Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Huntington, Henry Edwards, 1850-1927

titleDuveen Brothers Records, 1876-1981, bulk 1909-1964
repositoryThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
descriptionThe records provide an detailed view of the Duveen Brothers business activities in London, Paris, and New York. Although the archive extends from 1876-1981, the bulk of the material dates from Joseph Duveen's tenure as president of the firm, 1909-1939, and the period from 1939 to 1964 when Edward Fowles directed the firm (with Armand Lowengard until 1943). The mass of documents, such as cables and letters, invoices, and ledger and stock books, give a day-by-day account of art dealing, business strategy, and the individuals involved

NOTE Series I (ca. 112 linear feet) contains the firm's business records. Stock books indicate where objects were sent for repair, to whom objects were sent on approbation along with the date of sale and the price realized. Invoices include receipts, sales invoices sent to clients, lists of cablegrams and shipment of stock from each branch of the business

Series II (ca. 155 linear feet) consists of papers and correspondence which broadly cover the interaction between the Duveen Brothers firm and its clients, business associates, and the public. The correspondence describes art collecting trends among museums and individuals, the availability and purchase of art, art research and authentication, and the firm's general business practices. Eleven boxes of correspondence with Bernard Berenson detail his business relationship with the firm. Also included are records of lawsuits, correspondence between branches (some written in code), correspondence with museums, papers regarding galleries, Edward Fowles' papers, papers concerning exhibitions and loans, and papers regarding major art collectors and consultants. Some records of Kleinberger Galleries (apparently the papers of Harry G. Sperling, president) form a subseries within this series, and contain correspondence

Series III (c. 127 linear feet) includes some photographs, indices, negatives, and x-rays. This series represents the Duveen Brother's stock of images. Indices are available for the majority of the negatives in cold storage

("X Book" (Berenson transaction) is the only unique Duveen document not transferred to the GRI. It has not yet been photocopied. The "X Book" details, for a limited number (about 250) of Italian paintings in which Berenson had a financial interest, precise dates of purchase and sale, primarily in the years 1910-27. There is no index.) AAM

LOCATION
Watson Library Reference

CALL NUMBER
Microfilm Cabinet
extentCa. 394 linear ft. 584 boxes, glass negative cabinets, and 18 flat file folders. 422 microfilm reels : positive ; 35mm
formatsPhotographs X rays Correspondence Financial Records Inventories
accessMicrofilm of the archive is available for use by qualified researchers. The originals are held at the Getty Institute in CA.
record sourcehttp://library.metmuseum.org/record=b1334527~S1
finding aidUnpublished finding aid available in the repository (the Getty Research Library): folder level control. Online finding aid, Watson Online, Metropololitan Art Museum.
acquisition informationThe Metropolitan Museum of Art donated the Duveen archive to the Getty Research Library in 1996. Edward Fowles had donated the archive to the Metropolitan in 1968
updated03/16/2023 10:29:52
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titlePapers of Henry Edwards Huntington, 1794-1970 (bulk 1840-1927)
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe collection consists of the personal and business papers of Henry Edwards Huntington. There is Huntington family correspondence (including Holladay family papers), but the papers deal chiefly with California railways and Southern California real estate and industry. There are also papers related to the founding and history of the Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens .

Represented in the collection are Henry E. Huntington and his uncle, Collis Potter Huntington, among others. There are materials related to the Huntington Land and Improvement Company, Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, and the Pacific Electric Railway Company
The collection also contains some materials on business and civic affairs in New York and elsewhere


Biographical and Historical Note:
Henry Edwards Huntington (1850-1927), founder of the Huntington Library, was born in Oneonta, New York. In 1892 he went to San Francisco to work for his uncle, Collis Potter Huntington, who was President of the Southern Pacific Railway Company. After Collis's death in 1900 and Henry's purchase of the Shorb ranch in 1902, Henry moved his business interests to the Los Angeles area, organizing the Pacific Electric Railway Company, the Huntington Land and Improvement Company, and other real estate and industrial development enterprises. Around the same time, Henry Huntington began to seriously collect books, and by 1908 he dedicated more time and money to the collection of books, manuscripts and works of art.

call #
mssHEH 1-14121
extent22,490 items in 200 boxes + uncataloged materials
formatsBusiness Records Financial Records Correspondence Personal Papers
accessCollection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. Contact repository for restrictions and policies.
record linkhttp://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf858005xn/?&query=Papers%20of%20Henry%20Edwards%20Huntington&brand=oac
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidUnpublished finding aid available in repository. An electronic version is available on the Web site of Online Archives of California (OAC).
acquisition informationHenry E. Huntington and family, Gift, 1927-
updated04/29/2018 14:29:42
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titleArabella Huntington Papers, 1888-1925.
repositorySyracuse University Libraries
descriptionThe papers of Arabella Huntington contain correspondence, subject files, bills and receipts, and manuscripts.

Correspondence includes incoming and outgoing correspondence, and correspondence to and from others. The incoming correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author. The outgoing correspondence if filed chronologically. (Dates: 1892, 1901-1902, 1905-1919, 1922-1923.)

Subject files contains accounts, blueprints, inventories, legal papers, material pertaining to the Roadside Mine, and related items. These materials are arranged alphabetically by type or subject. (Dates: 1891, 1897, 1909, 1912, 1920, 1923-1925.)

Bills and receipts consists of bills or receipts sent to Mrs. Huntington by various firms, merchants, charities, etc. These are arranged alphabetically by name of the firm or individual. (Dates: 1888-1889, 1902-1925)

Manuscripts includes three articles by others, all typescript. These are undated.

Arabella Duval Huntington was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1851. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.M. Yarrington, raised Arabella in Virginia where she remained until her marriage at the age of eighteen. She married a Mr. Worsham of New York City in 1869 and returned there with him. However, he died a year later, leaving Arabella with an infant son, Archer Milton.* The next fourteen years were spent raising her son and educating him herself. In 1884, she married Collis P. Huntington, railroad builder and financier. Mr. Huntington legally adopted Archer. They lived a very happy life together until his death in 1900.

For the next ten years, Mrs. Huntington tried to carry on her husband's interests, visiting his shipyards and supporting charities in his name. In 1913, she remarried once more. Mutual interests in art attracted her to Collis P. Huntington's nephew, Henry E. Huntington, and after their marriage they traveled extensively in Europe, gathering the materials for what was to be the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery in California. She divided her time between New York and her husband's home in California. She remained active in numerous charities and good works until her death in 1924.

*This history has been questioned. A. Hyatt Mayor, Arabella's nephew, has suggested that Archer Milton was in fact the illegitimate son of Collis Huntington. [RR]

extent1.5 linear ft.
formatsCorrespondence Financial Papers Manuscript Ephemera
accessThe majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
record linkhttp://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/h/huntington_a.htm
record sourcehttp://library.syr.edu/
finding aidOnline and in repository
updated04/29/2018 14:18:12
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titlePapers of Orrin M. Peck, 1878-1951 (bulk 1890-1915)
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe collection consists of the personal correspondence of Orrin Peck and his sister, Janet Peck. There are 119 letters from Phoebe Apperson Hearst and these letters discuss her philanthropy in the fields of art and education, her son William Randolph Hearst, their life in California, travels in Europe, and San Francisco and national politics. Other correspondents include: Pablo Casals (1), John Drew (1), William Randolph Hearst (7), Lou Henry Hoover (4), Carl von Marr (179), and John Singer Sargent (17)

The collection contains references to various artists, musicians, authors, and public figures, including: Edwin Austin Abbey, Pablo Casals, Lillie Hitchcock Coit, John Drew, Lou Henry Hoover, Joseph Pennell, James D. Phelan, and John Singer Sargent. Other subjects covered include the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, the Bohemian Club, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and World War I and II. Of note are two references to Henry E. Huntington's art collection and developments in and around Los Angeles, CA.

Biographical note:
Orrin M. Peck (1860-1921), was born in Hobart, New York in 1860, the son of James and Margaret H. Peck and brother to Helen P. Sanborn and Janet M. (Janet Moore) Peck (b. 1878). His mother Margaret befriended Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) on a steamship voyage from Panama to San Fracisco. Orrin became a close friend of Phoebe's son, William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), and was even the best man at his wedding. Orrin studied art in Munich and collaborated with Carl von Marr (1858-1936) on some of his work. Peck became an accomplished portrait and landscape painter. He was commisssioned to paint portraits of Mrs. Hearst and William Randolph Hearst. Orrin was with Willam Randolph Hearst in New York and Florida before being hired to design the landscaping for his San Simeon home in California in 1920. Peck died suddenly in Los Angeles in 1921
extent3,547 pieces, 17 boxes, 1 oversize folder.
formatsClippings Correspondence Photographs
accessSee repository of restrictions.
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidThe unpublished finding aid is available in the library.
acquisition informationW. P. Wreden, Purchase, 10/4/1961
updated11/12/2014 11:29:53
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titlePapers of John Dustin Bicknell, 1872-1914 (bulk 1887-1897).
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe collection consists primarily of correspondence related to the professional activities of John Dustin Bicknell, who was a partner in several Los Angeles law firms. In addition, the collection also includes 51 bound volumes (19 letter books, account books, journals, etc.), six rolled documents and maps, and two photographs

The collection includes letters from individuals who wished to buy or sell property or had a claim against someone concerning their land. As an attorney for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, Bicknell received correspondence from Collis Potter Huntington and Henry Edwards Huntington asking for his advice on right-of-ways and other matters related to railroads and interurban lines

In addition to correspondence from the Huntingtons and several of his partners including James A. Gibson, Walter J. Trask, and Stephen Mallory White, the collection also contains business letters from several prominent individuals including Reginaldo Francisco Del Valle, Jackson Alpheus Graves, Isaias William Hellman, William Franklin Herrin, George Wharton James, Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe, Henry Harrison Markham, Henry William O'Melveny, William Mulholland, Joseph Deighn Redding, Frederick Hastings Rindge, William Starke Rosecrans, Charles Hansen Toll, Moses Hazeltine Sherman, James Slauson, Jonathan Sayre Slauson, Harriet Williams Russell Strong and Shirley C. Ward

A few of the letters are from various relatives and friends of Bicknell including Warren Newton Dusenberry, superintendent of Brigham Young University, from whom he received seven letters

The collection also contains approximately 650 letters (1883-1902) from various individuals who work or supervise the Frazier Mine near Gorman, California that Bicknell jointly owned. These detailed letters describe not only the activities of the mine but also the living conditions and the problems of receiving mail, supplies and equipment

Biographical Note
John Dustin Bicknell (1838-1911) established a law firm in Los Angeles in 1872 with John R. McConnell and Joseph M. Rothschild, and in 1876 he formed a partnership with Stephen Mallory White. After White left to take an active part in California politics, Geogre J. Denis became Bicknell's new partner until 1890 when Bicknell joined forces with Walter J. Trask. Seven years later James A. Gibson joined the firm, which became known as Bicknell, Gibson & Trask. In 1903, Bicknell and his partners merged with the Los Angeles law firm of Dunn & Crutcher, which would eventually become known as Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. For many years Bicknell served as counsel for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company working for both Collis Potter Huntington and his nephew, Henry Edwards Huntington. Bicknell specialized in land patent law, was one of the owners of a gold mine near Gorman, California, and had several real estate holdings
extent9,802 pieces: 20 boxes; 51 bound volumes; 6 rolls; 2 photographs
formatsCorrespondence Financial Records Journals Photographs Ephemera
accessCollection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department.
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidUnpublished finding aid available in repository.
acquisition informationRoy F. Bagg and Barbara Bagg Heath, Gift April 1981.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
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titlePapers of William Hertrich, 1904-1966.
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe collection consists of correspondence and other papers related to the development of the San Marino Ranch and the Huntington Botanical Gardens, the construction of the Huntington residence and of the Huntington Library, and the city of San Marino, California. There are also articles related to botanical gardens and specific plant species. Of note in the collection is correspondence between William Hertrich and Henry Edwards Huntington relative to the ranch and library.

Biographical and Historical Note
William Hertrich was born in Baden, Germany, and studied horticulture in Austria. By 1904 he was in California, where he began to work on the San Marino Ranch purchased by Henry Edwards Huntington the previous year. Hertrich progressed from gardener to superintendent of grounds and buildings and retired in 1948. Hertrich continued in an advisory capacity at the Huntington Botanical Gardens until his death in 1966.

Call # mssHHH 1-1798
extent2,687 pieces.
formatsCorrespondence Ephemera
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record linkhttp://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf7199n8pd/?&query=Papers%20of%20William%20Hertrich,&brand=oac
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidUnpublished finding aid available in repository. An electronic version is available on the Web site of Online Archives of California (OAC).
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleRosenbach Company Correspondence, 1903-1953.
repositoryRosenbach Museum & Library
descriptionRosenbach Company Correspondence, found in: Rosenbach Company Records, 1903-1953.

Historical Note
Book sellers
extent186 boxes (ca. 153,750 items)
formatsCorrespondence
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/
finding aidComputer-generated guide available in library; folder-level control.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleLos Angeles Railway Corporation Collection of Photographs [graphic], 1853-1939.
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe Los Angeles Railway (LARy) Corporation collection provides a broad pictorial overview of the development of the railway systems in Los Angeles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as information on the physical development of the city itself. The collection was compiled by Edwin L. Lewis, a LARy employee for 51 years, as background information for a proposed, unpublished, two-volume history of the Los Angeles railway systems.

Historical Note
Formed in 1910, the Los Angeles Railway Corporation (LARy) was the final result of various mergers and consolidations of the numerous local and interurban railways which had developed in Los Angeles and adjacent communities. In that year, Henry E. Huntington yielded his interests in the Pacific Electric Company to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, which subsequently controlled the interurban lines, and he incorporated the Los Angeles Railway Company and other railway interests to form the Los Angeles Railway Corporation, which then operated the Los Angeles city lines.

LOCATION
Photographs

CALL #
photCL 58
extent1164 black and white photographs, 97 glass negatives, clippings, correspondence, manuscripts, notes, a card file, and a ledger book in 27 boxes (22 linear ft.)
formatsPhotographs Negatives
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record linkhttp://www.oac.cdlib.org
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidOnline and in repository.
acquisition informationDonated by Edwin L. Lewis, June 1939.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleCollis Potter Huntington Papers, 1797-1904.
repositorySyracuse University Libraries
descriptionThe Collis P. Huntington Papers have been arranged into four series: Incoming correspondence (1856-1904), Letterpress copy books (1868-1901), Legal and financial records (1797-1901), and Personal papers (1862-1901). Each of these series is described in detail below.

By far the most important and most voluminous parts of this collection consists of Huntington's business and personal correspondence, contained in Series I and II -- some 129,000 pages of incoming correspondence, 1856-1904, and some 112,000 pages of letterpress copy books (259 volumes) of outgoing correspondence, 1868-1901. The correspondents are primarily railroad financiers, officials and administrators, congressmen, lobbyists, industrialists, bankers, lawyers and engineers. A summary of the contents of the correspondence by decade is given below, and a selected index to correspondents is also available.

The highlight of the correspondence comprises the letters of Huntington and those of his five main associates, David D. Colton, Charles Crocker, Edwin B. Crocker, Mark Hopkins, and Leland Stanford. The correspondence of these six men opens in 1868 and continues to the years of their deaths. Their letters deal with both business and personal matters including construction, maintenance and operation of their railroads, and their problems in public relations and legislative restrictions. Important correspondents include the following:

Anderson, James
Anthony, Susan B.
Armstrong, Samuel Chapman
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad
Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Co.
Axtel, Samuel B.
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
Barney & Smith Manufacturing Co.
Bierstadt, Albert
Blaine, James G.
Bloss, John B.
Boyd, John
California Pacific Railroad
Carnegie, Andrew
Central Land Company of West Virginia
Central Pacific Railroad Co.
Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Co.
Colton, David D.
Conkling, Roscoe
Conness, John
Crocker, Charles
Crocker, Charles Frederick
Crocker, Edwin B.
Dillon, Sidney
Echols, John
Elizabethtown, Lexington & Big Sandy Railroad
Emmons, D. W.
Field, Cyrus W.
Fisk & Hatch
Gates, Isaac E.
Gorham, George C. Grant, Ulysses S.
Gray, George E.
Hampton Normal & Agricultural Institute
Hopkins, Mark
Huntington, Henry E.
Ingalls, Melville E.
Judah, Anna
Kentucky Central Railroad Co.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Miller, E. H., Jr.
Mills, William H.
Newport News & Mississippi Valley Co.
Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.
New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Co.
Occidental & Oriental Steamship Co.
Old Dominion Land Co.
Old Dominion Steamship Co.
Pacific Improvement Co.
Pacific Mail Steamship Co.
Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
Pullman, George M.
Sargent, Aaron A.
Seligman, J.& W., Co.
Smithsonian Institution
Southern Development Co.
Southern Pacific Co.
Southern Pacific Railroad Co. of California
Speyer & Co.
Stanford, Leland
Towne, Alban N.
Tweed, Charles H.
Union Pacific Railroad Co.
Vanderbilt, Cornelius
Washington, Booker T.
Wells, Fargo & Co.
Westinghouse, George, Jr.
Incoming correspondence, 1856-1904 (microfilm reels 1 - 54), is arranged chronologically by year, month, and day, with undated items placed at the end of the month, year, or at the end of all the correspondence. Enclosures were microfilmed following their letter of transmittal. Included with the incoming correspondence are postcards, telegrams and cablegrams, telegraph tapes, memoranda, abstracts of letters, printed notices in letter form, and letters forwarded to Huntington by members of his staff.

Although the incoming correspondence begins in 1856, the bulk of the correspondence starts in 1867 and 1868. Incoming letters are addressed primarily to Huntington, with others addressed to Isaac Edwin Gates, his brother-in-law and private secretary, or to members of his New York office staff.

Over the years, Huntington's correspondence indicates the use of several cipher systems. Although the cipher code books are not available in this microfilm edition, there are many letters with word keys to Substitution codes. Cipher telegrams are generally accompanied by a translation.

Aside from the incoming correspondence, other locations in the collection contain correspondence. Correspondence relating to particular pieces of real estate and court cases was filed with these records in Series III. Series IV, Personal Papers, includes an autobiographical letter written by Huntington in 1899. This series also contains four printed volumes (90A-D) of Huntington's correspondence with his business associates.

Letterpress Copy Books, 1868-1901 (microfilm reels 1 - 35) contain copies of outgoing correspondence, 1868-1901. Nearly every volume has an alphabetical index arranged by last name or business name of the addressee. Each index was microfilmed at the beginning of each volume. The volumes are arranged into 34 groups (i.e., company or individual name) and then chronologically within each group. Only in a very few instances is this chronological order disrupted by a missing volume.

The 34 groups of letterpress copy books vary in size. Five of these groups concern the almost day-to-day accounts of the building of the Central Pacific Railroad: Central Pacific Railroad Company, Vols. 1 - 19; Central Pacific Railroad Company (Collis P. Huntington to Charles Crocker, Charles F. Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, et. al.), Vols. 20 - 36; Central Pacific Railroad Company (Isaac E. Gates), Vols. 45 - 110; Contracting and Building Company, Vols 141 - 149; and telegrams, Vols. 257 - 259.

Other significant groups of letterpress copy books relate to the Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Company, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, the Southern Pacific Company, and the Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad Company. A complete citation for each volume can be found in the Complete Reel List (available in hard copy only, please contact the repository listed above for more information).

Legal and Financial Records, 1797-1901 (microfilm reels 1 - 23) includes material previously from the years 1863-1901. This series is divided into two sections, namely, Corporate, 1869-1900, and Personal, 1797-1901.

Corporate records, 1869-1900, include financial and business records for 34 companies in which Huntington had an interest. The files in this small section are arranged alphabetically by company name. The Complete Reel List (available in hard copy only, please contact the repository listed above for more information) lists each company. The types of records in this section include stock certificates, memoranda, articles of agreement, comparative statements of rates among railroads, bonds, court records, option agreements, mortgages, indentures, inventories, and numerous addition types of financial records.

Personal records, 1797-1901, are subdivided into Account Books, Civil Suits, Personal Bills, Real Estate, Miscellaneous.

Account books: begins with 19 volumes (35-53) of Huntington's personal financial records including cash books, 1875-1890; day books, 1871-1876; journals, 1886-1898; and ledgers, 1890-1893. Related to these volumes are 4 investment ledgers, 1876-1902 (63-66), and 5 record books of loans payable and receivable, 1867-1900 (67-71).

Civil suits: An important category in this section is court case records of civil suits, 1879-1897 (54-62), which directly or indirectly relate to Huntington. These records include printed court records, depositions, holograph notes by defense lawyers, correspondence, and supporting materials which include account books, statements of account, deposit tags, check books, and lists. The individual case records are arranged alphabetically by case name. Where volume required, materials relating to a case were arranged by type of record.

Two court cases require special mention. The largest group of records relate to the 1883 civil suit brought by Ellen M. Colton (Mrs. David D.) against Leland Stanford et. al (56). Mrs. Colton believed that the Central Pacific Railroad Company had swindled her out of company securities owned by her late husband. The case, which lasted 2 years, resulted in 24 printed volumes of court testimony, as well as a quantity of material prepared by the defense lawyers and a quantity of David D. Colton's personal financial records. The other important case represented is Edward J. Muybridge v. Leland Stanford, 1883 (59A-59D). In 1872 Muybridge was commissioned by Stanford to photograph a horse at full gallop in order to determine if at any point all four feet were off the ground. The film indicated there was such a point. Subsequently Stanford published some of these photographs and attempted to secure a patent on the design of the photographic apparatus used by Muybridge. Muybridge sued on the grounds that credit had not been given for his published photographs and that since he designed the apparatus, Stanford was not entitled to a patent. It is unclear why these court case records appear in Huntington's papers.

Personal bills: Huntington's personal bills and receipts, 1863-1900 (72), are arranged into loose bills, 1863-1895, which are arranged chronologically by year and month; and three volumes of chronologically arranged mounted bills, 1892-1900. These bills are primarily for personal and household expenses. Included are bills Huntington received in furnishing his various residences.

Real estate: Huntington's real estate records, 1797-1901 (73-124), consist of correspondence, bills, receipts, indentures, contracts, bills of sale, mortgages, deeds, vouchers, maps, blueprints, and two volumes (123-124) of property accounts. Bills dealing with real estate may also be found among personal bills. The real estate records are arranged alphabetically by locale: by state, City and street address, in that order. Among New York City property ' it is important to note that arrangement is alphabetical by the spelling of numbered street names.

Of particular interest are the records dealing with the purchase and furnishing of the Nob Hill home of David D: Colton (74), as well as documents relating to the design, construction, decoration, furnishing, and maintenance of Huntington's palatial residence at 2 West Fifty-Seventh Street in New York City (100). The collection also contains materials regarding the remodeling of Huntington's country home at Throgg's Neck (112). There are materials dealing with the design and construction of a chapel in memory of Huntington's mother in Harwinton, Connecticut (79), and records of construction and operating expenses for a public library and reading room maintained by Huntington in Westchester, New York (113).

Miscellaneous: This material includes statements of account, 1869-1900 (125-126), miscellaneous financial records, 1872-1898 (127), and a copy of Huntington's will, 1897 (128).

The statements of accounts include the following records. Huntington's accounts with Huntington-Hopkins, Central Pacific Railroad Company, Southern Pacific, and Pacific Improvement Company. Comparative statements of accounts of Leland Stanford, Huntington, estate of Mark Hopkins, Mrs. M.F. Searles, Charles Crocker, and Stillman & Hubbard with the Pacific Improvement, Southern Development, and Southern Pacific companies. Statements of cash receipts and disbursements for the accounts of Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mrs. M.F. Searles, and Charles Crocker. Individual statements of account of Mrs. M.F. Searles with the Pacific Improvement Company, Leland Stanford with the Pacific Improvement Company, and Arabella D. Huntington with the Southern Pacific Company.

There are, in addition, a list of loans to C.P. Huntington an Wells, Fargo & Company Express stock; a list of properties in which Stanford, Huntington and Charles Crocker had interests; a comparative statement of the assets of the estate of Mark Hopkins, December 31, 1878, and of Mrs. M.F. Searles, December 31, 1887; a readjustment of notes of Stanford, Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mrs. Searles with the Pacific Improvement Company; and a statement of account between Stanford and Huntington arising from Stanford's subscription to the Contracting & Building Company and his interest in the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Syndicate.

Personal Papers, 1862-1901 (microfilm reels 1 - 3) are arranged into the following sections: biographical material, material relating to Collis P. Huntington's business and philanthropic interests, miscellaneous, memorabilia, and printed matter. Each section will be described in detail.

Biographical material, 1862-1899 (1-4), includes a lang autobiographical letter written to James Speyer, December 6, 1899; autobiographical notes by Huntington edited by Charles Nordhoff; genealogical material collected by the Rev. E.B. Huntington; and Huntington's personal memorandum book, 1862-1868.

Material relating to Collis P. Huntington's business and philanthropic interests, 1865-1900 (5-54), are arranged alphabetically by company name and include minutes, reports to stockholders and boards of directors, prospectuses, lists, printed circulars, reports, resolutions, proposals, maps, and blue prints. There is no more than one folder of material for each company. There are some important business records in this section that relate to Huntington's broad business interests.

Miscellaneous records, 1885-1898 (55-60), include railroad reports, reports an possible financial ventures, and stock exchange statements.

Memorabilia, 1875-1934 (61-82), includes newspaper clippings, 1879-1934; photographs of Huntington; specifications for Huntington's private railroad cars and his steam yacht; and an index to transportation articles and references in the New York Tribune, 1875-1902. A complete list of all entries is provided in the Complete Reel List (available in hard copy only, please contact the repository listed above for more information).

Printed matter, 1873-1899 (83-96), includes primarily pamphlets relating to Huntington's railroad interests. The pamphlets are arranged alphabetically by title. The Complete Reel List (available in hard copy only, please contact the repository listed above for more information) provides a full bibliographic entry for each printed item.

Of particular importance are four volumes of printed correspondence published between 1891 and 1894 in a very limited edition. These four volumes contain edited versions of letters, 1867-1879, exchanged between Huntington and his associates, David D. Colton, Charles Crocker, Charles F. Crocker, Edwin B. Crocker, and Leland Stanford. In many instances these printed letters can be compared to the originals in Series I & II, which sometimes carry pencil notations such as "Don't Print". These letters are not indexed.


Biographical History
Collis P. Huntington was born on October 22, 1821, in Harwinton, Connecticut, the sixth of nine children of Elizabeth and William Huntington. After a brief and perfunctory education, he was apprenticed at age fourteen to a neighboring farmer and the following year to a local grocer. Between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, he was an itinerant note collector in the South.

In 1842, Huntington purchased a partnership in his brother's hardware store in Oneonta, New York. It was here that he married Elizabeth Stoddard in 1844. In 1849, he went to California by way of Panama with a group of Oneontans. He entered the hardware business in Sacramento, and by 1855 was joined by Mark Hopkins in the hardware firm of Huntington & Hopkins, one of the largest of its kind on the West Coast. This partnership lasted until 1867.

With Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, a dealer in dry goods, and Leland Stanford, a grocer, Huntington was one of the founders of California's Republican Party. He worked for the admission of California as a free state in 1850, and later supported Abraham Lincoln for president.

A Railroad Tycoon
Huntington's railroad career began in 1861 when he, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and others formed the Central Pacific Railroad Company. In 1862 the company received a loan from the Federal government to build the western end of the first transcontinental railroad. A further incentive was provided in 1864 when Congress promised to give the company 12,800 acres of adjoining Federal lands for each mile of track laid; the Central Pacific received some 9,497,600 acres. Finally in May, 1869, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific connected in Utah and the first transcontinental railroad was completed.

In December, 1862, Huntington moved to New York City to serve as financier, purchasing agent, legal adviser, and Washington lobbyist for the Central Pacific. As soon as the transcontinental line was completed, Huntington began to purchase twenty-three separate railroad companies in California. Although he thought of selling his Central Pacific stock in 1871, he was already far too involved in building and acquiring transportation systems to quit the field. The financial panic of 1873 put him under great financial strain, but neither he nor the Central Pacific defaulted on their loans.

In the late 1870's Huntington was instrumental in financing and building the Southern Pacific system. Completed in 1883, the Southern Pacific ran from California to New Orleans. Eventually the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific systems were consolidated into one transcontinental railroad company with 9,000 miles of tracks and 16,000 miles of water transportation systems. Huntington succeeded Leland Stanford as president of the Southern Pacific Company in 1890. In 1892, Henry E. Huntington, Collis' nephew, became vice-president of the company and increasingly carried on his uncle's business enterprises.

During the building of the Southern Pacific, Huntington also served as president and director of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company. When this company was sold at a foreclosure sale in 1878, Huntington purchased the road and continued to manage it until 1888 when he sold his shares and the company was reorganized. The eastern terminus of the Chesapeake & Ohio was Newport News, Virginia, where Huntington later established the Chesapeake Dry Dock & Construction Company. The western terminus of the road was Huntington, West Virginia. Both of these cities, built under the supervision of Huntington, were built on property owned by land companies controlled by Huntington.

A Baron of Finance and Political Lobbying
Huntington's financial interests in railroads, steamship companies, land companies, as well as many manufacturing and construction companies, made him an extremely powerful financial figure. His influence an Congress was considerable. As such, during his thirty-nine years as a railroad financier and builder, Huntington faced opposition from both Congress and the press. In 1887, for instance, the Interstate Commerce Commission outlawed rebates, while the United States Pacific Railway Commission was investigating to determine whether Leland Stanford and Huntington had used bribery with Congressmen to obtain favorable railroad legislation. These charges were never proved. Huntington was such an adroit lobbyist that he could obtain preferential legislation at the same time as he was being investigated by Congress.

Philanthropic Activities
Philanthropy is an aspect of Huntington's life which is little known. He established the Huntington Industrial Works at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, of which he was a trustee. He financially aided Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute. Huntington was an avid book collector and connoisseur of fine art. His art collection was given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His fortune went into the founding of such institutions as the Henry E. Huntington Library, the Hispanic Society of America, and the Mariners' Museum.

Family History
In September, 1844, Huntington married Elizabeth Stoddard. Having no children of their own, they adopted Mrs. Huntington's niece, Clara Prentice, later the Princess Clara von Hatzveldt. Elizabeth Huntington died in 1883 and in 1884 Huntington married Mrs. Arabella Duval Yarrington Worsham and adopted her son, Archer Milton. Collis P. Huntington died suddenly on August 13, 1900, at the age of seventy-nine. Arabella Huntington later married her late husband's nephew, Henry E. Huntington, and died in New York on September 16, 1924.
extent120 linear ft.
formatsFinancial Papers Correspondence Clippings Photographs Legal Papers
accessParts of this collection are restricted. Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
record linkhttps://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/h/huntington_cp.htm
record sourcehttp://library.syr.edu/
finding aidIn repository and partial guide online.
acquisition informationGift of Anna Hyatt Huntington.
updated04/29/2018 14:31:22
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titleHuntington Estate Papers, 1955-1976
repositorySyracuse University Libraries
descriptionThe Huntington Estate Papers consist primarily of legal and financial papers relating to the businesses and estates of Collis P. Huntington and his wife Arabella, and their son Archer Milton Huntingon and his wife Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington. The material includes bank statements, bills, correspondence, litigation documents, receipts, taxes, trust documents, wills, and similar material.

Biographical History
The Huntington family were businessmen, art collectors, and philanthropists in early 20th century New York. Collis P. Huntington was a railroad builder and financier; he and his wife Arabella Duval Huntington collected art and supported various charities. Their son, Archer Milton Huntington, was an American philanthropist and poet and together with his wife, noted sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, became an enthusiastic patron of the arts.

extent12 linear ft.
formatsEstate Papers Financial Papers Legal Papers Inventories
accessThere are no access restrictions on this material.
record linkhttps://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/h/huntington_est.htm
record sourcehttp://library.syr.edu/
acquisition informationGift of Anna Hyatt Huntington.
updated04/29/2018 14:20:35
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titlePapers of Orrin M. Peck, 1878-1951 (bulk 1890-1915).
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe collection consists of the personal correspondence of Orrin Peck and his sister, Janet Peck. There are 119 letters from Phoebe Apperson Hearst and these letters discuss her philanthropy in the fields of art and education, her son William Randolph Hearst, their life in California, travels in Europe, and San Francisco and national politics. Other correspondents include: Pablo Casals (1, John Drew (1), William Randolph Hearst (7), Lou Henry Hoover (4), Carl von Marr (179), and John Singer Sargent (17).

The collection contains references to various artists, musicians, authors, and public figures, including: Edwin Austin Abbey, Pablo Casals, Lillie Hitchcock Coit, John Drew, Lou Henry Hoover, Joseph Pennell, James D. Phelan, and John Singer Sargent. Other subjects covered include the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, the Bohemian Club, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and World War I and II. Of note are two references to Henry E. Huntington's art collection and developments in and around Los Angeles, Calif.

Notes
Photographs and printed items were transferred to the Photo Archives and Rare Books Department of the Huntington Library.

Guide to American historical manuscripts in the Huntington Library (San Marino, Calif. : H. E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, 1979)

Biographical Note
Orrin M. Peck (1860-1921), was born in Hobart, New York in 1860, the son of James and Margaret H. Peck and brother to Helen P. Sanborn and Janet M. (Janet Moore) Peck (b. 1878). His mother Margaret befriended Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) on a steamship voyage from Panama to San Francisco. Orrin became a close friend of Phoebe's son, William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), and was even the best man at his wedding. Orrin studied art in Munich and collaborated with Carl von Marr (1858-1936) on some of his work. Peck became an accomplished portrait and landscape painter. He was commisssioned to paint portraits of Mrs Hearst and William Randolph Hearst. Orrin was with Willam Randolph Hearst in New York and Florida before being hired to design the landscaping for his San Simeon home in California in 1920. Peck died suddenly in Los Angeles in 1921.
extent3,547 pieces.
formatsCorrespondence
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidThe unpublished finding aid is available in the library.
acquisition informationW. P. Wreden, Purchase, 10/4/1961.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
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titlePapers of Benjamin Davis Wilson, 1847-1920.
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe collection consists of letters, manuscripts, documents and maps related to the life and business affairs of Benjamin D. Wilson. Subject matter includes business and social life in California (1850-90), Indian affairs in Southern California (1852-56), the wine industry, the Santa Fe trade, the estate settlement of Solomon Sublette, and the early history of Pasadena, San Marino, and Wilmington, California

Persons represented in the collection include: Phineas Banning, Edward Fitzgerald Beale, Joseph Lancaster Brent, Cave Johnson Couts, Stephen Clark Foster, John Charles Frémont, John S. Griffin, William McKendree Gwin, Benjamin Hayes, Henry Edwards Huntington, George S. Patton, Sr., George S. Patton, Jr., and Jonathan Trumbull Warner


Biographical and Historical Note
Benjamin D. Wilson (1811-1878), a native of Tennessee, was a pioneer California rancher and businessman who came to California from New Mexico in 1841 as a member of the Rowland-Workman party. He purchased the Jurupa Rancho (Riverside, Calif.) in 1843. In 1851-52 Wilson was elected the second mayor of Los Angeles, in 1852 he served as U.S. Indian Agent under Superintendent Edward F. Beale, and in 1855-57 and 1869-72 he served as state senator. He purchased Rancho de Cuati and adjacent land to develop his Lake Vineyard Ranch (part of present-day San Marino) and with John S. Griffin purchased Rancho San Pascual (which later became the city of Pasadena). Wilson planted vineyards and citrus groves and became active in business circles

In 1844 Benjamin D. Wilson married Ramona Yorba, daughter of Bernardo Yorba, a well-known land owner during the Mexican period. After Ramona's death, Wilson married Margaret S. Hereford in 1853. He was the father of one son and three daughters, one of whom married James DeBarth Shorb (1842-1896) and another whom married George Smith Patton (1856-1927)

LOCATION
Manuscripts

CALL #
mssWN 1-1926
extentApproximately 1,800 pieces.
formatsCorrespondence Manuscript Ephemera Business Papers Personal Papers
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidUnpublished finding aid available in repository.
acquisition informationMrs. C. J. McClurg, Purchase, June 1935. Anne W. Patton, Gift, 1959. Mrs. James W. Totten, Gift, 4/19/1971.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
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titlePapers of George Clinton Ward, 1887-1936.
repositoryThe Huntington Library
descriptionThe collection consists of letters, manuscripts (including 5 diaries), documents, photographs, and one scrapbook related to the life and business activities of George Clinton Ward. Subjects include Ward's life in New York (1887-1900), two trips to the High Sierra in the area of Huntington Lake in 1922 and 1923, and Ward's work with the Big Creek project. Henry E. Huntington (1850-1927) is represented by ten items in the collection.

Biographical and Historical Note
George Clinton Ward (1863-1933), engineer and California utility company executive, was a native of New York, were his first work was in the construction of iron bridges and in railroad engineering. He was chief engineer for the Racquette lake Railroad in NY, owned by Collis P. Huntington. In 1905 Henry E. Huntington persuaded Ward to come to California. Ward became general manager first for the Huntington Land and Improvement Company and then for the Pacific Light and Power Company, where he was in charge of the Big Creek hyrdo-electric generating project. He was made vice-president of the Southern California Edison Company in 1917 and then president in 1932.
extentApproximately 680 pieces.
formatsCorrespondence Manuscript Ephemera Photographs Scrapbooks
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
bibliographyGuide to American historical manuscripts in the Huntington Library (San Marino, Calif. : H. E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, 1979)
record sourcehttp://catalog.huntington.org
finding aidGuide to American historical manuscripts in the Huntington Library (San Marino, Calif. : H. E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, 1979)
acquisition informationMrs. Louise Ward Watkins, Gift, 9/16/1946 Mrs. Louise Ward Watkins, Gift, 12/13/1954
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleAmerican Art Association records, 1877-1924 (bulk 1910-1924)
repositoryThe Frick Collection and Frick Art Reference Library
descriptionThe American Art Association records document a selection of auction sales run by the gallery, as well as Thomas Kirby’s relationship with those who sold their works through the AAA. Records date from 1877-1924, with the bulk dating from 1910-1924. The collection includes correspondence, approximately 1,000 photographs, handwritten and typed notes, fragments of a typescript on the American Art Association, pages from auction sales catalogues, newspaper and periodical clippings, and several sales catalogues.

The records are organized in three series:
I. Auction Sales, 1910-1923
II. Correspondence and Notes, 1877-1924, and
III. Clippings, 1881-1924.

The bulk of the collection concerns specific auction sales conducted by the American Art Association. Files contain inventories of the works, often with prices and names of buyers; black & white photos of the works and several of the exhibition installations; correspondence; sections of a typescript on AAA; handwritten notes regarding the sales; pages from sales catalogues; and clippings. Documentation of 70 sales ranges from a single typescript sentence to multiple folders of correspondence, inventories and hundreds of photographs of the items for sale. An additional 150 auction sales are represented in the files only by cursory handwritten notes. Some of the most heavily documented sales include "57 Paintings Belonging to Ichabod T. Williams" of February 3-4, 1915, "Charles of London, Italian, French & English Furniture, Tapestries, Rugs, Paintings, Porcelains, etc." of November 15-20, 1920 and "Palatial Mansion & Contents Collected by William J. Saloman" April 4-7, 1923.

Also of note in the records is correspondence between Kirby and Arthur B. Emmons regarding several auctions in which works he owned were sold, 16 letters to Charles De Kay from correspondents other than Thomas Kirby, handwritten notes on George Inness, biographical comments on Thomas Kirby, and several letters concerning the controversy over the authenticity of the painting "Blue Boy" at the William H. Fuller Sale of February 25, 1898, including a letter from Francis Davis Millet. A few clippings and letters document Kirby's career prior to his affiliation with the American Art Association.

Historical Note:
Thomas E. Kirby (1846-1924), with his partners James F. Sutton and R. Austin Robertson, founded the American Art Association (AAA) in 1883, one of the premier art auction houses of its time. Known for his “million dollar voice,” Kirby conducted the sales himself, and is credited with creating the style of modern art auctions, instituting an atmosphere of elegance and style, and enforcing standards in order to counteract the negative reputation held by auctioneers of the day. Kirby’s son Gustavus joined the firm in 1912 and became half owner in 1915, upon the death of James Sutton. The galleries, located on East 23rd Street on Madison Square South, moved to 30 East 57th Street in 1922. In 1923, Kirby sold AAA to Cortlandt Field Bishop, who contracted Hiram Parke and Otto Bernet to run the auction house. In 1929 it merged with the Anderson Auction Company.

Location
The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives.

Call Number
MS.015
extent3.75 linear feet
formatsPhotographs Financial Records Correspondence Clippings Notes
accessThese records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org
record linkhttp://www.frick.org/archives/FindingAids/AmericanArtAssociation.html
record sourcehttps://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991007470759707141
finding aidFinding aid available in the repository.
acquisition informationThe records were a gift of Mrs. Thomas W. Waller (Wilhelmina), granddaughter of Thomas Kirby, in 1956. These records are just a portion of those donated; an additional 12 linear feet of scrapbooks containing auction sales newspaper clippings have not yet been processed. Mrs. Waller also donated books and sales catalogues, which have been integrated into the Library’s collection. The bulk of the American Art Association's records (an additional 50 linear feet) are located in the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
updated08/30/2022 10:40:27
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