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Henry Burton Papers: Finding Aid
mssBurton papers
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Title: Henry Burton Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1888-1934
Collection Number: mssBurton papers
Creator:
Burton, Henry H.
Extent: 292 items in 2 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 correspondence and legal documents related to the case of Henry Burton, son of María Ampara Ruíz
de
Burton (1832-1895) and Mexican-War general Henry S. Burton (1819-1869), to confirm legal
claim to land in Baja California, chiefly in the 1920s in both Washington, D.C., and Mexico City. Much of the collection reflects
issues between Burton, the Los Angeles law firm of Spalding and Myers, and attorney Harry B. Lind. The legal documents are
primarily about cases
brought against Burton and Spalding and Myers by Lind for breach of contract.
Language: The majority of the collection is in English.
A few items are in Spanish.
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]. Henry Burton Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Mrs. W. D. Spalding, January 25, 1963.
Henry Burton was the son of General Henry S. Burton (1819-1869) who fought in the
Mexican-American War and settled in San Diego, California, at the conclusion of the
conflict. General Burton married a Mexican woman, María Ampara Ruíz (1832-1895) , who was the
heir to two Spanish land grants—the Enseñada de Todos Santos and San Antonio de las
Minas parcels in Baja California. The Spanish government granted the lands, totaling
over 1,000,000 acres, to María Ampara Ruíz’s grandfather, Don José Manuel Ruíz, in
1804. Ruíz served as the military governor of Baja California. María Ampara Ruíz de
Burton was a noted Mexican-American author and published two books about the Mexican
experience in the United States after the Mexican- American War.
The sole heir to General Burton and María Ampara Ruíz de Burton, Henry Burton
launched a campaign in the 1920s to reclaim the land or receive compensation for the
grants from the Republic of Mexico following the Mexican Revolution. He hired
attorney Harry B. Lind and the Los Angeles law firm of Spalding and Myers (William
D. Spalding and Maurice C. Myers) to represent him to the Mexican government and the
General and Special Claims Commissions of the United States and Mexico (the agency
organized to handle claims for damages against American property during the Mexican
Revolution). Harry Lind and the firm of Spalding and Myers
initially worked together closely on the case. Burton, however, suspected Lind of
undermining his interests and eventually broke his contract with the attorney,
choosing instead to work solely with Spalding and Myers.
This collection contains correspondence and legal documents related to the case of Henry Burton, son of María Ampara Ruíz
de
Burton (1832-1895) and Mexican-War general Henry S. Burton (1819-1869), to confirm legal
claim to land in Baja California, chiefly in the 1920s in both Washington, D.C., and Mexico City.
The correspondence series contains 172 letters and is organized alphabetically by
author. The correspondence reflects Burton’s attorneys’ efforts to confirm legal
claim to the land, both in Washington, D.C. and Mexico City. The correspondence also
reflects the rift that developed between Lind, Burton, and Spalding and Myers.
The legal documents series contains of 73 documents. The series is organized
alphabetically by type of document. The legal documents are primarily about cases
brought against Burton and Spalding and Myers by Lind for breach of contract. A few
of the documents refer specifically to Burton’s claim against the Mexican
government. The series includes affidavits, complaints, contracts, depositions,
indentures, power of attorney forms, subpoenas, and copies of testimony.
The ephemera series contains 47 items and is organized alphabetically by type of
document. The series includes checks, envelopes, memoranda, newspaper clippings,
notes, pamphlets, and receipts relating to the Burton cases.
Much of the correspondence
and legal documents in this collection reflect the retaliatory measures Lind took
against Burton and Spalding and Myers as a result of this split. It is not clear from the collection how Burton’s case to
reclaim the land or
compensation for it was resolved.
This collection is divided into three series: correspondence, legal documents, and
ephemera.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Burton, Henry
H.
Ruiz de Burton, María
Amparo, 1832-1895.
Land grants -- Mexico -- Baja California
(Peninsula)
Baja California (Mexico
: Peninsula)
Legal documents Mexico -- 20th century.
Legal documents -- United States --
19th century.
Legal documents -- United States --
20th century.
Letters (correspondence) Mexico --
20th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 20th century.
Bouve, Clement Lincoln, 1878-1944.
Lind, Harry B.
Myers, Maurice C.
Spalding, William D.
General Claims Commission (Mexico and
United States)
Spalding and Myers.
United States. Special Mexican Claims
Commission.