James Clyman Papers mssHM 3900-3951
Gayle Richardson
The Huntington Library
March 2020
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: James Clyman papers
Creator:
Clyman, James,
1792-1881
Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 3900-3951
Physical Description:
1.2 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1827-1881
Date (bulk): 1827-1846
Abstract: Correspondence, records, notes, and
diaries related to the American frontiersman and pioneer James Clyman.
Language of Material: Materials are in
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]. James Clyman papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Charles L. Camp, 1925.
The papers were previously in the possession of Wilber Lamar Tallman, grandson of James
Clyman.
James Clyman (1792-1881) was a typical frontiersman and pioneer settler. Born in Virginia,
he moved first with his parents to Pennsylvania and then to Ohio. He early manifested a
roving disposition, and an eagerness to take part in exploring expeditions. The ascension of
the Missouri River, the Discovery of South Pass in 1824, and the circumnavigation of the
Great Salt Lake in 1826 were among the early pioneering exploits in which he participated.
In partnership with Goulding Arnett, he started one of the first stores in Danville,
Illinois. He served as a mounted ranger in the Black Hawk War, enlisting and remaining for a
time in Jacob Early's company, in which Abraham Lincoln also was a private. In 1844 he again
set out for the West, this time with a party of emigrants from Independence, Missouri, which
was bound for Oregon. He returned to Missouri in 1846, and in 1848 accompanied another
emigrant party across the country. He then settled in Napa, California, where he married and
spent the remaining thirty-three years of his life.
The collection contains 52 items and includes letters and receipts about Clyman's service
in the Black Hawk War (1832-1835), receipts and promissory notes from the business
operations of Clyman and Arnett in Danville, Illinois (1832-1840). The collection also
includes nine volumes of diaries describing Clyman's travels to, life in, and return from
Oregon and California (1844-1846) and an 1871 diary kept in Napa, California. Also included
is one letter from Henry Dodge (1832) and another letter from Stephen Watts Kearny
(1834).
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1930. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the
finding aid derived from legacy in-house summary report.
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Black Hawk War, 1832 -- History
Frontier and pioneer life -- California
Overland journeys to the
Pacific
Pioneers -- West (U.S.)
Trappers -- West (U.S.)
California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Oregon -- History -- 19th century
Business records -- Illinois -- Danville -- 19th century
Diaries -- West (U.S.) -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- West (U.S.) -- 19th century
Receipts -- United States -- 19th century
Dodge, Henry,
1782-1867
Kearny, Stephen Watts,
1794-1848