Shaw family papers
Finding aid prepared by Gina C Giang.
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2016
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Shaw family papers
Dates: 1845-1963
Collection Number: mssShawfamily
Creator:
Shaw family
Extent:
837 items in 24 boxes and 1 folder
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection consists of material relating to the Shaw family. The bulk of the collection was created by Hartley and Fern
Shaw, with additional material from Lucien Shaw and other Shaw family members.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Administration Information
Access
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information,
please go to following
web site .
Publication Rights
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
Shaw family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Barbara D. Shaw Topping, April 2015.
Biography
Lucien Shaw was born on March 1, 1845, on a farm near Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana. Lucien Shaw was the 18th Chief Justice
of California and a prominent Republican politician in California during the early 20th century. Shaw served as judge on the
Superior Court of California from 1899 to 1902, and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California from 1903 until
he was promoted to the position of Chief Justice in 1921. After Shaw retired from the court, he joined the Pacific Mutual
Life Insurance Company’s Board of Directors.
Shaw resided in Hermosa Beach, California, and died on March 19, 1933 in Glendale, California. He was married to Hannah Hartley
Shaw. They had one son: Hartley Shaw born on June 2, 1874.
Hartley Shaw graduated from the University of Southern California with the degree of Ph.B. He received the degree of LL.B.
from Hastings College of Law. Shaw held a number of public offices before he elevated to the bench. He was Assistant City
Attorney of Los Angeles, 1902-1905; Chief Deputy District Attorney of Los Angeles County, 1905-1911; and successively City
Attorney of Eagle Rock, of Tropico and of Glendale. Shaw was appointed to the Superior Court in 1923. He was designated by
the Chief Justice as one of the three judges of the Los Angeles Appellate Department when that court was established in 1929.
He served as the Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1933. Twice he was assigned for duty as Justice Pro
tem. On the District Court of Appeal. In 1934 he became Presiding Judge of the Appellate Department, and continued in that
office until his retirement in 1955.
Shaw had a stroke while on a trip in New Zealand and passed away on April 16, 1958. He was married to Fern West Shaw. The
couple had three children: Dorothy (Mrs. Faust), Evelyn (Mrs. Veach), and Lucien W. Shaw.
Scope and Content
The family correspondence spans from 1919 to 1961. The letters are primarily from Hartley and Fern Shaw, writing to their
daughters, Dorothy and Evelyn, at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Most of the letters are written from Glendale,
California. Occasionally, the letters are written in an automobile, which they frequently refer to as the “machine.” There
are a couple of letters from Lucien Shaw, written on his Supreme Court of California letterhead. In one letter, Lucien Shaw
offers some sage advice on the consequences of procrastination to Dorothy: “It is an awfully bad habit, making inconvenience
for yourself, and what is worse, causing inconvenience to nearly everybody with whom you are associating. And there is no
excuse for it” (1922, Jan. 8). The contents of the letters are general updates on family, friends, church, finances, and travels.
However, in the wake of certain events, remarks about the Great Depression, World War II, Japanese relocation, the Korean
War, racial segregation, and the advent of color television are mentioned.
The diaries and notebooks primarily pertain to Hartley and Fern Shaw’s travels. In most of the diaries, Fern meticulously
details the itinerary, general expenses, auto expenses, and miscellaneous notes. The entries are general remarks, for example,
on the Redwood Highway the “road was very crooked, much of it rough or under construction. Beautiful scenery and much of it
along ocean” (1940).
The subject files primarily include material related to Lucien Shaw, Hartley Shaw, and Fern W. Shaw. There are mostly newspaper
clippings related to Lucien and Hartley Shaw’s career and death. The printed material related to Los Angeles High School belonged
to Fern W. Shaw. The letters found in this section are mostly sympathy letters.
The remainder of the collection consists of photographs, photo albums, and scrapbooks. They include family photographs of
the West and Shaw family. One of the photo albums includes photographs as early as 1845. The scrapbooks contain many postcards
and printed matter, particularly of national parks, related to the Shaw’s travels around the United States and Canada. The
newspaper clippings are mostly related to court cases Hartley Shaw presided over.
There is one oversize folder containing a play entitled: Merchant of Venice.
Cataloger’s note: Cataloger attempted to keep the original album number as they were received; however, due to the size of
some of the volumes, they had to be separated. If a new number was assigned, the original album number is noted.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following order: Boxes 1-5 (correspondence); Boxes 6-8 (diaries and notebooks); Boxes 9-10
(subject files); Boxes 11-12 (photo albums); Box 13 (scrapbooks); Boxes 14-15 (photographs); Box 16 (miscellaneous); Boxes
17-24 (oversize photo albums and scrapbooks); and 1 folder.
Indexing Terms
Personal Names
Shaw, Hartley, 1874-1958
Shaw, Lucien, 1845-1833
Shaw family
West family
Subjects
Families
Judges--California--Archives
National parks and reserves--United States
Geographic Areas
California--History--20th century
California--Politics and government
California--Religious life and customs
California--Social life and customs
United States--Description and travel
Genre
Clippings (information artifacts)
Diaries
Family papers
Letters (correspondence)
Photograph albums
Scrapbooks
Box 1
Correspondence
(1919-1921)
Folder 1
Correspondence
(1919-1920)
Folder 2
Correspondence
(1921, Jan.-Apr.)
Folder 3
Correspondence
(1921, May-Sep.)
Folder 4
Correspondence
(1921, Oct.-Dec.)
Folder 1
Correspondence
(1922, Jan.-Mar.)
Folder 2
Correspondence
(1922, Apr.-June)
Folder 3
Correspondence
(1922, Sep.-Oct.)
Folder 4
Correspondence
(1922, Nov.-Dec.)
Box 3
Correspondence
(1923-1937)
Folder 1
Correspondence
(1923, Jan.-May)
Folder 2
Correspondence
(1923, June-1924)
Folder 3
Correspondence
(1925-1926)
Folder 5
Correspondence
(1929-1930)
Folder 6
Correspondence
(1931-1932)
Folder 8
Correspondence
(1934-1935)
Folder 9
Correspondence
(1936-1937)
Box 4
Correspondence
(1938-1954)
Folder 1
Correspondence
(1938-1939)
Folder 2
Correspondence
(1940-1944)
Folder 5
Correspondence
(1952-1953)
Box 5
Correspondence
(1955-1962)
Folder 3
Correspondence
(1957, Jan.-Sep.)
Folder 4
Correspondence
(1957, Oct.-Dec.)
Folder 5
Correspondence
(1958, Jan.-Mar.)
Folder 6
Correspondence
(1958, Apr.-Nov.)
Folder 7
Correspondence
(1959-1962)
Folder 1
Diary: Chicago World’s Fair
(1893)
Folder 2
Diary: [Arizona] and return
(1927)
Folder 3
Diary: Trips driving around the West
(1927)
Folder 4
Diary: Includes trip to Lake Tahoe, Big Basin, and Yosemite
(1928)
Folder 5
Diary: Trip to the East
(1932)
Folder 6
Diary: Auto trip East, World’s Fair Chicago
(1933)
Folder 7
Diary: Mostly campaign trips
(1934)
Folder 1
Diary: Touring through New England, ancestor sites
(1935)
Folder 2
Diary: Trip driving to Northwest and home
(1936)
Folder 3
Diary: Mentions many cars tried out
(1937)
Folder 4
Diary: Train to Ill. to pick up car
(1937)
Folder 5
Diary: Trip to New York and Florida
(1938)
Folder 7
Diary: National Parks
(1940)
Folder 8
Diary: Train to Detroit (Mich.) to pick up DeSoto
(1941)
Box 8
Diaries and notebooks
(1947-1958)
Folder 1
Diary: Trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to see daughter
(1947)
Folder 2
Diary: Alaska trip
(1948)
Folder 3
Notebook: Alaska trip
(1948)
Folder 4
Diary: Driving to Victoria, British Columbia
(1949)
Folder 5
Diary: Western National Parks and sites
(1952)
Folder 6
Notebook: Itinerary and Expense
(1954)
Folder 7
Diary and notebook: New Zealand visit to family, Hartley Shaw’s stroke
(1958)
Folder 8
Notebook: Hannah Shaw’s genealogy research
[undated]
Folder 2
Lucien Shaw
(1871-1933)
Re: Commissions, correspondence, and speeches. 19 items
Folder 3
Lucien Shaw
(1906)
Re: Hannah Shaw’s whereabouts during the San Francisco earthquake and fire. 9 items
Folder 4
Lucien Shaw
(1915-1933)
Miscellaneous. Included: Death certificate. 3 items
Folder 5
Lucien Shaw’s death
(1933)
Folder 6
Lucien Shaw’s death
(1933)
Sympathy letters. 28 items
Folder 7
Lucien Shaw’s death
(1933)
Folder 8
Lucien Shaw’s death
(1933)
Remarks and resolutions. 8 items
Folder 9
Hartley Shaw
(1889-1958)
Miscellaneous printed matter. Included: Certified Copy of Entry in the Register-Book of Deaths, New Zealand. 29 items
Folder 11
Hartley Shaw
(1958)
Clippings primarily related to Shaw’s death. Approximately 62 items
Folder 1
Hartley Shaw
(1958)
Receipts, statements, etc. 16 items
Folder 2
Hartley Shaw
(1958)
Sympathy letters. 16 items
Folder 4
Hartley Shaw
[before 1958]
Folder 5
Fern W. Shaw
(1893-1938)
Primarily issues of Los Angeles High School IDEA and yearbook. 12 items
Folder 6
Fern W. Shaw
(1895-1896)
Los Angeles High School Lyceum issues. 8 items
Folder 7
Fern W. Shaw
(1896-1938)
Primarily clippings related to Los Angeles High School. 23 items
Folder 8
Miscellaneous printed matter
(1899-1942)
The Quarterly Historical Society of Southern California, 1942 and Students’ Handbook. 2 items
Folder 1
Photo album #1: Hannah Shaw’s
(1911-1921)
Dinuba house, Madary house, Lebec Hotel, and Shaw extended family. 1 item
Folder 2
Photo album #2: West family
(1845)
Extremely fragile. 1 item
Folder 3
Photo album #3: West and Shaw family
(1915-1949)
Dorothy and Evelyn Shaw, Mt. Lowe, 1915, college years, G & G West 50th anniversary, Alaska trip, and wedding photos. 1 item
Folder 4
Photo album #4: Shaw family
(1918-1920s)
Dorothy Shaw, Rose Parade float, ships in San Pedro, and school friends. 1 item
Folder 1
Photo albums #5: Hannah Shaw’s
(1900-1923)
Political campaign, Deputy District Attorney, and city of Wilmington. 1 item
Folder 2
Photo album #6: Shaw family
(1924)
Primarily cases Shaw presided. 1 item
Folder 3
Photo album #7: Shaw family
(1929-1930)
Primarily cases Shaw presided. 1 item
Folder 1
Scrapbook #1: Hartley Shaw’s
(1900-1923)
Political campaign, Deputy District Attorney, and city of Wilmington. 1 item
Folder 2
Scrapbook #2: Hartley Shaw’s
(1924)
Primarily cases Shaw presided. 1 item
Folder 3
Scrapbook #3: Hartley Shaw’s
(1929-1930)
Primarily cases Shaw presided. 1 item
Folder 1
Caleb Atwood West and Mary Ann West with daughter
[before 1854]
Case in two pieces. 1 item
Folder 2
Calvin [Henderson]
[undated]
Folder 3
(Hartley Shaw’s cousin)
[before 1888]
Folder 4
Edwin A. Hartley and Ruth Palmer Hartley (Parents of Hannah Hartley Shaw)
[undated]
Folder 1
Hartley Shaw
[before 1958]
Folder 2
Henry Silas West
[before 1862]
Folder 3
Jesse West and wife
[before 1861]
Folder 4
Isabel van Dyke (Frost) Jones and Wiley Jones
[1865]
Folder 6
Mary West and unidentified man
[before 1881]
Case in two pieces. 1 item
Folder 7
Nina J. West
[undated]
Case in two pieces. 1 item
Folder 8
William Newell West
[before 1888]
Los Angeles High School
[before 1936]
Program for The Quest for the Golden Fleece and poster entitled The Passing Bell Has Rung. 2 items
Henry West fan chart
[undated]
Hartley Shaw’s passport
(1946)
Included: Vaccination certificates. 1 item
Printed matter related to genealogy
(1929-1963)
The Magazine of American Genealogy no. 1, 7, 11, 16¸ 23, 25; The Bulletin of the California State Society of Sons of the
Revolution vol. IX, no. 3; The Mayflower Quarterly vol. 27, no. 2 and vol. 28, no. 1, 3, and 4; and Genealogy and Local History,
Catalogue 230. 11 items
Box 17
Photo album #8: Shaw family
(1929-1940)
Family photographs, trips to Yosemite, Bishop, Death Valley, Crater Lake, and British Columbia. Cataloger’s note: Originally,
album #5. 1 item
Box 18
Scrapbook
(1929-1934)
Toronto road trip and other camping trips in California. Primarily postcards. Cataloger’s note: Originally, album #6. 1 item
Box 19
Scrapbook
(1880s-1929)
Primarily mementos related to Hartley and Fern W. Shaw. Cataloger’s note: Originally, album #7. 1 item
Box 20
Scrapbook
(1881-1929)
West family and friends, Hartley in bicycle gear at USC, and justices at Catalina, 1926. Cataloger’s note: Originally, album
#8. 1 item
Box 21
Scrapbook
(1935-1936)
Train to Detroit and drive home from the East coast and trip to British Columbia, 1936. Cataloger’s note: Originally, album
#9. 1 item
Box 22
Scrapbook
(1940-1949)
Trip to Hoover Dam, National Parks trip, Alaska, and Honduras. Cataloger’s note: Originally, album # 13. 1 item
Box 23
Scrapbook
(1929-1932)
Trip to Toronto, Seattle to Vancouver, and East with Dorothy. Cataloger’s note: Originally, album #14. 1 item
Box 24
Scrapbook
(1923-1934)
Primarily cases Shaw presided. 1 item
Oversize folder: Merchant of Venice: [play]
[undated]