Guide to the Grass Valley Daily Union Records, 1866-1937

Processed by Mary Morganti
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
© 1998
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Note

Arts and Humanities --Journalism Social Sciences --Publishing Geographical (by Place) --California --Northern California Geographical (by Place) --California --Bay Area

Guide to the Grass Valley Daily Union Records, 1866-1937

Collection number: BANC MSS 98/69 c

The Bancroft Library



University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Contact Information:

Processed by:
Mary Morganti
Date Completed:
December 1997
Encoded by:
Michael C. Conkin
© 1998 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Collection Summary

Collection Title: Grass Valley Daily Union Records
Collection Number: BANC MSS 98/69 c
Creator: Grass Valley daily union
Extent: Number of containers: 37 oversize volumes, 7 volumes in 1 box, and 3 boxes Linear feet: [ca. 16]
Repository: The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Abstract: Consists of business records from 1866 to 1937, relating to subscriptions, circulation statistics, and advertising, as well as financial operations of the newspaper, including daybooks, ledgers, cash blotters, invoices, cashbooks, and journals. Only one ledger (relating to subscriptions, 1894-1895) documents the existence of the Grass Valley Weekly union. Includes lists of subscribers and circulation for numerous small communities in the area. The variety of materials in the advertising and financial records document hundreds of local businesses, sources for printing and paper supplies, and the role of the press in the growing community.

Includes one volume of meeting minutes for Woodmen of the World, Hall of Mistletoe Camp #340 (Grass Valley), recording regular monthly meetings from 1902 to Nov. 1921; only one meeting was held in 1917, and none again until April 1921. Also includes a roll call of members for 1902 and 1903. Presumably there was some connection between the members of this lodge and the newspaper, in which they advertised.
Languages Represented: English

Information for Researchers

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Grass Valley Daily Union Records, 1866-1937, BANC MSS 98/69 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

The Grass Valley Daily Union Records were purchased by The Bancroft Library from Serendipity Books (Berkeley, Calif.) on July 25, 1997.

Scope and Content

The Grass Valley Daily Union Records consist of business records from 1866 to 1937, relating to subscriptions, circulation statistics, and advertising, as well as the financial operations of the newspaper, including daybooks, ledgers, cash blotters, invoices, cash books, and journals. Only one ledger (relating to subscriptions) documents the existence of the Grass Valley Weekly Union.
William S. Byrne and Charles H. Mitchell commenced publication of the Daily Union in 1866, and although not every year of operation is represented in each series, overall the records document in surprising detail the social and business life of this small goldrush town in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada. Lists of subscribers and circulation statements for the numerous small communities in the area present a wealth of information about local history and demographics. The variety of materials in the advertising and financial records document hundreds of local businesses, sources for printing and paper supplies, and the role of the press in the growing community.
Also included with the records of the Union is one volume of meeting minutes for Woodmen of the World, Hall of Mistletoe Camp #340 (Grass Valley), which records monthly meetings from 1902 to 1921. Presumably there was some connection between the members of this lodge and the newspaper in which they regularly advertised

v. 1-7

Series 1: Subscriptions, 1893-1899.

Scope and Content Note

Subscription ledgers include name of subscriber, town, and a record of payments, as well as complimentary subscriptions and exchanges with other newspapers. Only one subscription ledger (v. 7) from March 1894-1895 is from the Grass Valley Weekly Union.
box  Box 1, volume v. 1

Ledger #1 1893 June 10-Dec. 4

volume v. 2

Ledger 1894

volume v. 3

Ledger 1895

volume v. 4

Ledger 1896

volume v. 5

Ledger 1897-98

volume v. 6

Ledger 1898-99

box  Box 1, volume v. 7

Ledger #1, Weekly Union 1894 March 17-1895

v. 8-12

Series 2: Circulation, 1908-1937.

Scope and Content Note

Circulation statements ledgers record the number of subscribers in each town, with yearly a summary.
volume v. 8

Ledger 1908 Oct.-1913 Oct.

volume v. 9

Ledger 1913 Nov.-1918 Dec.

volume v. 10

Ledger 1919 March-1925 May

volume v. 11

Ledger 1925 June-1931 July

volume v. 12

Ledger 1931 Aug.-1937 [Sept.]

v. 13-19

Series 3: Advertisement, 1869-1900.

Scope and Content Note

Divided into three sub-series: Payments Received, Accounts Ledgers, and Clippings. Payments Received ledgers record advertisers by name of person or business, date placed and amount paid, and dates the advertisement was run. There is some overlap in these volumes as entries at the back were sometimes transferred to the new ledger. Only one account ledger ("1894") is arranged alphabetically by name of advertiser. Clippings of some advertisements have been pasted into scrapbooks, which may have been used as samples.
 

Payments received, 1869-1898.

volume v. 13

Ledger 1869 July 1-1875 April 9

volume v. 14

Ledger 1875 April 1-1882 Feb. 28

volume v. 15

Ledger 1882 March 1-1893 March 1

box  Box 1, volume v. 1

Ledger 1894 July 28-1895 March 31

Scope and Content Note

Included at back of Subscription Ledger #1, [as noted on front label]
volume v. 16

Ledger 1895 May 1-1898 Sept. 30

 

Accounts, 1893-1894.

box  Box 1, volume v. 17

Ledger, “1894” 1893 March-1894 Oct.

 

Clippings, 1896-1900

volume v. 18

Scrapbook 1896 Sept. 1-1898 Feb. 27

volume v. 19

Scrapbook 1898 March 1-1900 Jan. 30

v. 20-43

Series 4: Financial Records, 1866-1937.

Scope and Content Note

Divided into six sub-series: Daybooks, Ledgers, Cash Blotters, Invoices, Cashbooks, and Journals. Daybooks constitute a daily record of credits and debits that were later transferred into Ledgers and posted to an individual account, with monthly summaries. At the front of each volume is an alphabetical index to the accounts in each ledger, with reference to all relevant page numbers. Cash Blotters list petty cash transactions by day, including both credits and debits, and along with the expenses represented in the scrapbooks of Invoices, are later recorded as receipts and disbursements in the Cash Books. Finally, the change to double-entry book keeping is reflected in the Journals, which record all bills payable and receivable each month, and include summary and trial balances.
 

Daybooks, 1866-1893

volume v. 20

Ledger 1866 Oct. 22-1869 July 2

volume v. 21

Ledger 1870 April 1-1873 March 3

volume v. 22

Ledger 1873 March 10-1876 April 21

volume v. 23

Ledger 1876 April 24-1879 Dec. 31

volume v. 24

Ledger 1880 Jan. 2-1882 June 15; 1886 Oct. 1-1888 Sept. 25

Scope and Content Note

[starts again at p. 163]
volume v. 25

Ledger 1882 March 6-1886 Sept. 30

volume v. 26

Ledger 1888 Oct. 1-1893 Aug. 21

 

Ledgers, 1866-1902.

volume v. 27

Ledger 1866 Oct.-1871 April

volume v. 28

Ledger 1870 April-1882 June

volume v. 29

Ledger 1882 June-1893 March

volume v. 30

Ledger 1896 Jan.-1901 Jan.

volume v. 31

Ledger 1896 Jan.-1902 Nov.

 

Cash Blotters, 1882-1900

box  Box 1, volume v. 32

Notebook 1882 March 1-1886 Oct. 31

volume v. 33

Notebook 1887 April 1-1893 Aug. 21

volume v. 34

Notebook 1899 Sept. 1-1900 April 28

 

Invoices, 1893-1898.

volume v. 35

Scrapbook 1893 June-1895 April

box  Box 2, folder  1-5

Loose sections from scrapbooks 1895 April-Dec.

box  Box 3, folder  1-2

Loose sections from scrapbooks 1896 Jan.-May

volume v. 36

Scrapbook 1896 June-1897 Oct.

box  Box 3, folder  3

Loose sections from scrapbooks 1897 Sept.-Dec.

folder  4

Loose sections from scrapbooks 1897 Dec.-1898 Feb.

Scope and Content Note

[includes some from Aug. 1898]
folder  5-6

Loose sections from scrapbooks 1898 Feb.-May

box  Box 4, folder  1-3

Loose sections from scrapbooks 1898 June-Dec.

volume v. 37

Scrapbook 1898 Nov.-1900 Feb.

box  Box 4, folder  4

Loose sections from scrapbooks 1900 Feb.-May

 

Cashbooks, 1898-1937.

volume v. 38

Ledger 1898 Oct. 1-1903 Dec. 31

volume v. 39

Ledger 1904 Jan. 2-1914 June 12

volume v. 40

Ledger 1914 June 12-1925 Nov. 25

volume v. 41

Ledger 1925 Dec. 22-1937 Jan. 31

 

Journals, 1904-1932

volume v. 42

Ledger 1904 Jan. 1-1915 Dec. 31

volume v. 43

Ledger 1915 Dec. 31-1932 Dec. 31

v. 44

Series 5: Miscellaneous, 1902-1921.

Scope and Content Note

A minute book from the Woodmen of the World, Hall of Mistletoe Camp #340 (Grass Valley) was found with the newspaper's records. It records regular monthly meetings from January 1902 to November 1921; only one meeting was held in 1917, and none again until April 1921. The volume also includes a roll call of members for the years 1902 and 1903.
 

Woodmen of the World, Hall of Mistletoe Camp #340 (Grass Valley)

box  Box 1, volume v. 44

Minutes of meetings 1902 Jan.-1921 Nov. 25

Scope and Content Note

[Includes roll call of members for 1902 and 1903]