John Daniell papers, 1868-1945, bulk 1868-1923

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Creators:
Daniell, John, 1839-1898
Abstract:
A collection of correspondence, documents, and photographs related to the mining careers of John Daniell (1839-1898) and his son, John Daniell (1875-1945).
Extent:
7.87 Linear Feet (29 volumes, 5 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English and some Finnish.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. John Daniell papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of 790 items from 1868 to 1945; it includes correspondence (including 29 letter books), documents, and photographs related to the career of Captain John Daniell, Sr. (1839-1898) and his son, mining engineer John Daniell, Jr. (1874-1960). Subjects include: the operation and development of the Michigan mines and related railroads; labor conditions; the activities of rival companies; mining finance; stock market speculations; and national and international mining syndicates. There is also some information on mining in Arizona and Montana. Over 500 letters in the collection addressed to John Daniell, Sr. are chiefly from Albert S. Bigelow and officers of the Bigelow-Clark Syndicate in Boston, Massachusetts. Three letter books and correspondence belonging to John Daniell, Jr. are concerned with mining in Finland, Arizona, and Montana, where the younger Daniell worked as a mining engineer from 1899 to 1923.

Biographical / historical:

John Daniell, Sr. (1839-1898) came to the United States from Cornwall, England, in 1863. He supervised a gold mine in California for a brief time but was superintendent of a group of copper mines in Michigan's Lake Superior region from 1872 to 1894; the mines were owned by the Boston investment firm of A. S. Bigelow and Joseph Clark. In addition to developing the Michigan mines, Daniell also made consulting trips to Montana and Arizona for his firm. His advice led to their investment in mines which were later amalgamated to form the Anaconda Copper Mining Company of Montana. John Daniell, Jr. (1874-1960), graduated with a B.S. and E.M. from the Michigan School of Mines. He worked for the Franklin Mining Company from 1899 to 1904; Badger Lead and Zinc, Wolverine, Superior and Great Lakes Copper from 1907 to 1910. From 1910 to 1913 he was in Finland with the Finnish American Mining Company (graphite), then in Arizona, Oregon, and Virginia City, Montana where he managed the J. H. and W.B. Millard Mining Company, during the years 1922 to 1923.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Earl Wiitanen, January 1973.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1975. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from a legacy in-house summary report. In September 2025, Renee M. Tabizon rehoused the photograph series, and edited portions of the finding aid, while updating the linear feet with the addition of barcodes.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into three series: 1. Bound volumes; 2. Correspondence and documents; 3. Photographs.

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]. John Daniell papers, 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
Website