Russell, Majors and Waddell records, 1838-1903, bulk 1838-1868

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Summary

Creators:
Russell, Majors and Waddell
Abstract:
A collection of business correspondence and legal documents for the freight and mail company Russell, Majors and Waddell of Lexington, Missouri.
Extent:
7.2 Linear Feet (6 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Russell, Majors and Waddell records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of 508 items from 1838 to 1903, it consists of the business and legal records of Russell, Majors and Waddell. It includes material about freighting operations, the mercantile business, land transactions in Kansas and Missouri, and the Pony Express. The company also hauled supplies for the U.S. Army during the 1857 to 1858 Utah Expedition (Utah War). The material consists of business papers, documents, correspondence (both business and personal), bills, receipts and ephemera. Persons represented in the collection include: Robert B. Bradford, Charles Byers, Alexander Majors, William Hepburn Russell, John W. Waddell, Robert Fielding Waddell, and William Bradford Waddell.

Biographical / historical:

The firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell was established in 1854 in Lexington, Missouri; the principals of the firm were William Hepburn Russell (1828-1872), William Bradford Waddell (1807-1872), and Alexander Majors (1814-1900). The firm were freighters, stagecoach operators, and the originators of the Pony Express in 1860. The firm collapsed in 1861 and was purchased by Ben Holladay in 1862.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Mrs. W. B. Waddell, June 1946.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1950; also, a finding aid was created by Brooke Black in 2011. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the electronic finding aid derived from the earlier finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Russell, Majors and Waddell records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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