Visual Materials
This collection of photographs centers around the family of James De Barth Shorb (1842-1896) and his "San Marino" ranch in the San Gabriel Valley, California. Views of Shorb's ranch include the house, grounds, reservoirs, ranch workers, horses, and nearby Mission San Gabriel. There are also photographs of Shorb's family home in Maryland, his parents, Dr. James Aloysius Shorb (1798-1867) and Margaret McMeal Shorb, siblings and other Maryland family. After moving to California, Shorb married Maria de Jesus "Sue" Wilson, the daughter of B. D. Wilson, and they had eleven children. All appear in the collection except "Benito" (1876-1877). The others are seen in photographs as children and some also as adults, with their spouses and children: Maria Ynez Shorb White Buck (1868-1933); James De Barth "Barty" Shorb Jr. (1870-1907); Margaret Nina Shorb (1871-1875); Edith Octavia Shorb Steele (1872-1954); Ramona Yorba Shorb Murtaugh (1874-1921); Joseph Campbell Shorb (1878-1919); Ethel Rebecca Shorb (1880-1959); Donald McMeal Shorb (1883-1933); Norbert Newlands Shorb (1887-1951); and Bernardo Yorba Shorb (1888-1928). [Please note the name "McMeal" is also sometimes spelled "McNeal".] There are also photographs of female students and nuns at Ramona Convent, Alhambra, and Convent of Holy Names, Oakland, California; Shorb family at picnics and recreational events; and Shorb family friends including Edward L. Watkins, his wife Mary Stone Watkins and children; Charles Frederick Holder; Grace Mellus; Katharine Mellus; Anne Wilson Patton; Eleanor Martin (1826-1928); and Susan Thornton Glassell Patton Smith. Other people included in collection: James King Steele and son James Shorb Steele (husband and son of Edith Shorb); Adeline Day Shorb and children Mary Day and Yorba (wife and children of Donald McMeal Shorb); Daniel McMeal; Mary B. Shorb (wife of Norbert Shorb); Harriet Shorb (later called Sister Anne Alexis); Julia Shorb; Sophie Shorb; Dr. Ferdie Chatard and his wife, Josie and son, Robert (friends of Shorbs in Maryland), Ethelbert Dowlen (viticulturist); Ike Cooper; and Taylor Scott White. A disbound photograph album of 38 pages contains snapshots dating from 1895-1896 of Shorb ranch, family members, Lake Vineyard, Catalina Island, camping and hunting, picnics and Shorb family friends including the Rice family, Richard I. Howitt, J. H. Gilmour, E.M. Tiernan and members of the Patton family. There are also some views of Chinese peddlers, Chinese workers and African American children at Shorb Ranch. Other items of note: Photograph of an African American man standing by horse and carriage at Shorb home in Maryland (item 41); a studio portrait of a Chinese man named Liu Tian written in Chinese (known as "Hen" by the Shorbs) by Fong Get Photo Studio, San Francisco (item 85); and a Chinese man, possibly an employee, known as "Sing" (item 86), who also appears in the photograph album (Box 8). Some of the loose photographs are copy prints from negatives in other Huntington collections including the Patton and Holladay collections.
