Horace Bell papers, 1829-1890

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Creators:
Bell, Horace, 1830-1918
Abstract:
Papers of Los Angeles pioneer, lawyer, and newspaper owner Horace Bell.
Extent:
4.68 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Horace Bell papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains manuscripts of Horace Bell's published works, including On the old West Coast and twelve other stories. There is also family correspondence, including letters to his sister Caroline Bell Rush and other materials collected by Bell about early California. There is also an Abel Stearns deed and a manuscript about Junipero Serra.

Biographical / historical:

Horace Bell, pioneer Los Angeles resident, was born in Indiana in 1830 and came to California in 1850 to engage in mining and settled in Los Angeles in 1852. He joined the Rangers, a local group formed to provide law and order, and later wrote Reminiscences of a ranger: early times in southern California (1881), describing his experiences in early Los Angeles. Bell established a weekly newspaper, The porcupine, and practiced law in Los Angeles. He died in June 1919 in Los Angeles.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mrs. J. R. Phillips, November 1936, and gift of Everett Herman Yocam in 1987.
Custodial history:

Everett Herman Yocam originally put eleven letters on deposit in 1973 (they were also under restriction). They were gifted to the Library upon his death in 1987 and the restriction was lifted in 2021.

Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff. In 2020, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Organized in the following series: Correspondence, Manuscripts, and Correspondence and affidavit.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

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]. Horace Bell 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
Website