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Evertson Familiy Papers
mssHM
70414-70462
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Title: Evertson Family Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1832-1897
Bulk Dates: 1847-1866
Collection Number: mssHM
70414-70462
Creator OR Collector:
Evertson (Family)
Extent:
56 items in 2 boxes
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 the papers of
John R. Evertson, of Poughkeepsie, New York, and his family, chiefly dating from
1847-1866. Includes correspondence between
Evertson family members with three distinct sections: Mexican-American War, Civil
War, and California.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
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]. Evertson Family Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Ellen H. Ellis, November 26, 2007.
John R. Evertson, of Poughkeepsie, New York, and Laura Morin, of Savannah, Georgia,
were married in the 1830s. The couple had four children: John Jr., Clinton, Evert
and Laura. Evertson spent some time in Camargo, Mexico, during the Mexican-American War (his
exact business is unclear). In the 1850s, the family moved to Los Angeles,
California, where Evertson took a job as a census enumerator. In 1862, Laura, by that
time a widow, tried to secure properties in New York and Georgia. She sent her son
Evert back East to look out for the family properties. While in New York he stayed
with a family friend, William H. Richards. On Evert's way to Savannah, however, he
was arrested by federal troops and spent the next two years as a citizen prisoner in
federal prisons, first in Carroll (Old Capitol Prison, Washington, D.C.) and then
Point Lookout, Maryland.
John R. Evertson, Jr., remained in Los Angeles and ran, unsuccessfully, for the
office of the county of assessor. Evertson, Jr., moved up north first to Havilah,
Kern County, where he tried, also without visible success, to practice law and
pursue "mining interests," and then on to San Francisco where he held a string of
various low paying jobs (he never kept one for very long). Laura C. Evertson married
Andrew Jackson King, one of the proprietors and editors of the Los Angeles Times,
City Attorney and County Judge. She wrote a number of sketches of life in San
Gabriel Valley for the Historical Society of Southern California.
The collection is arranged chronologically and includes 56 items including 7 pieces
of ephemera. The first four items are land grants and plats for land in Georgia
(1832-1843). The majority of the rest of the collection is correspondence between
Evertson family members with three distinct sections: Mexican-American War, Civil
War and California. There are four letters concerning John R. Evertson's work which
was somehow related to the Mexican-American War. In his letters he talks about the
war, General Zachary Taylor, Antonio Santa Anna, and the battle of Buena Vista.
These letters also discuss family matters and there are letters by John R. Evertson
to two of his sons warning them to be diligent, do their school work and listen to
their Mother while he is away. The second section consists of twelve letters from
various correspondents to Evert C. Evertson while he was being held as a political
prisoner in Carroll and Point Lookout prisons in Washington, D.C. and Maryland from
1863 to 1865 (there is one note by Evert). The letters by family friends, mostly
William H. Richards, discusses their attempts to free Evert from prison and clear
his name and express their sympathy with his situation. Richards also talks about
the family situation in California at the time. (The collection also includes three
documents related to Evert's release from prison including a letter of exemption
from the Confederate States of America's War Department Bureau of Conscription, a
parole and a pass for Evert issued by the United States' Office of the Provost
Marshal General - all dated 1865). The third section of correspondence relates to
John R. Evertson, Jr.'s life in Havilah and San Francisco, California in
April-December 1866. These letters which are written to his mother, sister and
brother-in-law in Los Angeles, talk chiefly about Evertson's search for stable
employment, his attempts at mining (gold and quartz), his bad health and his general
depression about his current situation. He often mentions Los Angeles in his
letters. The last few items of the collection include documents about real estate in
Los Angeles and a letter related to the estate of John R. Evertson.
The collection is arranged chronologically, followed by ephemera.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Evertson
family
King, Andrew Jackson,
1833-1923, addressee
Santa Anna, Antonio
López de, 1794?-1876
Taylor, Zachary,
1784-1850
Confederate States of America. Bureau
of Conscription
Old Capitol Prison (Washington,
D.C.)
Point Lookout Prison Camp for
Confederates
United States. Office of the Provost
Marshal General
Buena Vista, Battle of, Mexico,
1847
Gold mines and mining --
California
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Quartz mines and mining --
California
Real property -- California
Real property -- Georgia
Havilah
(Calif.)
Los Angeles (Calif.)
San Francisco (Calif.)
United States --
History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Prisoners and prisons
Deeds -- United States -- 19th
century
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 19th century
Plats (maps) -- United States -- 19th
century