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Thomas H. Hansbrow Papers: Finding Aid
mssHM 72850-72867
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Title: Thomas H. Hansbrow Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1852-1972
Bulk dates: 1852-1881
Collection Number: mssHM 72850-72867
Creator:
Hansbrow, Thomas H.
Extent: 50 items.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains one manuscript, 19 letters, and 30 pieces of ephemera related to
Thomas H. Hansbrow (1826-1868) of Sacramento, California. Most of the correspondence and ephemera relates to the various pumps
Hansbrow designed for mining, steamers, agriculture and railroads. The manuscript is the 1921 memoir of Hansbrow's brother-in-law,
Samuel A. Randel, with sections which relate to Hansbrow's marriage and travel to California in 1849.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
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.
[Identification of item]. Thomas H. Hansbrow Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Herbert C. Price, June 16, 1982.
Thomas H. Hansbrow's early life is a bit obscure, but he was born in 1826 and was a
tinner before he traveled from Illinois to the gold rush in California. There he ran
a stove and hardware store and invented a pump, which won awards at the World's Fair
of 1862. He was a rather important figure in Sacramento during the 1850s and 1860s,
serving as the Superintendent of the City Water Works and as a member of the Board
of Supervisors. He was a director of the California State Agricultural Society and
served as a state assemblyman from 1865-1866. He died in 1868.
The collection consists of one manuscript which has been separated into 4 folders
and 19 pieces of correspondence arranged by date and 30 pieces of ephemera arranged
by subject.
The manuscript is the memoir of Thomas H. Hansbrow's brother-in-law,
Samuel A. Randel, and there are sections which relate to Hansbrow's marriage and
travel to California in 1849. Mostly, the manuscript recounts the author's family
history and his personal life. There are many descriptions of his boyhood in
Illinois in the 1840s and 1850s. Most of the correspondence is to Thomas H. Hansbrow
regarding the various pumps he designed for mining, steamers, agriculture and
railroads. There are a few letters regarding family and friends. The ephemera
consists of 30 items. It contains diagrams and graphs of the pumps Hansbrow designed
and sold, his wife's will, materials from Hansbrow's involvement in the World's Fair
and newspaper articles regarding Hansbrow. Subjects in the collection include:
California State Agricultural Society; DePauw University; Farm life in Illinois;
inventors of California; history of Macoupin County, Ill.; Design and construction
of Pumping machinery; the United States Civil War; and Voyages to the Pacific coast.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Hansbrow, Thomas
H.
California State
Agricultural Society (Sacramento, Calif.)
DePauw
University.
Farm life -- Illinois -- History -- 19th
century.
Inventors -- California --
Archives.
Pumping machinery -- Design and
construction.
Voyages to the Pacific coast.
California -- History
-- 19th century -- Sources.
Macoupin County (Ill.)
-- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
United States --
History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Union.
Letters (correspondence) -- 19th
century.
Memoirs -- 20th century.
California State Agricultural Society (Sacramento, Calif.)
- Subject in D.C. Wheeler (1861, Feb. 8) letter to Thomas H. Hansbrow. HM 72852.
DePauw University
- Subject in Reminiscences of Samuel A. Randle (1921, Dec.) memoir by Samuel A. Randle. HM 72866b.
- Subject in Reminiscences of Samuel A. Randle (1921, Dec.) memoir by Samuel A. Randle. HM 72866d.
Farm life – Illinois
- Subject in Reminiscences of Samuel A. Randle (1921, Dec.) memoir by Samuel A. Randle. HM 72866a.
- Subject in Reminiscences of Samuel A. Randle (1921, Dec.) memoir by Samuel A. Randle. HM 72866b.
Macoupin County (Ill.) – History
- Subject in Reminiscences of Samuel A. Randle (1921, Dec.) memoir by Samuel A. Randle. HM 72866a.
Pumping machinery – Design and construction
- Subject in Pumping machinery: patents and drawings (1861-1872). Box 2 (3).
United States – History – Civil War, 1861-1865 – Personal narratives, Union
- Subject in Reminiscences of Samuel A. Randle (1921, Dec.) memoir by Samuel A. Randle. HM 72866c.
Voyages to the Pacific coast
- Subject in Lucy A. Hansbrow (1852, Feb. 24) letter to “Dear Sister.” HM 72850.