Guide to the Theressa Gay Papers ,
1946-1960
Department of Special Collections
Green Library
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford, CA 94305-6004
Phone: (650) 725-1022
Email: specialcollections@stanford.edu
URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc
© 1999
The Board of Trustees of Stanford University. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Theressa Gay Papers ,
1946-1960
Collection number: M0274
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford, California
Contact Information
- Department of Special Collections
- Green Library
- Stanford University Libraries
- Stanford, CA 94305-6004
- Phone: (650) 725-1022
- Email: specialcollections@stanford.edu
- URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc
- Processed by:
- Special Collections staff
- Date Completed:
- ca. 1992
© 1999 The Board of Trustees of Stanford University. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Theressa Gay Papers ,
Date (inclusive): 1946-1960
Collection number: Special Collections M0274
Creator:
Gay, Theressa.
Extent:
10.5 linear ft.
Repository:
Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
None.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain
permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.
Provenance
Gift of Theressa Gay, ca. 1975.
Preferred Citation:
[Identification of item] Theressa Gay Papers , M0274, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford,
Calif.
Biographical Note
Theressa Gay was born on Febrary 3rd, 1894 in Illinois. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin.
She moved to Wyoming shortly after graduation and lived in several western states including Montana and California. She did
graduate work at the University of Montana on the history of the trans-Mississippi West. She received her M.A. from the University
of California, studying under Dr. Herbert E. Bolton. She wrote her Master's thesis on the Establishment of Territorial Government
in Montana. She also did post-graduate work at Stanford University under Dr. Edgar Robinson.
Her varied professional career has included teaching, doing library work, and, most notably, performing research for her own
publications and on the behalf of other history scholars. She taught high school history in various towns in Montana and Washington;
in California, at Berkeley High School and at Castilleja School in Palo Alto. She has also worked as a teaching assistant
at the University of Montana and at Stanford University. She also taught English as a Second Language for the Palo Alto Adult
Education Program. She also worked as a school librarian and held several library staff positions, including Stanford University,
when she was not teaching or working on research projects.
Theressa Gay's most significant professional accomplishments were her contributions to the field of historical scholarship,
most significantly to that of the history of the California Gold Rush. Her book,
James W. Marshall, the Discoverer of California Gold (Georgetown, Calif.: Talisman Press, 1967), represents the culmination of more than thirty years of research. Those familiar
with the history of the California Gold Rush, are aware that James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill resulted
in one of the greatest gold rushes in modern history. This event which had enormous consequences for the economic and social
history of the State of California, has had more written about it than any other single event in California history. However,
until Theressa Gay's biography was published in 1967, only one other biography had been written about James Marshall. The
first book was an official biography which was written at Marshall's request in order to pay the debts that he had incurred
in his later years. According to reviews that were written after the publication of her biography in 1967, Ms. Gay's biography
is well-documented and does much to dispell the myths and half-truths that surrounded Marshall and his life. This work goes
well beyond being a simple biography, and gives scholars a detailed insight into life during a significant period in California
history.
In addition to the biography on Marshall, Ms. Gay also published a book entitled
Life and Letters of Mrs. Jason Lee, First Wife of Reverend Jason Lee of the Oregon Mission (Portland, Or.: Metropolitan Press, 1936); and number of periodical articles, including, The California and Australia Gold
Rushes, As Seen by Amos S. Pittman. She also collected songs from the Gold Rush which were written by gold miners, popular
song writers of the day and by dance-hall entertainers, from 1848 to 1855. This was an independent project during which she
collected about two hundred songs. These songs, as well as research and manuscript material used by Ms. Gay in preparing her
publications, form the core of her personal papers collection.
Scope and Content
The bulk of this collection consists mainly of research notes, correspondence and manuscript material pertaining to Theressa
Gay's historical research on the California Gold Rush. This collection also includes materials relating to other areas of
historical research as well (see contents listings for specific topics); some biographical material and teaching files. The
focus of this collection are the original manuscript of Thressa Gay's biography of James W. Marshall, and a group of about
two hundred Gold Rush Songs that she collected. The papers in this collection reflect her work over a period of approximately
fifteen years, from about 1946 to 1960. It comprises about ten and a half linear feet of material.
SERIES I: PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Scope and Content Note
The first series contains biographical notes and partial listings of Ms. Gay's professional experiences. Also included is
a datebook/calendar from 1947.
SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE,
1946 TO 1960
Scope and Content Note
The second series consists of Ms. Gay's correspondence; mostly incoming correspondence, but some copies of outgoing correspondence
as well. Most of the letters pertain to inquiries regarding research on the California Gold Rush, but a small number deal
with other topics as well. There is personal correspondence included here as well, but these letters often also pertain to
Ms. Gay's research. Some of the individual correspondents include Warren T. Russell, a Gold Rush historian; and Hesley S.
Davis and Mother Lee, descendants of several of Ms. Gay's research subjects.
SERIES III: SONGS OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH,
1845-1855
Scope and Content Note
The third series contains the songs collected by Ms. Gay, on the California Gold Rush. The songs are filed in alphabetical
order by title. Also included is Ms. Gay's Plan for Work, which outlines her collecting strategy. A complete alphabetical
listing of the songs colleced by Ms. Gay is included here, as well as research and bibliographic notes.
SERIES IV: BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES W. MARSHALL
Scope and Content Note
The fourth series contains the original, handwritten manuscript for Ms. Gay's biography of James W. Marshall. Also included
are a number of chapter revisions from the manuscript, and a periodical review of the biography from the
California Historical Quarterly.
SERIES V: RESEARCH NOTES AND MATERIALS (BY SUBJECT)
Scope and Content Note
The fifth series contains the bulk of the collection. It is divided according to subject area, and then is subdivided by specific
topic. The first section consist of research notes for the James Marshall biography: some of the folder headings in this section
reflect chapter titles from the Marshall biography. The section which follows consists of Gold Rush material, some of which
overlaps with material on James Marshall. Other sections in theis series include: California--Other Topics; Miscellaneous
Topics (which includes research notes on the history of the Pacific Northwest, on American Politics of the 20th Century, and
other miscellaneous topics.)
SERIES VI: TEACHING FILES,
1947 TO 19--
Scope and Content Note
The sixth series consists primarily of course materials and notes from two history courses for which Theressa Gay was a teaching
assistant at Stanford University's History Department. These courses included History 132 (The Westward Movement) and History
169 (The History of California.) Also included is one item from the Adult Education course that she taught for the Palo Alto
Unified School District.
SERIES VII: PUBLICATIONS AND PRINTED MATERIALS
Scope and Content Note
The seventh series contains pamphlets, fliers, tourist maps, newsclippigs and other printed materials that Theressa Gay collected
during the course of her research. Of particular interest are the various pamphlets and fliers relating to the California
Gold Rush, and 20th century political campaign materials. This series also includes periodicals and newpaper articles pertaining
to Theressa Gay's historical research; and history book trade list publications that were used as sources for research materials.
SERIES VIII: PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS
Scope and Content Note
The final series of this collection consists of a variety of photographic materials, including black and white photographs,
negative photostats and microfilm. Most of these materials pertain to the James Marshall, or the California Gold Rush, but
photographs having to do with other subject matter is also included.
SERIES I: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL
Box 1, Folder 1,2
Biographical and resume notes
Box 1, Folder 3
Datebook/Calendar from
1947
SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE,
1946 to 1960.
Box 2, Folder 4-5
Copies of outgoing correspondence (by date)
SERIES III: SONGS OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLDRUSH,
1845-1855
Box 2, Folder 7-8
Plan for Work and List of Songs, A-Z
Box 2, Folder 26-27
Research and Bibliographic Notes
Box 3, Folder 1
Research and Bibliographic Notes
SERIES IV: BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES W. MARSHALL
Biography of James Marshall--Manuscript
Note
[Note: Ms. Gay's original enumeration is shown here in brackets; numbering without brackets reflects the published version)
Box 3, Folder 2
Prologue, The Ringing of the Bells [I]
Box 3, Folder 3
Chapter I. [A Boy Grows Up] Boyhood Family Traditions [II]
Box 3, Folder 4
Chapter II. Adventuring Westward [III]
Box 3, Folder 5
Chapter III. California Bound [IX]
Box 3, Folder 6
Chapter IV. Lord of New Helvetia [V]
Box 3, Folder 7
Chapter V. Marshall at Sutter's Fort [VI]
Box 3, Folder 8
Chapter VI. Helping Manifest Destiny [A Son of N. J.] [VII]
Box 3, Folder 9
Chapter VII. Building a Sawmill [VIII]
Box 3, Folder 11
Chapter IX. The Secret is Out [X]
Box 3, Folder 12
Chapter X. The Rush is On! [XI]
Box 3, Folder 13
Chapter XI. Yellow Fever... [XII]
Box 3, Folder 14
Chapter XII. Culloma, 1848-1849 [XIII]
Box 3, Folder 15
Chapter XIII. Marshall and the Miners [XIV]
Box 3, Folder 16
Chapter XIV. A Famous Sawmill's Fate
Box 3, Folder 17
Chapter XV. Prospecting Around [XV]
Box 3, Folder 18
Chapter XVI. A Coloma Vinyardist [XVII]
Box 3, Folder 19
Chapter XVII. As Seen About Coloma [XVIII]
Box 3, Folder 20
Chapter XVIII. Mining Again [XIX]
Box 3, Folder 21
Chapter XIX. Lecture Tour [XX]
Box 3, Folder 22
Chapter XX. A State Pension [XXI]
Box 3, Folder 23
Chapter XXI. Kelsey Years XXII]
Box 3, Folder 24
Chapter XXII. Marshall and his Neighbors [XXIII]
Box 3, Folder 25
Chapter XXIII. Marshall on Parade [XXIII]
Box 3, Folder 26
Chapter XXIV. The Final Summons: [XXV]
Box 3, Folder 27
Chapter XXV. A Fuss Over Me [XXVI]
Box 4, Folder 1
Bibliography [Incomplete]
Box 4, Folder 2
Manuscript & research notes
Box 4, Folder 6
Periodical review of biography
SERIES V: RESEARCH NOTES AND MATERIALS (BY SUBJECT)
Box 4, Folder 13-14
Early Years in New Jersey
Box 4, Folder 19
James W. Marshall Museum--Catalogue
Box 5, Folder 5
Property--Sale of the Mill
Box 5, Folder 6
Property--Sale to Samuel J. Hensley
Box 5, Folder 8-9
Reminiscenes About Marshall
Box 5, Folder 10-11
Tarson's Life of Marshall
Box 5, Folder 16
Misc. Notes
Physical Description: (notecards)
Box 5, Folder 19-20
California Gold Rush Centennial
Box 5, Folder 23-24
Difficulties of Mining during the Gold Rush (includes correspondence with Gerald Nash)
Box 5, Folder 26-27
El Dorado County Archives
Box 5, Folder 28
El Dorado County History--Misc.
Box 6, Folder 1
George Johnson's Coloma Notebook (excerpts)
Box 6, Folder 2
Gold Mining in California
Box 6, Folder 3
Hanging of Irish Dick Crone
(1850)
Box 6, Folder 4-5
Indian Difficulties in Coloma
Box 6, Folder 8
John Sutter's Diary (excerpts)
Box 6, Folder 9
John Sutter's Personal Reminiscences
Box 6, Folder 10-11
Misc. Notes from Missouri Newspapers
Box 6, Folder 18-19
Yellow Fever, California Variety
Box 7, Folder 1
--Mark Hopkins Correspondence
Physical Description: (photostats)
Box 7, Folder 2
--William Ralston Correspondence
Physical Description: (photostats)
Box 7, Folder 3
--Ralston correspondence (other)
Box 7, Folder 4-6
--Miscellaneous correspondence
Box 7, Folder 7-8
Botanical Gardens in California
Box 7, Folder 11-12
Christmas in Old California
Box 7, Folder 14-15
Indian Difficulties in California
Box 7, Folder 16-17
Land Use in California (includes correspondence to Gerald Nash)
Box 8, Folder 1
Jason and Daniel Lee (includes correspondence from family members)
Box 8, Folder 2
Diary of G. W. Melhorn, CSA (transcript)
Box 15
Miscellaneous research notecards
Box 8, Folder 3-7
Miscellaneous research notes
Box 8, Folder 8-9
U. S. and International Politics
SERIES VI: TEACHING FILES,
[1946--]
Teaching Assistant Files (Stanford University History Department):
Box 8, Folder 10
Course notes and materials from History 132 and History 169
Teaching Files (Palo Alto Adult Education Program):
SERIES VII: PUBLICATIONS AND PRINTED MATERIALS
Box 9, Folder 1
American Politics--Campaigns, etc.
SERIES VII: PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS
Box 16
Microfilm and negatives
Physical Description: (os)
Box 10, Folder 2-6
Photographs and photostats