Manuscripts

J.B. Houston papers

Description: This collection contains manuscripts, agreements, and correspondence, most of which are related to J.B. (James) Houston, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and the Southern Pacific Company. Items include an agreement between Collis Huntington, Sidney Dillon, Russell Sage, and J.B. Houston regarding the buying and selling of Pacific Mail Steamship Company stock; extracts from the minutes of a board meeting; and two statements regarding Thomas Reddington, J.W. Throckmorton, Joseph E. Johnston, railroad legislation, and the Congressional Committee on Pacific Railroads. Other authors include Senator Roscoe Conkling, Ulysses S. Grant (autograph letter signed to Mrs. J.B. Houston, 1884 October 25, HM 68476), and William T. Sherman. Also included are two letters to J.B. Houston's daughter (her first name unknown) from soldiers, one stationed in Cuba and involved in the Spanish-American War, the other participating in the South African War. The collection also includes poems and clippings.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1881-1899
Call number: mssHM 68473-68482
Creator: Houston, J. B(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Gift of Helen Mangold, June 1968.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights: The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
Associated people: Conkling, Roscoe, (1829-1888.); Dillon, Sidney, (1812-1892.); Grant, Ulysses S. (1822-1885.); Huntington, Collis Potter, (1821-1900.); Sage, Russell, (1816-1906.); Sherman, William T. (1820-1891.)
Associated organization: Pacific Mail Steamship Company.
Find out more: View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab); View in the Online Archive of California(Opens in new tab)

J.B. Houston papers

Manuscripts

This collection contains manuscripts, agreements, and correspondence, most of which are related to J.B. (James) Houston, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and the Southern Pacific Company. Items include an agreement between Collis Huntington, Sidney Dillon, Russell Sage, and J.B. Houston regarding the buying and selling of Pacific Mail Steamship Company stock; extracts from the minutes of a board meeting; and two statements regarding Thomas Reddington, J.W. Throckmorton, Joseph E. Johnston, railroad legislation, and the Congressional Committee on Pacific Railroads. Other authors include Senator Roscoe Conkling, Ulysses S. Grant (autograph letter signed to Mrs. J.B. Houston, 1884 October 25, HM 68476), and William T. Sherman. Also included are two letters to J.B. Houston's daughter (her first name unknown) from soldiers, one stationed in Cuba and involved in the Spanish-American War, the other participating in the South African War. The collection also includes poems and clippings.

mssHM 68473-68482

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Velina Hasu Houston papers

Manuscripts

The collection consists of manuscripts of Houston's plays, screenplays, essays, and chapters from a novel. The correspondence deals with personal, literary, and business matters.

mssHouston papers

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Fred E. Foster collection

Manuscripts

Group of three letter books relating to the work of Fred E. Foster, an independent commercial agent in Shanghai from 1863-1866, and agent of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in Yokohama and Hong Kong from 1878-1882. Plus manuscript journal of the sailing ship St James' voyage under Master Burnham from New York to Hong Kong via San Francisco and Shanghai as well as the return journey via England, dated 1891-1892. The log book may not be in Foster's hand. The letter books reflect Foster's work with mercantile firms in the United States, England, and Europe and their commercial interests in Asia. Letters touch on topics including the acquisition of land leases; performance and compensation for consular services; market changes; buying and selling of goods; Foster's personal activities; everyday life in Asia; day-to-day company operations; and shipping concerns. Correspondents include international mercantile representatives; the PMSSC's presidents, D.S. Babcock and J.B. Houston; and employees of the PMSSC in San Francisco and other cities in Asia.

mssHM 80571-80574

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John M. Cavarly Papers

Manuscripts

This collection contains 47 items related to John M. Cavarly, a ship's captain, who worked for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, from 1864 to 1890. Documents include some correspondence, scrapbooks, and ship's log. As well, the collection also includes the manuscript of the 1961 novel Annie's Captain, about Cavarly and his wife written by their granddaughter Kathryn Hulme. There are ten pieces of correspondence, six of which relate to particular voyages and four are letters from Cavalry to his daughter. The Scrapbook Pages are also filled with correspondence relating to Pacific Mail Steamship Company. The other scrapbooks contain clippings from newspapers regarding voyages, ships, and amusing anecdotes. The Bound Scrapbook used to be a ship's log and there are pages that are not covered in newspaper clippings. The photographs include one photograph of the John M. Cavarly, a photograph of the steamer "City of New York," and a photograph of her officers, including Captain Cavarly. The manuscript, Annie's Captain, is a work of fiction about the lives of John M. Cavarly, his wife and their family. Subjects in the collection include: CSA Florida; John Newland Maffitt; United States mail steamers; Pacific Mail Steamship Company; sailing anecdotes; fiction of Ship captains' spouses; fiction of ship captains; steamboats and steamboat disasters; San Francisco Steamboat lines; Steamboat lines to China; Steamboat lines of the Pacific Ocean; United States Civil War fiction; United States Civil War naval operations.

mssCavarly

Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company's Steamer, New York

Visual Materials

The New York was built in 1864 for Vanderbilt's Atlantic Line; sold, 1865, to Pacific Mail, operated New York to Aspinwall; transfered, 1867, to Pacific Mail's Yokohama-Shanghai Line as a spare steamer; sold, 1875, to Mitsubishi Mail Steamship Company, renamed Tokio Maru. Focus of item: New York (Steamship : 1864-1875).

priJHK 00405

Bill of Fare : [Steamship] New York

Visual Materials

priJHK 00430

J.B. Houston papers

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J.B. Houston papers

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Bill of Fare : [Steamship] New York