William Newton Meeks papers, 1792, 1831-1973

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Summary

Creators:
Meeks, William Newton, 1821-1899
Abstract:
Papers of San Francisco real estate businessman William Newton Meeks.
Extent:
26.60 Linear Feet (22 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Newton Meeks papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of letters, manuscripts and documents related to William Newton Meeks, his wife, Abigail, and their children. There are also materials related to his brother, Robert Smelt Meeks, and to the Meeks and Davis families (including genealogical notes and charts). Additional persons represented in the collection include Charles Sylvanus Davis (brother of Abigail), Mary E. Meeks Haydock, Constance Adelia Meeks, Edward Meeks, and Susan Molineux Meeks. The collection includes descriptions of and life in Bolivia, 1837 to 1861, Chile, 1849-1861, France, and San Francisco, California, including the earthquake of 1906.

Biographical / historical:

William Newton Meeks (1821-1899) sailed from New York around Cape Horn to Valparaiso, Chile, in 1839 to help his brother, Robert Smelt Meeks, in his commercial business in Bolivia. After many political disruptions, Robert moved to Valparaiso, followed by William, who soon left by ship for the California Gold Rush. He entered the real estate business in San Francisco and married Abigail Livia Martha Davis, who had come to California as a schoolteacher. In 1871, Abigail moved their four children to be educated first in Philadelphia and then in Lausanne, Nice, and finally Paris. After her death in 1876, of breast cancer, William and the children returned to California.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mrs. Constance Pearson, October 1976.
Processing information:

Processed by Virginia Rust in 1993. In 2022, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Organized in the following series: 1. Letters, manuscripts and documents; 2. Miscellaneous; 3. Genealogical notes and charts; 4. Microfilm.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

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]. William Newton Meeks papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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