John Sproston Papers: Finding Aid
Finding aid prepared by Katie Richardson, October 9, 2008.
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
© 2008
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Overview of the Collection
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.
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]. John Sproston Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Provenance
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).
Biographical Note
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.
Scope and Content
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.
Arrangement
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).
Indexing Terms
Subjects
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.
Forms/Genres
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.
Folder 1
Sproston, John. Pocket Ledger (1856-1857). 1 item.
Folder 2
Virginia Savings Investment Company, in account with F. J. Hammell (between 1865- 1885). 1 item.
Folder 3
Sproston, John. Diary (1868). 1 item.
Folder 4
Agency of The Bank of California Virginia, in account with F. J. Hammell (1868-1875). 1 item.
Folder 5
Sproston, John. Account Books (1870-1871). 1 item.
Folder 6
Bryant, John. Diary (1872). 1 item.
Folder 7
Sproston, John. Pacific Diary (1872). 1 item.
Folder 8
Sproston, John. Pacific Diary (1873). 1 item.
Folder 9
Sproston, John. Pocket Diary (1874). 1 item.
Folder 10
Gold Hickox and Spear in account with J. Sproston (1875 -1877). 1 item.
Folder 11
Memorandum of effects of F. J. Hammell (1875-1876). 1 item.
Folder 12
Sproston, John. Diary (1876). 1 item.
Folder 13
Sproston, John. Coin Hickox and Spear, bankers, in account with John Sproston (1877 Nov. 16). 1 item.
Folder 14
Sproston, John. Account Books John Sproston, 214 Sansome Street (1879). 1 item.
Box 2
Correspondence, Legal Documents, and Ephemera
Folder 1
Baldwin, A. 1 letter (1860, Jan, 21) to John Sproston.
Folder 2
Bloom, J. E. 1 letter (1880, Jan. 15) to John Sproston.
Folder 3
Bohemian Club (San Francisco, Calif.). 2 letters (1876-1880) to John Sproston.
Folder 4
Deal, W.E.F. 1 letter (1881, Sep. 9) to Mary E. Sproston.
Folder 5
Dickerson, R. 1 letter [undated] to John Sproston.
Folder 6
Eickhoff, Henry. 2 letters (1880, Apr.-July) to John Sproston.
Folder 7
Gahagan. 1 letter (1860, Jan. 23) to John Sproston.
Folder 8
Gillig, John. 21 letters (1875-1883) to John Sproston.
Folder 9
Hammell, Elizabeth A. 3 letters (1875-1878) to John Sproston.
Folder 10
Hammell, Harriet. 2 letters (1875-1876) to “dear Brothers.”
Folder 11
Hickox & Spear. 1 letter (1878, Jan. 7) to Elizabeth A. Hammell.
Folder 12
Hill, William H. 1 letter (1884, Sep. 14) to Mary E. Sproston.
Folder 13
Homans, Harry S. 1 letter (1870, June 8) to John Sproston.
Folder 14
Homer, Fred. 4 letters (1880, Apr.-July) to “Dear Gus.”
Folder 15
Homer, Fred. 16 letters (1880, Mar.-Apr.) to John Sproston.
Folder 16
Lewis, James and Deal, W.E.F. 5 letters (1875-1879) to John Sproston.
Folder 17
Marge, George. 2 letters (1874, Aug- Oct.) to F. J. Hammell.
Folder 18
McClave, Hannah Moore Sproston. 1 letter (1876) to John Sproston.
Folder 19
Mitchell, R.B. 1 letter (1883, Sep. 12) to James M. West.
Folder 20
Moitz, M. 1 letter (1877, Sep. 10) to Elizabeth A. Hammell.
Folder 21
Mother. 1 letter [undated] to unidentified addressee.
Folder 22
Neumann, Paul. 1 letter (1880, Feb. 16) to John Sproston.
Folder 23
Pearson, George. 1 letter (1877, Dec. 29) to Elizabeth A. Hammell.
Folder 24
Sproston, John. 1 letter (1875, Oct. 21) to Elizabeth A. Hammell.
Folder 25
Sproston, John. 4 letters (1880) to Fred Homer.
Folder 26
Stevens, Simon. 3 letters [ca. 1880] to John Sproston.
Folder 27
Stewart, Chauncey. 1 letter (1877, May 17) to John Sproston.
Folder 28
Waters, J. W. 1 letter (1881, Aug. 11) to Mary E. Sproston.
Folder 29
Winston, F. S. 1 letter (1876, Mar. 2) to John Sproston.
Folder 30
Woodburn & Mitchell. 2 letters (1882) to Mary E. Sproston.
Folder 31
Financial Records: F. J. Hammell (1870-1885). 129 items.
Folder 32
Financial Records: John Sproston (1868-1877). 7 items.
Folder 33
Indentures: F. J. Hammell (1860-1875). 29 items.
Folder 34
Indentures: John Sproston (1880). 7 items.
Folder 35
Stock Certificates: Allison Gold and Mining Company (1863, May 19). 1 item.
Folder 36
Stock Certificates: Bonny Gold and Silver Mining Company (1863, May 15). 7 items.
Folder 37
Stock Certificates: Consolidated Cedar Hill Gold and Silver Mining Company. (1863, May 4) 2 items.
Folder 38
Stock Certificates: Dardanelle Gold and Silver Mining Company (1863, May 5). 2 items.
Folder 39
Stock Certificates: Durgan Gold and Silver Mining Company (1863, May 6). 3 items.
Folder 40
Stock Certificates: Harrison Gold and Silver Mining Company (1863, Apr. 1). 1 item.
Folder 41
Stock Certificates: Mary Ann Gold and Silver Min’g Company (1875, May 4). 8 items.
Folder 42
Stock Certificates: Wells Fargo and Co. (1878-1879). 10 items.
Folder 43
Ephemera: Baptism Certificate (1884, Sep. 14). 2 items.
Folder 44
Ephemera: Biography of Virginia Nevada Sproston (1865-1867). 2 items, including a photograph.
Folder 45
Ephemera: Empty Envelopes (1877-1885). 35 items.
Folder 46
Ephemera: Invitations and Announcements (1865-1871). 18 items.
Folder 47
Ephemera: Miscellaneous note [undated]. 1 item.
Folder 48
Ephemera: State Educational Diploma awarded to May Sproston (1894-1895). 1 item.
Folder 1
Berry, Celia [undated]. 1 photo.
Folder 2
Black and white photograph- Flores Peak the hideout of Juan Flores the Bandit, captured & hanged by Gen. Andres Pico in 1857
[1857]. 1 photo.
Folder 3
Cyanotype- horse pulled wagon [undated]. 1 photo.
Folder 4
Hammell, Lewis A. [undated]. 2 photos.
Folder 5
Hammell, Mary [undated]. 1 photo.
Folder 6
Miller, Pearl and Rita [1870, Mar. 27]. 1 photo.
Folder 7
Lewisham Church, Bow Bridge, and Unidentified Man [undated]. 3 photos with envelope.
Folder 8
Sproston, John [ca. 1877]. 10 photos.
Folder 9
Sproston, Mary E. (1866-1880). 10 photos.
Folder 10
Sproston, John and Mary (1862, Dec. 7). 3 photos.
Folder 11
Sproston, Mary and unidentified female [ca. 1866]. 1 photo.
Folder 12
Sproston, Virginia Nevada [ca. 1866]. 9 photos.
Folder 13
Straus, M. [undated] 1 photo.
Folder 14
Unidentified Family [undated]. 1 photo.
Folder 15
Unidentified Females [undated]. 36 photos with envelope.
Folder 16
Unidentified Males [undated]. 8 photos.
