William Newton Meeks Papers mssMK
Brooke M. Black
The Huntington Library
January 2022
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William Newton Meeks papers
Creator:
Meeks, William Newton, 1821-1899
Identifier/Call Number: mssMK
Physical Description:
26.60 Linear Feet
(22 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1792, 1831-1973
Abstract: Papers of San Francisco real estate businessman William Newton Meeks.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Constance Pearson, October 1976.
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.
Scope and Contents
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.
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.
General
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssMK 1-1249, mssFAC 1286-1305.
Related Materials
The Collection of Photographs of William Newton Meeks Family was transferred to the Photo Archives in 1992 (photCL 376).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Real property -- California -- San Francisco
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906
Bolivia -- Description and travel
Bolivia -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
California -- Description and travel
California -- Gold discoveries -- Personal narratives
California -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Chile -- Description and travel
Chile -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
France -- Description and travel
San Francisco (Calif.) -- History -- Sources
Valparaíso (Chile) -- History -- 19th century
Family papers -- California
Letters (correspondence) -- California
Davis, Charles Sylvanus, 1834-
Haydock, Mary E. Meeks
Meeks, Abigail Davis, 1826-1876
Meeks, Constance Adela, 1862-1947
Meeks, Edward, 1861-1899
Meeks, Robert Smelt, 1803-1890
Meeks, Susan Molineux
Letters, manuscripts, and documents
1792, 1831-1967
Box 20, Box 21
Genealogical notes and charts
approximately 1790-1973
Box 22
Microfilm: Gregory family genealogical data by George Craghead Gregory
1939
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in Virginia State Library, Richmond, Virginia.
