Finding aid of the John R. Daggett Papers C058825
Finding aid prepared by Alexandria Brown
Society of California Pioneers
10/25/2011
300 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA, 94107-1272
(415) 959-1849
pkeats@californiapioneers.org
Title: Daggett, John R. Papers
Identifier/Call Number: C058825
Contributing Institution:
Society of California Pioneers
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.0 folder
(9 items)
Date (inclusive): 1854-1905
Abstract: This folder contains 1 letter of correspondence, 2 pages from a scrapbook, an 1881 receipt, an 1893 bond for $100,000 for
his appointment as the Superintendent of the U.S. Mint in San Francisco, and several documents relating to the murder of Robert
Craig by James Moran in 1854.
creator:
Daggett, John R., 1833-1919
Conditions Governing Access note
Collection open for research.
There are no restrictions on access.
Daggett and his brother David came to California in 1852, though David later died on the return journey. John became the Postmaster
of the mining town Sawyers Bar, in what is now the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area. In 1854 he was living near Klamath, Siskyou
County, California he somehow became involved in the murder of Robert Craig by James Moran. Moran was latter hanged by an
Irish mob. It is unclear how Daggett was involved with the murder – possibly as a witness in the bar where Craig was stabbed
by Moran with a butcher’s knife or as a witness to his body after he was hanged. Daggett ran a mine on and off through the
years after the Civil War. He had eleven terms in the state legislature before becoming Lieutenant Governor from 1882-1888.
During that time he founded a town named after himself, just outside of Barstow, CA. Daggett was the Superintendent of the
United States Mint in San Francisco from 1893-1897. He married Alice Foree in 1870 and their three surviving children were
Ben Foree Daggett, Hallie Morse Daggett, and Leslie Wells Daggett.
Donor and date of acquisition unknown.
John R. Daggett Papers. The Society of California Pioneers.
This folder contains 1 letter of correspondence from 1893 from Leland Stanford regarding Daggett’s application for Superintendant
of the San Francisco Mint; 2 pages from a scrapbook (containing stamps from several countries; 2 hand-drawn map of the “Hoe
Drift” and “Daggett Winze;” several newspaper clippings including a 1905 newspaper obituary for Charles Bristol, editorial
cartoons, and an 1885 assessment notice for Daggett’s Black Bear Quartz Mining Company; an 1842 letter to Daggett from R.
Barkel (?); several sketches of unknown items; and an 1862 banker’s note for Daggett); a newspaper article written by Daggett
regarding the life of Manuel Torres; an 1881 receipt for the $15 California State Democratic Club initiation fee; and an 1893
bond for $100,000 for his appointment as the Superintendent of the U.S. Mint in San Francisco, signed/witnessed by Daggett,
Joseph George Wall, John Markley, Robert Barnett, John Ragland, Gleascock Robert Barnett, W.W. Blow, Frederick Cox, Crawford
Washington Clarke, and Jasper N. Porter.
Also in the folder are several documents pertaining to the murder of Robert Craig by James Moran in December 1854: A writ
of garnishment, letter of complaint, and a warrant of arrest. All the items are directed toward James Moran. In an official
postmaster envelope are two scraps of paper with notes regarding Moran’s hanging. Daggett is not mentioned in the legal documents.
Existence and Location of Originals note
The Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Craig, Robert, ?-1854
Moran, James, ?-1854
Stanford, Leland, 1824-1893
Correspondence.
Maps.
Quartz mines and mining
Receipts (financial records).
Scrapbooks.
United States Mint.
Warrants (Law)