Finding aid for the Dr. Benjamin Bennett Briggs family papers
0394
Finding aid prepared by Jacqueline Morin
USC Libraries Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California, 90089-0189
213-740-5900
specol@usc.edu
2012
Title: Dr. Benjamin Bennett Briggs family papers
Collection number: 0394
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
0.42 linear ft.
1 box
Date (inclusive): 1849-1916
Abstract: Dr. Benjamin Bennett Briggs was a horticulturist and medical doctor who originally came to California from Ohio during the
Gold Rush but returned to Ohio where he married and established a medical practice. He later returned to California to continue
with horticultural pursuits and was one of the founders of La Crescenta, where he hoped to establish a health resort. Though
he died before he could accomplish all his dreams, today's Crescenta-Canada valley was home to many sanitariums and health
resorts owing to its excellent quality of air. Briggs is also remembered for having started the first school in the valley,
the first church, the first public park, and the first full-time medical practice in the area. Shedding light on the daily
lives of one of Southern California's pioneer families, the Briggs family papers is a small but historically important resource.
creator:
Briggs, Abby Crane, d.1863
creator:
Briggs, Benjamin , fl. 1873-1879
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], Dr. Benjamin Bennett Briggs Family Papers, Collection no. 0394, Regional History Collection, Special
Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Acquisition
The collection was presented to USC Libraries by Benjamin Briggs' great-great-grandson, Dr. Chester Ward, and his wife, Sally
Ward.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Additional Resources
Additional information on the Briggs family history:
La Crescenta History: http://www.freewebs.com/lacrescentawomansclub/lacrescentahistory.htm
Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley: http://www.cvhistory.org/histsites/histsites.htm
History of La Canada-Flintridge: http://pasadenahomesandlifestyle.com/surrounding-cities/la-canada-flintridge/
Biographical Note
In 1986, Sally Ward, the wife of Dr. Chester L. Ward, M.D., wrote a short description of Benjamin Bennett Briggs' life and
his descendents based upon information compiled earlier by Irene Ward Kennedy, the sister of Benjamin Briggs Ward, Sr. The
document that Sally Ward created is the first folder in the collection and helps to identify various family members through
the generations as well as summarize the life of Benjamin Bennett Briggs specifically.
Benjamin Bennett Briggs was born on June 2, 1827 in Bristol, New York. The seventh of at least nine children born to Thomas
Briggs and Abigail Gregg, Benjamin and his family moved to Ohio in 1835 where they farmed and where the children learned about
horticulture.
In the spring of 1849, Benjamin and two of his brothers as well as a neighbor, set out for California (from Missouri) across
the plains with an ox team. Benjamin was 22 years old; the youngest brother on the journey, John, was only 18. It took the
group nine months to make the trip, during which time Benjamin was accidentally injured by a bullet which affected his health
for the rest of his life. When the men arrived in California, two of them went to the mines as planned; Benjamin and his brother
George became successful gardeners. Eventually, however, Benjamin's poor health led him to return to his Ohio home while George
continued to plant orchards in Knights Landing, Oroville, and Marysville, California. Unfortunately the floods of 1861-62
destroyed the 300 acres of his Marysville orchard which was eventually completely covered by mining deposits.
Upon returning to Ohio, Benjamin married Abby Crane in 1852; their only child Irene was born in 1853 in Wadsworth, Ohio. Benjamin
and his family later spent time in California again looking at property and prospects; Abby died of tuberculosis in Santa
Paula in 1863. Benjamin and his daughter returned to Ohio where, at age 35, Benjamin enrolled in medical school. Continuing
his medical studies in 1865, Benjamin traveled to Heidelberg, Germany and Paris, France, accompanied by his daughter Irene
and her cousin Louise N. Crane, daughter of his oldest sister, Louise Briggs Crane.
After their return to the United States, Benjamin had a medical practice in Crawfordsville, Indiana for about 13 years. His
daughter Irene married Reverend Samuel Lawrence Ward in 1873 and they went to Persia as missionaries of the Presbyterian Church
for over twenty years.
In the early 1880s, Benjamin returned to California to continue with horticultural pursuits and was one of the founders of
La Crescenta, where he hoped to establish a health resort. (Briggs coined the name "Crescenta" to indicate the crescent-shaped
valley nestled between the Sierra Madre mountains and the Verdugo Hills.) Though he died before he could accomplish all his
dreams, today's Crescenta-Cañada valley was home to many sanitariums and health resorts owing to its excellent air quality.
Briggs is also remembered for having started the first school in the valley, the first church, the first public park, and
the first full-time medical practice in the area. Dr. Benjamin Bennett Briggs died in 1893 at the age of 65.
Scope and Content
This small collection of family papers centers around Dr. Benjamin Bennett Briggs (1827-1893) whose 1849 diary chronicles
his account of moving from Ohio to California by covered wagon. Briggs was the great-great-grandfather of the collection's
donor, Dr. Chester Ward. In addition to the diary, the collection includes a small account book/diary from 1862--also kept
by Briggs--as well as a number of letters to and from family members. There are also a few Presbyterian missionary materials
because Benjamin's daughter, Irene, married Samuel Lawrence Ward; they went to Persia as missionaries of the Presbyterian
Church from 1876 to 1897. Other noteworthy items in the collection include a very small (and fragile) Arabic prayer book and
an 1896 book of "pressed flowers from the Holy Land" in excellent condition.
Processing Note
Assistance in processing the Briggs papers was provided by Tiffany Chu.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Briggs family -- Archives
Briggs, Abby Crane, d.1863 -- Archives
Briggs, Benjamin , fl. 1873-1879 -- Archives
Briggs, Irene Crane, 1853- -- Archives
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.. -- Correspondence
Ward, Samuel Lawrence -- Archives
Correspondence
Diaries
La Cañada (Calif.)--History--Archival resources
La Cañada Flintridge (Calif.)--History--Archival resources
La Crescenta (Calif.)--History--Archival resources
Overland journeys to the Pacific--Archival resources
Panama--Photographs
Pioneers--California--Biography
Pioneers--West (U.S.)--Diaries
United States--History--1849-1877--Archival resources
Box 1, Folder 1
Family History
1962
Scope and Content
This folder contains a photocopy of the work compiled by Irene Ward Kennedy in 1962:
Family History of Ward, Briggs, and Allied Lines. Irene Ward Kennedy was the sister of Benjamin Briggs Ward, Sr. and the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Bennett Briggs. The
manuscript documents the lineage of these families with "family tree" charts, photographs, and text from historical society
records and genealogical registers. A portion of the document is Samuel Lawrence Ward's own recollections of his father's
history.
In addition to the 225-page manuscript, the folder includes three pages of family information extracted and summarized from
it, accompanied by the patent information and description of a 1959-1960 invention of Benjamin Bennett Briggs known as the
"Improved Apparatus for Laying Drain Tiles."
Box 1, Folder 2
Account Book
Scope and Content
Account book of B.B. Briggs, 186?
Box 1, Folder 3
Diary [original]
Scope and Content
Diary kept by Benjamin Bennett Briggs during his travels from Sharon, Ohio to Yuba City, California from March through December
of 1849. Briggs was accompanied by two of his brothers, John and George, as well as a neighbor, George Case. They set out
with a wagon and a team of oxen, stopping in small towns or unsettled areas to camp. Briggs makes note of the weather and
road conditions, food conditions, creek crossings, and health conditions of him and his companions. A major delay in their
journey occurred near the end of July when Briggs was accidentally shot through the lung and was laid up for about a month
while some of his party went on ahead. Briggs was "put into a wagon" through most of August but continued to travel and to
record short notes in his diary. The last entry of the diary is for December 31, 1849, in which Briggs w rites, "Arrived at
the Yuba pitched my tent there and [words erased]."
Box 1, Folder 4
Diary [transcription]
Scope and Content
Facsimile copy of "Transcription of the Personal Diary of Benjamin Bennett Briggs: 1949 [1849] Cross Country Travelling from
Sharon, Ohio to Yuba City, California; transcribed by Sally (wife), Katharine & Lynda Ward (daughters) of B.G. Chester L.
Ward, M.D., the Great, Great, Grandson of Dr. B.B. Briggs, 1985-86."
Box 1, Folder 5
To nieces from Sophie Crane [original]
16 October 1853
Scope and Content
Same page includes letter addressed to "Dear sister" from Abby C.B., dated December 19, 1853
Box 1, Folder 6
To nieces from Sophie Crane [facsimile]
16 October 1853
Box 1, Folder 7
To sister from Abby [Crane] [original]
18 August 1853
Box 1, Folder 8
To sister from Abby [Crane] [facsimile]
18 August 1853
Box 1, Folder 9
To father from Abby Crane [original]
24 November 1861
Scope and Content
Letter from Abby Crane to father, Marysville, California, November 24, 1861. Original letter torn into five pieces.
Box 1, Folder 10
To father from Abby Crane [facsimile]
24 November 1861
Box 1, Folder 11
To husband from Abby C. Briggs [original]
1 September 1861
Box 1, Folder 12
To husband from Abby C. Briggs [facsimile]
1 September 1861
Box 1, Folder 13
To "My dearest one" from B.B. Briggs [original]
January 1863
Scope and Content
Letter in poetic form "A sort of Lament while passing some lone hours in Unionville Nevada in Jan 1863," from B.B. Briggs
to "My dearest One"
Box 1, Folder 14
To "My dearest one" from B.B. Briggs [facsimile]
January 1863
Box 1, Folder 15
To brother from John Briggs [original]
12 October 1877
Box 1, Folder 16
To brother from John Briggs [facsimile]
12 October 1877
Box 1, Folder 17
To sister from Abby Crane [original]
16 March 1881
Box 1, Folder 18
To sister from Abby Crane [facsimile]
16 March 1881
Box 1, Folder 19
To Louise from Irene B. Ward [original]
13 August 1882
Box 1, Folder 20
To Louise from Irene B. Ward [facsimile]
13 August 1882
Box 1, Folder 21
To Louise from Irene B. Ward [original]
17 March 1882
Box 1, Folder 22
To Louise from Irene B. Ward [facsimile]
17 March 1882
Box 1, Folder 23
To father from Irene B. Ward [original]
5 December 1890
Box 1, Folder 24
To father from Irene B. Ward [facsimile]
5 December 1890
Box 1, Folder 25
To Carrie from Abby Crane
Box 1, Folder 26
To Mr. & Mrs. Chester Ward from Eleanor Huskins
15 September 1975
Scope and Content
Letter dated September 15, 1975; to "Family and Friends" concerning the death of Bill Huskins signed by Eleanor, Vickie, David,
Doug Huskins. (Bill Huskins gave the book "History of the American Presyterian Mission to Iran, 1834-1960" to Dr. C.L. Ward
in 1972 during his visit to Tehran, Iran.)
Box 1, Folder 27
Briggs, Benjamin Bennett
1890s
Scope and Content
Man looking at object on ground; transcription on the bottom margin identifies the object: "B?? that Coyote is caught in the
trap. B.B.B."
Box 1, Folder 28
Briggs, Daniel
186[?]
Scope and Content
Portrait of Daniel Briggs; L.N. Sackett, Photographer, Medina, Ohio
Box 1, Folder 29
Briggs, Irene [tintype]
1870
Scope and Content
Photograph (tintype)- portrait of Irene Briggs, 1870; identification obtained from leaflet "Sunday Postal Labour" in which
photograph was enclosed.
Box 1, Folder 30
Briggs, Rhoda
186[?]
Scope and Content
Portrait of Rhoda Briggs; L.N. Sackett, Photographer, Medina, Ohio
Box 1, Folder 31
Panama to Valpariso, Chile
circa 1914
Physical Description:
28 items
Scope and Content
28 negatives in an envelope; photographs of Panama Canal on way to Valpariso, Chile 1914(?) taken by Seymour Paul Ward (grandson
of Dr. Benjamin B. Briggs).
Box 1, Folder 32
Admission Ticket
1868-1869
Scope and Content
Ticket to Bellevue Hospital Medical College, City of New York, Session 1868-69, Lectures "The Principles and Practice of Medicine"
Box 1, Folder 33
College Commencement Invitation
1903
Physical Description:
3 items
Scope and Content
Wabash College, Crawfodsville, Indiana, June 12-17, 1903; in envelope addressed to Rev., & Mrs. S.L. Ward & Family; insert:
Mr. Benjamin Briggs Ward
Box 1, Folder 34
Promissory Note
1916
Scope and Content
February 28, 1916, in the amount of $1300, to the Bank of Glendale, signed Irene B. Ward
Box 1, Folder 35
Receipt
1866
Scope and Content
in German, Heidelberg, 31.??? 1866; Briggs
Box 1, Folder 36
Register Ticket
1883
Scope and Content
"Registered on the Great Register," County of Los Angeles, to B.B. Briggs, May 25, 18(?)3
Box 1, Folder 37
Testimony of Appreciation [original]
15 February 1875
Scope and Content
Certificate, form Wabash College, February 15, 1875, acknowledgment of Dr. B.B. Briggs as a "gentleman of great[?] worth and
a physician of great[?] ability."
Box 1, Folder 38
Testimony of Appreciation [facsimile]
1875
Box 1, Folder 40
Arabic Prayer Book
Scope and Content
Arabic prayer book of Samuel Lawrence Ward, husband of Irene Briggs (daughter of B.B. Briggs). Acquired during a mission involved
with the Glendale Presbyterian Church; Samuel Lawrence Ward founded the La Crescenta Presbyterian Church.
Box 1, Folder 41
History of the American Presbyterian Mission to Iran, 1834-1960
Scope and Content
Compiled by John Elder, published by the Literature Committee of the Church Council of Iran. Bill Huskins gave the book to
Dr. C.L. Ward in 1972 during his visit to Tehran, Iran.
Box 1, Folder 42
Leaflet: "Sunday Postal Labour"
Scope and Content
Sabbath Observance Society, Edinburgh
Box 1, Folder 43
Pressed Flowers from the Holy Land
Scope and Content
Hand crafted book "Pressed Flowers from the Holy Land: Flowers Gathered and Pressed in Palestine by Rev. Harvey Greene," introduction
by Rebv. Smith Baker, D.D.; published and sold by Harvey B. Greene, Lowell, Mass.
Box 1, Folder 44
Dictabelts
Physical Description:
4 items in 1 envelope
Scope and Content
Debrief/comments by Dr. Chester L. Ward following his 1968-1969 tour in the Republic of Vietnam.
