Blackmar family papers: Finding Aid mssBlackmar
Brooke M. Black
The Huntington Library
November 2022
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Blackmar family papers
Creator:
Blackmar family
Identifier/Call Number: mssBlackmar
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1860-1898
Abstract: Correspondence, diary, and cartes-de-visite of the Blackmar family of Pennsylvania and California.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
Conditions Governing Use
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]. Blackmar family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased by McBride Rare Books on behalf of the Huntington at Swann Galleries auction, Sale 2486, Lot 241, September 27,
2018.
Biographical / Historical
The Blackmar family was from Erie County, Pennsylvania. John S. Blackmar and Rebecca M. Blackmar had eight children: Louise
Blackmar (born 1841); Henry Charles Blackmar (born 1844); John Blackmar (1848-1893); Emily P. Blackmar (born 1850); Ellen
Blackmar Maxwell (1852-1932); Frank Wilson Blackmar (1854-1931); Sarah "Sade" Isabella Blackmar (born 1858?); and Luella M.
Blackmar (born 1861). Frank Blackmar, Ellen Blackmar Maxwell, and John Quincy Blackmar moved to California in the 1870s. Frank
Blackmar went on to become a prominent sociologist and was the 9th president of the American Sociological Society. Ellen Blackmar
Maxwell married Reverend Allan J. Maxwell, a missionary, and went on to become a writer of several books.
Scope and Contents
The majority of the collection is made up of correspondence written to Sarah "Sade" Isabella Blackmar from friends and family.
The letters contain information about the family, their daily activities, social outings, health, trips taken, etc. The letters
of Frank Wilson Blackmar, Ellen Blackmar Maxwell, and John Quincy Blackmar include information about their lives in Contra
Costa County, and Santa Clara, California. In one letter, Frank Blackmar talks about Chinese laundrymen in Santa Clara, and
in another letter a Chinese man he met who lived in the woods outside of Fresno. There are a few other letters by friends
who also lived in California including a friend named "Harriet P." and a woman named Mara L. Ferguson. There are several folders
of correspondence by authors that are unidentified. There is a farm diary by an unknown person, 1865 to 1867, and two unidentified
cartes-de-visite of a young girl and young woman.
Processing Information
Processed by Brooke M. Black, November 2022.
Arrangement
Organized in the following series: 1. Correspondence; 2. Diary and cartes-de-visite.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Chinese -- California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Women -- California -- Correspondence
Women -- Pennsylvania -- Correspondence
California -- Description and travel
California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Contra Costa County (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Erie County (Pa.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Pennsylvania -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Santa Clara (Calif.)
Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
Diaries -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- Pennsylvania -- 19th century
Blackmar, John Quincy, 1848-1893
Blackmar, Sarah Isabella
Maxwell, Ellen Blackmar, 1852-1893
Box 1, Folder 4
Frank Wilson Blackmar
1873-1882
Box 1, Folder 5
Harry T. Blackmar
1884 December 18
Box 1, Folder 7
John Quincy Blackmar
1880-1882
Box 1, Folder 8
Louise Blackmar
1860-1881
Box 1, Folder 9
Luella Blackmar
1871-1881
Box 1, Folder 10
Rebecca Blackmar
1868-1882
Box 2, Folder 5
Mara L. Ferguson
1872 October 9
Box 2, Folder 7
Allan Maxwell
1882 February 8
Box 2, Folder 8
Ellen Blackmar Maxwell
1873-1888
Box 2, Folder 9
Ellen Blackmar Maxwell
undated
Box 3, Folder 4
Empty postmarked envelopes
undated
Diary and cartes-de-visite
1865-1867, undated
