Guide to the Clarence and George Carr Papers
MS 191
Finding aid prepared by Samantha Mills
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
San Diego History Center Document Collection
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA, 92101
619-232-6203
April 9, 2012
Title: Clarence and George Carr Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MS 191
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
0.25 Linear feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1867-1924
Abstract: This collection consists of personal papers and business records from Clarence Carr, George S. Carr, and the G.S. Carr Company.
creator:
Carr, Clarence
creator:
Carr, George S.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Samantha Mills on April 9, 2012.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Biographical / Historical Notes
Clarence Carr left his family home in Warren, Rhode Island and moved to San Francisco, CA in the mid-1800s, where he practiced
law. His health declined after a series of poor financial investments and in 1879 he died in an insane asylum, leaving behind
a widow and two young sons, George S. and Charles R. The boys were brought up by their aunt, Alice E. Carr, because their
mother could no longer afford to care for them.
Around the turn of the 20th century, George S. Carr moved to San Diego, CA and started a real estate business called The Carr
Company, located at 855 5th Street. His aunt Alice acted as the company’s eastern representative in Warren, Rhode Island.
In 1905 George married Bessie M. Cutler, who proceeded to work as the company’s secretary. By 1911 the company name changed
to the G.S. Carr Company, and moved to 910 7th Street. The majority of their business centered on the lease and sale of various
lots in San Diego. Occasionally house-building was part of the lease agreement.
Preferred Citation
Clarence and George Carr Papers, MS 191, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into two series:
Series I: Personal Papers
Series II: G. S. Carr Company
Items in each series are arranged by subject.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of personal papers and business records from Clarence Carr, George S. Carr, and the G.S. Carr Company.
Personal papers include correspondence of Clarence Carr and George S. Carr. Business records include property agreements (such
as grant deeds, leases, and property titles), account statements for clients of the G.S. Carr Company, and business receipts.
There is also a map of downtown San Diego real estate lots.
Comments
Material added to collection from Document Files Collection, G.S. Carr file.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Carr, Alice E.
Carr, Bessie M.
Carr, Charles R.
Carr, Clarence
Carr, George S.
G. S. Carr Company.
Correspondence
Deeds
Family-owned business enterprises
Land titles
Leases
Real estate agents
Real estate business
San Diego (Calif.)
San Francisco (Calif.)
Warren (R.I.)
Series I:
Personal Papers
Box-folder 1:1
Correspondence: Clarence Carr,
1867-1887
Includes:
Clarence writes home and describes having dinner with an ex-surgeon from the Rebel Army, June 27, 1867
Clarence writes to his mother and sister in response to news of his father’s death, December 29, 1869
Box-folder 1:2
Correspondence: George S. Carr,
1898-1915 and undated
Includes:
Alice Carr writes to George and Charles to tell them the details of their father’s death and mother’s abandonment, July 1898
George receives permission from Andrew Cutler to marry his daughter Bessie Cutler, March 27, 1905
Letter “to be delivered after the death of Alice E. Carr” in which Alice again relates the family history, undated
Box-folder 1:3
Receipts,
1904-1924 and undated
Includes:
Receipts for George S. Carr from Marston Company, Schiller & Murtha, as well as tuition and laboratory receipts from College
of Medicine at University of Southern California.
Box-folder 1:4
Miscellanea,
1906-1913 and undated
Includes:
Contract for pueblo lots sold to George and Charles Carr
Business cards and IOU notes
Handwritten note about “unsold stamps from Burbeck collection”
Series II:
G. S. Carr Company
Box-folder 1:5
Property agreements,
1910 April 4-1915 April 15
Includes:
Contracts in 1912 between Joseph Alonzo Hyde and the G.S. Carr Company include specifications for building a house
Box-folder 1:6
Account statements,
1911 April 29-1913 May 20
Box-folder 1:7
Receipts and payments,
1909 May 4-1915 October 6
Box-folder 1:8
Miscellanea,
1915 December 15 and undated
Includes:
Blank checks and contracts for the G.S. Carr Company, as well as a record of all G.S. Carr Company property under George and
Bessie Carr’s names
Map of downtown San Diego titled “Central Business Section – George S. Carr” (in Oversize Collections D4)
Second page of George and Bessie Carr’s property holdings (in Oversize Collections D4)
