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Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of California Papers:
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Title: Associated Pioneers of the Territorial
Days of California Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1875-1893
Collection Number: mssAssociatedPioneersPapers
Creator: Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of California.
Extent: 117 items in 1 box.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains various correspondence and ephemera associated with The Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days
of California,
an organization formed in New York in 1875 for individuals who had been in California at some point prior to its receiving
statehood on September 9, 1850 .
A large portion of the
correspondence is authored by Frank D. Clark, who was the organization's secretary, and one of the primary addressees is Stephen
L. Merchant.
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]. Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of
California Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from Holabird-Kagin September 24, 2008.
The Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of California was formed in New York in September 1875 by General Horatio
Gates Gibson (1827-1924) with the assistance of Francis D. Clark. The Society’s objective was “to form a more perfect union
of the Pioneers of California, now residents of the Atlantic States, and to cultivate social intercourse between them” (Article
1, Articles of Association). The organization was primarily composed of Mexican War veterans of the Army and Navy, gold hunters,
politicians, and businessmen “who were for any period in California prior to the 9th day of September, 1850 (the date of the
admission of the State of California into the Union)” (Article 6, Articles of Association). At its inception, the organization
was made up of 49 members who were among the elite of the California gold rush and military history. Members included: John
A. Sutter, Joseph Hooker, John Fremont, Cornelius Vanderbilt, W.T. Sherman, Stephen L. Merchant, Francis D. Clark, and E.
Kemble.
The papers consist of various correspondence and ephemera associated with the Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days
of California. The subject matter of the correspondence include the concerns of the organization such as meeting announcements,
resolutions, propositions, election of officers, and the organization’s Articles of Association. A large portion of the correspondence
is authored by Frank D. Clark, who was the organization’s secretary, and one of the primary addressees is Stephen L. Merchant.
Notable correspondence include letters dating when the Articles of Association were adopted (1876, April 3), describing the
Society’s badges (1876, May 3), stating resolutions adopted for the Society (1876, May 22), stating fees that were paid for
admission into the Society (1878, June 20), planning for a permanent headquarters for the Society as well as a library and
museum (1879, Jan. 20), and a letter calling to act in honor of John Sutter (1882, Mar. 1).
The papers also consist of a variety of different ephemera printed by the organization. The majority of ephemera include pamphlets,
brochures, and invitations for the organization’s annual meetings and social events. Ephemera include newspaper clippings
about individuals such as Stephen L. Merchant, Francis D. Clark, Emperor Norton I of San Francisco, Julius Martin, and they
also include newspaper articles about the organization and descriptions of their various social events. Other ephemera include
the Society’s ribbon, songbooks, membership applications, a list of the members of the society, a copy of the “Song of the
Argonauts” or “The Days of
´Forty-Nine” written by Samuel C. Upham, and brochures about the society. A notable item is a 14th Annual Reunion Meeting
booklet that contains firsthand accounts from original Pioneers.
Arranged in chronological order.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Associated Pioneers of
the Territorial Days of California -- Archives.
Society of California
Pioneers.
Mexican War, 1846-1848 --
Veterans.
Mexican War, 1846-1848 -- Veterans --
Societies, etc.
Sutter, John Augustus,
1803-1880.
California -- Gold
discoveries -- Sources.
Ephemera -- New York -- 19th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- New York
-- 19th century.
Clark, Francis D.
Hooker, Joseph, 1814-1879.
Merchant, Stephen L.
Sutter, John Augustus, 1803-1880.
Upham, Samuel C. (Samuel Curtis),
1819-1885.
Society of California Pioneers.