Guide to the Jefferson Wilcoxson papers

Birdie Boyles and Jim Kay
Center for Sacramento History
551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.
Sacramento, California 95811-0229
Phone: (916) 808-7072
Fax: (916) 264-7582
Email: csh@cityofsacramento.org
URL: http://www.centerforsacramentohistory.org/
© 2013
Center for Sacramento History. All rights reserved.

Guide to the Jefferson Wilcoxson papers

Collection number: MS0019

Center for Sacramento History

Sacramento, CA
Processed by:
Birdie Boyles and Jim Kay
Date Completed:
2007
Encoded by:
Sean Heyliger
© 2013 Center for Sacramento History. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Jefferson Wilcoxson papers
Dates: 1860-1917
Collection number: MS0019
Creator: Wilcoxson, Jefferson
Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (441 letters)
Repository: Center for Sacramento History
Sacramento, California 95811-0229
Abstract: The Jefferson Wilcoxson Collection is a series of business letters that were written primarily to Jefferson Wilcoxson by relatives and business associates who were involved in the day to day operations of his many business interests in Sacramento, Yolo, and Colusa counties. The Jefferson Wilcoxson Collection is divided into four series: Incoming, Outgoing, Third Party, and Family Correspondence. Within these series are correspondence, meeting notices, a supply catalog, financial information including trial balances and statements of condition, and some photos of relatives that were taken in 1917. The letters date from 1860 to 1917, while the bulk of the letters date from 1870 to 1897.
Physical location: 29B9
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

Collection is open for research use.

Publication Rights

All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH 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 patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Jefferson Wilcoxson papers, MS0019, Center for Sacramento History.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Charles Apfelbaum, Rare Manuscripts and Archives, Watchung, NJ, January. 2003 (Accession# 2003-055)

Processing Information

Jefferson Wilcoxson Collection processed by Birdie Boyles and Jim Kay, 2004 - 2007. Finding aid prepared by Jim Kay, 2007.

Biography / Administrative History

Jefferson Wilcoxson was born on February 24, 1809 in Mercer County, Kentucky to Isaac and Priscilla Wilcoxson. In 1819, he immigrated with his family to Missouri.
In 1849, he moved to Weaverville, California with his brother, Jackson. They remained there until the spring of 1850, when they moved to Sacramento. Together they set up a wholesale merchant business, Wilcoxson & Co., on J Street in Sacramento. Wilcoxson & Co. enjoyed a large trade up to 1852, and then closed. After the brothers dissolved their partnership, Jefferson became a member of the firm of Burton & McCarty.
A few years later, Jefferson engaged in the livestock business and became partners in a land owning company with James Farris. They purchased a tract of one thousand seven hundred and eighty acres of land, part of the Hardy grant, located four miles west of Woodland, California For more than twenty years, Wilcoxson resided on a farm located on the Sacramento River, two miles below Washington (now part of West Sacramento).
He was at various times involved extensively in merchandising, farming, warehousing, banking, land investment, and the livestock business in Colusa, El Dorado, Placer, and Yolo counties. Through his business dealings he acquired property which was estimated to be worth several million dollars in the 1890s.
He died on April 8, 1898.

Scope and Content of Collection

The majority of the collection consists of 405 letters written to Jefferson Wilcoxson between 1870 and 1898. Correspondents consisted of area ranchers and businessmen, family members, and Yolo County officials. They included George W. Applegate, George W. Austin, George Wilcoxson, the Bank of Williams, and the Yolo County Treasurer, among others.
George W. Applegate was a resident of Applegate, California which was named after the large land holdings of his family. He planted a nursery there and cultivated hay and grain. He also organized a vineyard and installed cider mills, wine presses, tanks, and store houses. He grew many types of fruit including: apples, pears, plums, peaches, quinces, figs, and oranges. His letters discuss financial arrangements with Wilcoxson, local news, the production of wine and brandy, and mining operations.
George W. Austin, a nephew of Wilcoxson, also resided in Applegate, California. George’s mother, Mary Elizabeth Wilcoxson Austin, was the daughter of Jefferson's brother Joseph. Austin’s letters discusses management of Wilcoxson’s ranch in Applegate, including land, cattle, crops, a winery, and the ranch workers. Also detailed in the letters are weather conditions, reports of area fires, and discussions about the development of a county road.
Letters from the Yolo County Treasurer detail the purchase and sale of warrants for the Yolo County General Fund, Contingent Fund, Hospital Fund, and Road Fund. Several letters contain information about the collection of county taxes.
Four letters written by Wilcoxson are included in the collection, as are six letters that are to or between individuals other than Wilcoxson.
The collections also contain several financial documents including one account statement and three receipts.
The collection is arranged into four series: Series 1. Incoming Series 2. Outgoing Series 3. Third Parties Series 4. Family

Arrangement

Series 1. Incoming Series 2. Outgoing Series 3. Third Parties Series 4. Family

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Agriculture--California--History
Business enterprises--California--Sacramento Metropolitan Area
Ranching--California
Sacramento (Calif.)--History

“Another Pioneer.” Woodland Daily Democrat. April 8, 1898.
History of Placer County, California, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Oakland: Thompson & West, 1882.
An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California: containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future ... portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1890.
The Western shore gazetteer and commercial directory for the state of California ... Yolo County: one volume being devoted to each county of the state, giving a brief history of each county. Woodland, [Calif.]: C.P. Sprague & H.W. Atwell, 1870.

 

Series 1. Incoming correspondence 1870 – 1897

Physical Description: 25 folders

Series Scope and Content Summary

Letters written to businessman Jefferson Wilcoxson between 1870-1897. Correspondents consisted of area ranchers and businessmen, family members, and Yolo County officials. They included George W. Applegate, George W. Austin, George Wilcoxson, the Bank of Williams, and the Yolo County Treasurer, among others
Box 1.1

Incoming A (Letters 001-021a) 1870 – 1870

Box 1.2

Incoming B (Letters 022-042) 1870 – 1895

Box 1.3

Incoming C (Letters 043-045) 1874 – 1888

Box 1.4

Incoming D (Letters 046-056) 1872 – 1888

Box 1.5

Incoming F to Forbes (Letters 057-084) 1878 – 1887

Box 1.6

Incoming Forbes (Letters 085-109) 1887 – 1888

Box 1.7

Incoming Forbes (Letters 110-128) 1889

Box 1.8

Incoming Forbes (Letters 129-155) 1890 – 1891

Box 2.1

Incoming Forbes (Letters 156-168) 1894

Box 2.2

Incoming Forbes to French (Letters 169-185) 1895 – 1896

Box 2.3

Incoming G (Letters 186-188) 1879 - 1896

Box 2.4

Incoming H (Letters 189-214) 1872 - 1896

Box 2.5

Incoming K (Letters 215-225) 1873 – 1880

Box 2.6

Incoming L to Lee (Letters 226-247) 1872 – 1879

Box 2.7

Incoming Lee to Lowell (Letters 248-272) 1879 – 1890

Box 2.8

Incoming M (Letters 273-277) 1879 – 1897

Box 2.9

Incoming N (Letters 278) 1886

Box 2.1

Incoming P (Letters 279-287) 1876 – 1887

Box 2.11

Incoming R (Letters 288-291) 1877 – 1995

Box 2.12

Incoming S to Stewart (Letters 292-305) 1872 – 1890

Box 3.1

Incoming Stovall to Street (Letters 306-331) 1876 – 1897

Box 3.2

Incoming T (Letters 332-338) 1879 – 1898

Box 3.3

Incoming W to Wilcoxson, C.E. (Letters 339-351) 1878 – 1896

Box 3.4

Incoming Wilcoxson, George H. (Letters 351a-389) 1890 – 1897

Box 3.5

Incoming Wilcoxson, George H. to Woodlawn (Letters 390-405) 1892-1897

 

Series 2. Outgoing correspondence 1877 – 1885

Physical Description: 1 folder

Series Scope and Content Summary

Letters written by businessman Jefferson Wilcoxson between 1877- 1885
Box 3.6

A to Z (Letters 406-408) 1877 – 1885

 

Series 3. Third party correspondence 1860 – 1897

Physical Description: 4 folders
Box 3.7

A to D (Letters 409-413) 1879 – 1888

Box 3.8

E to H (Letters 414-424) 1874 – 1897

Box 3.9

I to N (Letters 425-431a) 1860 – 1889

Box 3.1

O to Z (Letters 432-437) 1881 – 1888

 

Series 4. Wilcoxson family correspondence 1910 – 1917

Physical Description: 1 folder
Box 3.11

A to Z (Letters 438-441) 1910 – 1917