George Elmendorf Collection of Mexican Miscellany, 1584-1973

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Summary

Title:
George Elmendorf Collection of Mexican Miscellany
Dates:
1584-1973
Creators:
Elmendorf, George F.
Abstract:
George F. Elmendorf's collection of assorted Mexican manuscripts dating from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.
Extent:
4 linear feet (2 cartons, 2 boxes, 2 volumes, 1 oversize box)
Language:
Spanish and Collection materials are mostly in Spanish.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], George Elmendorf Collection of Mexican Miscellany, BANC MSS 87/190 m, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of a chronologically arranged series of Mexican manuscripts dating from 1584 to 1973. These manuscripts were collected by George Elmendorf of Libros Latinos booksellers. The materials are varied in scope and document religious, political, military, economic, and linguistic activity. Some manuscripts are complete and others are fragmentary. The bulk are from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Notable in the collection are a volume containing a manuscript copy of the 18th-century botanical work Plantae nouae hispaniae... by José( Mariano Moziño and Martín Sessé. This copy, made around 1885, is ostensibly the one from which the first printed copy of the work was published (for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893). Bound with this manuscript copy is a file of original 18th-century materials documenting disputes and litigation between Moziño and his wife, Maria Rita Rivera Melo. Also notable is a file relating to the implementation in Mexico of an indulgence granted by Pope Clement XII to visitors of El Sagrario (1731). This file includes the original indulgence on vellum. The collection also includes the following: an oration against the French in 1793 by the bishop of La Rochelle (resident in Guadalajara); a printed decree by the Marques of Branciforte incorporating a royal decree forbidding clerics or nuns to be heirs of intestate parents; a report on miracles performed by Our Lady of Nogal. Among the nineteenth-century materials one will find more political content, with some manuscripts documenting the period of the French intervention and others relating to politics of the 1830s and 1840s. Notable among these is a volume of accounts from 1842 recording contributions levied for public security in Mexico City; documents from 1881 regarding secure passage for Vicente Morales to San Francisco where he was to be Mexican Consul; and drafts of letters from 1832 and 1833 regarding disturbances in Jalapa and regarding sending criminals from the California Presidios and elsewhere to colonize Texas. Among religious materials for the 19th century are items relating to the Dominicans in Mexico and Baja California, one of them an unsigned letter from the Provincial concerning religious designated for the Baja California missions. The 19th-century materials also include an 1835 manuscript eyewitness account of the eruption of the Conchagua volcano. Materials from the 20th century expand to document business enterprises and the rise of labor unions. Among these are a file of correspondence of José María Benítez concerning Mexican railroad workers and the labor movement in 1925. Among materials documenting 20th-century politics are a file of correspondence, telegrams, and flyers relating to Francisco Madero (1911-1914); a group of items relating to the 1911-1912 elections in Tacuyaba, including flyers from many different political parties; and materials relating to the execution of José de León Toral, who assassinated President Alvaro Obregón.

Biographical / historical:

George F. Elmendorf was an owner and operator of Libros Latinos, a premier United States dealer of Latin American books and manuscripts founded in 1973. Elmendorf received his degree in Latin American history from San Francisco State University and in 1976 teamed up with Howard Karno, founder of Libros Latinos.

Acquisition information:
The George Elmendorf Collection of Mexican Miscellany was purchased from George F. Elmendorf in 1986.
Processing information:

Processed by Lara Michels in March, 2015.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Lara Michels
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2015-02-05 11:05:16 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], George Elmendorf Collection of Mexican Miscellany, BANC MSS 87/190 m, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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