The Jones and Conger families were among the pioneers of California and Nevada. Thomas Conger became state senator in California. Conger's son-in-law, John P. Jones, became senator in Nevada and was the founder of Santa Monica. Jones' son, Roy Jones, helped organize the Ramina corporation, one of the most extensive developers of northern and southern California. The collection consists of correspondence, diaries, scrapbooks, photographs and family memorabilia. The papers cover nearly a century of American history including the westward movement, Nevada and California politics, government, mining, agriculture, and real estate.

The Jones and Conger families were among the pioneers of California and Nevada; Thomas Conger became state senator in California; Conger's son-in-law, John P. Jones became senator in Nevada and founder of Santa Monica, California; Jones' son, Roy Jones, helped organize the Ramina corporation, one of the most extensive developers of northern and southern California. The papers of the several families contained herein, together form an exemplary narrative history of the way in which the Westward Movement scattered the American seed across the continent and then, finally, gathered it together again in new arrangements of families. The several Jones brothers started for the California gold fields via the sea route about a year before Thomas Conger, his wife and her brothers started overland from Michigan. The men and women of these families were among the pioneers of the mining centers of the still rough-hewn territories of California and Nevada. They made their fortunes and reputations from ore and litigation, elements out of which came the politics of those newly created states. After the close of the Civil War, these and other men, like General James A. Williamson of Iowa, expanded their interests and their families throughout the West and Southwest. Mining remained one of the elements attended to by their children, but new opportunities crowded that occupation-opportunities in the form of agriculture and stock raising, made possible by the irrigation of arid lands, and real estate in booming Soothern California.

28 boxes (14.0 linear ft.) 1 oversize box

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