John Wesley Vandevort collection mssVandevort
Gina C Giang
The Huntington Library
June 2019
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on February 28, 2024 by Kelly Kress.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: John Wesley Vandevort collection
Identifier/Call Number: mssVandevort
Physical Description:
5.42 Linear Feet
(13 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1865-1898
Abstract: The collection consists chiefly of letters, with some manuscripts and documents related to John Wesley Vandevort and his Pittsburgh
holdings in the steel industry.
Language of Material: The material is in English.
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
Publication Rights
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 Wesley Vandevort collection. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of D.V. Bell, 1949.
Processing Information
Collection was roughly organized by Huntington staff sometime after 1949. In June 2019, Gina C Giang re-housed the collection,
created a finding aid, and added the financial records (boxes 12 and 13), which had previously been separated and handled
as ephemera.
Biography
John Wesley Vandevort (1837-circa 1898) was a native of Pittsburgh and an associate of Andrew Carnegie in the firm of Carnegie
and Kloman. In 1885 he moved to Pasadena, California, for his health, and in addition to his continuing interests in the iron
and steel industries, he participated in Pasadena social and civic affairs and San Diego real estate projects.
Scope and Content
The collection consists chiefly of letters, with some manuscripts and documents related to John Wesley Vandevort and his Pittsburgh
holdings in the steel industry. There are also seven diaries related to Vandevort's tours of Europe and a 1878-1879 trip around
the world with Andrew Carnegie (2 pocket diaries). Correspondents in the collection include: Henry Phipps (102 letters) and
Andrew Carnegie and/or his wife Louise (8 letters). The collection also has a letterbook containing typewritten letters of
an 1865 European tour by John Hallen Franks and thirty-six letters addressed to John Wesley Vandevort's brother, Robert T.
Vandevort. There are also materials about the Johnstown Flood of 1889. Included are financial records such as accounts, bills,
receipts, and statements.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Floods -- Pennsylvania -- Johnstown (Cambria County).
Industrialists -- United States -- Correspondence
Iron industry and trade -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Steel industry and trade -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Voyages around the world -- Diaries
Europe -- Description and travel
Pasadena (Calif.) -- Social life and customs
Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Business records -- Pennsylvania -- 19th century
Diaries -- United States -- 19th century
Financial records -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Personal papers -- United States -- 19th century
Correspondence to John W. Vandevort
Box 8
Ledgers and letterbooks, 1865-1897
Box 9
Notebooks and business papers, 1866-1895
Box 10
Printed pieces and ephemera, approximately 1870-1895
Box 11
Correspondence: Robert Vandevort, Henry Phipps, and others
Scope and Contents
Includes John Hallen Franks letterbook.
