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Barrows and Weyse families papers
mssBarrowsWeyse
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Table of contents
Title: Barrows and Weyse families papers
Inclusive Dates: 1836-2008
Bulk Dates: 1850-1949
Collection Number: mssBarrowsWeyse
Collector:
Barrows and Weyse families
Extent:
17 boxes and 1 oversize folder
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: The Barrows and Weyse families papers include letters, diaries, photographs, and documents relating to early Los Angeles residents
Henry Dwight Barrows and Julius Guenther Weyse and their families, including Weyse’s journey to California around Cape Horn
and Barrows’ letterbook at the United States Marshals Service.
Language of Material: The records are in English and German.
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information,
please go to following
web site .
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.
Barrows and Weyse families papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from Frank C. Strayer, Sr., May 2017.
Henry Dwight Barrows (1825-1914) was an American teacher, businessman, farmer, goldminer, reporter, United States Marshal,
Los Angeles County School Superintendent, manufacturer, writer, and a founder and president of the Historical Society of Southern
California. Barrows was married three times. His first wife was Juanita Wolfskill, daughter of William Wolfskill and Magdalena
(Lugo) Wolfskill. The couple had one daughter: Alice Wolfskill Barrows (1861-1903). After the death of Wolfskill, Barrows
married Mary Alice Workman, daughter of John D. Woodworth and widow of Thomas H. Workman. Barrows and Workman had two daughters:
Ada Frances Barrows (1865-1939) and Mary Washington Barrows (1868- ). Barrows and his third wife, Bessie A. Green, had one
son: Henry (Harry) Prosper Barrows (1869- ).
Julius Guenther Weyse was born in Schleiz, Reuss, Germany around 1803. After taking part in an unsuccessful political attempt
to reform Germany, he fled to the United States in 1836. In 1850, he traveled from Liverpool to San Francisco via Cape Horn
and spent time in the California gold mines. He relocated to Southern California in 1852 and married Caroline Lange some years
later. The couple had three sons: Henry Guenther Weyse (1863-1941), Rudolph Guenther Weyse (1860-1933), and Otto Guenther
Weyse (1858-1893).
The Barrows and Weyse families were intermarried. Henry Guenther Weyse married Alice Wolfskill Barrows in 1868 and Rudolph
Guenther Weyse married Ada Frances Barrows in 1890.
The Barrows and Weyse families papers include diaries, personal and business correspondence, journals, legal documents, photographs,
printed ephemera, and genealogical research material.
There are 63 annual diaries covering Henry Dwight Barrows’ life in California from 1852 through 1914. The entries are brief
and cover daily activities, agriculture, weather, health problems, along with local and national headlines. Some of the diaries
have newspaper clippings, notes, and tabs laid in. These diaries were used for Michael Konig’s unpublished master’s thesis
found in Box 13. Also part of this collection is Barrows’ United States Marshals Service letter book. This letter book was
kept by Barrows and his predecessor James C. Pennie and covers 1857 through 1864. The subject matter in this letter book primarily
concerns logistics and operations at the Marshals’ offices. There is also a scrapbook that contains clippings of articles
that were written by Barrows or that discuss his career. Other material related to Barrows includes genealogical notes, printed
ephemera, and photographs.
The material related to Julius Guenther Weyse includes two journals describing his journey to California around Cape Horn
in 1850. The contents of these journals include activities on the ship, fellow passengers, and features of sea travel. There
is another journal about Weyse’s experience in the gold fields once he arrived in California. In this small journal, he describes
the landscape, Native American settlements, European immigrants, mining process, and his earnings. There are also nine deeds
related to parcels of land in Los Angeles, purchased or sold by Otto Guenther Weyse from 1887 through 1888 in Box 11. Other
material related to the Barrows family includes genealogical notes, printed ephemera, and photographs.
The correspondence was originally separated into two categories: Barrows Weyse and Weyse. However, it appears that there is
some overlap because the families were intermarried. The Barrows Weyse correspondence spans from 1860 through 1942. These
letters were primarily from friends and family addressed to Weyse, Barrows, or Cullens living in Los Angeles, California.
Some of the letters are written in German. The Weyse correspondence covers 1836 through 1945. The majority of the letters
are written to Rudolph Guenther Weyse, and some to his brothers, Henry or Otto Weyse. These letters are primarily in German,
although, some are in English and relate to family and business matter. Due to the overlap, it is best to look at both the
Barrows Weyse and Weyse correspondence for thoroughness.
Box 15 includes material too large for the letter-size boxes. These items include certificates, clippings, Barrows’ United
States Marshals Service letter book, a notebook, and photographs. Box 16 includes five daguerreotypes and/or ambrotypes and
two unidentified loose portraits. The Barrows family photograph album is in Box 17 and includes approximately 94 photographs.
Most of these images are identified. The oversize folder contains a genealogical work compiled by Archivant Dr. Schmidt entitled
“Die Weyse” and a certificate for Rudolph Guenther Weyse from the American Turnerbund.
Arrangement
Arranged by genre.
Barrows family
Weyse family
Barrows, Henry D.
Weyse, Ada Frances Barrows
Weyse, Alice Wolfskill Barrows
Weyse, Henry Guenther
Weyse, Julius Guenther
Weyse, Otto Guenther
Weyse, Rudolph Guenther
Agriculture -- California
Gold mines and mining -- California
Pioneers -- California
Voyages to the Pacific Coast
United States. Marshals Service
Calaveras County (Calif.) -- Description and travel
California -- Description and travel
Horn, Cape (Chile) -- Description and travel
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Diaries
Journals (accounts)
Legal documents
Letter books
Letters (correspondence)
Photographs