Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Billings, Frederick, 1823-1890
| title | Letter to John Townsend, 1849, August 1. |
| repository | The Huntington Library |
| description | In this brief letter, Billings notifies Townsend that Townsend has been elected to the town council of San Francisco. Also signed by Samuel Fletcher. Biog. Note Frederick Billings was an American pioneer, lawyer, and businessman during the mid-19th century. Cite As HM 35191. The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. |
| extent | 1 letter, 27 cm., 1 page, A.L.S. |
| formats | Correspondence |
| access | All inquiries about this manuscript should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts, Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. |
| record source | http://catalog.huntington.org/ |
| acquisition information | Purchased from Bennett & Marshall, 1973, February 14. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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| title | Letters from Mexico, 1859 / ed. with an introduction by his daughter Mary M. Billings French. |
| repository | The Huntington Library |
| description | Billings writes that he would consider the vacant law commissioner office of the Southern District of California (HM 20713, written 1851, December 15 in San Francisco), and asks Foot to impress that he would be for Vermont, though he believes he has lived in California long enough to be called a Californian. He writes further of the open office (HM 20714, 1851, December 31, from San Francisco), saying that he would be gratified by the appointment, but does not want "to exhibit too much anxiety for any political office." In HM 20715, written 1862, March 10 in New York, Billings is leaving for California with his wife, and asks Foot to communicate with several mutual friends, including Hiram Barney and Samuel Ford. Biographical Note Frederick Billings was an American lawyer who was a partner in the law firm of Halleck, Peachy, and Billings, a leading law firm in San Francisco during the mid-19th century. He later became president of the Northern Pacific Railway. The city of Billings, Montana is named for him, and a United States World War II ship was named for him as well. Cite As HM 20713-20715. The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. |
| extent | 3 letters, 27 cm., 6 pages, A.L.S. |
| formats | Correspondence |
| access | All inquiries about these manuscripts should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts, Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. |
| record source | http://catalog.huntington.org/ |
| acquisition information | Purchased from Tuttle, June 23, unknown year. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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| title | Records of Halleck, Peachy & Billings, 1851-1860. |
| repository | The Huntington Library |
| description | The collection consists of documents and letters related to California land cases. It includes copies of land titles, drafts of briefs, and opinions used in establishing the legal titles of some 36 different land grants. There are also notes on Spanish land law and a few papers relating to other legal cases in California. Biog. Note Halleck, Peachy & Billings was one of the most prestigious law firms on the Pacific Coast. It was headquartered in San Francisco and specialized in California land cases. The firm was organized by Frederick Billings (1823-1890) and Archibald Carey Peachy (1820-1883) in 1849, and they were soon joined by Henry Wager Halleck (1815-1872). |
| extent | 2 boxes. |
| formats | Business Papers Financial Records Legal Papers Correspondence Notes |
| access | All inquiries about these manuscripts should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts, Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. |
| record link | http://oac4.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf5m3nb0wq/ |
| bibliography | Guide to American historical manuscripts in the Huntington Library (San Marino, Calif. : H. E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, 1979). |
| record source | http://catalog.huntington.org/ |
| finding aid | Unpublished finding aid available in repository. An electronic version is available on the website of Online Archives of California (OAC). Click on the link in this record to view the finding aid. |
| acquisition information | Argonaut Book Shop, Purchase, December 31, 1946. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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| title | Frederick Billings letters to John White Geary, 1872 Apr-May. |
| repository | Yale University Library |
| description | Two ALS written by Frederick Billings on letterhead of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, Land Department, New York, to John White Geary, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In a letter dated Apr 16, 1872, Billings asks for Geary's assistance in opposing a lawsuit brought by B. S. Brooks in Geary's name against Billings and other assignees of B. Simmons. The lawsuit concerns financial transactions originating twenty years previously. In a brief letter dated May 7, 1872, Billings arranges a meeting with Geary. Biographical and Historical Note Frederick Billings went to California in 1849 and began a law practice in San Francisco. He became a director of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1870 and was president of the Railroad from 1879 to 1881. John White Geary served as a United States Army officer in the Mexican War and the Civil War. Geary went to California in 1849 and was the first mayor of San Francisco. He was governor of Kansas, 1856-1857, and governor of Pennsylvania, 1867-1873. Cite As: Frederick Billings Letters to John White Geary. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. |
| extent | 2 items. |
| formats | Correspondence |
| access | Request for Use in the Beinecke Reading Room |
| record source | http://orbexpress.library.yale.edu/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=4392110 |
| acquisition information | Gift of Lindley Eberstadt, 1974. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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| title | Northern Pacific Railway Company. President's records, 1872-1970. |
| repository | Minnesota Historical Society |
| description | Forms part of: Northern Pacific Railway Company Records. The files provide substantial documentation of all phases of the company’s organization, financing, and operations throughout its existence and that of its predecessors. They provide a fairly complete record of the activities of the entire succession of Northern Pacific presidents and their chief assistants. Of particular significance are the presidents’ subject files ([189-]-1970), 916 cubic feet), which comprise a topically organized distillation of all matters in which the executive officers were interested. The files contain a great deal of statistical and financial data and reports submitted for executive office information and decisions. Historical Note: The Northern Pacific presidency was first held by Josiah Perham who held the position from 1864-1866. Over the next one hundred years the position would be held by nineteen men. Two men, Howard Elliott and Jule M. Hannaford, would hold the position twice. Preferred Citation: [Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. President's records. Northern Pacific Railway Company records. Minnesota Historical Society. |
| extent | 1,222.0 cubic feet and 6 microfilm reels. |
| formats | Business Papers Correspondence Writings Microfilm |
| access | Contact repository for further details. |
| record source | http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/01027.xml |
| finding aid | Found in the repository, Minnesota Historical Society, and on their website. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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| title | Biographical materials relating to Frederick Billings : San Francisco, [undated]. |
| repository | University of California, Berkeley |
| description | Part of a collection of biographical sketches, dictations, and notes, all relating to California pioneers, created or commissioned by Hubert Howe Bancroft and his staff for use in Bancroft's publications. |
| extent | 4 Folders |
| formats | |
| access | Contact the repository, the Bancroft Library, directly for further access and use details. |
| record source | http://berkeley.worldcat.org/oclc/26574772 |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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| title | Jay Cooke papers 1831-1906, undated 1858 - 1874 |
| repository | The Historical Society of Pennsylvania |
| description | This collection contains correspondence, business and financial records, pamphlets, and a small group of personal papers, including ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks. Making up the bulk of the Jay Cooke papers, Series 1 contains incoming and outgoing correspondence of Jay Cooke, his brothers Henry Cooke and Pitt Cooke, and a smaller amount of third-party correspondence from business partners and other family members. Cooke corresponded with some of the most powerful men of his day, making the correspondence the highlight of the collection. Researchers can trace business deals Cooke made with government officials, and observe behind-the-scenes negotiations and speculation. Correspondents describe major historical events, including the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, and the fall of Jay Cooke & Co. The nation's finances and railroads and westward expansion are major themes in the series.Series 2 contains the business and financial records of Jay Cooke & Co.; J. B. Moorhead and William G. Moorhead (Jay Cooke's brother-in-law and business partner); Northern Pacific Railroad and related affiliates; and assorted records related to the national loans and Treasury bonds.Series 3 includes primarily newspapers and newspaper clippings, along with miscellaneous ephemera and notes, photographs, and writings. This small series offers additional perspective on Jay Cooke's philanthropic, religious, and family orientation. Series 1 and 2 are arranged chronologically. Series 3 is arranged roughly by size and then alphabetically by folder title, with photographs arranged together in one box. In Series 1, incoming, outgoing, and third-party correspondence are intermixed. Series 1 was partially microfilmed in 1997, and microfilm reel numbers can be found in the published microfilm guide, which is available at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/civil_war_and_reconstruction_jay_cooke_series_one_parts_1_to_5/Contents.aspx (accessed June 14, 2010). The Jay Cooke papers are a rich source of information about the finances of the Union war efforts during the Civil War, the politics of the Union during and after the Civil War, westward expansion and the construction of railroads across the country, and banking and finance during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Cooke's correspondence documents the work of Jay Cooke & Company and contains communications with many of the era's most powerful politicians and businessmen. Cooke's connection with the Department of the Treasury provides a unique inside view of political decisions, and illustrates Cooke's influence with many leaders in positions of great authority. This collection also contains a small group of personal papers, offering a perspective on Jay Cooke's philanthropic, religious, and family orientation. |
| extent | 43.4 Linear feet ; 102 boxes, 30 volumes, 12 flat files |
| formats | Business Papers Personal Papers Correspondence Financial Records Ephemera |
| access | Contact the reference staff for more information. |
| record link | http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/c/Cooke0148.html |
| record source | http://discover.hsp.org/Record/hsp.ead.at01-0148 |
| finding aid | Online and in repository, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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