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Louis Janin Papers (Addenda): Finding Aid
mssHM 64294-64311  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Overview of the Collection
  • Access
  • Administrative Information
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Related Materials in the Huntington Library
  • Arrangement
  • Indexing Terms

  • Overview of the Collection

    Title: Louis Janin Papers (Addenda)
    Dates (inclusive): 1863-1895
    Collection Number: mssHM 64294-64311
    Creator: Janin, Louis, 1837-1914.
    Extent: 18 volumes in 2 boxes
    Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
    1151 Oxford Road
    San Marino, California 91108
    Phone: (626) 405-2129
    Email: reference@huntington.org
    URL: http://www.huntington.org
    Abstract: This collection consists of 18 diaries kept between 1863 and 1895 by American mining engineer Louis Janin (1837-1914), which chiefly contain accounts of trip California, Nevada, Japan, and Mexico to survey mines.
    Language: English.

    Access

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

    Administrative Information

    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

    [Identification of item]. Louis Janin Papers (Addenda), The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    Gift of Mrs. Elliot Evans, May 18, 1987..

    Biographical Note

    Mining engineer Louis Janin (Nov. 7, 1837-March 6, 1914), one of three sons in a New Orleans family who followed the profession of mining engineer, figured prominently in Western mining for nearly sixty years. Educated at Yale and then at the Freiberg Mining Academy, Janin began his career out West in 1861, shortly after his return from Europe. He made his first mark on the profession in the early 1860s on the Comstock Lode, where he applied his scientific training to improving the extraction of silver from formerly-discarded tailings. In subsequent years, first in the employ of others and later in his own practice, he obtained experience on mining fields all over the Far West. Having established a considerable reputation as a consulting engineer for accuracy and discriminating judgment, Janin acquired a growing list of clients including investors in Mexican properties and, in 1873, the Japanese government. His many skills and the breadth of his experience particularly attracted litigants in mining suits, who regularly employed Janin to ascertain the facts of the matter or provide corroborative testimony. Although afflicted in later life with a variety of ailments, Janin carried on with his work for some years and attained the profound respect of his peers. The three sons of his marriage to Elizabeth Marshall, Louis, Jr., Eugene, and Charles, chose their father's profession, carrying on the distinguished family name with their own careers.

    Scope and Content

    This collection contains 18 diaries of American mining engineer Louis Janin (1837-1914). The diaries contain descriptions of mines, notes of mine surveys, and accounts of trips to survey mines in California, Nevada, Japan, and Mexico. Five of the volumes deal with Janin's 1873 stay in Japan, and include details regarding the management of mines in Japan. The diaries also include some personal and family information.

    Related Materials in the Huntington Library

    Arrangement

    The volumes are arranged chronologically.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

    Subjects

    Janin, Louis, 1837-1914 -- Archives.
    Mines and mineral resources -- California.
    Mines and mineral resources -- Japan.
    Mines and mineral resources -- Mexico.
    Mines and mineral resources -- Nevada.
    Mines and mineral resources -- West (U.S.)
    Mining engineering -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
    Mining engineers -- Archives.
    Japan -- Description and travel.
    Mexico -- Description and travel.

    Forms/Genres

    Diaries -- West (U.S.).