Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Baker & Hamilton invoices and receipts
- Dates:
- 1879 - 1892, 1949
- Abstract:
- The collection consists of sample invoices and receipts issued by both the San Francisco and Sacramento offices between 1879 and 1892, and a 1949 history of the firm.
- Extent:
- .167 Linear Feet 1 half-box
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Baker & Hamilton Invoices and Receipts, MS 494, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of sample invoices and receipts issued by both the San Francisco and Sacramento offices between 1879 and 1892, and a 1949 history of the firm.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Livingston Low Baker (1827-1892), Robert Muirhead Hamilton (1830-1893) and James Lloyd Lafayette Franklin Warren (1805-1896) joined together in 1849 on Mormon Island, California, to sell provisions, tools, and general supplies to those seeking fortune in the gold fields. Their first establishment was a canvas tent.
In the fall of 1850 the partners moved to Sacramento City where they opened a store, Warren & Company, at the foot of J Street (11 J Street), convenient to the Sacramento River. In October or November 1853, Warren sold his interest in the store to his partners, and focused on the publication of a newspaper, the California Farmer.
The new firm, Baker & Hamilton, concentrated on agricultural implements and general hardware. In 1856 it expanded to 9 J Street. In December of 1867 the firm opened a branch in San Francisco at 13 to 19 Front Street. In 1868 Baker & Hamilton established a factory in San Leandro to manufacture farming implements.
The first Baker & Hamilton catalog appeared in 1874. In January 1880 the factory was moved to Benicia, California, where it occupied a former Pacific Mail Steamship Company plant. In 1882, having outgrown the original San Francisco Front Street headquarters, B&H moved into a new building at the junction of Pine, Market and Davis Streets in San Francisco, California.
The CSRM Library & Archives also has several editions of the Baker & Hamilton catalog in its trade catalog collection. Please inquire as to our holdings.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Bill and Florence Gardner, 2001.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged by material type
- Physical location:
- Statewide Museum Collection Center
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Bibliography:
-
Ryder, D. W. (1949). A century of hardware and steel, being the story of Baker & Hamilton, a business institution which has helped to write the history of California and the Pacific Coast. with decorations by Dan Adair. Historical Publications.
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Receipts (Acknowledgments)
Invoices
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-05 00:01:42 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research by appointment. Contact Library Staff.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Baker & Hamilton Invoices and Receipts, MS 494, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
111 I StreetSacramento, CA 95814, US
- Contact:
- (916) 323-8073