Collection Guide
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Gillingham (Robert C.) Papers
SPC.1970.001
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Robert Gillingham Working Papers
Creator:
Gillingham, Robert C. (Robert Cameron), 1896-
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.1970.001
Physical Description:
1 linear foot
Physical Description:
3 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1932-1983
Abstract: Robert C. Gillingham was a historian who focused on the South Bay, specifically the Rancho San Pedro, the Dominguez family,
and Compton. This collection consists of correspondence, drafts, and manuscript copies related to his work on The Rancho San
Pedro and Yesterdays of Compton.
Language of Material:
English
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Likely donated by Robert Gillingham in the 1970s or 1980s.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
Materials in this collection were removed from the Rancho San Pedro Reference Collection and the Compton History Collection.
This collection was created in 2006 during the processing of the above collections.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
This finding aid was created as part of Early Los Angeles/Rancho San Pedro Manuscript Cataloging Project, a CSU Dominguez
Hills Library project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project started in 2005.
Project Director was Greg Williams. Project Archivists were Thomas Philo and Jennifer Allan Goldman.
Robert C. Gillingham Biography
Robert C. Gillingham was born in Michigan in 1896 and moved to Compton, California in 1906. He attended Compton Union High
School, earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Pomona College, and served in the first World War. Gillingham later earned his
PhD from the University of Southern California and, in 1927, became Dean of Compton Junior College, a position he held for
35 years. During this time, he also spent 17 years as the chairman of the Compton City Planning Commission. His interest in
local history led him to write The Rancho San Pedro, first published in 1961 and financed by the Dominguez Estate Company.
He also published over sixty articles on Compton history for the Compton News-Tribune, which were later compiled into the
book Yesterdays of Compton.
A majority of this collection is manuscript drafts and copies of sections of The Rancho San Pedro and Yesterdays of Compton.
Also included are Gillingham's notes and correspondence to and from local historians, the Dominguez Estate Company, Compton
pioneers, and others.
Arranged in two series:
- Series I. Compton, 1932-1960
- Series II. Rancho San Pedro, 1944-1983
The following related collections can be found in the CSUDH Archives and Special Collections: Compton History Collection;
Del Amo Estate Company Collection; Del Amo Nurseries Collection; Dominguez Air Meet Collection; Dominguez Water Company Collection;
Rancho San Pedro Collection; Rancho San Pedro Reference Collection; South Bay History Collection; South Bay Photo Collection;
Watson Land Company Collection
A book entitled "The Rancho San Pedro; the story of a famous Rancho in Los Angeles County and of its owners the Dominguez
family" has been cataloged separately.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Compton (Calif.)
Rancho San Pedro (Calif.)
Dominguez Water Company
Dominguez Water Corporation