Finding Aid to the Bolton Family Papers, 1828-2000, bulk 1885-1980
Finding Aid written by Alison E. Bridger
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 2007
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid to the Bolton Family Papers, 1828-2000, bulk 1885-1980
Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 841
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
- Finding Aid Written By:
- Alison E. Bridger
- Date Completed:
-
June 2009
© 2009 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Bolton Family papers
Date (inclusive): 1828-2000,
Date (bulk): bulk 1885-1980
Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 841
Creators :
Bolton family
Extent:
Number of containers: 3 cartons, 4 boxes and 2 oversize folders
Linear feet: 4.7
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: Contains correspondence, Bolton family history, materials by and about Herbert Eugene Bolton and Frederick Elmer Bolton, and
personal papers of Frances Appleton, and Jane Adams. Correspondents include Herbert E. Bolton, Frederick E. Bolton, Frances
Appleton, and Jane Adams as well as other members of the Bolton family. Letters discuss education, finances, career, family,
and genealogical history. Included with Bolton family history are biographies of Bolton family women, many written by Meredith
Bolton Smith. Herbert E. Bolton materials include galleys and a Spanish translation of his
Padre on Horseback, and other publications, speeches and biographical material. Frederick E. Bolton materials include his unpublished manuscript
of the
History of the University of Washington, 1855-1961.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Bolton Family Papers, BANC MSS C-B 841, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Related Collections
Herbert Eugene Bolton papers, 1890-1953. BANC MSS C-B 840
Bolton-Wilder-Brower family papers, 1838-1989. BANC MSS 2003/104 cz
Separated Material
Photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library (BANC PIC 1905.14590-14596--PIC).
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Bolton family
Bolton, Herbert Eugene, 1870-1953
Bolton, Frederick Elmer, 1866
Appleton, Frances, 1897-1978
Adams, Jane, 1909-1993
University of California, Berkeley.Dept. of History--Faculty
Bancroft Library.Director
University of Washington--History
Education--Texas
Education--California--Berkeley
Texas--Social life and customs
California--Social life and customs
Clippings.
Genealogies.
Galley proofs (Printing)
Bolton, Herbert Eugene, 1870-1953
Bolton, Herbert Eugene, 1870-1953.
Padre on horseback
Bolton, Frederick Elmer, 1866
Appleton, Frances, 1897-1978
Adams, Jane, 1909-1993
Smith, Meredith Bolton
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Bolton Family Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by the family of Herbert Eugene Bolton between the years of 1959
and 1963. Additions were made in 2000 by Gale B. Johnson and Bob Brower and in 2003 by Russ Magnaghi of letters given to him
by Jane Bolton Adams. Further additions came in 2009 from the Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers after the processing of that collection.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Alison E. Bridger in 2003-2004; revised by Anastasia Karel in 2009.
Biographical Information
Edwin Bolton
Edwin Bolton emigrated from England to the United States around 1850 with his parents John and Harriet Latham Bolton, eventually
settling as farmers near Wilton, Wisconsin in 1856. In the early 1860's Edwin Bolton married Rosaline Cady, the daughter of
James Cady, a Methodist pastor in Tomah, Wisconsin and Mary Dolbear. The Cady family can trace their ancestors to the Mayflower
family of Richard Warren. In 1863 after his first son was born, Edwin Latham joined a Wisconsin regiment in the Civil War.
After the war, in 1866 a second son, Frederick Elmer was born. Herbert Eugene, the fourth son was born July 20, 1870. After
a short time in Nebraska in 1873, the Edwin Bolton family settled on La Grange Farm near Tomah, Wisconsin. On March 30, 1885,
while Rosaline Bolton was pregnant with their last child, Edwin Bolton died suddenly.
Herbert Eugene Bolton
At the time of his father's death, Herbert was ready to enter high school in Tomah. This is where he met Gertrude Janes, his
future wife. During the years that followed the death of their father, Frederick and Herbert helped to put each other through
school, taking turns teaching and studying. In 1895 Herbert Eugene Bolton received a Bachelor of Letters from the University
of Wisconsin in Madison, where he studied under Frederick Jackson Turner. In that same year Herbert married Gertrude Janes.
Their first child, Frances Latham Bolton, was born in Jan. 1897, during Herbert's first year in graduate studies at the University
of Wisconsin. He finished his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in 1899. The family returned to Wisconsin where
Herbert taught and where the next two Bolton daughters were born. Herbert Bolton landed a position at the University of Texas
in 1901.
While in Texas, Herbert began his study of Spanish America, spending summers researching in Mexican archives. His first book,
With the Makers of Texas, was published in 1904. In 1909 he accepted a position at Stanford, and the following year accepted
a professorship at the University of California, Berkeley to begin in 1911. By 1913 Herbert and Gertrude Bolton had their
first son, their seventh and last child.
Herbert E. Bolton spent the rest of his career at Berkeley, becoming the head of the Department of History in 1919. He would
serve as department head until 1940, with the exception of a 2-year hiatus. Bolton was the Director of The Bancroft Library
from 1920 until his retirement in 1940. He came out of retirement in 1942 for two years to lecture in History and to be Director
of The Bancroft Library. After a series of strokes, Herbert Eugene Bolton passed away in Berkeley, California on January 30,
1953.
Frederick Elmer Bolton
Frederick E. Bolton became interested in teaching early on in his education. Many of his writings involved education and he
worked towards establishing more junior colleges in Washington State. He was dean of the College of Education at the University
of Iowa and then at the University of Washington. He spent ten years researching and writing a history on the University of
Washington in anticipation of their centennial celebration. Frederick E. Bolton died on March 10, 1963 in Seattle, Washington.
Frances Appleton
Frances Latham Bolton was the eldest daughter of Herbert and Gertrude Bolton, born in Madison, Wisconsin on January 21, 1897.
While attending the University of California, Berkeley, Frances met Ted Appleton, who was in Army training at the campus for
World War I. They married in April 1920 and moved to Boston, Mass. to live with his parents. They lived in different locations
throughout the United States settling in southern California. Frances worked principally in the medical social service field.
During World War II, she worked two years at the Tule Lake Relocation Center, a Japanese internment camp. Before her death
on August 27, 1978, she moved in with her youngest sister Jane Adams. A bequest was made by Frances, leaving a redwood grove
dedicated to her parents at Portola State Park, in La Honda, California.
Jane Adams
Jane Gale Bolton was born December 5, 1909 in Palo Alto, California while her father was a professor at Stanford. Jane went
to college at UC Berkeley, as did most of her siblings, majoring in History with minors in English and Spanish, graduating
in 1931. While working in the UC Berkeley alumni office she met Francis Adams, whom she eventually married. After their son
David was old enough Jane returned to teaching. Jane Bolton Adams died in January 1993.
Please refer to the paper copy of the finding aid for the Bolton family genealogy.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Bolton Family Papers, 1828-2000 (bulk 1885-1980), consist primarily of correspondence of the extended families of Herbert
Eugene Bolton and wife Gertrude Janes Bolton, including their daughters Frances Bolton Appleton and Jane Bolton Adams.
The correspondence between brothers Herbert and Frederick Bolton consist of letters from Herbert with a few copies of replies
from Frederick. These letters start in 1885 while Frederick was schoolmaster in Glendale, Wisconsin and Herbert was beginning
High School. The letters continue until 1947, discussing their education, finances, careers and families. These papers were
saved by Frederick Bolton and donated to The Bancroft Library after his brother's death, along with a copy of Frederick Bolton's
manuscript on the History of the University of Washington. These letters were used in the research of Father John Francis
Bannon in his biography "Herbert Eugene Bolton: The Historian and the Man, 1870-1953." Frederick's letters to Herbert can
be found in the Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers, Part II (BANC MSS C-B 840).
Remaining correspondence covers family activities, family history, and current events, from the American Civil War to the
Kennedy assassination. H.E. Bolton wrote many letters to his wife and family while he traveled for research. Also includes
letters written around the time of Herbert and Gertrude Bolton's deaths. Some correspondence may have been lost in several
fires the family suffered through including the Great Fire of 1923 in Berkeley, California when the Bolton family home was
burned to the ground and all of Herbert E. Bolton's manuscripts were destroyed.
The Bolton family history includes genealogical tables, some going back to the American Revolution and the Mayflower, biographies
written by younger generations about the generations before them, including Herbert E. Bolton's children. Biographical material
on Herbert E. Bolton, written by family and colleagues, can be found in Series 3. Material also included with Herbert E. Bolton's
papers are a galley of Padre on Horseback, and a speech given while receiving an Honorary Diploma from the University of Wisconsin--Madison.
The Bolton family designated the Bancroft Library as the repository for their family papers and both Frances Appleton and
Jane Adams donated their personal papers, which include correspondence, professional activities, as well as their continuing
interest in California History.
Series 1
Correspondence
1828-2000
Physical Description:
Boxes 1-4, Carton 1
Scope and Content Note
Divided into 5 subseries: Herbert Eugene Bolton, Bolton family, Frances Appleton, Jane Adams and Janes family.
Subseries 1.1
Herbert Eugene Bolton
1885-1987
Physical Description:
Box 1-2, Box 3, folders 1-14, Box 4
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains letters from Herbert E. Bolton to his brother Frederick E. Bolton with a few responses over a fifty year period,
discussing education, finances, career, and family; letters between Herbert E. Bolton and his wife and family while on research
trips including to Mexico. Also includes some business correspondence as well as correspondence concerning H.E. Bolton's
death, memorial, and book royalties.
Bolton, Gertrude Janes and family
Carton 4, Folder 12a
Postcards
1911,
undated
Note
from Herbert Eugene Bolton papers
Box 3, Folder 11
Bolton, Herbert Eugene, [Jr.] and daughters
1922-1953
Box 3, Folder 12
Business
1943-1944,
undated
Box 3, Folder 13
About death and memorial
1953
Box 3, Folder 14
About book royalties
1978,
1987
Subseries 1.2
Bolton family
1850-2000
Physical Description:
Box 3, folders 15-24 and Carton 1, folders 1-7
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence between various family members including Laura Bell, Gertrude Bolton, Grace Bolton, Olive Bolton,
Rosaline Abigail Bolton, Robert "Bob" Weldon Brower, Genie Bolton Johnson, Dorothy Morrison, and Winnie Nafus. Also includes
correspondence between the Bolton family and the University of California, Berkeley.
Box 3, Folder 15
Bell, Laura and family
1912-1970
Box 3, Folder 16
Bolton, Edwin Latham family
1850-1886
Box 3, Folder 17
Bolton, Frederick Elmer family
1896-1912
Box 3, Folder 18
Bolton, Gertrude Janes to Olive Bolton
1896-1905
Box 3, Folder 19
Bolton, Gertrude Janes
Circa 1912; 1954-1955
Box 3, Folder 24
Bolton, Rosaline Abigail
1903-1911
Carton 1, Folder 1
About
Padre on Horseback
1972
Carton 1, Folder 2
Smith, Meredith Bolton
1996-2000
Carton 1, Folder 3
Johnson, Genie Bolton
1953-1971
Carton 1, Folder 4
Morrison, Dorothy
1973,
2000
Carton 1, Folder 5
Nafus, Edwinna "Winnie" Bolton
1943,
1953
Carton 1, Folder 6
University of California, Berkeley
1952-1981
Subseries 1.3
Frances Appleton
1937-1978
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 8-22
Arrangement
Divided into incoming and outgoing, then arranged alphabetically and chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence between Frances and her mother Gertrude Bolton concerning a coat and her father Herbert E. Bolton,
between Frances and her husband Ted Appleton, mostly during Ted's time in Virginia in 1954, and with sister Gertrude Coleman
concerning their parent's estate.
Carton 1, Folder 8-12
Bolton, Gertrude Janes
1951-1954
Carton 1, Folder 13-19
Appleton, Francis "Ted"
1943-1959
Carton 1, Folder 20
Coleman, Gertrude
1954-1955
Subseries 1.4
Jane Adams
1924-1993
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 23-51
Arrangement
Divided into incoming and outgoing, then arranged alphabetically and chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence with sister Frances Appleton concerning family matters including their father's works, letters written
to her family as a young women while away from home, including a trip to the Midwest to visit relatives, and correspondence
with various family members discussing family issues.
Carton 1, Folder 23-27
Appleton, Frances
1960-1978
Carton 1, Folder 28
Bolton, Gertrude Janes
1940,
1947
Carton 1, Folder 29-30
Bolton, Frederick Elmer
1942-1962
Carton 1, Folder 37
Treutlein, Charlotte
1939-1941
Carton 1, Folder 39
Adams, Francis "Fran"
1945,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 40-41
Appleton, Frances
1954,
1971
Carton 1, Folder 42
About Frances Appleton
1978-1979
Carton 1, Folder 43-48
Bolton, Herbert Eugene family
1924-1929
Carton 1, Folder 49
Brower, Robert Weldon
1987,
1993
Carton 1, Folder 51
Miscellaneous
1964,
undated
Subseries 1.5
Janes family
1828-1978
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 52-56
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence between the Herbert Eugene Bolton family and his wife's family especially her sister Lula Janes Abercrombie,
an opera singer, and niece Gertrude Abercrombie. Also includes early family correspondence dating from 1828 between various
Janes family members.
Carton 1, Folder 52
Early family correspondence
1828-1917
Carton 1, Folder 54
Abercrombie, Lula Janes with Jane Adams
1952-1960
Carton 1, Folder 54a
Abercrombie, Lula Janes
1909-1954,
undated
Note
from Herbert Eugene Bolton papers
Carton 1, Folder 55-56
Abercrombie, Gertrude to Jane Adams
1961-1978
Series 2
Bolton Family History
1934-1997
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 57-73
Scope and Content Note
Divided into 3 subseries containing genealogies of Bolton and Janes families, biographies of Bolton family members, writings
of various family members and clippings.
Subseries 2.1
Genealogies
undated
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 57-60
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains genealogical information on the Bolton, Latham, Cady, and Janes families, some submitted as forms to the Daughters
of the American Revolution. The Bolton-Latham-Cady papers include transcripts of correspondence from the 19th century with
relatives still living in England and during the American Civil War.
Carton 1, Folder 57
Bolton family histories
undated
Carton 1, Folder 58-59
Bolton-Latham-Cady papers
undated
Oversize Drawer A, Folder 1
Subseries 2.2
Biographies
1934-1997
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 61-68
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
Contains Bolton family biographies gathered or written by Meredith Bolton Smith.
Carton 1, Folder 61
Appleton, Frances
1977-1978
Carton 1, Folder 62
Adams, Jane
1983,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 63
"Night Vigil" by Eugenie Bolton
1934
Carton 1, Folder 64-66
"Oh Womankind" by Meredith Bolton Smith
1997
Carton 1, Folder 67
Miscellaneous Biographies by Meredith Bolton Smith
1997
Carton 1, Folder 68
"Los Gatos of Bygone Days" by Nancy Sawyer Taylor and Meredith Bolton Smith
1997
Subseries 2.3
Miscellaneous
1930-1972
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 69-73
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains family writings, including a small book of poetry by Martha Gertrude Bolton published after her death, and clippings
about family members.
Carton 1, Folder 69
Bolton, Gertrude Janes
1936,
1954
Carton 1, Folder 70
Johnson, Eugenie Bolton
Circa 1930-1953
Carton 1, Folder 71
Bolton, Martha Gertrude "Bambi"
1959
Carton 1, Folder 72
Bolton family clippings
1936-1972
Carton 1, Folder 73
Janes-Abercrombie clippings
undated
Series 3
Herbert Eugene Bolton
1909-1987
Physical Description:
Carton 2, folders 1-31; Oversize folder 2
Scope and Content Note
Divided into 4 subseries: biographical, publications, speeches and miscellaneous items.
Subseries 3.1
Biographical
1909-1987
Physical Description:
Carton 2, folders 1-14
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains biographies written by family members including Frederick E. Bolton, Herbert E. Bolton, Jr. and Martha Bolton, and
by colleagues, articles, and clippings. Also includes material concerning his death and a bibliography of essays written about
Herbert E. Bolton.
Carton 2, Folder 1
by Frederick E. Bolton
1953,
1962
Carton 2, Folder 2-4
by Herbert E. Bolton Jr.
1953,
1969
Carton 2, Folder 5
by Martha Bolton [Smith]
1958
Carton 2, Folder 6
by Helene Bolton Herbert
undated
Carton 2, Folder 7
by unknown Bolton relatives
undated
Carton 2, Folder 12
Clippings-general
1909-1987
Carton 2, Folder 13
Clippings-about death
1953
Carton 2, Folder 14
Bibliography of essays about Herbert Eugene Bolton
1953
Subseries 3.2
Publications
1932-1933
Physical Description:
Carton 2, folders 15-21
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically
Scope and Content Note
Contains article "The Epic of Greater America," and galley proofs of Padre on Horseback, published by son-in-law Ted Brower,
as well as a Spanish translation. Also includes bibliographies of Herbert E. Bolton's published works.
Carton 2, Folder 15
The Epic of Greater America
1933
Carton 2, Folder 20
Spanish translation
undated
Carton 2, Folder 21
Bibliographies
1932,
undated
Subseries 3.3
Speeches
1925-1939
Physical Description:
Carton 2, folders 22-24
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically
Scope and Content Note
Contains speeches, "The Mission as a Frontier Institution in the Spanish-American Colonies," "The Mormons in the Opening
of the Great West," and "Some Cultural Assets of Latin Americirca"
Carton 2, Folder 22
The Mission as a Frontier Institution in the Spanish-American Colonies
undated
Carton 2, Folder 23
The Mormons in the Opening of the Great West
1925
Carton 2, Folder 24
Some Cultural Assets of Latin America
1939
Subseries 3.4
Miscellaneous
1880s-1977
Physical Description:
Carton 2, folders 25-31; Oversize folder 2
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains honors, awards and degrees, a scrapbook and clippings
Box 4, Folder 15
Autograph book
1880s
Note
from Herbert Eugene Bolton papers
Carton 2, Folder 25
Honors, Awards, Degrees
1945-1974
Oversize Drawer A, Folder 2
California Historical Survey Commission
1916
Series 4
Frederick Elmer Bolton
1958-1963
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 1-34
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
Contains a bibliography of Frederick E. Bolton's works, clippings and a copy of his manuscript,
History of the University of Washington, 1855-1961.
Carton 3, Folder 3-34
History of the University of Washington, 1855-1961
1961
Series 5
Frances Appleton
1897-1979
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 35-45, and 1 oversize folder
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains employment history in social work, degrees and awards, estate issues and miscellaneous material of husband Francis
"Ted" Appleton.
Carton 3, Folder 35
Degrees and Awards
1919-1962
Oversize Drawer A, Folder 1
University of California, Berkeley diploma
1920
Carton 3, Folder 36-39
Employment history
1935-1971
Carton 3, Folder 40
Social work essay
undated
Carton 3, Folder 44
Ted Appleton miscellaneous
1969-1970,
undated
Carton 3, Folder 45
Ted and Frances Appleton miscellaneous
1897-1972
Series 6
Jane Adams
1916-1985
Physical Description:
Carton3, folders 46-49
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
Contains information concerning Portola Expedition Bicentennial Foundation and other miscellaneous papers.
Carton 3, Folder 46-47
Portola Expedition Bicentennial Foundation
1975-1984
Carton 3, Folder 48
Personal business correspondence
1960-circa1985
Carton 3, Folder 50
School-age work
1916-1917
Note
from Herbert Eugene Bolton papers