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Henry Whitcomb Holley Collection: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Gina C Giang, May 14, 2013.
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
© 2013
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.

Overview of the Collection

Title: Henry Whitcomb Holley Collection
Dates (inclusive): 1847-1896
Collection Number: mssHM 79959-79994
Creator: Holley, H.W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897.
Extent: 36 items in 1 envelope and 26 volumes
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 chiefly contains letterpress books of correspondence mainly related to the professional life of Minnesota railroad employee, land developer, and poet Henry Whitcomb Holley (1828-1897), including real estate transactions, mining claims, railroad construction/development, business enterprises, and his literary career on the side.
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]. Henry Whitcomb Holley Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Purchased from Grahame Hardy, July 1953.

Processing/Project Information

1. There are many pages that have been cut or removed from the volumes.
2. Many of the volumes, particularly the poetry volumes, contain loose materials.
3. There is an index in each letterpress book with a listing of the recipients.
4. The subject index does not exhaust every instance where the subject is mentioned, particularly within the letterpress books.

Biographical Note

Henry Whitcomb Holley (1828-1897) was born in Pierrepont Manor, New York, May 5, 1828, the son of David and Betsey (Randall) Holley. He graduated from Norwich University, Vermont, in 1849. From 1849-1856, he was a contracting engineer for railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Holley came to Minnesota in 1856 and settled in Chatfield. He was editor of the Chatfield Republican (1856-1861); a state senator (1859-1861); and receiver of the U.S. Land Office at Winnebago City (1861-1869). He began his engineering career with the Southern Minnesota Railroad in 1865, became chief engineer of construction, and was also the company's general manager and superintendent.
Other interests of Holley included: the Root River State Bank, of which he was one of the organizers, and land and real estate in Faribault County. Holley was also one of the organizers of the Root River State Bank and was in land and real estate in Faribault County. He also published a number of volumes of poetry.
Holley married Eliza Jane Christie in 1855. The children born to the couple were Maud, Kate, Elizabeth, Mabel, and Henry. Holley died in Everett, Washington, in 1897.

Scope and Content

This collection contains 26 volumes and 10 items of correspondence. The letterpress books, which are extremely fragile, mainly comprises correspondence relating to Henry Whitcomb Holley’s professional work concerning real estate transactions, mining claims, railroad construction/development, business enterprises, and his literary career on the side. Correspondence mainly concerns letters to his wife, Eliza Christie Holley, and letters from his friend, William Windom.

Arrangement

The volumes are arranged by type then chronologically. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically.

Indexing: Subject Entries

Alcohol Law and legislation – United States.
  • Subject in Ogle, J.C. 1 letter to E.J. Holley, A.L.S. (6 p.), (1887, Aug. 2), Owatonna (Minn.). HM 79993.
American literature – 19th century – Anecdotes, facetiae, satire, etc.
  • Subject in Poems: written for The Politicians, 2nd Edition: [draft], [undated]. HM 79981.
American newspapers – Sections, columns, etc.
  • Subject in Scrapbooks: Columns, poems, etc. written for the Superior Times (1896). HM 79984.
Business enterprises.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1892, Mar. 19 – 1892, Nov. 29), Spokane (Wa.). HM 79969.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1893, July 6 – 1894, Aug. 29), (Wa.). HM 79970.
Mining claims.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1892, Mar. 19 – 1892, Nov. 29), Spokane (Wa.). HM 79969.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1895, Mar. 25 – 1896, Feb. 22), Everett (Wa.). HM 79972.
Political satire, American – 19th century.
  • Subject in Scrapbooks: Columns, poems, etc. written for the Superior Times (1896). HM 79984.
Politics and culture – United States – Periodicals.
  • Subject in Scrapbooks: Columns, poems, etc. written for the Superior Times (1896). HM 79984.
Politics and Literature – United States – History – 19th century.
  • Subject in Scrapbooks: Letters, poems, and clippings (1881 – 1886). HM 79983.
  • Subject in Scrapbooks: Columns, poems, etc. written for the Superior Times (1896). HM 79984.
Prohibitionists – United States.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1889, Feb 27 – 1890, June 30). HM 79966.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1891, Aug. 8 – 1891, Nov. 1), Winnebago City (Minn.). Note: Letter book begins on August 8, 1891. HM 79967.
Railroads – Design and construction.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1889, Feb 27 – 1890, June 30). HM 79966.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1892, Mar. 19 – 1892, Nov. 29), Spokane (Wa.). HM 79969.
Railroads – Mexico – Planning.
  • Subject in Scrapbooks: Letters, poems, and clippings, (1881 – 1886). HM 79983.
Real estate development.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1891, Oct. 6 – 1892, Mar. 14). Note: First part of the letter book contains poems and essays. HM 79968.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1892, Mar. 19 – 1892, Nov. 29), Spokane (Wa.). HM 79969.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1893, July 6 – 1894, Aug. 29), (Wa.). HM 79970.
Real estate transactions.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1893, July 6 – 1894, Aug. 29), (Wa.). HM 79970.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1894, Feb. 23 – 1894, Aug. 29), Everett (Wa.). HM 79971.
Satires – United States – 19th century.
  • Subject in Scrapbooks: Columns, poems, etc. written for the Superior Times (1896). HM 79984.
Temperance – United States
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1889, Feb 27 – 1890, June 30). HM 79965.
  • Subject in Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1891, Oct. 6– 1892, Mar. 14). Note: First part of the letter book contains poems and essays. HM 79968.
  • Subject in Ogle, J.C. 1 letter to E.J. Holley, A.L.S. (6 p.), (1887, Aug. 2), Owatonna (Minn.). HM 79993.
United States – Politics and government – Caricatures and cartoons.
  • Subject in Poems: written for The Politicians, 2nd Edition: [draft]. HM 79981.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

Subjects

Holley, H.W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897.
Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.)
Northern Pacific Railroad Company.
Triune Gold Mining Company.
Southern Minnesota Railroad Company.
Southern Minnesota Railroad Company. Engineering Department.
United States. General Land Office.
Alcohol Law and legislation -- United States.
American literature -- 19th century -- Anecdotes, facetiae, satire, etc.
American newspapers -- Sections, columns, etc.
Business enterprises.
Land titles -- Minnesota.
Mining claims.
Political satire, American -- 19th century.
Politics and culture -- United States -- Periodicals.
Politics and literature -- United States -- 19th century.
Prohibitionists -- United States.
Railroads -- Design and construction.
Railroads -- Mexico -- Planning.
Railroad land grants -- Minnesota.
Real property -- Minnesota.
Real estate development.
Real estate transactions.
Satires -- United States -- 19th century.
Sections, columns, etc. American newspapers -- Wisconsin.
Temperance -- United States.
Delavan (Wis.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Marias Pass (Mont.) -- Description and travel.
Minnesota -- Politics and government.
Minnesota -- Social conditions.
United States -- Politics and government -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Winnebago City (Minn.)

Forms/Genres

Correspondence -- United States -- 19th century.
Letterpress copybooks -- United States -- 19th century.
Poems -- United States -- 19th century.
Scrapbooks -- United States -- 19th century.

Additional Contributors

Bailey, E.H., recipient.
Beebee, I.H., recipient.
Bishop, J.W. (Judson Wade), 1831-1917, recipient.
Brown, O.D., recipient.
Case, O.H., recipient.
Christie, J.L., recipient.
Dobbyn, William Richard, recipient.
Easton, Jason Clark, recipient.
Haggard, A.E., recipient.
Haugan, Hauman G., recipient.
Holley, Cameron.
Hubbard, Lucius F. (Lucius Frederick), 1836-1913, recipient.
Upham, Henry Pratt, recipient.
Van Horne, William Cornelius, Sir, 1843-1915, recipient.
Whipple, Charles Henry, 1849, recipient.
Windom, William, 1827-1891, recipient.
Wood, B.F., recipient.
Funk & Wagnalls Company, recipient.

Collection Contents

 

mssHM 79959-79994

 

Letterpress Books

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1874, May 25 – 1875, Dec. 22), Winnebago City (Minn.). HM 79959

 

Cameron, Holley and Rossiter to A-Z (1881) and Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1881-1892). HM 79960

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1883, Apr. 18 – 1884, Dec. 20), Winnebago City (Minn.). HM 79961

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1885, Feb. 28 – 1886, Sep. 4), Winnebago City (Minn.). HM 79962

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1886, Sep. 4 – 1888, Dec. 31), Winnebago City (Minn.). HM 79963

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1889, Feb 27 – 1890, June 30). HM 79964

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1890, June 30 – 1891, Aug. 7), Winnebago City (Minn.). HM 79965

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1891, Aug. 8 – 1891, Nov. 1), Winnebago City (Minn.). Note: Letter book begins on August 8, 1891. HM 79966

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1891, Oct. 6 – 1892, Mar. 14). Note: First part of the letter book contains poems and essays. HM 79967

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1892, Mar. 19 – 1892, Nov. 29), Spokane (Wa.). HM 79968

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1893, July 6 – 1894, Aug. 29), (Wa.). HM 79969

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1894, Feb. 23 – 1894, Aug. 29), Everett (Wa.). HM 79970

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 to A-Z (1895, Mar. 25 – 1896, Feb. 22), Everett (Wa.). HM 79971

 

Poems

 

Poems: Accounts, etc. (1847-1851). HM 79972

 

Poems: Clippings, etc. (1847-1869). HM 79973

 

Poems: written for the Dollar Newspaper (1848). HM 79974

 

Poems: (1858 - ). HM 79975

 

Poems: For my wife… (1875 - ). HM 79976

 

Poems: (1883 – 1886). HM 79977

 

Poems: (1893). HM 79978

 

Poems: written for A Mental Harem [undated]. HM 79979

 

Poems: Ovid… [undated]. HM 79980

 

Poems: written for The Politicians, 2nPurd Edition: [draft], [undated]. HM 79981

 

Scrapbooks

 

Letters to Eliza Christie Holley (1852-1855). HM 79982

 

Letters, poems, and clippings (1881 – 1886). HM 79983

 

Columns, poems, etc. written for the Superior Times (1896). HM 79984

Envelope

Correspondence and Manuscripts

 

Dieudonné, Florence Carpenter, 1850- 1 letter to “Dear Friends,” A.L.S. (2 p.), [after 1850], Bridgehampton (N.Y.). HM 79985

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 1 letter to Eliza Christie Holley, A.L.S. (4 p.), (1856, Mar. 27), Indianapolis (Ind.). HM 79986

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 1 letter to Eliza Christie Holley, A.L.S. (4 p.), (1856, Apr. 5), Frankfort (Ind.). HM 79987

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 1 letter to Eliza Christie Holley, A.L.S. (1 p.), (1856, Apr. 8), Frankfort (Ind.). HM 79988

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 1 letter to Eliza Christie Holley, A.L.S. (2 p.), (1860, Mar. 2). HM 79989

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 1 letter to Eliza Christie Holley, A.L.S. (6 p.), (1866, July 15), La Crosse (Wis.). HM 79990

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897 1 letter to Eliza Christie Holley, A.L.S. (4 p.), (1868, Dec. 6), La Crosse (Wis.). HM 79991

 

Holley, H. W. (Henry Whitcomb), 1828-1897. Lorena: [poem], A.MS. (3 p.), [before 1898]. With envelope addressed to Eliza Christie Holley. HM 79992

 

Ogle, J.C. 1 letter to E.J. Holley, A.L.S. (6 p.), (1887, Aug. 2), Owatonna (Minn.). HM 79993

 

Wilson, [Andrew] C. 1 letter to “Dear Friends,” A.L.S. (4 p.), (1855, June 18), Calhoun County (Ill.). HM 79994

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