Pratt Family Papers
Patricia C. Inouye
Department of Special Collections
General Library
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616-5292
Phone: (530) 752-1621
Fax: (530) 754-5758
Email: speccoll@ucdavis.edu
© 2009
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Creator:
Pratt, Jean Noack
Title: Pratt Family Papers
Date: 1825-1950
Extent:
3.2 linear feet; 66 Gelatin dry plates glass negatives, 6 Albumen prints, and 5 negatives
Abstract: The Pratt Family Papers spans the years 1825-1950. It contains historical correspondence and diaries related to the early
settlement of the San Joaquin Valley.
Physical location: Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Repository:
University of California, Davis. General Library.Department of Special Collections.
Davis, California 95616-5292
Collection number: D-369
Language of Material: Collection materials in English and German.
Biography
Jean Noack Pratt (1916-2008), lived in Dixon, California. Her collection chronicles the lives of her ancestors, who were pioneers
of California's San Joaquin Valley. Pratt wrote three genealogical books,
Finally California,
The Noack-Haussler Story and
A Van Fossen Family Genealogy.
Pratt's great-grandparents, Ernest Wagener (1811-1893) and Henrietta Eichoff (1824-1869) were emigrants from Germany. They
were among the early settlers of San Joaquin Valley, ultimately settling on the Stanislaus River near Mariposa, California.
The family ran the Zinc House stage coach stop which was located near Stockton on the French Camp Road. Their daughter, Louisa
Christina Wagener (1853-1931), wrote a diary, which is the only known first-hand account of life at a stage coach stop in
the San Joaquin Valley.
Alfred Noack (1848-1922) married Louisa Christina Wagener. Noack worked in the threshing business.
Walter Noack (1880-1949) was the son of Alfred and Louisa. He was an inventor and machinist, working for many farm equipment
companies such as Braden Manufacturing Company, the Sage-Noack Gas Traction Company, Best Tractor Company, and Caterpillar
Tractor Company.
Scope and Content
The Pratt Family Papers spans the years 1825-1950. It contains historical correspondence and diaries related to the early
settlement of the San Joaquin Valley. In addition, the collection includes Pratt's draft notes and tapes used in the development
of her three books. There are many historical photographs of the family and of farm machinery. Also included in the collection
are a wooden die cast mold of the word
Caterpillar, and a forty-five-star flag said to have flown over the Zinc House stage coach stop.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is arranged in 5 series, Family diaries 1825-1886, Correspondence and business papers of Walter G. Noack, 1912-1939,
Jean Noack Pratt's Genealogical materials 1872-1977, Images 1888-1950, and Realia
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Pratt Family Papers--Archives.
Pratt, Jean Noack
German Americans-California-San Joaquin Valley-Biography
Tractor Industry-History
Agrficultural Machinery industry-History
Immigrants-California-San Joaquin Valley-Biography
San Joaquin Valley (Calif.)-Biography
Tractor Motors Company
Braden Manufacturing Co.
Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
Patricia C. Inouye processed this collection and created and encoded this finding aid.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Jean Noack Pratt 2001, 2003
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Pratt Family papers, D-369, Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of California,
Davis.
Publication Rights
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis 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 by the researcher.
Series 1
Family diaries
1825-1886
Physical Description:
30 folders: 0.25 linear feet
Scope and Content Note
Contains diaries, writings, correspondence of and about family members as well as two newspapers saved by the family. Arranged
alphabetically
Box 1:1
Alfred Noack Correspondence
Sept., 1888-June, 1889
Box 1:2
Berliner Tageblatt(Newspaper)
1914
Box 1:3
Byron Jackson Correspondence
1882-1884
Box 1:4
Henriette Eicholff Journal
1825-1880
Box 1:5-1:26
Louisa Wagener Noack draft letters and writings
undated
Box 1:27
Louisa Wagener Noack Newspaper article
Dec. 22, 1928
Box 1:28
Stylograph Copy Book, Alfred Noack
1884-1886
Box 1:29
The Western Democrat (Newspaper)
Oct. 9, 1886
Box 1:30
Zinc House Record Book
1856
Series 2
Correspondence and business papers of Walter G. Noack
1912-1939
Physical Description:
10 folders: 0.25 linear feet
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence, business papers, patents, and tractor catalogues of Walter G. Noack. Arranged alphabetically
Box 1:31
Best Manufacturing Company, San Leandro Tractor
undated
Box 1:32
C. L. Best Tractorlayer
undated
Box 1:33
Correspondence of Walter G. Noack
1905-1917
Box 1:34
Correspondence of Walter G. Noack
1918-1920
Box 1:35
Correspondence of Walter G. Noack
1921-1926
Box 1:36
Correspondence of Walter G. Noack and Caterpillar
1929
Box 1:37
Legal Correspondence of Walter G. Noack
1915-1939
Box 1:38
Tractor Motors Company statements
1917-1922
Box 1:39
Walter G. Noack's patents
1912-1929
Box 1:40
Walter G. Noack's Obituary
1949
Box 1:40
Katherine Von Flossen Noack's Obituary
1953
Series 3
Jean Noack Pratt's genealogical materials
1872-1977
Physical Description:
14 folders: 0.50 linear feet
Scope and Content Note
Contains materials created by Jean Noack Pratt to write her three books,
Finally California,
The Noack-Haussler Story, and
A Van Fossen Family Genealogy. Magnetic tapes may hold materials other than genealogy. These have labels: wintergreen, thyme, vanilla, cinnamon, physostigma,
peppermint, mustard, curcuma. One tape is labeled, Robb Pratt, KCBS, 4/25/1956. Arranged Alphabetically
Box 1:41
Genealogy-Chronology of Noack-Van Flossen
1906-1977
Box 1:42
Genealogy of Aaron Van Flossen and Lara Alice Warren
1872-1968
Box 1:43
Index and Correspondence
Oct. 29, 1984-June 8, 1986
Box 1:44
Original Lane Survey
1907
Series 4
Images. Arranged numerically
1888-1950
Physical Description:
66 Gelatin Dry plate glass negatives, 6 Albumen prints, and 5 negatives
Scope and Content Note
Contains images of the inventions of Alfred Noack and Walter G. Noack, with a few family images.
box 2:1
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0001
American Floor Surfacing Machine Co., Wagon, right hand side view with open side door.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:2
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0002
American Floor Surfacing Machine Co., Wagon, Left hand side view.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:3
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0003
American Floor Surfacing Machine Co., Wagon, rear view.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:4
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0004
American Floor Surfacing Machine Co., Wagon, right side view with closed side door.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:5
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0005
American Floor Surfacing Machine Co., Floor sanding machine
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:6
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0006
Braden Manufacturing Co. Gas Engines, Motors and Pumps, Factory Building, front view.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:7
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0007
Braden Manufacturing Co. Gas Engines, Motors and Pumps. Factory Building, side view.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:8
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0008
Braden Manufacturing Company, pump, Hanford, California
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:9
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0009
Food Cupboard with four compartments
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:10
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0010
Food Cupboard with twelve compartments
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:11
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0011
Store Cabinetry with six shelves in two rows
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:12
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0012
Pump in a A-frame Building in a field
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:13
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0013
Pump in structure near corn field
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:14
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0014
Yuba Manufacturing Co., tractor in orchard, right hand view.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:15
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0015
Yuba Manufacturing Co., tractor in orchard, front view
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:16
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0016
Walter Noack holding Carol with Louise and a snowman
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:17
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0017
Man, Girl and Boy in front of trenching machine [Negative is broken in half]
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:18
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0018
Trenching machine at work
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:19
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0019
Trenching machine at work, side view
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:20
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0020
Trenching machine at work, front view
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:21
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0021
Factory shop
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:22
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0022
Hammer mill
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:23
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0023
Pump
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:24
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0024
Dog
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:25
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0025
Unknown portrait.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:26
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0026
Saw.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:27
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0027
Tractor, front view
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:28
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0028
Tractor, left side view.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:29
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0029
Braden Manufacturing Company, Pump, Part 174.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 2:30-35
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0030-0035
Braden Manufacturing Company, Hiawatha pump, various views.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:1-9
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0036-0044
Various pumps.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:10
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0045
Drawing of a pump.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:11-18
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0046-0053
Tractor Motor Company, Engine.
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:19-24
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0054-0059
Tractor Motor Company, Engine Drawing Model E
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:19-24
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0054-0059
Tractor Motor Company, Engine Drawing Model E
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:25
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0060
Man and trenching machine
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:26
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0061
Man in orchard pumping water
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:27
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0062
Engine drawing- governor parts
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:28
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0063
Yuba Manufacturing Company, Tractor
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:29
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0064
C. L. Best Tractor Company, Tractor, left side view
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:30
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0065
C. L. Best Tractor Company, Tractor, right side view
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:31
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0066
C. L. Best Tractor Company, Tractor, front view
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin dry plate glass negative
box 3:32
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0067
Twenty men and one horse standing in front of a threshing machine
1875
Physical Description:
1 photograph: albumen print
box 3:33
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0068
Two men at a threshing machine with another group of men in a wagon in the Stockton area
1895
Physical Description:
1 photograph: albumen print
box 3:34
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0069
Men with threshing machine in the Stockton area
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: albumen print
box 3:35
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0070
Henneuse 40
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: albumen print
box 3:36
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0071
Residence of Ernest Magenes, Esq., San Joaquin County, California
1861
Physical Description:
1 photograph: albumen print
box 3:37
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0072
Men with threshing machine in field
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: albumen print
box 3:38
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0073
Walter G. Noack and Katherine Von Flossen Noack
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin DOP
box 3:39
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0074
Walter G. Noack
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin DOP
box 3:40
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0075
Man at river with pump
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin DOP
box 3:41
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0076
Man in field pumping water
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin DOP
box 3:42
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0077
Two men standing behind a pump with sign, "Made by the Braden Mfg. Co., Hanford." [Mounted on matting board]
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin DOP
box 3:43
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0078
Noack on Samson tractor pulling brush
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: Gelatin DOP
box 4:1
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0080
Tractor
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: negative
box 4:2
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0081
Walter G. Noack
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: nitrate negative
box 4:3
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0082
Walter Noack on Samson tractor pulling down a tree
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: nitrate negative
box 4:4
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0083
Pump
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: nitrate negative
box 4:5
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0084
Pump
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: nitrate negative
box 4:6
UCD.PIC.D369.2009.0084
Walter Noack on Samson tractor pulling brush
undated
Physical Description:
1 photograph: nitrate negative
Series 5
Realia
undated
Physical Description:
1 flag and 1 sign
Scope and Content Note
United States Flag with 48 stars which flew over the Zinc House stage coach stop. Wooden impression sign which says "Caterpillar".