McNair family papers, 1760-1964, bulk 1835-1943

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Summary

Creators:
McNair (Family)
Abstract:
A collection of papers related to the McNair family of Pennsylvania and California.
Extent:
36.91 Linear Feet (43 boxes, 2 envelopes, 1 oversize folder)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. McNair family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of approximately 5000 items from 1760 to 1964, which is related to multiple generations of the McNair family of Pennsylvania and California. The collection consists of family correspondence, diaries, business records, legal papers, scrapbooks, estate papers, photographs, prints, and ephemera. Included in the collection is material for Thomas McNair, Thomas Speer McNair, and his children: Thomas Ferguson McNair, William Righter McNair, Jean Ferguson McNair, Rebecca Sharon McNair, and James Birtley McNair. Subjects covered in the collection include: Princeton University; University of California, Berkeley; Irish American families; Pennsylvania commerce, education, history, mining, and railroads; Freemasons; Southern California citrus industry, and history; World War I and World War II. Notable people in the collection include, among others: Simon Cameron, Ernest Dawson, and Charles Fletcher Lummis.

Biographical / historical:

The McNair family were descendants of Thomas McNair (1737-1830) a native of the Parish of Donaghmore, County Donegal, Ireland, who came to America and settled in Hanover Township, Lancaster (now Dauphin) County, Pennsylvania. His son Thomas McNair (1790-1847) fought in the War of 1812, and from 1820 to 1840 was a merchant and contractor in Berwick, Pennsylvania. The most prominent among the next generation of McNairs, were Thomas Speer McNair (1824-1901) a prominent Pennsylvania civil and mining engineer and civic leader and Thomas Ferguson McNair (1869-1901) the city solicitor for Hazleton, Pennsylvania. In 1899, Thomas Speer McNair purchased a ranch in Glendora, California, and after his death in 1901, his family moved to Southern California. His children included: Anna Agnes McNair (1867-1922) who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and taught in Los Angeles, Glendora, and Pasadena schools; William Righter McNair, M.D. (1874-1935) who ran several successful businesses and practiced medicine in Glendora and Los Angeles; Jean Ferguson McNair (1876-1955) who served as a public health nurse in Los Angeles and Pasadena; Rebecca Sharon McNair (1884-) who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and headed the school and order departments of Los Angeles Free Library; and James Birtley McNair (1889-1967) who was a botanist and chemist.

Acquisition information:
Gifts of James Birtley McNair, 1955-1965.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff, circa 1970. Olga Tsapina created a Word finding aid in 2003; in 2020, Gayle Richardson created the electronic finding aid.

Arrangement:

Organized in the following series: 1. Thomas McNair; 2. Thomas Speer McNair; 3. Thomas Ferguson McNair; 4. Rebecca Sharon McNair; 5. William Righter McNair; 4. Jean Ferguson McNair; 5. James Birtley McNair; 6. Family records.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

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]. McNair family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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