Collection context
Summary
- Extent:
- 2.00
- Language:
- English Spanish;Castilian French German
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection consists of primarily papers of lawyer and author Theodore H. Hittell pertaining primarily to his writings on California and his speeches. There are letters, research notes, legal papers, and manuscripts of his writings (including unpublished account of Walker's Nicaragua filibuster).
- Biographical / historical:
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Biographical Note:
Theodore Henry Hittell was born in Marietta, Pennsylvania on April 5, 1830 to Jacob Hittell and Catherine (maiden name Shertzer) Hittell. He spent the majority of his adolescence in Ohio's Miami Valley, where he later attended college at Miami University. After participating in what was called the "Snowball Rebellion," Hittell was expelled from school, and ended up finishing his education at Yale, where he graduated in 1849. After college, Hittell moved to Cincinnati, where he spent three years practicing law.
In 1854, after receiving a letter from his brother who was living in San Francisco, Hittell decided to follow in his footsteps and headed out West to the Bay Area. He was first hired to work for several newspapers, including the California Chronicle and the San Francisco Bulletin. In 1858, he married Elise Christian Wiehe, with whom he had four children. In 1860, he published his first book, The Adventures of James Capen Adams. The stories in this book were recounted by Adams himself, and featured many stories about the early history of California (the book was later republished in 1911). In 1862, Hittell returned to his law practice. His affinity for writing never left him however, and he ended up publishing ten volumes on California and Nevada state law. Hittell also had a brief political career. In 1879 he ran and was elected to be a member of the California State Senate. He served there for two years before once again returning to practice law.
His true passion was History, and it was in 1885 that the first two volumes of his most famous work, History of California were published. The final volume of the series was released in 1897. Mr. Hittell extensively used the archives of California, a set of documents thought to contain over two hundred and fifty thousand pages of documents on California history, for the earlier half of his work. These documents were at the office of the United States surveyor-general in San Francisco and later destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and Fire. Hittell's History of California in its entirety, totals around three thousand and sixty pages, and covers the earliest recollections of California's history, to around 1890.
In his later years, Hittell was known to present papers on his research findings to various institutions and societies, including the California Academy of Sciences, Stanford University, The Sierra Club, The Society of California Pioneers, and several others. By 1900, Hittell was given the title of "The Historian of California" for his contribution toward uncovering California's earliest histories. He died of a stroke on February 22, 1917 at the age of 86.
- Acquisition information:
- Given to the Sutro Library by the Estate of Theodore Hittell, 1918.
- Arrangement:
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Sections are ordered chronologically or alphabetically, depending on their contents within each series:
series 1: Hittell family documents
series 2: Correspondence
series 3: Historical and geographical writings and research notes
series 4: Scientific and historical speeches and related documents
series 5: Government documents - State Senate notes and other government-related papers
series 6: Remembrances and memoir notes
series 7: Fictional works
series 8: Legal papers
series 9: Unidentifiable Notes
series 10: Other authors
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
SFSU - J. Paul Leonard Library1630 Holloway Ave, Room 610San Francisco, CA 94132-4030, US
- Contact:
- (415) 469-6100