Finding Aid of the Grover Family Papers C059568
Samantha Ronzano, Pat Keats
Society of California Pioneers
January 20, 2016
101 Montgomery Street, Suite 150
Presidio of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA 94129
pkeats@californiapioneers.org
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Society of California Pioneers
Title: Grover Family Papers
creator:
Grover, Elija, 1795-1874
creator:
Grover, Elijah Whitney, 1828-1889
creator:
Grover, George W. Lafayette, 1836-1854
creator:
Grover, Hadassah Bean, 1795-1848
creator:
Grover, Hannah Margaret, 1835-1847
creator:
Grover, Harriet Atwood, 1818-1847
creator:
Grover, James Lyman, 1820-1888
creator:
Grover, Jarvis Hilliard, 1833-1865
creator:
Grover, Lucinda Hadassah, 1839-1916
creator:
Grover, Mary Elvira, 1826-1847
creator:
Grover, Sarah Ann Steward, 1836-1927
creator:
Grover, Stephen Frealon, 1830-1907
creator:
Grover, Susannah, 1821-1847
creator:
Grover, Sylvia, 1824-1847
Identifier/Call Number: C059568
Physical Description:
5 folders
Folders contain handwritten letters.
Date (inclusive): 1836-1946
Abstract: Five folders of handwritten letters and documents between the Grover family members, dating over time, from 1836-1946. The
family came from Bethel, Maine and the letters are often correspondence between there and various locations in early California.
Folder 1: Letters dating from 1839-1849 between the members of the Grover family. Includes a small index typed by donor.
Folder 2: Letters dating from 1853-1859, includes a typed index.
Folder 3: Letters dating from 1869-1896, includes a typed index.
Folder 4: A variety of deeds and documents, dating from 1841-1869.
Folder 5: Deeds and couments dating from 1870-1946.
Elijah Grover, born April 7, 1795 in Bethel, Maine, had thirteen children with wife Hadassah Bean Grover. From 1846 through
1848, Hadassah and four of her six daughters died from Typhoid Fever (there are no letters written between those dates).
Elijah's sons - James Lyman, Elijah Whitney, Stephen Frealon and Jarvis Hilliard - all traveled West in 1849. Elijah by sailing
around the Horn, and the other three brothers by ship to the Eastern shore of Panama and then on foot scross the Isthmus of
Panama and then by ship up the coast to California. Originally, the latter three brothers settled in Stockton, Califoria
as farmers, and Stephen rode for Wells Fargo. James and Stephen eventually moved to Santa Cruz, where they began their own
lumber business. Stephen went on to build the historic Brookdale Lodge in Ben Lomond, California - which still stands today.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Leona Nixon and Revae E. Leppanen, February 18th, 2014.
Revae Leppanen received the letters from her cousin, Leona Nixon. They were delivered to The Society of California Pioneers
by Revaie Leppanen, but the donation citation should include both names.
There are no restrictions on access.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Brookdale Lodge
San Francisco (Calif.) - History - 19th century
San Lorenzo River (Calif.)
Santa Cruz (Calif.)
Stockton (Calif.)
Wells, Fargo & Company.
Grover, Elija, 1795-1874
Grover, Elijah Whitney, 1828-1889
Grover, George W. Lafayette, 1836-1854
Grover, Hadassah Bean, 1795-1848
Grover, Hannah Margaret, 1835-1847
Grover, Harriet Atwood, 1818-1847
Grover, James Lyman, 1820-1888
Grover, Jarvis Hilliard, 1833-1865
Grover, Lucinda Hadassah, 1839-1916
Grover, Mary Elvira, 1826-1847
Grover, Sarah Ann Steward, 1836-1927
Grover, Stephen Frealon, 1830-1907
Grover, Susannah, 1821-1847
Grover, Sylvia, 1824-1847