Guide to the Peter Coutts' Story Papers

Daniel Hartwig
Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Stanford, California
May 2011
Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.


Overview

Call Number: SCM0251
Creator: Hanna, Paul Robert, 1902-1988.
Title: Peter Coutts' Story papers
Dates: 1900-1986
Physical Description: 0.02 Linear feet (1 folder)
Language(s): The materials are in English.
Repository: Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064
Email: specialcollections@stanford.edu
Phone: (650) 725-1022
URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc

Biographical/Historical note

Jean-Baptiste Paulin Caperon (better known in California as Peter Coutts), was a successful French businessman, book collector and editor of the republican, anti-royalist paper, LA LIBERTE. Political disputes and health problems caused him to leave France and take up residence in California. In 1875 Caperon, now known as Peter Coutts, purchased 1,400 acres just north of Mayfield and named it Rancho Matadero. Coutts returned to Europe in 1880 to reclaim his confiscated estates and Rancho Matadero was sold to neighbor Leland Stanford.

Scope and Contents note

Collection consists mostly of clippings and published articles, with two unpublished papers: Geoffrey Bilson, "Peter Coutts - 'The Frenchman'" and Regina Kriss, "The influence and effects of French politics (1848-1880) on the life of Stanford's Frenchman, Peter Coutts," 1965.

Access Terms

Bilson, Geoffrey.
Caperon, Jean-Baptiste Paulin.
Coutts, P. J. F. (Peter J. F.)
Hanna, John Paul
Kriss, Regina.


Box 1

Papers