Jump to Content

> Home > Huntington Library > Manuscript Collections
Collection Guide
∞ https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8ff3z33/
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Samuel Frank Dexter Papers: Finding Aid
mssHM 65822-65938  
No online items No online items       Request items ↗
Collection location Contact Huntington Library::Manuscript Collections
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Entire Collection Guide
Online Items
Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Overview of the Collection
  • Access
  • Administrative Information
  • Related Materials in the Huntington Library
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement
  • Indexing Terms
  • Indexing: Subjects

    • Overview of the Collection

    Title: Samuel Frank Dexter Papers
    Dates (inclusive): 1862-1907
    Bulk dates: 1901-1902
    Collection Number: mssHM 65822-65938
    Creator: Dexter, Samuel Frank, 1847-1906.
    Extent: 138 pieces in 4 boxes.
    Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
    1151 Oxford Road
    San Marino, California 91108
    Phone: (626) 405-2129
    Email: reference@huntington.org
    URL: http://www.huntington.org
    Abstract: This collection contains papers of Samuel Frank Dexter (1847-1906) of Rhode Island, chiefly consisting of the almost daily letters that Dexter wrote to his children during a 1901 trip with his wife to California, which describe in minute detail their experiences and observations of various parts of California. Also included is a diary that Dexter, a noted naturalist and authority on ornithology, kept during a trip to Sequoia National Park (Calif.) in 1902.
    Language: English.

    Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Administrative Information

    Publication Rights

    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.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item]. Samuel Frank Dexter Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    Gifts of Donna Adams, 1986-1995.

    Related Materials in the Huntington Library

    Removed or Separated Material

    Four items (HM 65939-65940) that were originally with the Dexter Papers, which pertain to Helen Pratt (died 1965) and her grandfather James Steele (born 1808), have been transferred and assembled together with HM 58067 in a tan envelope:

    Biographical Note

    Samuel Frank Dexter (1847-1906), or Frank as his friends and family knew him, was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on September 3, 1847. He was the grandson of Nathaniel Gregory Balch Dexter, who founded the knitting cotton business in the United States and established the Dexter Yarn Company in 1820. As such Dexter went into the family business and in 1880 after the company had incorporated, he became its secretary and general manager. He married Anna Fannie Wheaton in 1872 and subsequently had three children, Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter or “Wheatie,” Anthony Hamilton Dexter, and Fannie Wheaton Dexter. By 1900, Dexter had sold out his interests in the company and retired from the active business life. Dexter and his family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1902, where he would spend the remainder of his life until his death in 1906.

    Scope and Content

    Letters, diaries, essays, and other papers of Samuel Frank Dexter. The large portion of the collection consists of the letters that Dexter wrote to his children during the 1901 trip to California. Before moving to Los Angeles in 1902, Dexter and his wife took a trip to California in 1901 leaving their children in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. An expansive and consistent writer, his almost daily letters home to his children describe in minute detail their experiences and observations of various parts of California such as Alameda County, Bakersfield, Kern County, La Jolla, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Mount Lowe, Pasadena, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Gabriel, San Pedro, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz County, and Santa Monica. Other places of interest that Dexter wrote about to his children include the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art, descriptions of the California coast, and accounts of a trip taken in North Mexico. He also wrote frequently along their railroad trip to California, describing such places as Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa.
    A noted naturalist and authority on ornithology, Samuel Frank Dexter and his friend Anthony (Gideon Anthony) Hamilton traveled to Sequoia National Park (Calif.) in 1902. Included in this collection is the diary that Dexter kept during their excursion.
    Other correspondence came from Mattie J. Chase, who along with her family, lived in Vienna, Austria and wrote to her sister Anna Fannie Dexter detailing their life there.
    In addition to being a prolific letter writer, Dexter wrote a couple of essays that describe and illuminate life in Charleston, South Carolina and Rhode Island.

    Arrangement

    The collection is organized in the following manner:
    • 1. Letters (correspondence) – Arranged alphabetically by author (Box 1)
    • 2. Letters (correspondence), diary, and other manuscript materials – Letters are arranged alphabetically by author, with manuscript materials placed thereafter by genre (Box 2)
    • 3. Photographs – Arranged by genre (Box 3)
    • 4. Research notes, transcripts, ephemera, and misc. materials – Arranged by genre (Box 4)

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

    Subjects

    Dexter, Samuel Frank -- Archives.
    Hamilton, Anthony (Gideon Anthony)
    Mark Hopkins Institute of Art.
    Coasts -- California, Southern -- Description and travel.
    Ornithologists -- California.
    Alameda County (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Arizona -- Description and travel.
    Bakersfield (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    California -- Description and travel.
    Charleston (S.C.) -- Description and travel.
    Charleston (S.C.) -- Social life and customs.
    Colorado -- Description and travel.
    Illinois -- Description and travel.
    Iowa -- Description and travel.
    Kern County (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    La Jolla (San Diego, Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Long Beach (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Lowe, Mount (Los Angeles County, Calif.)
    Mexico, North -- Description and travel.
    Pasadena (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Redlands (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Rhode Island -- Description and travel.
    Rhode Island -- Social life and customs.
    Riverside (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    San Bernardino (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    San Diego (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    San Francisco (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    San Gabriel (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    San Pedro (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Santa Barbara (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Santa Cruz County (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Santa Monica (Calif.) -- Description and travel.
    Sequoia National Park (Calif.)
    Vienna (Austria) -- Description and travel.

    Forms/Genres

    Letters (correspondence) -- California.
    Diaries -- California -- 20th century.
    Photographs.
    Personal papers -- California -- 20th century.
    Family papers -- United States.

    Additional Contributors

    Dexter, Anthony Hamilton.
    Dexter, Fannie Wheaton.
    Dexter, Nathaniel Wheaton.
    Chase, Mattie, J. Wheaton.

    Indexing: Subjects

    Mark Hopkins Institute of Art
    • 1901, Apr. 15. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65876.
    Coasts – California, Southern
    • 1901, Feb. 18. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65856.
    Ornithology
    • 1902, Aug. 20. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to “Dear Fannie & Children.” HM 65890.
    Alameda County (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Apr. 22. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65879.
    Arizona – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 23. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65840.
    Bakersfield (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Mar. 22-25. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65869.
    California – Description and travel
    • pre-1906. [Samuel Frank Dexter], Essay on California. HM 65901.
    Charleston (S.C.) – Description and travel
    • 1873. [Samuel Frank Dexter], “Excursion to Charleston, S.C.” HM 65900.
    Charleston (S.C.) – Social life and customs
    • 1873. [Samuel Frank Dexter], “Excursion to Charleston, S.C.” HM 65900.
    Colorado – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 23. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65840.
    Illinois – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 21-22. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65839.
    Iowa – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 21-22. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65839.
    Kern County (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Mar. 21. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65867.
    La Jolla (San Diego, Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Feb. 14. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 658543
    Long Beach (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Mar. 7. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65863.
    Los Angeles (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Feb. 19-20. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65857.
    • 1901, Feb. 21-23. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65858.
    • 1901, Feb. 24. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65859.
    • 1901, Feb. 28-Mar. 1. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65861.
    • 1901, Mar. 3-4. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65862.
    Lowe, Mount (Los Angeles County, Calif.)
    • 1901, Mar. 8-10. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65854.
    Mexico, North – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 30. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65848.
    Pasadena (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Feb. 19-20. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65857.
    • 1901, Feb. 21-23. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65858.
    Redlands (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 25. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65842.
    • 1901, Jan. 25. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65844.
    Rhode Island – Description and travel
    • pre-1906. [Samuel Frank Dexter], Reminiscences of Rhode Island. HM 65902.
    Rhode Island – Social life and customs
    • pre-1906. [Samuel Frank Dexter], Reminiscences of Rhode Island. HM 65902.
    Riverside (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 25. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65844.
    San Bernardino (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 24. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65841.
    San Diego (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Jan. 27. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65845.
    • 1901, Jan. 28. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65846.
    • 1901, Jan. 29. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65847.
    • 1901, Feb. 1. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65849.
    • 1901, Feb. 3. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65850.
    • 1901, Feb. 5. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65851.
    • 1901, Feb. 7. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65852.
    • 1901, Feb. 10. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65853.
    • 1901, Feb. 14. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65854.
    San Francisco (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Apr. 11. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65875. 1902, Sept. 22. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to “Wheatie & Terry.” HM 65893.
    San Gabriel (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Mar. 7. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65863.
    San Pedro (Los Angeles, Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Mar. 7. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65863.
    Santa Barbara (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Mar. 13. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65866.
    • 1901, Mar. 21. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65867.
    • 1901, Mar. 26-29. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65870.
    Santa Cruz County (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Apr. 22. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65879.
    Santa Monica (Calif.) – Description and travel
    • 1901, Feb. 25. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to [Nathaniel Wheaton Dexter, Fannie Wheaton Dexter, and Anthony Hamilton Dexter]. HM 65860.
    Sequoia National Park (Calif.)
    • 1902, Aug. 18. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to “Dear Fannie & Children.” HM 65888.
    • 1902, Aug. 20. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to “Dear Fannie & Children.” HM 65890.
    • 1902, Aug. 21. [Samuel Frank Dexter], letter to “Dear Fannie & Children.” HM 65891.
    • [1902], July 18-Aug. 13. [Samuel Frank Dexter], Diary of trip to Sequoia National Park. HM 65899.
    Vienna (Austria) – Description and travel
    • 1876, Oct. 29. Mattie J. Chase, letter to [Anna] Fannie [Dexter]. HM 65823.
    Collection Contents
    Correspondence and manuscripts
    Photographs
    Research notes, transcripts, ephemera, and misc. materials
    Home | Contributing Institutions | Collection Guides | Browse Map | About OAC | FAQs | Contact Us | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Accessibility
    The Online Archive of California is a service of the UC Libraries, powered by the California Digital Library.