Description
The collection consists of Leidesdorff's
correspondence (1845-1847) as vice-consul; correspondence, account books, orders,
and receipts (1834-1848) reflecting Leidesdorff's activities as a merchant in Yerba
Buena (later San Francisco), including accounts with the crew of the Schooner
Julia Ann and Hawaiian and Indian sailors; papers
relating to Leidesdorff's land grant, Río de los Americanos, and the legal battle
between Joseph L. Folsom and Anna Maria Spark, Leidesdorff's mother, regarding the
inheritance of Leidesdorff's estate; and papers of Henry W. Halleck from his law
practice with Halleck, Peachy, and Billings, consisting of Halleck's drafts for
clients' land grant claims and other legal documents, some dealing with
Leidesdorff's grant.
Background
William Alexander Leidesdorff was born in 1810 in the Danish West Indies. His father,
Alexander Leidesdorff, was a Dane, and his mother, Anna Maria Spark, was a creole of
mixed-race ancestry. After conducting trade in New Orleans, Leidesdorff came to
California in 1841 as master of the schooner Julia
Ann, making frequent trips between San Francisco (then Yerba Buena) and
Honolulu to sell hides and tallow. In 1843, he purchased a lot in Yerba Buena at the
corner of Clay and Kearny streets, building a large warehouse on the waterfront in
1844 and the City Hotel in 1846. Naturalized as a Mexican citizen in 1844,
Leidesdorff obtained a 35,000-acre land grant on the American River known as Rancho
Río de los Americanos. A prominent merchant and landowner, Leidesdorff also served
in a number of civic positions, including United States vice-consul to Mexico
(appointed by Thomas Larkin in 1845) and treasurer of San Francisco.
Extent
1.5 boxes
(0.75 linear feet)
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Director of Library and Archives, North Baker
Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco,
CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society as the
owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from
the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of
digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Availability
The
CHS is not taking appointments for research at this time. Please check the Library's website updates: https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/north-baker-research-library/