Guide to the Pleasants Family Papers
Processed by Phil Brigandi; machine-readable finding aid created by Adrian
Turner
Special Collections and Archives
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Phone: (949) 824-3947
Fax: (949) 824-2472
Email: spcoll@uci.edu
URL: http://special.lib.uci.edu
© 2001
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Note
Geographical (By Place)--California--Los Angeles Area
History--California History--Los Angeles Area
Guide to the Pleasants Family Papers
Collection number: MS-R44
Special Collections and Archives
The UCI Libraries
University of California
Irvine, California
Contact Information
- Special Collections and Archives
- The UCI Libraries
- P.O. Box 19557
- University of California
- Irvine, California 92623-9557
- Phone: (949) 824-3947
- Fax: (949) 824-2472
- Email: spcoll@uci.edu
- URL: http://special.lib.uci.edu
- Processed by:
- Phil Brigandi
- Date Completed:
- 2001
- Encoded by:
- Adrian Turner
© 2001 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Pleasants family papers,
Date (inclusive): 1856-1973
Date (bulk): (bulk 1860-1869, 1920-1940)
Collection number: MS-R044
Creator:
Pleasants family
Extent:
2.9 linear feet
(8 boxes and 1 oversize folder)
231 digitized objects
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Abstract: This collection comprises the personal papers of J.E. Pleasants and
his first and second wives, Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants and Adelina Pleasants, and
includes diaries, correspondence, manuscripts, negatives, and photographic prints. J.E.
Pleasants' long association with the Santa Ana Mountains and Santiago Canyon, cattle
ranching, and beekeeping are all documented. The diaries and correspondence of Mary Refugio
Carpenter Pleasants provide a glimpse into life in Southern California in the 1860s. Adelina
Pleasants' work as a writer of Southern California and Orange County history in the early
20th century is also represented. The collection contains some tintypes, cabinet cards, and
a carte-de-visite album documenting a number of Southern California pioneers, including
members of the Carpenter and Wolfskill families.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research. Access to fragile originals is restricted when
preservation photocopies are available.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by
the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish,
please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Pleasants Family Papers. MS-R44. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine
Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Acquired, ca. 1966-1996, as part of the Don Meadows Papers (MS-R01). Meadows acquired the
Pleasants Family Papers as part of William McPherson's files in the early 1960s and held
them as a distinct entity within his larger collection of Orange County and Southern
California research and ephemera files.
Processing History
Processed by Phil Brigandi, 2001.
Biography/Organization History
Biographies
J.E. Pleasants
Joseph Edward Pleasants, known to his friends as Ed, was born in Missouri in 1839, the
son of James and Lydia Pleasants. His mother died in 1848 and in 1849 he traveled with
his father across the continent to the California gold fields. In 1851 the family moved
to Solano County, settling in what is still known as Pleasants Valley. In 1856 J.E.
moved to Los Angeles County to attend a private school taught by H. D. Barrows on the
William Wolfskill ranch. From 1861-1866 he served as Wolfskill's foreman on the Rancho
Lomas de Santiago in the Santa Ana Mountains, where he made his headquarters in a small
wooden building in what is now Irvine Regional Park. He married Mary Refugio Carpenter
in 1868 and settled in Aliso Canyon. Following the discovery in 1874 that their first
home site was located on the Rancho Cañada de los Alisos, the Pleasants family
moved to upper Santiago Canyon.
After the death of his wife in 1888, he sold his ranch to Helena Modjeska, a noted
Shakespearean actress, and the upper part of the canyon became known as Modjeska Canyon.
Modjeska incorporated the Pleasants cabin into Arden, her new home, which still stands
as of 2001. J.E. married Adelina Brown, a schoolteacher who had been boarding at his
house, in 1890 and, after living briefly in Silverado Canyon, they moved to nearby
Williams Canyon in 1892.
Beginning in the 1860s he raised cattle, horses, Angora goats, and kept bees. He seems
to have abandoned the cattle business in the 1880s and turned more and more of his
attention to beekeeping as the years went on. He was active in the early years of the
Orange County Fair, beginning in 1890, and often officiated at horse races, which earned
him the honorary title of "Judge." In 1902 he was appointed the first Orange County Bee
Inspector, a position he held until 1927. By the early years of the 20th Century, he was
recognized as an important link to the early history of Southern California and his
recollections often appeared in print, sometimes under his own name and sometimes in
articles written by others. He died on June 13, 1934, at the age of 95.
Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants
Mary Refugio Carpenter, known throughout her life as Refugio, was born in Los Nietos,
California (near Whittier in Los Angeles County) on July 4, 1845, the daughter of Lemuel
Carpenter and Maria Dominguez Carpenter. Her father, an early American settler and
landowner in Los Angeles County, eventually lost his land to debt and committed suicide
in 1859. Mary Refugio and J.E. Pleasants began a long courtship in the early 1860s,
culminating in their marriage on July 15, 1868. Refugio's brother, Francisco (Pancho)
Carpenter, was a partner with J.E. in some of his earliest ranching ventures. Mary
Refugio often suffered from poor health, and she eventually died of tuberculosis on
January 26, 1888, at just 42 years of age. The Pleasants had no children. Her diaries,
written between 1860 and 1865, provide a personal glimpse into the Pleasants' lives, and
portions of them have been published by Frances Meadows, along with her extensive
research notes.
Adelina Pleasants
Mary Adelina (or Addie) Brown was born in Petaluma, California in the 1850s, and came
to Los Angeles County at an early age. From 1886-1888 she taught school in Silverado
Canyon, boarding with J.E. Pleasants and Mary Refugio in their home. Following Mary
Refugio's death, Adelina and J.E. were married in the fall of 1890. Adelina was devoted
to her new husband and wrote most, if not all, of the articles that appeared under his
by-line over the years. She also wrote extensively under her own name, specializing in
Orange County and Southern California history and natural history. In 1931 she wrote the
principal historical sections for a three-volume
History of
Orange County, California
(Los Angeles: J.R. Finnell & Sons), but
sales were poor during the Depression years and she received little compensation for her
work. Most of her later writings appeared in various Orange County newspapers, including
the
Santa Ana Register. She was active in the Orange
County Historical Society and the Native Daughters of the Golden West. Following her
husband's death, Adelina made her home in Orange, where she died on May 10, 1943.
Chronology
| 1839 |
J.E. Pleasants born in Missouri. |
| 1845 |
Mary Refugio Carpenter born on July 4th in Los Nietos, California. |
| 1849 |
J.E. Pleasants crosses the continent to the California gold fields. |
| 1850s |
Adelina Brown born in Petaluma, California. |
| 1851 |
The Pleasants family settles in Solano County, California. |
| 1856 |
J.E. Pleasants moves to Los Angeles County to attend a private school on the
William Wolfskill ranch.
|
| 1859 |
Overburdened with debts, Lemuel Carpenter (father of Mary Refugio Carpenter
Pleasants) commits suicide.
|
| 1859 |
J.E. Pleasants makes his first trip into the Santa Ana Mountains. |
| 1861 |
J.E. Pleasants moves to Santiago Canyon to serve as foreman of the Rancho Lomas
de Santiago.
|
| 1864 |
Trying to escape the drought, J.E. Pleasants spends almost a year on the Mojave
Desert herding cattle and horses.
|
| 1865 |
Mary Refugio Carpenter is granted a teaching certificate. |
| 1868 |
J.E. Pleasants and Mary Refugio Carpenter marry on July 15th and settle in Aliso
Canyon. J.E. Pleasants begins keeping bees about this time.
|
| 1874 |
Learning their homesite is actually on the Rancho Cañada de los Alisos,
a neighboring rancho, the Pleasants move to upper Santiago Canyon. J.E. Pleasants
begins raising Angora goats about this time.
|
| 1879 |
J.E. Pleasants serves as president of the Los Angeles County Beekeepers
Association.
|
| 1880 |
J.E. Pleasants elected president of the Southern California Beekeepers
Association.
|
| 1884 |
J.E. Pleasants goes to New Orleans to supervise the California bee exhibit at the
World's Industrial and Cotton Exposition.
|
| 1886 |
Adelina Brown begins teaching school in Silverado and boarding with the
Pleasants.
|
| 1888 |
Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants dies on January 26th. |
| 1888 |
J.E. Pleasants sells his ranch to Helena Modjeska and moves to Silverado
Canyon.
|
| 1890 |
J.E. Pleasants helps to found the first Orange County Fair Association. |
| 1890 |
J.E. Pleasants and Adelina Brown marry. |
| 1892 |
The Pleasants move to Williams Canyon. |
| 1902-1927 |
J.E. Pleasants serves as Orange County's first Bee Inspector. |
| 1920 |
J.E. Pleasants elected president of the California State Bee Keepers
Association.
|
| 1920 |
J.E. Pleasants made an honorary member of the new Orange County Historical
Society.
|
| 1930 |
J.E. Pleasants' recollections published by
Touring
Topics
magazine.
|
| 1931 |
Adelina Pleasants publishes her three-volume
History of
Orange County
(Los Angeles: J.R. Finnell & Sons).
|
| 1932 |
Adelina Pleasants publishes a series on "The Old Spanish Families of Orange
County" in the
South Coast News.
|
| 1934 |
J.E. Pleasants dies on June 13th. |
| 1934 |
Adelina Pleasants moves to Orange. |
| 1937 |
Adelina Pleasants publishes a series of historical features in the
Santa Ana Register.
|
| 1943 |
Adelina Pleasants dies on May 10th. |
Bibliography
J.E. Pleasants
Published Biographies
Armor, Samuel.
History of Orange
County, California
(Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1911), 112-114.
Armor, Samuel.
History of Orange
County, California
, 2nd ed. (Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1921), 218-219.
McPherson, William. "Joseph Edward Pleasants, '49er,"
Orange County History Series 3 (1939): 41-50.
Pleasants, Mrs. J.E.
History of Orange
County, California
, Vol. 2 (Los Angeles: J. R. Finnell & Sons, 1931),
154-160.
Related Material
Meadows, Don, ed. The Cattle Drives of Joseph E. Pleasants from
Baja California in 1867 and 1868 (Los Angeles: Dawson's Book Shop, 1965).
Pleasants, William J. Twice Across the Plains, 1849 &
1856 (Fairfield, Wash.: Ye Galleon Press, 1981).
Sleeper, Jim. A Grizzly Introduction to the Santa Ana Mountains:
A Boys' Book of Bear Stories (Not for Boys) (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.: California
Classics, 1976).
Stephenson, Terry. "Old Hunter Series," Santa Ana Register (1919
May 24 and 31). Articles available in Orange County Newspaper and Magazine Clippings
Collection (MS-R81).
Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants
Related Material
Meadows, Frances M. "Diary of a Young Girl in the 1860s,"
Downey Historical Society Annual 3 (1968-1969): 39-67.
Meadows, Frances M. "Diary of Mary Refugio Carpenter for the
Year 1861,"
Downey Historical Society Annual 4/5
(1969-1971): 29-78.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises the personal papers of J.E. Pleasants and his first and second
wives, Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants and Adelina Pleasants, and includes diaries,
correspondence, manuscripts, negatives, and photographic prints. J.E. Pleasants' long
association with the Santa Ana Mountains and Santiago Canyon, cattle ranching, and
beekeeping are all documented. The diaries and correspondence of Mary Refugio Carpenter
Pleasants provide a glimpse into life in Southern California in the 1860s. Adelina
Pleasants' work as a writer of Southern California and Orange County history in the early
20th century is also represented. The collection contains some tintypes, cabinet cards, and
a carte-de-visite album documenting a number of Southern California pioneers, including
members of the Carpenter and Wolfskill families.
The collection is organized in the following four series:
- Series 1. Biographical material, 1857-ca. 1979. 0.6 linear ft.
- Series 2. Correspondence, 1855-1946. 0.8 linear ft.
- Series 3. Manuscripts and research notes, ca. 1901-ca. 1939. 0.6 linear ft.
- Series 4. Photographs, ca. 1860-ca. 1949. 0.8 linear ft.
Related Collections
The Don Meadows Papers (MS-R01) in Special Collections and Archives, UC Irvine Libraries,
include Frances Meadows' complete handwritten transcriptions of the Mary Refugio Carpenter
Pleasants diaries and her extensive research notes on the people and events mentioned in the
diaries and correspondence. The Orange County Newspaper and Magazine Clippings Collection
(MS-R81) contains copies of a number of articles by Adelina and J.E. Pleasants.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Pleasants, Joseph E. (Joseph
Edward), 1839-1934--Archives.
Pleasants, Mary Refugio
Carpenter--Archives.
Pleasants, J.E.,
Mrs.--Archives.
Carpenter family--Archival
resources.
Wolfskill family--Archival
resources.
Ranching--California--Orange County--Archival
resources.
Bee culture--California--Orange County--Archival
resources.
Santa Ana Mountains
(Calif.)--History--Archival resources.
Santiago Canyon (Calif.)--History--Archival
resources.
Orange County (Calif.)--Archival
resources.
Genres and Forms of Materials
Photographic prints--California--Orange
County--19th century.
Photographic prints--California--Orange
County--20th century.
Cartes-de-visite--California--Orange
County--19th century.
Cabinet photographs--California--Orange
County--19th century.
Cabinet photographs--California--Orange
County--20th century.
Tintypes--California--Orange County--19th
century.
Card photograph albums--California--Orange
County--19th century.
Diaries--California--Orange County--19th
century.
Negatives--California--Orange County.
Artifacts--California--Orange
County.
Occupations
Historians--California--Orange County.
Ranchers--California--Orange
County.
Other Index Terms Related to this Collection
Pleasants, Joseph E. (Joseph Edward),
1839-1934.
Pleasants, Mary Refugio Carpenter.
Pleasants, J.E., Mrs.
Series 1.
Biographical material, 1857-ca.
1979.
Physical Description:
0.6 linear ft.
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of material relating to J.E. Pleasants and both his wives, their
lives, families, and associations. It includes diaries, legal documents, and
genealogical data. The diaries of Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants provide an especially
interesting perspective on the life of a teenage girl in Southern California during the
1860s. Other topics documented in this series include beekeeping, cattle ranching, the
Orange County Fair, and the Orange County Historical Society.
This series is first arranged first by individual and type of material followed by more
general family material, including genealogical material on the Pleasants family added
by Don Meadows in the 1960s and 1970s. Topical files represent activities and
organizations important in the lives of these individuals.
Box 1 : 1
Carpenter, Lemuel (father of Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants). Legal
documents, 1857
Box 1 : 2
Bird watching notes, ca. 1900-ca.
1910
Box 1 : 4
Diaries, 1857-1865.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 1 : 5
Biographical material, 1926-1934 and undated
Box 1 : 6-9
Pleasants, Mary Refugio Carpenter
Box 1 : 6
Diaries, 1860-1865.
Physical Description:
6 items.
Box 1 : 7
Teaching certificates, 1865-1866
Box 1 : 8
Association material, ca. 1860-ca.
1879
Box 1 : 10
Catholic medallion, undated
Box 1 : 10
Glasses, undated.
Note
Possibly belonged to J.E. Pleasants.
Box 2 : 1
Printing plate, portrait of J.E. Pleasants, ca. 1920
Box 2 : 2
Documents, deeds, receipts, water filings, and other materials, 1889-1941
Box 2 : 3
Ephemera, 1917-1941 and
undated
Box 2 : 4
Genealogical material, ca. 1960-ca.
1979
Box 2 : 5-11
Activities and associations
Box 2 : 5
Notes, correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials, 1885-1935
Box 2 : 6
Published material, 1885-1932
Box 2 : 7
Bancroft Library, U.C. Berkeley, undated
Box 2 : 8
Cattle sales and brands, 1864-1941
Box 2 : 9
Native Daughters of the Golden West, 1931-1935
Box 2 : 10
Orange County Fair Association, 1890-1899
Box 2 : 11
Orange County Historical Society, 1920-1934
Series 2.
Correspondence, 1855-1946.
Physical Description:
0.8 linear ft.
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of correspondence to and from J.E. Pleasants and both of his
wives. The general incoming correspondence in this series includes a number of
condolence letters written after J.E. Pleasants' death in 1934 and an interesting letter
dated January 7, 1857, signed only "Carlos," describing the aftermath of the Walker
filibuster expedition to Central America. The letters filed by name represent
individuals from whom several letters have survived or other prominent correspondents.
Recipients are identified when this information is not clear from the letters. Frances
Meadows sorted, identified, and dated much of the earliest correspondence. Her
holographic notes in the Don Meadows Papers (MS-R01) contain additional information on
these correspondents and the topics discussed. The arrangement of this series begins
with general incoming correspondence, followed by the correspondence of specific
individuals.
Box 2 : 12
General incoming correspondence, 1855-1946 and undated
Box 2 : 13
Allison, Polly, 1860-1861
Box 2 : 15
Barrows, Henry D., 1905-1913
Box 2 : 16
Bartlett, W. G. (Billy), undated
Box 2 : 17
Bixby, Amelia (to Adelina Pleasants), 1922-1941
Box 3 : 1
Bryant, Susana Bixby, 1930
Box 3 : 2
Blee, Harry and Ida, 1922-1941
Box 3 : 5
Carpenter, Benjamin (to Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants), 1869
Box 3 : 6
Carpenter, Frank P., 1864-1870
Box 3 : 8
Carpenter, Isabella, 1864-1877
Box 3 : 9
Carpenter, Lola, 1868-1876
Box 3 : 10
Dodson-Schoneman, Florence, 1927
Box 3 : 12
Evertsen, John D. K., undated
Box 3 : 13
Fisher, George D., 1857-1868
Box 3 : 14
Gardner, Margaret, 1930-1932
Box 3 : 16
Guicado, Juan Francisco (to Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants), 1861
Box 3 : 17
Hantsche, Mary R., 1934-1941
Box 3 : 18
Johnson, Washington, 1860-1864
Box 3 : 19
Junkins (?), Caroline, 1884-1888
Box 3 : 20
Junkins, Emma J., 1912-1919
Box 3 : 22
McPherson, William, 1926-1936
Box 3 : 24
Page, Dr. Benjamin M., 1888-1898
Box 3 : 26
Pleasants, Adelina (to William McPherson), 1926-1936
Box 3 : 27
Pleasants, Eliza (Lizzie), ca.
1860-ca. 1869
Box 3 : 29
Pleasants, James M., 1868-1871
Box 3 : 30
Pleasants, J.E., 1860-1886
Box 3 : 31
Pleasants, Lucy E., 1859-1863
Box 3 : 33
Pleasants, Mary Refugio Carpenter, 1864-1888
Box 3 : 35
Pleasants, Sarah M., 1860
Box 3 : 36
Pleasants, William J., 1860-1868
Box 3 : 38
Reavis, W. Elmo, 1921-1943
Box 4 : 2
Sacred Heart Mission House, ca.
1930-ca. 1939
Box 4 : 3
Turrill, Charles B., 1927
Box 4 : 4
Wolfskill, Francisca, 1860-1876
Box 4 : 5
Wolfskill, John, 1857-1859
Box 4 : 6
Wolfskill, Joseph C. (to Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants), 1857-1866
Box 4 : 7
Wolfskill, Joseph W., 1858-1864
Box 4 : 8
Wolfskill, Juana, 1859-1861 and undated
Box 4 : 9
Wolfskill, Magdalena, 1860-1862
Box 4 : 10
Wolfskill, Lewis, ca.
1865
Series 3.
Manuscripts and research notes, ca.
1901-ca. 1939.
Physical Description:
0.6 linear ft.
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of notes, manuscripts, and typescripts (some incomplete) for
articles written by J.E. and Adelina Pleasants, along with notes and material from
Adelina's historical research files. Of special interest is the prospectus for her 1931
History of Orange County. Most, if not all, of the
articles published under J.E.'s name were written by Adelina. This series is arranged by
author, then by the titles of articles or the topics of research notes and files.
Box 4 : 11
"El Camino Real," manuscript, 1921
Box 4 : 12
"Counted shots," Los Angeles Times, 1931 December 4.
Scope and Content Note
Describes an encounter with bandits in Santiago Canyon, 1863.
Box 4 : 13
"A Fourth of July at San Fernando Mission in 1856," manuscript, ca 1930
Box 4 : 14
"A Mining trip to the Colorado in 1859," typescript, undated
Box 4 : 15
"In Pioneer days. a visit to Santiago Canyon sixty years ago," typescript,
ca. 1931
Box 4 : 16
"In the earlier days. An early settler tells of stock raising in years
past," typescript, undated
Box 4 : 17
"Life in the mines in 1849," typescript, undated
Box 4 : 18
"Tiding over a dry year on the Mojave in 1864," manuscript and notes,
ca. 1930
Box 4 : 19
"Alpine vegetation in our mountains," typescript, undated
Box 4 : 20
"The Birds of California," manuscript, ca. 1901
Box 4 : 21
"The California thrasher," manuscript, ca. 1901
Box 4 : 22
"California's debt to Spain," typescript, undated
Box 4 : 23
Cattle industry in 19th century California, incomplete typescript,
undated
Box 4 : 24
"Henry Dwight Barrows," manuscript, undated
Box 4 : 25
"History of Orange County," prospectus, ca. 1931
Box 4 : 26
"In Old San Juan," incomplete typescript, undated.
Scope and Content Note
Concerns San Juan Capistrano.
Box 4 : 27
"Jedediah Smith's explorations to California," incomplete manuscript,
undated
Box 4 : 28
"John Avas, Santa Ana pioneer," manuscript, undated
Box 4 : 29
"The Leap of Juan Flores," typescript, 1921
Box 4 : 30
"Modjeska Ranch," incomplete manuscript and notes, undated
Box 4 : 31
"The Old Round House," typescript, 1937.
Scope and Content Note
Concerns Alexander Adobe in Los Angeles, built in the 1840s.
Box 4 : 32
"Our earliest wildflowers," incomplete manuscript, undated
Box 4 : 33
Rancho era in California, incomplete typescript, undated
Box 4 : 34
"The River," manuscript, undated.
Scope and Content Note
Concerns Los Angeles River.
Box 4 : 35
"Santiago Canyon," incomplete manuscript, undated
Box 4 : 36
"The Serrano family," notes, manuscript, typescript, undated
Box 4 : 37
"A Summer outing in the San Bernardino Mountains," manuscript,
undated
Box 4 : 38
"What happened to jay," manuscript, ca. 1901.
Scope and Content Note
Children's bird story.
Box 4 : 39
Clippings, ca. 1900-ca.
1939
Box 4 : 40
Manuscript notes, undated
Box 4 : 41
California pioneers, registration forms, ca. 1930-ca. 1939
Box 4 : 42
Condors, clippings, 1935-1937
Box 4 : 43
Golden Gate discovery and naming, correspondence, 1921
Box 4 : 44
Orange County history, clippings, ca. 1900-1942
Box 4 : 45
Palomares Adobe, Pomona, California, brochure and correspondence, 1940
Box 5 : 1-5
Research material from other sources
Box 5 : 1
Anonymous. Walter K. Robinson biography, manuscript, undated
Box 5 : 2
Junkins, Emma J. The Garey family, manuscript, 1900
Box 5 : 3
McPherson, William. Notes from an interview with J.E. Pleasants,
undated
Box 5 : 4
Veraguer, Fr. Peter. Reminiscences of Agua Mansa, typecript,
undated
Box 5 : 5
Works Progress Administration. Orange County plant life, typescript,
ca. 1930-ca. 1939
Box 7 : 1 and FB-24 : 2
Restricted original material for which preservation photocopies have been
inserted into the collection
Series 4.
Photographs, ca. 1860-ca.
1949.
Physical Description:
0.8 linear ft.
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of photographic prints and some tintypes representing many of the
Pleasants' associations and activities, including many images of the Santa Ana
Mountains, beekeeping, and cattle ranching. Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants'
carte-de-visite album includes portraits of a number of Southern California pioneers,
including members of the Carpenter and Wolfskill families. Adelina Pleasants was a
longtime friend of the Fred Bixby family of Long Beach, which probably accounts for the
large number of Bixby family photographs also included here. Many of these photographs
are mounted on printed cards or are cabinet cards. In addition to the photographs the
collection also contains more than 230 original negatives from the early 20th century.
Contact prints were made for a selection of these negatives for which no contemporary
prints were available. Notes inserted in the appropriate folders identify unprinted
negatives relating to that topic. This series is arranged into three general areas:
people, places, and subjects.
Box 5 : 6-7
General, identified, ca. 1880-ca.
1949.
Physical Description:
23 items in 2 folders.
Scope and Content Note
Includes portraits of George Edgar, Andrew Joplin, Lemuel Robinson, Father Peter
Sanchez, and Coleman Travis.
Box 5 : 8-9
Bixby family, ca. 1890-ca.
1919.
Physical Description:
23 items in 2 folders.
Box 5 : 10
Hudley, Chet, ca. 1930-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 5 : 11
Pleasants, Adelina, ca. 1900-ca.
1949.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 5 : 12
Portraits, 1868-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
15 items.
Box 5 : 13
With others, ca. 1920-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
22 items.
Box 5 : 14 and 8
Pleasants, Mary Refugio Carpenter
Box 8
Carte-de-visite album, undated.
Scope and Content Note
Primarily prints except as specified. Includes manuscript notes on some
individuals by Frances Meadows. Pages that are not recorded in this list do not
contain prints.
Box 8
Unidentified man (page 1), tintype, undated
Box 8
Joseph Cooper Wolfskill (page 2), undated
Box 8
John Wolfskill (page 3), undated
Box 8
Francisca Wolfskill Shepherd (page 4), undated
Box 8
Magdalena Wolfskill Sabichi (page 5), undated
Box 8
Luis (Louis) Wolfskill (page 6), undated
Box 8
José Guillermo (Joseph William) Wolfskill (page 7),
undated
Box 8
Henry Dwight Barrows (page 8), 1868
Box 8
Moses A. Dow (page 9), undated
Box 8
Charles Sherman (page 10),undated
Box 8
Josefa Coronel (page 11), undated
Box 8
Unidentified child (page 12), undated
Box 8
Francisco Sabichi (page 13), undated
Box 8
Unidentified woman (page 14), undated
Box 8
Manuel Dominguez, Jr. (page 15), undated
Box 8
Unidentified women (pages 16-17), undated
Box 8
Adelaida Carpenter (page 18), tintype, undated
Box 8
Martha Reavis (page 19), undated
Box 8
Unidentified child (page 21), undated
Box 8
Tomás Dominguez (page 22), undated
Box 8
Unidentified man (page 23), undated
Box 8
Henry Carpenter (page 24), tintype, undated
Box 8
Francisca Wolfskill Shepherd (page 26), undated
Box 8
Mrs. Horn (page 27), undated
Box 8
Mary Refugio Carpenter Pleasants (page 28), 1868
Box 8
J.E. Pleasants (page 29), 1868
Box 8
Martha Elizabeth and Mary Ellen Miller (page 30), undated
Box 8
Sarah Pleasants Miller (page 31), undated
Box 8
George D. Fisher (page 32), undated
Box 8
Unidentified man (page 33), undated
Box 8
Mr. and Mrs. Horne (pages 34-35), undated
Box 8
L. W. Shrewsbury (page 36), undated
Box 8
Francisco (Frank) Carpenter (page 37), undated
Box 8
Unidentified woman (page 38), undated
Box 8
Elena Dominguez (page 39), undated
Box 8
Dr. Benjamin Page (page 40), undated
Box 8
George R. Miller (page 41), undated
Box 8
Father Farley (page 42), undated
Box 8
Luisa Ramirez (page 44), undated
Box 8
Unidentified individuals (pages 45-47), includes tintype, undated.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 8
Jefferson Davis (page 48), undated
Box 8
Robert E. Lee (page 49), undated
Box 8
Andrew Jackson (page 50), undated
Box 5 : 14
Portraits and diary, 1868.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 5 : 15
Pleasants family relatives, ca.
1900-ca. 1910.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 5 : 16
Reavis family, ca. 1910-ca.
1919.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 5 : 17
General, includes tintypes, ca.
1870-ca. 1939.
Physical Description:
24 items in 2 folders.
Box 6 : 1-2
Children, ca. 1870-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
41 items in 2 folders.
Box 6 : 3
Groups, ca. 1880-ca.
1909.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Box 6 : 4
School groups, ca. 1910-ca.
1919.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 6 : 5
Servicemen, ca. 1910-ca.
1919.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 6 : 6
Kaweah, post office, ca. 1920-ca.
1929.
Physical Description:
2 items.
Box 6 : 7
Long Beach, Bixby homes, ca.
1900.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 6 : 8
Mojave Desert, ca. 1920-ca.
1929.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Box 6 : 9
Northern California, ca. 1890-ca.
1899, ca. 1920-ca. 1929.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 6 : 10
Orange County, ca. 1900-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
8 items.
Box 6 : 11
San Bernardino Mountains, ca.
1900.
Physical Description:
10 items.
Box 6 : 12
San Diego County, ca. 1930-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 6 : 13
General, ca. 1900-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
22 items.
Box 6 : 14
Individuals and miscellaneous sites, ca. 1900-ca. 1939.
Physical Description:
15 items.
Box 6 : 15
Homes, ca. 1930-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 6 : 16
Pleasants Ranch, ca. 1890-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
36 items.
Box 6 : 17
Seldom Inn, ca. 1910-ca.
1919.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 6 : 18
Southern California, ca. 1890-ca.
1929.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 6 : 19
Adobe buildings, ca. 1900-ca.
1929.
Physical Description:
4 items.
Box 6 : 20
Beekeeping, ca. 1880-ca.
1929.
Physical Description:
23 items.
Box 6 : 21
Birds, ca. 1920-ca.
1939.
Physical Description:
5 items.
Box 6 : 22
Cattle ranching and cowboys, ca.
1890-ca. 1919.
Physical Description:
27 items.
Box 6 : 23
Dogs, ca. 1900-ca. 1909.
Physical Description:
14 items.
Box 6 : 24
Home gardens and yards, ca.
1920-ca. 1939.
Physical Description:
7 items.
Box 6 : 25
Homes, ca. 1890-ca.
1909.
Physical Description:
3 items.
Box 6 : 26
Horses and riders, ca. 1890-ca.
1929.
Physical Description:
26 items.
Box 6 : 27
Hunting, ca. 1900-ca.
1909.
Physical Description:
12 items.
Box 6 : 28
Orange County Historical Society, 1929.
Physical Description:
2 items.
