The Reid Family Papers,1827-1961 (bulk 1846-1916), document the personal and professional lives of several members of the Reid family. This collection includes material related to Bernard J. Reid's 1849 overland journey to California from Missouri, including his personal diary from the trip. The records consist of correspondence, business documents, poetry, journals, annotated books, photographs, newspaper clippings, and maps. This collection is arranged into four series: Series I. Bernard J. Reid Papers, 1840-1961 (bulk 1840-1904); Series II. Ambrose Reid Papers, 1871-1935 (bulk 1871-1916); Series III. Reid Family Diaries, Books and Miscellanea, 1843-1940 (bulk 1861-1918); and Series IV. Reid Family Photographs,1849-1902 (bulk 1860-1880).

Bernard J. Reid was born April 24, 1823 in Youngstown, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. At the age of seventeen, B.J. Reid became the teacher of the district school at Pleasant Unity, Pennsylvania. When he was nineteen, he moved to Clarion, Pennsylvania where he taught school and did land surveying. The following year, he and his brother John C. Reid founded and published The Iron County Democrat, which later becameThe Clarion Democrat.Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California's oldest operating institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original 21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence halls, a student union, and an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.

9.17 linear feet (23 boxes)

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The collection is open for research. There are no restrictions.