Description
Father William McDermott Hughes (1880-1939) was a Catholic priest who traveled through California getting Native American
storytellers to tell their tales to him. This collection includes Hughes's initial hand-written manuscripts produced mostly
between 1910 and 1911 as well as typed versions from 1934. This collection also includes newspaper clippings, notes, and
some correspondence. Materials are dated from 1908-1934.
Background
William McDermott Hughes was born on January 9, 1880, in Sacramento, California. William's interest in Native Americans was
developed at an early age. As a young boy, he spent a great deal of time playing, hunting and fishing among the Indian tribes
of northern California. He attended Sacramento's public schools and then entered St. Mary's College in Oakland, graduating
in 1900 with a Bachelor's degree. Hughes then studied philosophy and science at St. Thomas College, a Paulist school at The
Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Later, with his schooling completed, Hughes moved to Los Angeles, where
Bishop Thomas Conaty ordained him on August 5, 1905, the first Sacramento native to join the priesthood.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Research Services and Archives. Permission for publication is
given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.