Ernest Braunton Papers
Finding aid prepared by Stephanie Clayton.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical
Gardens
© 2011
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Title: Ernest Braunton papers.
Inclusive Dates: 1889-1943
Bulk Dates: 1920-1937
Collection Number: mssBraunton
papers
Creator:
Braunton, Ernest
Extent:
69 items in 1 box
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains papers of horticulturist Ernest
Braunton (1868-1945), an expert in the regional flora of Southern California and secretary of the Southern California
Horticultural Society.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Ernest Braunton Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
In Library, 1981.
Ernest Braunton (1868-1945), horticulturist and author of
The Garden Beautiful in California,
was born in London, England, in 1868. He immigrated with his parents to Iowa in 1872.
He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1887 and married Addie M. Kirkpatrick two years later.
They had five children together.
Braunton's first agricultural project was Singleton
Court, the home of mining millionaire John Singleton. The popularity of Singleton
Court helped establish Braunton as a respected consultant of landscape design and
horticulture. He planned the layout of the Bryant Botanical Gardens, designed the
lily ponds for Henry Huntington and designed ornamental grounds for hundreds of
homes in Southern California. Landscape design was just one of Braunton's interests.
His knowledge of horticulture, especially the regional flora of Southern California,
was extensive and based upon his own exploration of the area. At one point his
collection of specimens numbered 1,281. He also had a hand in the development of the
avocado industry in Southern California.
Positions held at various times include:
Lecturer for the University of California Farmers' Institutes; Professor of
Landscape Design, University of Southern California; Associate Editor of the
California Cultivator 1901-32; Editor Garden Department, Los Angeles Times 1903-36;
Garden Doctor, Los Angeles Times 1942-45; Southern California section in Bailey's
Cyclopedia of Horticulture; Fellow, Royal Botanical Society of England; and
Secretary, Southern California Horticultural Society. Braunton died in 1945.
The collection contains 69 items. There are three manuscripts, including an essay
about horticulturist Theodore Payne and a poem read before the Illinois Association
of Los Angeles, California. The 40 items in the correspondence section are arranged
by author. Most of the correspondence is composed of replies to Ernest Braunton's
inquiries regarding various horticultural statistics and facts. Other letters,
including those from Walter Raymond, are in regard to the operation and dissolution
of the Southern California Horticultural Society. The 26 items in the ephemera
section are arranged alphabetically by type. The majority of the ephemera are
records and documents of the Southern California Horticultural Society. There is
also a pamphlet on Point Lomos, California. Subjects in the collection include:
history of agriculture in California; horticulturalists of California; and history
of horticulture in California.
Notable participants include: H. M. Butterfield, Newton Drury, Gustavus Eisen,
Francesco Franceschi, Theodore Lukens, Woodbridge Metcalf, Walter Raymond, Forrest
Shreve, H. A. Spoehr, J. Harrison Wright, California Dept. of Parks and Recreation,
Carnegie Institution of Washington's Division of Plant Biology, Los Angeles Time,
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, US Bureau of Plant Industry, US Forest Service,
University of California's College of Agriculture and the University of Riverside's
College of Natural and Agriculture Sciences.
The collection is arranged by genre: Manuscripts, Correspondence, Ephemera.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Butterfield, H. M.
(Harry Morton), 1887-
Braunton,
Ernest
Drury, Newton Bishop,
1889-1978
Eisen, Gustavus A.,
1847-1940
Franceschi, Francesco,
1843-1924
Lukens, Theodore
Parker, 1848-1918
Metcalf, Woodbridge,
1888-
Payne,
Theodore
Raymond, W.
(Walter)
Shreve, Forrest,
1878-1950
Spoehr, H. A. (Herman
Augustus), 1885-1954
Wright, J.
Harrison
California. Department of Parks and
Recreation. Division of Resource Management and Protection
Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Division of Plant Biology
Los Angeles Times (Firm),
addressee
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic
Garden
Southern California Horticultural
Society
United States. Bureau of Plant
Industry
United States. Forest
Service
University of California (1868-1952).
College of Agriculture
University of California, Riverside.
College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Horticulture -- California
Horticulturists --
California
Gardeners -- California
Gardening -- California
California, Southern --
History --20th century -- Sources
Los Angeles County
(Calif.)
Ephemera -- California -- 20th
century
Letters (correspondence) -- California
-- 20th century
Manuscripts -- California -- 19th
century
Box 1
Manuscripts, Correspondence, and Ephemera.
Folder 3
Folder 6
Folder 7
Folder 9
Folder 10
Folder 17
Folder 18
Folder 23
Folder 26
Folder 29
Folder 30
Folder 31
Folder 32