Finding aid to the William and Mary Monroe Correspondence MS Vault 173
Marie Silva
California Historical Society
2018 December 13
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
reference@calhist.org
Contributing Institution:
California Historical Society
Title: William and Mary Monroe Correspondence
Creator:
Monroe, William, 1818-1908
Creator:
Monroe, Mary Jane Beebe, 1822-1903
Identifier/Call Number: MS Vault 173
Physical Description:
2 folders
Date (inclusive): 1850-1851
Abstract: William Monroe (1818-1908) was a
Wisconsin doctor who went to California during the Gold Rush, where he worked as a gold
miner and physician. The collection contains fourteen letters, dated 1850-1851, mostly
exchanged between William Monroe and his wife Mary Monroe (1822-1903). Letters written by
William Monroe to his wife document his overland journey from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, to
California (April-August 1850); and his experiences and observations as a gold miner and
physician in California's gold region, specifically in Hangtown (Placerville), Sacramento,
Tolles New Diggings, and Quartzville (August 1850-December 1851). Letters from Mary Monroe
illuminate the experience of a woman who served as the head of household back home while her
husband sought his fortune in California, and her struggles to manage the family farm and
household while grieving the death of her seven-year-old child, John Monroe.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in
English.
CHS is not taking appointments for research at this time. Please check the Library's website updates:
https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/north-baker-research-library/
Researchers are encouraged to use facsimiles stored in folder 2.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of S. Catherine McIntire, 2018.
William Monroe (1818-1908) was a Wisconsin doctor who went to California during the Gold
Rush, where he worked as a gold miner and physician. Born on July 30, 1818, in Ohio, William
moved with his mother, sister, and stepfather Dr. John Loofbourow, to Mineral Point,
Wisconsin, in 1831. He engaged in lead mining near Mineral Point while reading for the
medical profession, commencing his medical practice in Fayette, Wisconsin, in 1844. He
married Mary Jane Monroe née Beebe (1822-1903) in 1841; they had ten children, four of whom
survived to adulthood. In 1850, William left Wisconsin for California with a party from
Mineral Point that included his brother-in-law Robert Gray, leaving behind his wife Mary and
two children, John and Harriet. Between 1850 and 1851, William worked as a gold miner and
physician in California, while Mary ran the family farm and household in Fayette.
[Identification of item, date]; William and Mary Monroe Correspondece, MS Vault 173;
California Historical Society.
Contains fourteen letters, dated 1850-1851, mostly exchanged between William Monroe and his
wife Mary Monroe, with three letters written by relatives and neighbors John Loofbourow,
Rebekah Loofbourow, and Henry Howe. Letters written by William Monroe to his wife document
his overland journey from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, to California (April-August 1850); and
his experiences and observations as a gold miner and physician in California's gold region,
specifically in Hangtown (Placerville), Sacramento, Tolles New Diggings, and Quartzville
(August 1850-December 1851). Letters from Mary Monroe illuminate the experience of a woman
who served as the head of household back home while her husband sought his fortune in
California, and her struggles to manage the family farm and household while grieving the
death of her seven-year-old child, John Monroe. The collection includes two bereavement
letters, Mary's letter of 1851 May 1 informing William of John's death, and William's long
reply of 1851 September 15, written in a black pocket letter book.
The collection also includes biographical and genealogical material about William Monroe
and his family supplied by his descendants.
Materials in this collection, which were created in 1850-1851, are in the public domain in
the United States. Permission to publish or reproduce is not required.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gold miners -- California -- Correspondence
Overland journeys to the Pacific
California -- Gold discoveries
Women -- Wisconsin -- Correspondence
Bereavement