Pownall (Joseph) Papers, 1840-1926

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Summary

Title:
Joseph Pownall papers
Dates:
1840-1926
Creators:
Pownall, Joseph, 1818-1890
Abstract:
A collection of material related to Joseph Pownall, forty-niner and California businessman.
Extent:
22.5 Linear Feet (16 boxes, 18 volumes, 1 oversize folder)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Joseph Pownall papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of approximately 1,775 items from 1840 to 1926, it consists of letters, journals, manuscripts, volumes, and maps related to the life and activities of Dr. Joseph Pownall and the Pownall family. The collection contains material concerning the town of Columbia, California, and the Southern mines; business papers of the Tuolumne County Water Company; a narrative of an 1849 overland journey from Louisiana to Mariposa, California; high schools in San Francisco, California, in the 1870s; and information about the University of California in the 1880s. Family members represented in the collection include: Mary C. H. Newell Pownall, Joseph Benjamin Pownall, and Lucy Pownall Senger.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Joseph Pownall (1818-1890) was born in Hackettstown, New York; in 1849, he made the overland journey from Louisiana to California seeking gold. After working the Mariposa diggings, he went to Columbia, California; in 1852 Pownall bought stock in the Tuolumne County Water Company, where he served as a company officer, including the offices of secretary, treasurer, and superintendent, until his death in 1890. In 1857, Joseph Pownall married Mary C. Harrison Newell; the couple had two children, Lucy Pownall Senger and Joseph Benjamin Pownall. Mary C. H. Newell was the widow of William Henry Newell, who had been one of the founders of the Tuolumne County Water Company in 1851.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Edwin Grabhorn, January 1945.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1950. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Gayle Richardson
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-05-07 09:46:01 -0700 .

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]. Joseph Pownall 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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