Manuscripts
Kirk family papers
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Kirk family papers
Manuscripts
The material includes one manuscript, one document and 16 pieces of ephemera; the majority of the collection consists of family letters, notes, cards and invitations between members of the Kirk, Inskeep, and Ridgway families. The most noteworthy of these are the letters written by Joshua Paul Kirk, in 1862, detailing his experiences in the Civil War. The other family members include: Ephraim Inskeep, Mary Olden Inskeep, Elias Kirk, Joshua Paul Kirk, Marietta Ridgway Kirk, Morris Paul Kirk, Marietta Kirk Ragland, Ephraim Inskeep Ridgway, Mary Ridgway, and William Olden Ridgway. There are also letters to and from various friends and assorted family members.
mssHM 74389-74411
Harry Chandler with Bruce Barton and Kirk Hill at the California Club
Manuscripts
Black and white photograph. (L to R) Bruce Barton, Harry Chandler and Kirk Hill chat in the California Club. Paul Bertness Collection.
mssLAT 01535
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Speed Family Papers
Manuscripts
The collection consists of 305 letters, indentures, announcements, and receipts. There are also 19 pieces of ephemera and 39 albumen, tintype, and daguerreotype photographs. The majority of the correspondence in the collection (179 letters) was sent to John James Speed (1803-1867) from business associates and family members. George James Pumpelly wrote more letters than any other associate, sending 99 letters to Speed between 1853-1863. He talks about business finances, owing and collecting money, and various business ventures that Speed is involved in at the time. Some of his letters discuss investigating the purchase of coal mines and Speed's attempt to build a telegraph line from St. Louis, Missouri, to the West coast. Several of the letters sent by various people during 1832 congratulate Speed on his appointment to the New York State legislature. Ann Speed (d. 1881) writes 5 letters to her husband during the period while he is in the legislature and living in Albany, New York. Her family also corresponds with her husband, and her father, Charles Horton Morrell, wrote 13 of these letters. Morrell and his son, Lewis H. Morrell (Ann's brother who sends 2 letters) refer to Speed as "Son" and "Brother," respectively. Speed receives 5 letters from his cousin, Joshua J. Speed; he also receives a few letters from his children. Most of these letters discuss family matters, travel plans, and the weather. Perhaps the most noteworthy item in the collection is an unsigned speech made by John James Speed (1803-1867) at the National Republican Convention in June 1864 in Baltimore, Maryland. He touches on several subjects including President Abraham Lincoln, Vice-Presidential nominee Andrew Johnson, and the Civil War. He also mentions the death of his son, William Johnson Speed (1832-1863) at Gettysburg. The collection also includes 29 indentures written during the early 1800s between John James Speed (d. 1860) and others. Three folders containing ephemera include invitations to a Fourth of July celebration (June 1822) and a New Year's Day (Dec. 1822) party. The collection also contains 39 photographs (Boxes 6-7). A few of the Speed family members have been identified including John James Speed (1803-1867), Cornelia Speed (1847-1884) and Frederic Speed (b. 1841). There is also a photograph of Ezra Cornell (1807-1874) and one of Mrs. Cornell in Box 7. Note: The maiden name of Ann Speed, the wife of John James Speed (1803-1867), was Anne Sophia Morrell, and she signed each of her letters using her married name. She appears in this collection as: Ann Speed, d. 1881.
mssHM 61156-61460
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Leigh family papers
Manuscripts
The collections consists of letters, poems and other manuscripts written by various members of the Leigh family and other people in their circle. The letters are mainly concerned with the intimate, mundane, playful and tragic aspects of family life from the early modern period until the middle of the 19th century. There is also a small number of poems, written by or copied out by family members, a Hymn, a speech, and a travel account. The collection also contains the 19th century volume, titled in gild on spine "Original Family Papers &c. Vol. 1. MSS." Letters and other material purchased by the Huntington Library Collectors' Council have been removed from the volume by the Huntington Library Conservation Department. An unknown number of letters were removed from the volume prior to the Huntington Library purchase.
mssHM 81608-81660
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Clark family correspondence
Manuscripts
This collection contains 21 letters from Sarah Clark to her husband and children. The remaining correspondence is between Clark family members. There are a few additional pieces written by friends, relatives, and one business associate. The correspondence covers a wide range of subjects including: the citrus industry in California and Nevada; economic conditions in California, Indiana, and Nevada; agriculture in Northern California; hunting; sickness; courtship; children; and business. There are also two letters containing love poetry, and the collection contains an express receipt from Wells Fargo and Company. Sarah Clark (fl. 1852-1895) is the most prolific figure in this collection, as she wrote twenty-one letters and was the addressee of eight. There are, however, eighteen other authors of these letters, including her sons, Charles 3 Scope and content note (continued) Francis Clark (7 letters), Joshua Clark (6 letters), William G. Clark (3 letters), and Robert V. Clark, Jr. (3 letters). There are 5 letters from her husband, Robert V. Clark, a combined six from Sarah's three sisters, and an assortment of letters from friends, acquaintances, and one business associate. The letters describe day-to-day activities of the family members as well as their hopes, dreams, and longings. Sarah Clark, left to care for six children while her husband tried to establish a new life in California, attempted to survive with little money and with the hope that she would once again be reunited with her husband. Her early letters relate a longing for his companionship and her need to support and take care of him. Her later letters focus primarily on her ill health and occasional discomfort.The letters in the collection also make reference to diseases such as smallpox, home remedies such as a bread and milk poultice for aches and pains, and the death of a child in town where no one attended her funeral. There are upbeat moments as family members participate in various functions such as picnics, parties, and one outdoor event where Joshua Clark recalls that women participated in a football game. Joshua Clark also received two letters containing love poetry from a woman named Reta. There is ample discussion of the citrus industry with at least two family members, C. F. (Charles Francis) Clark and William G. Clark, involved in the distribution and sale of an assortment of fruit. There are passing references to the opera coming to town, singer Jenny Lind (spelled "Lynn" in the letter), and winter sports such as sledding. There is occasional talk of road surveying and road taxes and one family member runs into several "Chinamen" while surveying his property. Some of the correspondence discusses courtship and marriage. In one letter, a woman named Emma requests a photograph of a prospective suitor with very little requirements as to appearance, height, or weight. Her only stipulation is that he be able to support her and be an Israelite.
mssHM 61076-61139
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Jarman Family Papers
Manuscripts
The collection primarily consists of correspondence related to the Jarman family, Mormon converts who immigrated from England to Utah in the 1860s. It includes statements by Maria Bidgood Jarman Ford Barnes regarding her divorce from her abusive, polygamous first husband; 26 letters sent to Maria from her son Albert while he was serving on a mission trip to England from 1894-1895; and various letters from other family members and friends, including the Dickert family, who describe their life in Germany, and a friend who served on a mission to Switzerland in 1897.
mssHM 79906-79951