sent back to St. Paul and later the new railroad headquarters in Brainerd. In April 1871 Meigs accompanied new chief engineer Thomas Lafayette Rosser to the Dakota Territory. Although they made some progress past Fort Rice, Meigs wrote that by June the threat of Sioux attacks had forced them to turn back. In the fall of 1871 Meigs went on the Whistler Expedition to the Yellowstone River, and in April 1872 he was made a resident engineer for the railroad line heading east. His letters frequently mention his difficulties with his new position, including his continual conflicts with the contractors and the slowness of his party's work (Meigs blamed a shortage of men and supplies for their lack of progress). By the end of May he was considering leaving the railroad, and in September 1872 wrote extensively of the Northern Pacific's ongoing economic and management issues. In a December 1872 letter sent from Fargo, Meigs wrote to his parents that "the N.P.R.R. appears to be hard up...[and] they have so disbanded the fine engineer corps we had and were so proud of that I scarcely care whether I stay or go." But in June 1873 Meigs still held his position, and was preparing to serve as chief of party for another Yellowstone Expedition, this one accompanied by the 7th Cavalry ("Custer's Cavalry...present a fine appearance on the march," Meigs wrote admiringly). In September they had established themselves at Camp Thorne in the Montana Territory, and Meigs' final letter of the trip, dated September 9, 1873, was written shortly after he had explored the Musselshell Valley. Meigs' next letter was written in August 1874, when he was in Rock Island, Illinois, waiting to go on an expedition up the Mississippi River. He had apparently left the railroad and was employed in making leisurely surveys to estimate the cost of deepening the channel. His final letter was written on May 17, 1875, and in it he wrote to his father that "I think I may someday work into the place of U.S. Civ. Engr." Individuals Meigs met, worked with, or wrote of throughout his correspondence include Walter Atwood Burleigh, George Washington Cass, Ignatius Donnelly, Thomas Lafayette Rosser, and General Ira Spaulding. Also included in the collection are original sketches made by Meigs during his expeditions; typescripts of his letters, some with extended accounts, made by Meigs in 1929; and miscellaneous Meigs family ephemera.
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Manuscripts
Gregory Yale wrote these seven letters to his wife, Fanny, during his journey west from New York to California by way of Panama, and during his stay in San Francisco, where he established a profitable law practice. The letters are dated between 1849 and 1859. In the first letter (HM 16895, dated 1849, November 13-22), Yale has embarked from New York aboard the ship "Crescent City", and is bound for Panama, where he will cross the canal and continue to San Francisco. The time leading up to his departure was quite hectic, as he writes "In all my life I never had so many things to perform in so short a space. Many were therefore half done, and more not done at all." Procuring a ticket for the Pacific was allegedly extraordinarily difficult, but Yale managed without much trouble through nothing more than good fortune. There were 313 passengers aboard; 400 including crew, and Yale describes them as "intelligent and orderly "and from a variety of backgrounds. Some he was already acquainted with. On the 14th, Yale and several passengers brought their firearms on deck to try them out, but the ship captain put a stop to it. On the 17th, a passenger complained about drops of rain leaking into his cabin, and when nothing was done about it, the fellow "cried FIRE with all his might." Following this ill-conceived outburst, Yale writes "some are for throwing him overboard.....others are for having water thrown upon him to put the fire out." Cuba was sighted on November 19, and the ship landed at Jamaica on the 20th. Yale went ashore and wrote of the land and its people, and the ship took on board "an abundance of fruit." HM 16896, written December 4, finds Yale in Panama. He has been there more than a week, at a local farm, and is in fact leaving on the 5th. He reports there are "12 to 1500 Americans" in Panama awaiting passage to California, and describes the local area, as well as his journey across the peninsula in a long canoe. Yale's next letter is dated December 5 (HM 16897), and he gives Fanny his blessing to travel to Florida for the winter, should she so desire. He also warns her against going out in public alone, and of allowing visitors, and urges her to take good care of their child. Yale's next letter (HM 16898; 1850, January 12-13) sees him safely arrived in San Francisco, and recovered from an illness suffered in Panama. He is paying $25 a week to stay at the Graham boarding house, and is paying $300 a month to rent an office for Yale to set up his law practice, divided with a physician and a dentist who also have offices in the same location. Some acquaintances have been working the mines, with little success. The remainder of the letter is largely concerned with business details for law practice, which Yale touts as a most lucrative endeavor. He has sent Fanny a ring made from California gold. In HM 16899 (1850, January 25 and February 1), Yale reports he has received all the letters Fanny has sent, and is relieved to hear she is in good spirits despite their separation. He has been heavily involved with business, continuing to experience success, and has moved his practice to new offices. By April, Yale is still in San Francisco, and Fanny has given birth to a girl (HM 16900, written 1850, April 28). He describes his lodging, and his typical routine of work and meals. Business continues to increase, and Yale sends more money home, as well as copies of articles detailing his contributions to the community through his work. HM 16901 is the seventh and final letter in this series, and is dated 1859, September 7. Yale writes of the burying of a dead child, and of a lost purse.
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Manuscripts
The collection focuses on Lewis Freeman's travel writings from the early 1900s through the 1950s, and includes unpublished book and article manuscripts, published articles in printed journals, and correspondence with various agents and publishers regarding Freeman's writing submissions. The collection also includes some personal manuscripts, photographs, and diaries. The correspondence includes personal letters from British Military Secretary Sir Douglas Brownrigg (1919-1921); a letter from L.A. Huffman regarding ordering photographs (1922); a letter from photo artist Byron Harmon regarding Freeman's travel photographs (1925); and reviews and fan mail from various correspondents regarding Freeman's published books and articles. Navy correspondence includes a letter from the Lords Commissioners of the British Admiralty granting Freeman the rank of Temporary Honorary Lieutenant RNVR aboard the H.M.S. President (1917); a letter from Richard W. Gruelick of the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence regarding Freeman's joining of a fleet sailing from Hawaii for an Australia-New Zealand Cruise (1925); a letter from R.S. Berkey of the U.S.S. California inviting Freeman to come aboard by favor of Admiral Pratt (1929); a letter from H.V. Butler of the U.S.S. Texas passing on edits made by Admiral Wiley to one of Freeman's forthcoming articles (1929); a letter from N.W. Camanole of the U.S. War Department asking for Freeman's cooperation in supplying his knowledge as an "authority of the Far East"; and a letter from S.C. Godfrey of the War Department's Mississippi River Commission, which includes 8 photographs taken on the U.S. tender boat Willow. Also included is correspondence and maps from the Hillman-Long Company regarding Freeman's oil leases in Orange County, California (1936-1937). There are a few pieces of correspondence written by Freeman, including two extensive letters to the Secretary of the Explorers Club (1946). Much of the correspondence consists of responses – both of acceptance and rejection – from various publications in response to Freeman's proposed books and articles. Correspondents include The Authors' League of America, Bus Transportation , The Daily Telegraph, Dodd, Mead and Company, Fox Film Corporation, The Hudson's Bay Company, The Illustrated London News, the Italy America Society, the League of American Pen Women, The Livingston Enterprise, the London Joint City and Midland Bank Limited, The London Times, National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, and Sunset Magazine. The miscellaneous manuscripts and ephemera include personal items such as Freeman's passport (1916-1917), Colombian identity card (1930), and various song lyrics and poems; naval dispatches sent by Freeman during his time aboard the U.S.S. California, the U.S. Submarine Holland, the U.S. Destroyer Litchfield, and the U.S.S. Saratoga (c.1929); a group of destroyer reports from the British Admiralty (1916-1918); sheet music composed by Freeman and Helen Lurens Gaut (1924); excerpts from various publications; a copy of the introduction to Freeman's photographs for "The Feet of the Young Men"; and 46 pieces of newspaper clippings and printed ephemera. The photographs in Box 2 include those for Freeman's articles "Amazon Navigation" and "Rubber," one of a tree at Cedar Breaks National Park in Utah, a scene of an Indian village at Walpi on the Colorado River, a portrait photograph of Freeman by G. Maillard-Kesslere, a posed portrait of the Delta Phi Club (1895), navy photographs of Freeman and Commander Ramsoy, and a photograph of Freeman on an unidentified tundra. The diaries include those of Freeman's trips to Alaska (1898-1900) and the Canadian Rockies (1916), as well as undated accounts of travels to Colombia and throughout South America, to the Marquesas and the South Seas, along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and brief accounts of trips to Wisconsin and Grand Rapids. The essays and articles consist of typed copies of Freeman's stories, many of which were later published. Some of the articles are accompanied by photographs, several of which were also used in later publications. The articles focus on Freeman's extensive travel experiences, including his trips to India, the South Pacific, South America, Canada, Cuba, along the Mississippi River, Samoa, Hawaii, China, French Polynesia, and Indonesia. Other topics covered in the articles include Rudyard Kipling, World War I (including the British Red Cross in Italy and battles over Serbia), naval events, new forms of electricity, the Guayaquil and Quinto Railway, the conditions of Chinese immigrants in ship steerage, the Shanghai Plague Riot, hunting in British East Africa, and the use of whale meat. The unidentified book notes include manuscript pages and notebooks containing fragments of writings apparently to be used in constructing book texts. The pencil manuscript for When Kalu Blooms contains original drafts for portions of the book, although significant sections (including chapters 6-13) are not included. The typed book manuscripts consist of annotated typescripts and galley proofs for portions of Afloat and Aflight in the Caribbean, Boating Arctic Rivers, Caribbean Jungle Jaunts, Discovering South America, Dogs and Dog-Fights, Many Rivers, Marquesan Nocturne (2 versions of the complete manuscript), Waterways of Western Wandering, and When Kalu Blooms. The publications include articles that appeared in printed journals and other publications. Some of the many and widely varied topics the articles explore are bus travel, boating American rivers, railroads in Asia, Africa, and South America, hydro-electricity, industrialization in Italy, polo and tennis in California, World War I, the future of Jerusalem, business opportunities in the Philippines, Turkey's relationship to Asia, and flight exploration. While most of the articles were written by Freeman, there are also a few pieces by other authors, including R.J. Bjierstedt, Arthur James, Angus McGregor, Moacir Simardi, and Gino Speranza, as well as an interview with Freeman that appeared in Andean Air Mail and Peruvian Times (1942). Some of the publications include The Atlantic Monthly, World Today, Motor Boating, Bus Transportation, The American Review of Reviews, Outing Magazine, The Outlook, The Los Angeles Times, The Pacific Monthly, Popular Mechanics Magazine, Overland Monthly, The Sportsman, Andean Air Mail and Peruvian Times, and The Sportsman Pilot.
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Manuscripts
The collection consists of the papers gathered by Fred Lockley Jr. (1871-1958), his own papers, and those of his father, Frederic E. Lockley Sr. (1824-1905). The papers of Fred E. Lockley (1824-1905) contain his memoirs, his Civil War diary, letters to his wife written from the field during the Civil War, letters from Kansas concerning Indian affairs (1871-72), correspondence with Eastern editors, and letters from Salt Lake City about Mormons and Mormonism (1873) and his observations of the trial of John D. Lee (1875). The papers of Fred E. Lockley, Jr. (1871-1958) contain items relating to the Pacific Monthly magazine, including letters concerning literary figures such as Jack London, Edwin Markham, and others. There are also business papers, and a record book of payments made to contributes to the Pacific monthly from 1907-1911. Lockley's papers also contain his interviews with Oregon pioneers and items he collected regarding Oregon history, mainly pertaining to land titles. Correspondents in the collection include: Clarence Bagley, Frederick R. Bechdolt, Maynard Dixon, George Wharton James, David Starr Jordan, Charmian London, Lute Pease (appears in the collection as both an author and addressee), Giffort Pinchot, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and Charles Warren Stoddard. Addenda #1 is made up of 88 items (three boxes) consisting of volumes, manuscripts, correspondence, and ephemera. The 19 volumes consist of account books, diaries, notes for stories, etc. Most of the volumes belong to Fred Lockley. Also includes two diaries by Fred's wife Laura and a scrapbook belonging to his father, Fred E. Lockley. The manuscripts include drafts of stories by Fred Lockley and his notes. There are also a few manuscripts by other writers including Fred's son Lawrence. The correspondence includes letters by Fred Lockley, his mother, Oregon politician Oliver C. Applegate, Secretary of Navy Josephus Daniels, Herbert Hoover, while he was head of the U.S. Food Administration, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Edith Roosevelt, and Fred's son Lawrence. There are also several pieces of ephemera. Addenda #2 consists of 14 letters. Prominent participants include: Fred Lockley, Fred's father Fred E. Lockley, General George R. Maxwell, Senator James Madison Harvey, Judge James B. McKean, Judge Jacob S. Boreman, Utah newspaper man George W. Reed, and Utah businessman and politician Herbert S. Auerbach. Subjects include: Salt Lake City, Portland, California history, Mormons, Brigham Young, John D. Lee and newspapers in Oregon and Utah. Some notable items include: Colfax, Schuyler. To the Salt Lake City Tribune. 1878 July 5. Box 6 Colfax, Schuyler. To Frederic E. Lockley Sr. 1878 July 19. Box 6 Dixon, Maynard. Letters to Arno Dosch, Lute Pease, Washington Magazine, and to William Bittle Wells. 8 letters, 1906-1909. Box 10 (Folders 12-16) Eames, Ninetta. To Lute Pease. 1908 April 11 and 20. 2 letters re Jack London. Box 10 (Folder 28) Finley, William L. To Eliza (London) Shepard and Jack London. 3 letters, 1912. Box 10 (Folders 45-47) Forbes, Alexander. To William Forbes. 1849 November 8. Letter re overland journey to California, life in the mines and work at Benecia. Box 10 (Folder 54) Hall, Charlotte. To Frederic E. Lockley Jr. 1936 October 11 and 21 re first printing press in Oregon brought from the Hawaiian Islands. Box 10 (Folder 74) Lockley, Frederic E. Sr. "Memoirs of an Unsuccessful Man." [After 1901] Box 1 Lockley, Frederic E. Sr. Civil War Diary. 1864. Box 4 Lockley, Frederic E. Sr. To Elizabeth Metcalf (Campbell) Lockley. 1871 June 8. Letter re Indian Council at Ocmulgee, Oklahoma. Box 6 Lockley, Frederic E. Sr. To Elizabeth Metcalf (Campbell) Lockley. 1872. 15 letters re Indian Affairs. Box 6 Lockley, Frederic E. Sr. To Elizabeth Metcalf (Campbell) Lockley. 1873. 16 letters re Mormons and Mormonism. Box 6 Lockley, Frederic E. Sr. To Elizabeth Metcalf (Campbell) Lockley. 1875. 7 letters re the trial of John Doyle Lee. Box 6 London, Charmian (Kittredge). To Frederic E. Lockley Jr., Hope (Gans) Lockley, and Lute Pease. 9 letters. 1909. Box 11 (Folders 39-41) London, Jack. To Frederic E. Lockley Jr. and Lute Pease. 3 letters. 1909-1913. Box 11 (Folders 42-43) Markham, Anna Catherine (Murphy). To Frederic E. Lockley Jr. 1921 May 3. Contains biographical sketch of Edwin Markham. Box 12 (Folder 10) Markham, Edwin. To Frederic E. Lockley Jr. 2 letters, 1922 and 1926. Box 12 (Folder 11) Marquis, Donald Robert Perry. To Lute Pease. 3 letters, 1907-1909. Box 10 (Folder 12) Miller, Frank Augustus. To Frederic E. Lockley Jr. 8 letters, 1920-1933. Mainly re the Belgian Cross from Amiens for Mount Rubidoux in Riverside, California. Box 12 (Folder 54) Pacific Monthly business record. Box 8 Pacific Monthly. To Ladd & Tilton Bank. 1908 September 12. Box 12 (Folder 47) Pease, Lute. To Jack London. 2 letters, 1909-1911. Box 12 (Folder 47) Pease, Lute. To George Sterling. 1908 June 26. Letter re Jack London and the Overland. Box 12 (Folder 55) Stoddard, Charles Warren. To John Fleming Wilson and Lute Pease. 5 letters, 1907. Box 13 (Folders 41-42) Bogart, Nancy M. (Hembree) Snow. Reminiscences of journey across the plains in 1843 with Dr. Marcus Whitman's caravan and early life in Oregon. After 1910. Box 14 (Folder 3) Willard, Frances. To Elizabeth Metcalf (Campbell) Lockley. 1880 November 10. Box 5
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Manuscripts
The collection consists of personal and business papers primarily related to the James De Barth Shorb family and their business ventures and estate settlements. There is also a substantial amount of material about Benjamin Davis Wilson and his business dealings in California. Topics covered in the collection include agriculture, land development in southern California, the history of the San Marino area, mining operations, water rights and irrigation, politics, society stories, and wills, court documents, and settlement papers related to the Shorb estate. Notable individuals represented in various places throughout the collection include Phineas Banning, Joseph Lancaster Brent, Ynez Shorb Buck, Louis Henry Dielman, Andrew Glassell, Henry Hancock, Winfield Scott Hancock, Isaias W. Hellman, Esther S. Hereford, Thomas B. Hereford, Margaret Irvine, Matthew Keller, Baron Frederich Ferdinand von Levetzow, Catherine McMeal, Ramona Shorb Murtaugh, Francis Noel Parke, Albert Packard, George S. Patton (1856-1927), Ruth Wilson Patton, Anthony Shorb (brother of James De Barth Shorb), Donald McMeal Shorb, Ethel Rebecca Shorb, Dr. J. Campbell Shorb (brother of James De Barth Shorb), James De Barth Shorb, Joseph Campbell Shorb (son of James De Barth Shorb), Margaret McMeal Shorb, Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb, Norbert Newlands Shorb, George Hugh Smith, Edith Shorb Steele, James M. Tiernan, Annie Wilson, Benjamin Davis Wilson, John B. Wilson, Margaret S. Hereford Wilson, and Tomas A. Yorba. Companies and ventures represented in the business and land papers include the San Gabriel Wine Company, B.D. Wilson & Co., the San Marino Ranch, the Southern Co-Operative Warehouse and Shipping Association, the Barton Real Estate Company, the Huntington Iron Works, and The California Arc Lamp Company. The collection is organized into seven main sections: 1) Correspondence and personal papers (including genealogy and photographs), boxes 1-4; 2) Business and legal papers, boxes 5-7; 3) Financial papers, boxes 8-12; 4) Land papers, boxes 13-16; 5) Newspaper clippings, ephemera and objects, boxes 17-19; 6) Ethel R. Shorb files, boxes 20-24, and 7) Oversize (5 items). Legal documents dealing specifically with land titles or agreements are included in the Land Papers section. Some correspondence relating directly to Edith R. Shorb's newspaper activities and other Shorb family members' estate dealings are included in those portions of the collection. Condolence letters on the death of James De Barth Shorb are included in the Personal Papers series of the collection. Series I: Correspondence and Personal Papers The correspondence consists of both personal and business letters. The majority of the personal correspondence was exchanged between members of the Shorb family and their friends and relatives, and include letters written while the family was living in Maryland from the 1820s- 1860s. Other items include letters regarding the history and genealogy of the Shorb family, particularly those written in response to Louis Henry Dielman's inquiries on the topic. The business correspondence includes references to the wine industry, agriculture, land sales, railroads, mining, politics, and estate settlements. Authors and addressees of the letters include Ynez Shorb Buck, the Earl Fruit Company, Winfield Scott Hancock, Mayo William Hazeltine, Catherine McMeal, John McMeal, Francis Neal Parke, the San Gabriel Wine Company, Ethel Rebecca Shorb, Dr. J. Campbell Shorb, James De Barth Shorb, Margaret McMeal Shorb, Mary Shorb, Norbert Newlands Shorb, Edith Shorb Steele, Adelaide Shorb Tiernan, James M. Tiernan, Charles Augustus Wetmore, and Marcos Yorba. Some notable or interesting pieces of correspondence include: A letter from Dr. J. Campbell Shorb regarding his involvement in the "case of Ogier," in which he asserts that he never gave a medical opinion on or to Ogier before his death (1833). A letter probably written by Donald McMeal Shorb to his parents James Aloysius Shorb and Margaret McMeal Shorb in which he asks them "in giving me up [to the Confederate Army] do not mourn too deeply, for if it is the will of the Almighty to call me from this life on the field of battle, regret me but do not grieve over me as though I had yielded to sickness on the couch of luxury" (1864). A letter from Mayo William Hazeltine to James De Barth Shorb, lamenting the latter's departure from San Francisco. "[W]hen a thirst for gold drives [another friend] to San Buenaventura the void he leaves is not soon…filled. I am told it never thunders in [the] San Francisco sky, but…since you went away there seems less electricity than ever" (1865). A letter from E.B. Washington to James Aloysius Shorb and Margaret McMeal Shorb consoling them on the death of their son (1866). A letter from Annie Ogier to Winfield Scott Hancock, in which she writes of the Rio del Llano mining claim and touches on politics, noting "I suppose you are a Greeley man. I don't know what I am but I am against Grant that's certain" (1872). A letter to James De Barth Shorb thanking him for "securing the reinstatement of those employees who were discharged from the service of the Los Angeles Terminal Railroad Company" (1892). Three letters to Edith Shorb Steele regarding Baron Frederich Ferdinand von Levetzow, including one from a distant relative who notes that Levetzow is "on a walking tour round the world passing San Francisco and Japan on accident of a wager" (1897); one from Levetzow's stepmother M. von Levetzow-Ehlorstorff confirming that "he…is traveling now through America…on account of a wager to cross the world in a certain time" (1897); and a final note from H.F. Studevart informing Edith of Levetzow's death "while out hunting…[he] became overcome with the severe cold and perished. His remains were found the next morning" (1899). The personal papers relate primarily to the Shorb family and include Donald McMeal Shorb's signed oath to the United States following the Civil War (1865), Ethel R. Shorb's passport (1929), condolence letters on the death of James De Barth Shorb (1896), and other items relating to Anthony Shorb, Norbert Newlands Shorb, and Edith Shorb Steele. Also included are an essay by Baron Frederich Ferdinand von Levetzow, a handwritten Ramona Echoes newsletter (1896), and a copy of Gladys A. Wood's San Marino Play: Adapted from History (1932), among other items. Also included in this section of the collection are genealogical notes on the Shorbs and Wilsons; photographs, including those of Baron von Levetzow, James De Barth Shorb, and Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb; a scrapbook of clippings and letters (1886-1893); and the manuscript of Memoirs of the Mines of Almaden and Almadenejos by Fernando Bernaldez and Ramon Rua Figueroa (1861). Series II: Business and Legal Papers The business papers include contracts, articles of incorporation, insurance policies, and estate records, primarily relating to the Shorb family (including Anthony Shorb) and their business ventures, as well as to Wilson and Banning businesses. Corporations included in the contract and articles of incorporation section include the Southern Co-Operative Warehouse and Shipping Association, B.D. Wilson & Co., the Barton Real Estate Company, the Huntington Iron Works, and The California Arc Lamp Company, as well as various produce companies who made distribution agreements with the Shorbs. The insurance policies primarily consist of those taken out by James De Barth Shorb for properties in San Marino and Ramona (1892-1897). The estate records are mainly those of the Shorb childrens' settlements and agreements regarding the estate of Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb. Other estate matters include those of A.W. Sublette, Stephen S.White, Benjamin Davis Wilson, and Tomas Yorba. The legal papers include wills, power of attorney documents, and some assorted court records. The wills include those of Edward S. Hereford (1894), Ethel R. Shorb (1930 and 1959), James De Barth Shorb (1875 and 1878), Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb (11 items, 1887-1917), Edith Shorb Steele (1949), John J. Williams (1881), Annie Wilson (1930), Benjamin Davis Wilson (1869), and John B. Wilson (1869). The power of attorney documents include those given and received by William T.B. Sanford, James De Barth Shorb, Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb, Norbert Newlands Shorb, James M. Tiernan, and Benjamin Davis Wilson, including a document giving Wilson's power of attorney to James De Barth Shorb (1875). The court records include case files on The Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles vs. Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb (c.1899), a judgment in the mental competency hearing of Donald McMeal Shorb (1918), a pauper's affidavit of Norbert Newlands Shorb (1917), and a report regarding the guardianship of Thomas Yorba (1897). Series III: Financial Papers The financial papers consist of statements of account, bank statements, tax records, promissory notes, stock records, receipts, cancelled checks, and account ledgers. The statements of account and bank statements include those for the San Gabriel Wine Company (c.1887), the San Marino Ranch (statements and plan for liquidity, c.1883-1900), James De Barth Shorb (1879-1915), Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb (1881-1913), Sierra Vista Ranch (1897), James M. Tiernan (c.1886-1895), and Benjamin Davis Wilson (1862-1875). The tax records and receipts include those related to James De Barth Shorb (c.1880-1894), Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb (1868- 1897), Ramona Shorb Murtaugh (1895), William M. Shorb (1889), James A. Tiernan (c.1885- 1893), and Benjamin Davis Wilson (1850-1855). The promissory notes include those of James De Barth Shorb (1872-1895), Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb (1885-1898), Benjamin Davis Wilson (1852-1877), and Wilson & Packard (1850-1851). The stock records relate to the California Arc Lamp Company, the California Fruit Company, the Los Angeles and Soledad Turnpike Company, and the San Gabriel Wine Company, as well as including stock notices from Anthony Shorb. The assorted receipts and cancelled checks include those of James De Barth Shorb, Maria de Jesus Wilson Shorb, James M. Tiernan, Benjamin Davis Wilson, and Wilson & Shorb (c.1870). The account books and ledgers were kept for and by the San Marino Ranch (1874-1897), James Aloysius Shorb (1836-1842), and James De Barth Shorb (1896-1897). Also included is James M. Tiernan's notarial record (1887-1896). Series IV: Land Papers The land papers consist primarily of deeds, conveyances, certificates of title, mortgages, and maps. The deeds, conveyances and certificates of title are mainly connected to the property dealings of the Shorbs and Wilsons. The properties described are almost exclusively in the southern California area, including Lake Vineyard, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Wilmington, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Stockton, and Rancho Santa Anita. There are also a small number of deeds for land in San Francisco. The mortgages and assorted land papers are also primarily related to the Shorbs and Wilsons and their land holdings in southern California, and include items on the Rancho El Rincon (1899), the General Stoneman House (1873), properties of the James Irvine trust, lots on Meridian Avenue in Oneonta Park sold by Ethel R. Shorb (1917- 1930), land near the Banning house (1874), San Marino Ranch lands, citrus crop mortgages made with the Porter Brothers Company, documents regarding a railroad right-of-way suit in Alhambra, complaints regarding Rancho San Antonio, a memorandum of agreement to Donald McMeal Shorb regarding purchase of the Yorba Grant in Lower California (1914), and documents on the transfer of property from the Tomas Yorba estate to George Smith Patton (1896). The maps are of land in Alhambra (Calif.), Alhambra (Ariz.), San Antonio and Ice House Canyons (1892), San Pasqual, Emmitsburg (Md.), Wilmington (Calif.), and the estate of Bernardo Yorba in Riverside County. Series V: Newspaper clippings, ephemera, and objects The clippings include local newspaper stories on the Pattons, Shorbs, Wilsons, and Yorbas, as well as general California history. There are also a few complete copies of California newspapers from the 1890s. The ephemera consists of calling cards, including those of the Shorb, Wilson, and Patton families; memorial programs and notices relating to the Shorb family; a variety of printed advertisements, notices, and programs; printed invitations, mainly relating to Shorb family functions and weddings, including those of Patton family members, from 1855-1940; and other miscellaneous ephemera, including greeting cards, tickets, and envelopes. The box of objects includes cased daguerreotypes, hair and teeth belonging to members of the Shorb and Wilson families, a crest of Dr. James Anthony Shorb, and other items such as a pen box, leather pouch, and gold chain. Series VI: Ethel R. Shorb Files This series consists of the work files of Ethel Rebecca Shorb, who was the Society Editor for The Argonaut Magazine in San Francisco during the 1950s. The magazine files include press releases and announcements on the activities of local organizations and clubs, including the California Federation of Women's Clubs, the Children's Theatre Association of San Francisco, Daughters of the American Revolution, the Junior League of San Francisco, the National League for Women's Service, the Pan American League, and the Women's Athletic Club of San Francisco. The society stories include releases and clippings on concerts, holiday events, home tours, memorials, parties, debutante events, engagements, and weddings, in addition to 51 Del Monte Press Bureau Releases. Other manuscripts include Ethel Shorb's calendars and notebooks, 12 pieces of correspondence addressed to Ethel Shorb, a brief autobiography, and miscellaneous ephemera. Also included are clippings of Ethel Shorb's published articles, her assorted notes, and newspaper clippings. Series VII: Oversize The oversize items consist of newspapers and maps. They include a copy of The Capital newspaper (1896), copies of the Pacific Wine and Spirit Review (1896), a map of Douglass (Ariz.) and the Sonora Development Companies (1890), a plat and written description of the "Prospero" land tract near Mission San Gabriel (1875), and a rolled map of Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1850).
HM 78233.
mssHM 16895-16901
mssFreeman papers
mssLockley
mssShorb1