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John Sproston Papers: Finding Aid
mssSproston papers
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Title: John Sproston Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1856-1885
Collection Number: mssSproston papers
Creator:
Sproston, John.
Extent: 454 items in 3 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 contains papers of Nevada and California mine stockholder and insurance agent John Sproston (1832-approximately
1881)
and includes diaries and account books kept by Sproston and clients (1856-1879); business and personal letters (ca. 1875-1883);
financial records, indentures, and stock
certificates (1860-1885); and some photographs and ephemera.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
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.
[Identification of item]. John Sproston Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Mrs. Otto J. Zahn, September 1960.
Removed or Separated Material
Three daguerreotypes from the Sproston Papers were transferred to the Photo Archives: photDAG 85, woman wearing poke bonnet
with cloth ties and
cloth roses; and photDAG 86 and 87, unidentified images of young man (in one image,
he is smoking a cigar).
John Sproston (1832-approximately 1881) was born in Gibraltar or Spain, in 1832. His background information is somewhat
unclear but census records indicate that he lived in both San Francisco, California,
and Virginia City, Nevada. He was married to Mary E. (1847-1911) who was born in New
Jersey, but the year of their marriage is unknown. They had at least three children.
Hannah, the eldest (1854-1891), was born in Nevada and later married to William H.
McClave in 1876. May was born in 1870 and received a diploma from the State of
California, Department of Public Instruction in 1895 to teach grammar school.
Virginia Nevada was born in Virginia City, Nevada on June 10, 1864. She died from
unknown causes on January 27, 1867. Sproston made his living in the life insurance
industry. He also owned stock in various gold and mining companies like Allison,
Bonny, Consolidated Cedar Hill, Dardanelle, Durgan, Harrison, MaryAnn, and Wells
Fargo. He even served as a trustee for the Argonaut Gold and Mining Company of San
Francisco and owned a substantial amount of the company's shares. Based on San Francisco city directories, which list
John Sproston in 1880 and Mary Sproston as a widow in 1882, Sproston presumably died around 1881.
This collection contains papers of Nevada and California mine stockholder and insurance agent John Sproston.
The Diaries/Account Books series consists of holographic account books and diaries
kept by Sproston and/or his clients from 1856-1879.
The Correspondence series
(ca. 1875-1883) includes business and personal letters that Sproston received and
sent to others. The series also includes correspondence between clients and a small
amount of letters that are addressed to Mary E. Sproston.
The Legal Documents series
is divided into three subseries: Financial Records, Indentures, and Stock
Certificates. The Financial Records subseries ranges from 1868 to 1885 and includes
receipts, account statements, billheads, checks, and money orders in regards to the
estate of F. J. (Frances Joseph) Hammell, a client of Sproston. The subseries also
includes receipts regarding the tuition payment of Hannah Sproston's education and
room and board, as well as a receipt verifying the payment of Sproston's life
insurance policy. The Indentures subseries (1860-1880) includes legal agreements,
deeds, and bill of sales in regards to mining grounds from F.J. Hammell's estate and
Sproston's personal agreement with the Argonaut Mill and Mining Company. The Stock
Certificates subseries dates from 1863 to 1879. Certificates within the subseries
are for various gold and mining companies including Allison, Bonny, Consolidated
Cedar Hill, Dardanelle, Durgan, Harrison, MaryAnn, and Wells Fargo.
The Ephemera
series (1865-1885) contains a biography of Virginia Nevada, empty envelopes,
announcements, invitations, a miscellaneous note, a baptism certificate, and a
diploma earned by May Sproston.
The Photograph series is arranged alphabetically by
folder title and contains family photographs of the Sprostons and the Hammells.
There are also images of family friends, the Lewishan Church, Bow Bridge, Flores
Peak, a pulled wagon, and unidentified men and women. Within this series are cabinet
cards, tin types, cartes-de-visite (card photographs), and cyanotypes.
Arranged in the following series:
- 1. Diaries/Account Books (Box 1)
- 2. Correspondence (Box 2)
- 3. Legal Documents (Box 2)
- 4. Ephemera (Box 2)
- 5. Photographs (Box 3).
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Hammell, F.J. (Francis
Joseph Hammell)
Sproston, John --
Archives.
Argonaut Gold and
Mining Company.
Gold mines and mining --
California.
Gold mines and mining -- West
(U.S.)
Life insurance -- United States --
History -- 19th century -- Sources.
Silver mines and mining --
California.
Silver mines and mining -- West
(U.S.)
San Francisco (Calif.)
-- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
Diaries -- United States.
Financial Records -- United States.
Journals (accounts) -- United States.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States.
Personal Papers -- United States.
Photographs -- United States.
Professional Papers -- United States.