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Abel Stearns Papers: Addenda 2
mssHM 57166-57209
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Title: Abel Stearns Papers: Addenda 2
Dates: 1817-1878
Collection Call Number: mssHM 57166-57209
Creator:
Stearns, Abel, 1798-1871
Extent:
44 items in 1 box
Repository: The Huntington Library,
Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts
Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains
personal and business correspondence of Southern California businessman and politician
Abel Stearns (1798-1871) from Stearns' early years in California. The collection
primarily deals with the history of Spanish California, as well as early commerce
and trading in the region.
Language of Material: The records are in English and
Spanish.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities.
The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests
with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Abel Stearns Papers: Addenda 2, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from Dawson's Book Shop, January, 1991.
Abel Stearns was a pioneer ranch owner and businessman of Los Angeles, California. Orphaned in
1810, he left his native Massachusetts and went to sea, making trips to China, the
East Indies, and Latin America. By the early 1820s he was back in the United States
trying to establish himself as a businessman, dealing mainly in shoes. In 1826 he
left for Mexico, settling in Mexico City. As partner in a colonization enterprise
for Upper California, he became a naturalized citizen and moved to Monterey in 1829.
While awaiting approval of a land grant, he turned to merchandising. In about 1833
Stearns settled in Los Angeles, joined Juan Bandini in the trading business, and
married Bandini's daughter Arcadia. Stearns became involved in almost every type of
business, held minor political offices, and was sent as a representative of the Los
Angeles district to the state constitutional convention in Monterey in 1849. He
began acquiring rancho property and by 1858 was the owner of vast landholdings and
cattle herds and the wealthiest man in Los Angeles county. As a member of the state
assembly in 1861, he took an active part in promoting the Los Angeles and San Pedro
Railroad. Stearns was forced to sell a great deal of his property when he became
bankrupt after the drought of 1863-1864, which caused the decline of the cattle
industry in California. He died in San Francisco in 1871.
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
- Abel Stearns Papers, 1821-1935 (Call number: mssStearns papers)
- Abel Stearns Papers: Addenda 1, 1821-1879 (bulk 1821-1831) (Call number: mssHM 48988-49068)
This collection, which is arranged alphabetically by author, is made up of
correspondence and documents from Stearns' early years in California. The collection
primarily deals with the history of Spanish California, as well as early commerce
and trading in the region. It also contains a few items prior to Stearns' move to
California, concerning his business on the East Coast. Also included in this
collection is a letter to Robert S. Baker, second husband of Arcadia (Bandini)
Stearns Baker, from Edward Fitzgerald Beale of the Department of the Interior.
Correspondence: The letters deal with personal and business matters, including
Stearns' plan for obtaining land in Upper California and creating a colony for
Americans. Included are letters from Jose Maria de Echeandia, Governor of California
under Mexico, Friar Narciso Duran, Friar Luis Gil y Taboada, and several business
partners, both Mexican and American.
Documents: These include bills of lading, contracts regarding a land grant with the
official seals of Mexico on them, and several receipts for goods sold and purchased,
including cost of merchandise. The collection also contains the constitution and
articles of association for the Philadelphia Cordwainer's Company.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by author.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Stearns, Abel,
1798-1871
Hudson's Bay
Company
Fur trade--California
California--Commerce--History--Sources
California--History--19th
century--Sources
California--History--1850-1950--Sources
Business records--California--19th
century
Letters
(correspondence)--California--19th century
Invoices
Personal papers--California--19th
century
Professional papers--California--19th
century