Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Manuscripts
Agreement regarding the ship Walter Scott
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Manuscripts
This manuscript is a bill of sale for one half of the ship Walter Scott, sold to George B. Upton by John W. Barrett. The ship is registered at the port of Nantucket, and Cromwell Bunker it its current shipmaster. Printed form, filled in and signed by hand.
mssHM 4159
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Manuscripts
An autograph list in an unknown hand of the Original Letters of Sir Walter Scott, including addressee, date, place of origin and important content. The list also contains 7 blank pages for a total of 15 pages and two autograph notes about the provenance of the list.
mssHM 68516
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Manuscripts
This volume is Gorgas' diary of his journey from St. Joseph, Missouri to Placerville, CA, and his return trip to New York via the Panama Canal as part of the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century. Much of the early entries are concerned with weather conditions and landscape and route details. Gorgas and his party finally reach Placerville on July 26, the ninetieth day of their journey, and begin digging for gold outside Sacramento in August. On February 1, 1851, Gorgas boarded a ship, the Olive Branch, bound for New York by way of the Panama Canal, intending to return home to his much-missed family. He lands at Jamaica on April 1, and arrives at New York on April 8. Dated 1850, April 28 through 1851, April 8. Notes include price charts and signatures of people Gorgas may have met during his travels. Includes newspaper clipping with picture of Placerville, CA, circa 1850, and a four-page handwritten timeline of Gorgas' journey (not in his hand).
mssHM 651
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Manuscripts
This journal follows the travels of John Hovey from Massachusetts to California. He departs from Newburyport aboard the vessel Charlott on January 23, 1849; a manifest of crew and passengers is included on pages one and two. Much of the seagoing details are concerned with the weather. The ship reached port on July 23, 1849. He journeyed along the Sacramento River and Mokelumne River with his companions, searching for gold. He was involved with separate disputes over claims with miners from Chile and France (see also HM 4384-4385 which are transcripts of these entries removed from this volume). Hovey departs California by ship on May 30, 1851. Bound volume, with many color illustrations.
mssHM 322
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Manuscripts
This is a series of nine letters written by George Bruce Upton, Junior, to his father, describing his journey to California and his experiences therein. The first two letters, HM 24681 and 24684, were written in February and April, 1852, while the younger Upton was en route to California aboard the ship "Great Britain." By the next letter (HM 24683, dated April-May, 1852), the ship has landed at San Francisco. HM 24684 (written May 31) sees George Junior in San Francisco, attempting to order goods for the opening of a store. In the next letter, (HM 24685, dated June 15), he travels to gold mines out of curiosity, and to check on an acquaintance, whom had gone there to search for gold. Putnam, the would-be miner, was found not doing well. George Junior likes what he has seen of San Francisco, though he is not enamored with its government. HM 24686, written in San Francisco on November 15, tells of a fire in Sacramento that, according to Junior, will "enhance the value of almost every description of merchandise" in San Francisco. The rest of the letter is concerned with the shipping and prices of goods, and details of the purchasing of a boat and insurance. The next letter in the series is dated January 15, 1854. George Junior is living in a shared house in San Francisco, and he writes "the city has improved wonderfully." The following letter was written May 31, 1854 (HM 24688) and contains George Junior's description of his visit to gold mines, and his own successful attempts at panning and digging. He also mentions quartz mining as a potential and relatively untapped source of revenue. In his opinion, he considers "the idea of the mines giving out, in the usual acceptance of the expression, as highly improbable." The final letter in this series is HM 24689, alleged to have been written in San Francisco in 1854, as only the final eight pages of the twelve-page letter remain. George Junior reports that "the mining population has diminished greatly," and that the market for goods has also fallen. He worries about the long-term prospects of San Francisco, despite its rapid growth during his stay there.
mssHM 24681-24689
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Manuscripts
List of the company passengers and crew of the Bay State and California Trading and Mining Company, sailing from Boston to San Francisco on April 4, 1849 and arriving on September 23, 1849 on the ship Areatus. This list was made for Benjamin Warren who was listed as one of the directors. Twelve officers and directors are listed first and then the other members listed in alphabetical order giving their town of origin, occupation and age. Signed on page [4] by R.A. Sayles. There were two Bay State and California companies: this one on the Areatus and the other on the Almena. Jas. Woolley (sometimes Whooley, aka James Warner Woolsey) is listed as captain of the Areatus. She was built in 1839 and weighed in at 538 tons. The Areatus was abandoned at sea after being caught in a typhoon at Laguimanoc (Luzon, Philippines) "in sinking condition" on June 29, 1850 while returning from Singapore.
mssHM 28671